Conquest of Evil
by Shadow Ranger
Summary: The story of the Power Rangers retold.
1. The Beginning

Disclaimer: I do not own the Power Rangers, they belong to their respective copyright owners and are used here without permission. No money is being made from this fic.  
Authors Note: This is an alternate universe with an alternate time line.

**Birth of a Conflict - Part One**

Before the Dawn of Time

In the beginning, at the very start, there was nothingness, an absolute void inside of which nothing could physically exist. And yet there was something, an essence that lurked and grew within the darkness, a creature of great complexity fuelled by forces unexplained that fed and consumed the darkness around it. For a long period nothing changed, the lone presence erasing anything that attempted to evolve from the darkness, angrily lashing out at anything that invaded its domain.

Eventually though something did form in the void, bringing a little light to the darkness around it. It was an egg, a luminous shell protecting new life within, straining under the stress of the forces growing within its frail shell. As the egg grew larger, the strain of the forces within combined with the violent attacks from the void's other occupant, forced it to reach critical mass. Small cracks appeared in the structure and then, the contents burst forth in an explosive release of potential energy, obliterating the egg in the process and obliterating whatever had lurked in the darkness.

The universe was born. Large, filled with many interesting sights, it continued to grow for an immeasurable amount of time. But whenever it appeared that the swirling mists of colour and light would come together to form physical structure, the darkness seemed to strike, erasing all signs of progress.

But again the darkness could not prevent change, only delay it. A single planet formed around a lonely star. Life evolved and the first forms of intelligent species emerged, building a peaceful society. But the creature that lived within the darkness, the same creature that had been there in the void and had survived the explosion of the cosmic egg, was not prepared to share with creatures born from the light it hated so much. It hunted them, corrupted them and tried everything possible to drive them to destruction.

Millions of years after they had emerged, a mere moment in the mind of the darkness that sought their destruction, the primitive race developed an understanding for their foe. They still feared the darkness, but it was not the crippling fear they had once known. They fought back, eventually overpowering and trapping the darkness, but at great cost; in its anger, the creature destroyed the very structure of their universe.

Space collapsed in upon itself. The universe compacted, all manner of matter and energy forcibly compressed into a rapidly shrinking space. The proud race that had conquered the first evil could only watch, knowing that they would be wiped out by a phenomenon they could not understand. There was not enough time to save their race, although through their combined work they were able to provide a vessel that would take one member of their race to what they hoped would be safety at the very edge of existence. He would survive beyond the end of the universe although how long he would survive in whatever came after the end of the universe was not known.

The end arrived as the deflated universe reached a critical mass and exploded once more, breaking free of its boundaries as the fabric of the old universe was torn asunder to give way to the new universe that had burst forth into existence. While all the matter of the old universe was expelled into its successor, much of the energy not used in the explosion remained behind as the tear tried to close. But the rip was too vast to seal completely and over time some energy forced its way through the holes that remained, pouring into the new universe as the phenomenon that would one day be called magic.

And all this was observed by a lone figure. The One - for his survival had come at the price of his identity, stood unwavering as the explosive energy erupted around him. Physically immune to the destruction, he found that the new Universe was vastly different from the one he had known. And while he had survived the death of the old universe, he had not escaped the destruction; his being had become a key part of the new existence. He was the spirit, sentience and the central balance of the new universe, beyond the comprehension of its future inhabitants.

Comprised of matter that was very different to anything found in the new universe, The One existed as something that could not be perceived by the new universe. His mental functions seemed to disappear; in truth his awareness had been expanded to the point where he was omnipotent and omnipresent. At that level he was too distracted by important matters to acknowledge the event taking place on at a lower level. He would one day be regarded as a spiritual embodiment of reality and it would be claimed that he created a number of the abstract beings that would one day represent the conceptual nature of the new universe, as well as those of a more material nature. These creations were the ancestors of the ancestors of the ancestors of those that would eventually emerged to occupy billions of worlds.

As the One had survived, so had his former enemy. Still trapped, the creature that had been there since the void had first formed desired nothing more or less than the obliteration of everything that stood against its nature and most importantly, regain its freedom. To that end it allowed its influence to reach out into the new universe, seeking and corrupting the early creatures that lurked close to the darkness, influencing the conceptual beings of the new universe, including The One.

While The One remained aware of what was happening in the Universe, his consciousness was too widely spread to understand many of the events taking place. The psychological trauma of what had happened to him, along with the dark creature's influence, caused his subconscious to create two beings representing the good and evil within his soul. The first was a being of light, the part of The One that valued his continued existence and everything that had been god about the man he had once been. It referred to itself as the Light God. The other part was a mixture of all the dark feelings The One had kept suppressed during his former life, shrouded by the part of him that wished he had been destroyed along with the rest of his people. They were morally, intellectually and spiritually opposed to each other and doomed to clash violently - for the Light God and the Chaos Bringer's battle was one for the survival of all existence.

As the battle between the Light God and the Chaos Bringer raged, they created servants, powerful beings that existed on the physical plane where they could interact with the world around them. While the Chaos Bringer did not trust his creations enough to grant them a free reign, the Light God created thirteen avatars to protect the universe from all that would cause it harm.

The first to emerge was Paladin, a noble warrior who was an almost perfect copy of his more powerful creator. Since he shared many of the Light God's traits, he was perhaps the favourite. He was granted the gift of the Ryuuseikin, a sword capable of drawing unlimited power from the Light God and an energy matrix capable of channelling the very essence of the being that made up their universe. He was the equal of the Chaos Bringer's vilest creations.

The others each drew upon a facet of the Light God's nature, each charged with a sacred duty to preserve existence - for at some point the single universe had changed, spawning an unlimited number of realities. One of their number was charged with the task of record the knowledge of the new multiverse, another with the building of weapons to protect existence from harm and a third with the custody of the objects captured from the enemy forces.

Collectively the group was given a final gift: the ability to reproduce as the Light God had done, allowing them to create the next generation of guardians, the next line of defence against the Chaos Bringer's hordes. However, just as The One was not immune to the darkness that had led to the creation of the Chaos Bringer, the Light God was also tainted by the darkness. And the thirteen were not immune to the forces of evil, they had been granted free will and were just as susceptible to the voices that whispered from the darkness, the same feelings of jealousy and envy that from time to time passed amongst their group.

But though they were imperfect, they were powerful enough to take the fight to the Chaos Bringer's forces, slaying many of the creatures he spawned. And with their help, the Light God was able to overcome the Chaos Bringer. They would have succeeded had one of their number not turned on them. He chose the name Darke although his brethren had known him by another, and attacked his siblings, seeking the gifts they had been given for himself. Some were slain, others were broken and left trapped on the far reaches of the universe, until only Darke and Paladin remained to fight.

As the Light God and the Chaos Bringer shifted through the multiverse, the war between Paladin and Darke intensified. But despite their best efforts, the two soon found themselves deadlocked. To force a shift, they started to use the lesser beings of the universe as cannon fodder. For eons neither side was able to hold an advantage. For each warrior cut down on one side, so a member of the opposing army was slain. As Paladin's forces were vanquished, they willingly transferred their remaining energies to golden medals, each the size of a small coin and abandoned their physical bodies to become entities of pure light.

Their opponents were not allowed such a luxury of existing beyond their death. As punishment for losing, they were vanquished to the Shadow World, a place where they would endure torment and misery until they were released again; over time the Shadow World would become splintered and mistakenly referred to as the Dark Dimension.

In the end though it did not matter, whose army had the most fighters. Paladin was far more powerful than most of those he fought and his fallen brother had quickly proved himself just as powerful. So even when Paladin had lost all his warriors and Darke retained three of his generals, it was not a guaranteed victory for evil. Indeed, the war was only just beginning.

**End of part.**

Disclaimer: I do not own the Power Rangers, they belong to their respective copyright owners and are used here without permission. No money is being made from this fic.  
Authors Note: This is an alternate universe with an alternate time line.**Birth of a Conflict Part Two**

The Light God and the Chaos Bringer moved through the multiverse, shifting from one reality to the next, locked in an endless struggle. Their war was brutal, but existed on a level many could not perceive and as time passed, they were forgotten. The battle between Darke and Paladin however was not so easy to forget and as the first life forms continued to emerge on the increasing number of habitable worlds, so the war between the two intensified. Paladin and Darke showed no signs of stopping, their hatred driving them onward in spite of the devastation they caused.

Over the centuries that followed their battle touched many creatures. Some were drawn to the side of evil, their lust for power enticing them into Darke's service in return for the power he could grant them, while others joined with Paladin. These were a new breed of followers and in some ways more dedicated to their cause than their predecessors. They continued to grow into two large armies, but neither side had the power to make a difference... yet.

The full potential of the energy seeping into the new universe through the fabric that sealed it from its predecessor had yet to be discovered. The energies were still evolving. At such an early time though the discipline to master and focus such energies were beyond the grasp of all but the most powerful creatures. The two battling entities soon changed that. Their war revealed the possibilities to the masses and soon the opposing forces discovered how to use the energies they were exposed to.

Even in those simple times it was easier to be evil than it was to be good. Those who followed Darke and his wicked practices were taught to channel magic through symbols and written words. Later they would discover the ability to trap power inside an inanimate object such as a wand or to use the conductive properties of some atoms as a means of directing energy. As the final and ultimately the most effective means of focussing the destructive powers at their command, some of the older and most loyal followers allowed others to copy their physical forms. By using these sinister outer forms, they could draw on the mystical powers Darke offered his followers directly. Some could already direct magic in their natural form and were rapidly incorporated into the Army of Darkness. These demons were few in number.

The forces led by Paladin on the other hand lacked the ability to naturally draw on the power without a conduit. Those who could do so were limited in their strength. They were forced to find safe ways to channel the energies. Some copied the use of books and wands to contain magic whilst others discovered that gems and precious metals could also be used.

In the end though it did not matter whose army had the most fighters or which group could draw the most power. The fight had always been between Paladin and Darke, and in the end those two would decide the outcome. The two armies came to a new battlefield, a primitive world that had only just started to solidify. There they fought what they claimed would be the last battle. It was a battle that would cost both sides dearly.

Paladin, the embodiment of all that was pure and good, was injured. His body, made from living metal would one day inspire the armour worn by knights, was battered. The once white plating was marred with dents and scorch marks. Felled by treachery he should have expected from his brother, he lay sprawled upon the ground. He gazed up into the blackened sky and tried to reach out to the energy of the cosmos, that which had sustained him throughout the war. But his injuries were such that he found it impossible to focus on the energy for long. It was only the knowledge that his creator still lived and continued his campaign against the greater darkness that allowed Paladin to hold on as long as he did.

The tide of the war had turned against him and the bulk of his army had either been destroy or drawn away from the front lines. Paladin had been trying to rally his forces, any forces at all, when out of the smog had emerged three of Darke's freakish followers. They were ugly brutes, powerful without question, but little more than fodder intended to distract Paladin long enough for Darke to land a successful blow.

They had circled around him, just beyond the reach of his sword, neither attacking nor parrying, laughing at the rewards they would reap for destroying their master's most hated enemy. He had known that they were delaying, he had seen it in their movements. They appeared eager to attack and take the kill, but in reality they were just there to keep him caged in while they waited for their master to savour the glory.

Paladin had raised his sword, allowing his energy to flow through the skilfully crafted blade. The ruby in the hilt had glowed brightly as he and the weapon became a single entity, moving with precision and grace. The sword had shone and caused his opponents to back up, ready for the attack.

Instead he had made to retreat, knowing that like a pack of wild beasts they would sense weakness and move in closer.

Three against one, with those odds there was no doubt that they would attack. His sword moved swiftly and slew the first two with a single swing But that tremendous move had thrown Paladin off balance. And though he quickly corrected his stance, the third attacker had ducked inside his guard and lashed out with his own sword. The creature had brought the blade in low and caught Paladin on the right knee. Paladin had stumbled, surprised that the blow had affected him, but his sword had swung itself around and cleaved off the attacker's arm.

The burst of dark energy had caught him by surprise and had torn through his side. Darke had been waiting for the opportunity to strike. It had been a cowardly blow, but one that was undeniably effective. Darke did not waste the opportunity to savage his opponent, striking him repeatedly until Paladin had fallen. And then Darke had loomed over him, savouring the moment that he had won the war. It was a moment's delay that would cost him.

Paladin and Darke were complex and powerful creatures, but they were not completely indestructible. Their bodies could be damaged and even destroyed with a great deal of difficulty. However they would only die if they remained in their form when it expired. On many occasions they had reached a point where their bodies had been destroyed, but they had survived by abandoning their crippled form and adopting another.

But this time Darke had ensured that escape would not be a possibility. He had positioned himself in front of his fallen enemy and charged a ball of dark energy. At the point when the visor opened, there would be a brief period during which he could blast his opponent's soul. To do so would have ensured Paladin's demise. And while survival was possible even nanoseconds from the death of their adopted forms, remaining in the body once it expired meant certain death.

As Paladin looked up at his enemy, he knew that regardless of his actions he would not leave the battlefield. Darke had been clever when he had orchestrated the trap and left Paladin in a no win situation. That had not meant though that Paladin had lost; there was still one option available, if he was willing to give up everything to achieve it.

He waited, watching as Darke continued to gloat over his triumph. He waited for the moment of weakness, when Darke's attention was elsewhere and then he chose to act, using his remaining strength to open a dimensional rift and blast the evil entity into it. Wounded, Darke tried to escape his physical form only to find his essence sucked into the darkness.

Paladin rose long enough to fire a volley of energy that kept Darke trapped until the rift closed. Then unable to summon the strength he needed to clean his sword or open his helmet, he collapsed. His existence was all but over; he had spent too long inside his dying shell. His energy was exhausted to the point where he couldn't repair the damage enough to abandon his dying form. His time had come and all he could really do was ensure that his legacy would live on in the hearts of all good beings. His sword, shield and armour would be left for those that could use them, but to ensure that only those worthy of doing so claimed them, he provided them with the sentience needed to judge them worthy.

He smiled once again as he felt his body turn to dust particles, which started to swirl at intense speed. The universe loved balance and he was a cosmic being, a part of that balance. He would not survive to see the universe evolve, but Darke was forever sealed where he could not cause harm. And while the battle between the Light God and Chaos Bringer would continue, this phase of the war had ended.

Yes, he could sense it now, the fading of his physical form and the lack of universal awareness. He would survive, but not in his current role. The helmet shaped metal that had served as his head had been blown from his shoulders as the superheated dust particles combusted. The ash generated cooled as soon as it exited his body, its own gravity causing it to compact until it formed a crystal like substance inside of which his essence resided. Here he would remain; a counter to Darke's evil should the villain ever manage to escape.

And with that knowledge, Paladin, the embodiment of all purity of his creator, was at peace.

**End of part.**

Disclaimer: I do not own the Power Rangers, they belong to their respective copyright owners and are used here without permission. No money is being made from this fic.  
Authors Note: This is an alternate universe with an alternate time line.**Birth of a Conflict Part Three**

Time moved forwards and the universe evolved. The One was forgotten as the Light God and Chaos Bringer faded into legend. Paladin and Darke were gone; Paladin had died a valiant death that had stolen victory from his fallen brother's grasp, and Darke though the lone survivor of the Light God's children, had been imprisoned in a dimensional rift.

But though the two beings were gone, others would arise to take their places. Of course there had to be balance and so long as evil existed, there would be those that would stand in its path. And while these new champions of good and evil were nowhere near as powerful as Paladin and Darke - in comparison they were laughably weak - with Paladin and Darke gone, they were the ones that held the power.

For generations the force of darkness fought amongst themselves as Darke's former generals tried to establish their place as his successor. In the end a trio of evil creatures had emerged, the most powerful of their kind, each having subdued a number of other generals to their side. The first to emerge was Marriss, the self-proclaimed Queen of Evil. Marriss was immortal, thought to have been spawned by the source of all evil itself. The second was Raston, the slayer of Worlds. Raston lacked Marriss's immortality, but was easily her match in terms of power. He was a tactician, as skilled in planning as he was in combat. And finally there was Naarkh, the youngest of the dark trio and the least powerful. Naarkh wasn't immortal like Marriss and wasn't as powerful as Raston. He patterned himself on Raston, imitating the other villain's appearance and sought to copy the rituals Marriss had used to enhance herself.

The three were incapable of getting along and all the out fighting between spanned for centuries. It was impossible for the combatants to eliminate their opposition when they had to protect themselves on two fronts. Eventually Marriss and Raston briefly joined forces, just long enough to team against Naarkh, easily disabling the weaker foe.

Naarkh didn't know what became of the other villains. When he had regained awareness, he had sought them out but could find no trace of them. He hoped that they had destroyed each other although witnesses had suggested that Raston had tricked Marriss into leaving the universe before he too departed to a more potent universe. Regardless of where they had gone, Naarkh was alone again, weaker than he had been before he had started warring with the others.

While he had been away, the war between good and evil had shifted away from the conceptual beings of light and energy. The war was now fought by the lesser beings of existence. Unlike Darke, who had existed only to destroy all that was good, the trio and their successors had ambition and initiative. The Dark Gods as the new breed were known worked to establish their own forces. Each claiming their own territory, the mighty Poneros, the invincible Oligar, the scheming Haz'tur, the disfigured Javius and the machine goddess Hysteria, along with their lesser siblings Nore, Gorg, Mu, Adversary and finally Ramon.

As the centuries passed, the lines were drawn as the forces of Good and Evil faced each other on multiple fronts. Each side claimed their own territory, the realms of Heaven and Hell, identical realms that while a part of reality, were actually separated from the Multiverse. Soon the surviving representatives chose to remain in Hell and direct their forces from there. They gave life to the beings that would one day become recognised as devils and demons.

The realms of Heaven and Hell evolved over time, shifting further outside of the universe as they crisscrossed through the other realms and dimensions alike. It had even been suggested that the two domains were linked to just every universe throughout the multiverse; only the context of their existence differed as religion and beliefs in the mortal realm differed from planet to planet and from one universe to the next.

With the separation came the lesser gods, angels, devils and demons, four forces in the battle between good and evil that rarely saw the opportunity to battle. The noble gods willingly influenced life on many worlds while the selfless angels never abandoned their oath of loyalty to the light and bravely fought to vanquish the evil. The two groups occupied the realm known as Heaven, partially sealed from the mortal universe. For the most part mortals were unaware of their presence as they observed the lower species. The angels were the enforcers while the gods rarely left their realm.

Heaven was conceptually beyond the grasp of mortal minds. However, if they were to imagine the realm as a large chain of interlinked galaxies, one galaxy for each family of gods and their respective followers, they would be close to the truth. Many of these worlds were transformed to house mortals deemed worthy of entry once their lives were over.

Hell in comparison had a very similar make up in that it had dimensions dominated by Poneros and his siblings with smaller territories being awarded to some of the newer demons and devils. In addition to areas of comfort for its rulers, it also had worlds created for the sole purpose of tormenting those mortals who fell within its jurisdiction.

The realm contained kingdoms of demons, some lacking physical bodies and existing purely as spirits, others resembling hideous beasts and creatures made of strange matter. They were ambitious, willing to wage all out war on the forces of good, in their bid for power over the mortal realms.

And then there were the devils, the most evil of the grouping, who knew the truth about the power the lesser demons sought and who were every bit as daring in their schemes as the gods were brave. For them ambition and timing were inseparable. While the demons strived to dominate the mortals' universe, the devils preferred to conquer one soul at a time.

Both realms contained powerful entities capable of manipulating mortals on a mental, physical and magical level. Only the soul was immune to these influences since the only way a soul could be controlled is if the individual wished it to be controlled.

However, as the realms grew larger, so the cost of intervention in the world of mortals became ever greater, making such an act physically impossible. No longer could a demon set foot in the mortal world and use his great power to subjugate the population; angels were not allowed to carry out pointless campaigns for the greater good. At least, not without significant cost. After one demon became trapped in a lost galaxy, the true cost was clear for all to see.

Gods, angels, devils and demons alike could freely enter the mortal realms by sacrificing their greater powers and descending to mortal levels. In the case of the physical gods, angels and devils, that meant they could take on an almost normal appearance whilst demons were forced to maintain their hideous bodies. In doing so they limited their chances of accomplishing their goals. Those who existed in a spiritual form had to find a host. Dead bodies, plants and even rocks were acceptable hosts. Some spirits even managed to manipulate technology and inhabit everyday objects.

The main problem was that once they entered the mortal realm directly, their bodies were prone to damage. Spawning was the favoured solution to this problem since most minor demons were capable of creating an exact likeness of themselves, duplicating both physical and mental attributes. When their old body tired or was destroyed, they simply transferred their consciousness to the replacement form.

The other alternative was to transcend the realms through indirect means. By allowing themselves to be summoned, they retained most of their powers and providing they were strong willed, they were free to act. In some cases though they were bound to act as the slaves of those that summoned them. It was the mortals that devised the ceremonies that in effect created a binding contract between the demon and the mortal. The spells required a focus that if destroyed, would send the demon back to Hell. Some demons chose to simply use the access granted by such spells to intervene on behalf of a mortal in return for a soul, they could enjoy devouring, most often a child. One such demon named Lokar wreaked havoc on many worlds before he was vanquished.

The problems with being summoned were eventually nullified when it was discovered that they could inhabit the body of a willing mortal. All that mortal had to do was accept the offer of power and riches in return for their soul. Many demons used these rituals as ways to access the mortal realms and spread their influence. Since they could provide a way to channel the power of the Morphin Grid, few hosts ever rejected them.

For gods and devils alike, there was no such need for ceremony. On the rare occasion that either side entered the mortal realms, they did so in mortal form. Should they desire to remain there they needed only to mate with a mortal. The gods of course had moral objections to such acts, but over time their intervention in the affairs of lesser beings dwindled.

Devils however mated whenever they wished, selecting their partners carefully for physical traits. Consensual sex was preferred since in that moment of passion their lover failed to realise the true face of their lover. However, a virgin sacrificed in their name was just as acceptable. Either way, the soul belonged to the devil involved.

If the devil in question was female though, the offspring had the potential to become even more powerful. It could be born in either realm, but was stuck there following birth. However, if born in the mortal realms it would retain the powers of its mother while looking perfectly normal. Such vile offspring could change at will into a demonic form, which allowed them to use the power of the Morphin Grid.

For most demons existence was a complex society of politics and treachery. Raw power alone was never enough to guarantee superiority and no position within the ranks of evil could be considered truly safe. By splitting into multiple entities, the evil force ensured its survival, but it also created infighting between the factions. And through all this, Naarkh tried to regain the position he had once held in a universe where he was now a nonentity.

The Adversary created the High Clan as part of his domain. Although it was an elite band of evil beings, its power and influence came mostly through trickery. The names... Satan, Lucifer, Beelzebub, Old Nick and the others were mostly creatures from mythology on human worlds; they'd never been seen together.

That was because in truth the High Clan's more dominant personalities were actually one-entity. Each had their own area of the Adversary's kingdom to control, where they indulged in their own sinister hobbies. In all it added to the illusion of the Adversary's strength and added to his reputation.

Satan was the one most feared on account of his hideous form. He spent most of his time in Hell torturing those poor souls that fell to the darkness. Lucifer, the beautiful being that many mistook for a fallen angel was more likely to be invited around for tea and biscuits. It was clear which of the two was the most dangerous; Lucifer might shake hands and smile, but eventually the poor victim would realise he was missing an arm.

The battle that had started between creatures that were a part of the fabric of existence was rapidly becoming a fight fought by the least powerful creatures with outcomes that not only challenged who would control the universe, but whether said universe would even survive the war.

**End**

Disclaimer: I do not own the Power Rangers, they belong to their respective copyright owners and are used here without permission. No money is being made from this fic. In addition some of the history in this universe is adapted and mangled from the Star Wars universe and belongs to the respective copyright owners. **The Rise and Fall of an Empire - Part One**

Far from the birth place of the universe, a planet had formed. Over the many billions of years that had passed since its creations, it had become a populated world, filled by those that knew and opposed the forces of evil, their champions seeking to expose and vanquish the darkness wherever it appeared. It was in this part of a small galaxy, that scholars had studied and learnt the secrets of the Power. Generations earlier, the Dao, a primitive race led by their emotions had mastered a secret form of energy. The use of religious rituals and the crafting of special conduits had allowed them to control what had started out as spontaneous outbursts. Over time that knowledge had turned the channelling of energy into an art form based as much on science as it was on magic.

For centuries the planet had endured peacefully, its population embracing both the light and the darkness of their world and forging it into a society at peace with themselves. It was unfortunate that while they were capable of accepting the Power as a whole, those who visited them insisted on categorising their activities, labelling them as either good or evil. As always those who did not understand how things worked did not comprehend the damage their intervention caused. The Power, which had always been a single unified force, was suddenly divided into categories of light and darkness. By doing so they created forbidden knowledge that if taught freely would have been moderated by the lighter teachings. However, as forbidden knowledge it was sought by those without the skills to avoid the temptation to use it for evil.

The Dao race, recognised for their unity despite the varying moral stances, was suddenly divided into factions. The two most dominant groups were of course good and evil; the other groups were smaller and lacking in influence. The planet was engulfed by civil war and over the next few decades the Dao race was almost completely wiped out.

The teachings of the Power however were passed on, mainly through two schools of thought: Rinki and Geki. The Geki techniques though fierce were considered to be morally correct while those of the Rinki teaching were frowned upon and stained the soul. Dao students had always been taught to understand the importance of both teachings while following a strict code of behaviour that favoured the Geki school of thought. When the teachings were taken off-world, they lacked the skills to impart the knowledge. Students were abusing the Power and even those who were strictly committed to the Geki, ended up committing terrible acts.

It was a wise man named Suna who saw the folly of trying to teach only one aspect of the all-encompassing force that the energy represented. He unified the teachings as a means to understanding. He was the first to call the Power by its name. Through his teaching the Light Bringers as he called his disciples, were introduced to the teachings of both the Geki and the Rinki, but were taught to follow the moral codes of the Geki. After years spent training disciples in the ways of the Light Bringers, Suna opened an academy on the planet Ossus, which grew large under the aging master and his students. It was a scientist named Cobar Jacash who found a way to channel the Power through a crystal, creating an energised light sword.

When Suna died, the moral code of the Light Bringers started to slip. No longer did they stand up for the rights of the weak, instead dedicating their efforts to supporting the order provided by the galaxy's government. While they still fought the darkness, they did not challenge injustice so long as they were insulated from its effects. Shortly before Suna's death, a young student by the name of Fuji had renounced the light and thrown himself into the dark teachings. Unchallenged he created his own philosophy of studying both teachings but embracing the moral codes of the darkness.

It started with simple rebellion by younger students, a refusal to stick to the nine strict colours allowed for light swords. Later it took on more sinister actions such as denouncing governments and killing for vengeance. The Gorma encouraged discord and conflict wherever possible. Seeing the problem that the Gorma represented and fearing the possibility that more would arise if left unchecked, the studying of the darker practices was forbidden. All references to the ceremonies and rituals employed by the Rinki followers were erased.

Desperate to hide the path to the darkness, the leaders of the Geki decided to adapt the history of the Dao. The Geki and Rinki teachings were rewritten, taking everything the Dai considered positive and removing anything with the potential for abuse. The Dai renamed themselves as Makai Knights, wielders of the Power and servants of the Light. To talk of any other interpretation was frowned upon as the Makai scholars removed any knowledge they believed could lead to the darkness. Unfortunately by doing so they created an imbalance that they would later come to regret as a new breed of Gorma appeared.

While the first Gorma had been students of the Rinki teachings, those that followed were products of the imbalance that had been created. They were more likely to be Dark Makai who adopted the Rinki application of the Power and integrated it into their discipline. This generation called themselves the Xylon Lords after the ancient servants of darkness. To distinguish themselves, the Xylon Lords carried medallions that channelled a small amount of their power. The Xylon Lord known as Omicras of Scarz was the first to carry such an article. Over time the Xylon endured alongside the Gorma. In the decades that followed the Xylon continued to thrive, leading to a new war between good and evil and countless deaths on both sides. But the followers of the Xylon were naturally rebellious and over time new subsets appeared that threatened to further muddle the line between good and evil.

While the dark side of the Power created many great warriors, the light side could claim its own successes too. With the Power on their side they were capable of pushing their limits, but as ever more restrictions were heaped upon students to prevent them slipping to the darkness, many were prevented from reaching their full potential. Emotion was frowned upon, for the dark emotions were said to be a part of the dark side while the positive emotions were thought to risk exposure to negative emotions. In the words of one of the elders, love was a powerful and pure emotion, but it could lead to the fear of losing someone and was therefore to be avoided. Instead of acting as shining beacons of the light, the Makai were rapidly stepping into the shadows.

Eventually came the fall of the Xylon. Although powerful they were outnumbered by the Makai. In a final battle during which three times as many Makai fell before the Xylon might, all but two servants of the dark side were wiped out. However the two that remained, a Xylon and a Dark Wielder, were willing to put aside their differences and work against a common foe. The result was a new Xylon order. From that time on there could only be two Xylon Lords at any time: one to hold power and the other to chase it. While they were free to recruit Gorma, those they trained would never know the full power of the dark side.

The war continued through the millennia. The galaxy thrived, but was constantly on a point of collapse as the Xylon continued to rise against it. The rediscovery of ancient Rinki texts heralded a revival of the Xylon as they learned how to channel their powers through the use of crystals, gems and enchanted metals.

Unnoticed to the Makai, one Xylon succeeded another, each generation selecting the one they thought best suited to carry their cause forward. One Xylon replaced another sometimes through a natural death or in combat, just as often through the treachery of an ambitious apprentice. Eventually the Xylon Lord, Lu'ong arose with the ambition, the knowledge and the positioning to bring his vision of order to the galaxy.

Over a period of time, Lu'ong trained an apprentice named Maku. Maku was a skilled student, having slain three Makai just to prove himself worthy of his master. After a few more years, Maku revealed his existence and that of the Xylons to the Makai.

It was a time when the Makai boasted some of their most powerful members and their order had become stagnant. The strict insistence on avoiding all emotion clouded their sense of right and wrong, allowing them to overlook the injustice of slavery while concentrating on maintaining the ideology of the Galactic Republic and the structure it gave their lives.

Maku was killed during a mission, leaving Lu'ong to further his plans by taking on a string of apprentices. After killing a young Makai with a fireball, he sent an impostor to arrange the building of a new army, all-the-while supporting the growing armies of the opposition. Under the guise of a senator named Kata, Lu'ong played both sides of the growing conflict, positioning himself to sweep to power legitimately.

Kata and DooQu quickly found a Makai to aid them in their nefarious plans to take over the Galaxy. DooQu thought he was gaining political power and status, but Kata was merely using DooQu as a tool. As DooQu unified the Separatists, Kata brought adepts of the Geki into his conspiracy. He made one his secretary, due to her ability to read minds. He befriended two Makai Knights during this period, considering which one he would choose to replace DooQu as an apprentice.

Eventually Lu'ong shaped events to where he wanted them. He engineered a faux-war, ensuring that he would remain in power despite having dismissed democracy in the process. In a rapid series of moves he allowed those suspicious of his actions to become more vocal, knowing that they would reach the ears of the Makai and force them to act in ways that could be considered treasonous.

Then came the turning point, the moment that public support for Lu'ong was at its height. He allowed the Makai to confront and attack him, slaying three of their number in the process. The fourth was killed through the aid of a traitor who became his new apprentice. The newly born Rio was sent along with the army he had created to hunt down and destroy the Makai. Although grievously injured during a battle with his old master, Rio was rescued from death and placed in a cyber-genetic suit.

In the guise of Chancellor Kata, Lu'ong declared himself Emperor and reorganized the Senate under his rule. He legitimised his rule with the aid of the highest court in the Galaxy, the Supreme Tribunal, located on the planet Granicus.

Through Rio and others, Kata established the Galactic Empire and ordered the extermination of the Makai Knights. Thousands upon thousands of Makai were massacred. The Order of Makai virtually disappeared. The great Makai Knights were soon just a memory.

The only ones to survive were those lucky enough to remain in hiding on remote worlds. Most Power-sensitive individuals were tracked down by Grand Inquisitor Tremayne. They were given the choice: either submit their abilities to Emperor Kata's rule, or perish at the hands of the Emperor's forces, the battle between the Makai and Xylon ended. It was an oppressive time for the galaxy, the forces of good and evil had fought and for the time being the light had been extinguished. The Emperor created an army consisting of military might to maintain his authority. Through the use of Moffs as localised leaders, Grand Admirals to control the military and the Dark Prince Xeesurr, the alien leader of Dark Moon through whom criminal activity could be directed, the Emperor slowly worked to solidify his reign.

There were dissidents of course; many Senators rejected the Emperor and organized a Rebellion. None of them lived to see the Makai Order rise again. Over time the Rebellion gained support and after a major victory against the Emperor's most prestigious super weapon, the end of the Empire was close at hand. In the end it was Lu'ong's own apprentice who destroyed him, turning from the dark side in the process and ending the evil of the Xylons. Peace reigned.

**End of part.**

Disclaimer: I do not own the Power Rangers, they belong to their respective copyright owners and are used here without permission. No money is being made from this fic. In addition some of the history in this universe is adapted and mangled from the Star Wars universe and belongs to the respective copyright owners. **The Rise and Fall of an Empire - Part Two**

The Emperor had fallen, the Gorma and Xylon forces routed, and peace had been restored to the galaxy. But the evil could not be erased totally, the scars left behind took time to heal as the remnants of the Empire struggled to maintain control. They had help. Few realised when peace was ultimately declared that the Emperor had prepared for his death, securing a secret force outside the confines of the Empire, ready to strike should he be removed from power. The force was headed by a genetically created successor to the Emperor. However, at the moment of his activation, the new Emperor had devised a different plan. Under his command, the fleet left their galaxy behind and headed out into space, looking for new territory where they could build their strength and perhaps one day return.

Time passed, millions of years in the blink of an eye. The new Emperor led the surviving portion of the Empire's forces through space, seeking out new territories to control. As they travelled from one galaxy to the next, the Emperor's scientists were working on modifying the cloning technology. He wanted clones that were physically and mentally superior to previous versions and a guarantee that they would obey his commands. When that task was complete, he was able to start a series of empires, conquering whole galaxies and then leaving a clone to oversee the day-to-day running of the affairs.

It had been discovered that the Power that they had known had changed as the Universe expanded. Outside of their home galaxy, the Power grew weaker and the abilities of those capable of wielding it were also depleted. It took a long time for the travellers to relearn the use of the Power. Experts believed this was because the teachings of the ways of the Power had diminished over time.

As they travelled from one galaxy to the next, they had developed the strategy of leaving half their forces in place while the rest continued onward. While the freshly installed army prepared for war, the expeditionary force pressed on, replacing those they left behind as they travelled. In galaxies where they achieved total victory, which was the case most of the time, they would send conscripts from the planets under their dominion to reinforce the continuing effort.

The Emperor's fleet had many advantages over their enemies, from ships that could strip a planet of its vital minerals and turn them into ships, to soldiers trained to use the radically changed Power. The rejuvenated Emperor - for he had found a means to renew his body when it deteriorated - had developed a method of administering what amounted to a number of territories controlled by puppet administrations. By the use of electronics and dark rituals, the clones that were left behind to oversee the Emperor's efforts acted as the eyes, ears and mouthpiece of their master while he made the important decisions. As such he was able to extend the new network of empires beyond the boundaries of one man's control.

The dark forces had conquered countless galaxies, although it had taken millions of years since they first departed from their home worlds; that constant stream of conquests was about to come to an end. Under the leadership of the still deteriorating Emperor Trannis, the fleet had arrived just outside of the fledging galaxy that would one day be known as the Milky Way.

The Power was different in this place. It was no longer possible to wield complete control over the Power. In this part of the Universe, the Power had become fractured into separate spheres of magic and psychic energy. This area of space held new challenges that Trannis promised to meet head on.

As Trannis's progress slowed, the Milky Way was experiencing a golden age. It was a time when the extra-dimensional energy known as magic - for it quickly became evident that there was more than one type of energy seeping in from beyond the boundaries of the mainstream universe - played a greater and greater role in the day-to-day lives of the population. Their understanding of what they had come to refer to as the Power was as limited as the Emperor's understanding of this new phenomenon. Still, a few theories had surfaced about its use.

The agents the Emperor had dispatched easily recognised the Guardians, self-styled defenders of all that was good, ignoring the views of those they were meant to protect, as the only real resistance in the new galaxy. Trannis recognised them as possible successors to the Makai legacy and vowed to wipe them out.

The planets of Devadec and Frostfall were the respective homes of the Galactic Council who administered events within the galaxy, and the elite group known as the Guardians who appointed themselves to defend it, with the aid of their apprentices of course. Devadec was a vast metropolis where the highflying politicians and businessmen could meet and trade while Frostfall was an organic world where those who believed in Guardians' cause and had the aptitude to wield the life changing energies of the Morphin Grid gathered.

Over time the need for separate planets became obvious as some of the Guardians tried to appoint themselves councillors. They were robbed of any illusion that they could take such actions, and as a result only succeeded in convincing members of the Galactic Council to place strict rules upon the way the Guardians handled their affairs.

Peace reigned throughout the Galaxy since very few dared to challenge the power of the forces of good. But as the Guardians and their political rulers started to believe they were invincible, their unwillingness to look beyond their galaxy would prove their undoing; beyond those boundaries the Universe was a sinister place.

While the Guardians and the Galactic Council were concerned with petty infighting, Trannis had mobilised a new expeditionary force, leaving many of his followers behind to expand his army. As he passed through a galaxy, Trannis would mobilise his forces to destroy those most likely to oppose him. Then once they were crippled he would take two thirds of his fleet and leave, allowing the force he left behind under the leadership of his genetic offspring to actually subjugate the population and raise new forces to join him. Of course they were helped by reinforcements from galaxies he had conquered previously. His force spearheaded the charge, while those following on behind, wiped out any resistance.

Some of the territories he had conquered had subsequently annexed neighbouring galaxies and sent more subjects to the front line. Control of such a large empire proved difficult, Trannis maintained order with an iron fist. Careful placement of relay stations in each galaxy meant that a journey of centuries could be accomplished in hours.

Trannis's arrival outside the Milky Way was known before he entered the galaxy; news of the atrocities committed by some of his advanced forces made his name something to be feared. To the Guardians though he was considered just another villain trying to make a name for himself, which spoke of how great an impression his troops had made, since the Guardians normally refused to acknowledge any threat beyond the boundary of their galaxy.

For once Trannis had changed his strategy, choosing to conquer worlds on the outer fringes of the Milky Way and solidify his empire before pushing on. Billions of lives were lost on countless worlds as his fleet terminated whole species to further his cause. From his throne world, Trannis looked upon his kingdom and directed the attacks.

It was a terrible mistake by the Guardians not to intervene as soon as Trannis entered their territory. By waiting and denying the threat that he posed, after the twelve worlds of the Zodia system fell to his forces, they lost the opportunity to put an end to his evil. Even when his brutality caught their attention, most considered the affairs of a lone solar system or the odd world to be of minor importance.

Some of the Guardians did fight, stepping outside of their roles and turning their backs on the ruling council. They called themselves the Galaxy Defenders and placed themselves on planets they thought Trannis would target. Most of those who did fight were killed, fuelling the Guardians' belief that non-interference was the safest and most prudent course of action. But while the Defenders' deaths did little to encourage the Guardians to uphold their oath of service, they inspired the ordinary populations of worlds under threat to take up arms; the Guardians' role was becoming less and less important as the people protected themselves.

A new armada of space ships was sent to battle Trannis's fleet. Thousands of people from hundreds of worlds all unified to defeat the threat. The Galactic Council turned their back on the Guardians, a move which made the Guardians protest and later threaten to replace the elected body of representatives with a body of their choosing. In the end the Guardians backed down and the Galactic Council moved to unite the people ready for war. Despite losing the argument, the respect of the people and some of their respected members, the Guardians refused to join the campaign. They refused to sanction any action against Trannis and threatened those that took such action with severe sanctions. There was a growing fracture within the membership of the Guardians that served to strengthen Trannis's position. The war was being fought on too many fronts and Trannis's forces seemed to grow daily.

It was a long and difficult battle, and the defending army was vastly outnumbered. It was through the use of underhanded tactics and unprecedented amounts of luck that they won a number of small victories that would eventually lead to Trannis's defeat. Outside of the galaxy, a small unit managed to destroy one of Trannis's relay stations. It was a small strike, but it effectively shut down the Emperor's communications lines and any possibility of reinforcements. After a few months without contact, his forces assumed he was dead and tried to replace him. In a single act, the Super Empire had come to an end.

The second strike pitted the galaxy's fleet against one of Trannis's weaker fleets. The fleet was destroyed, bolstering the Council's forces and pushing them to fight even harder. Those Guardians that had joined the battle led their forces bravely. Their dedication and values meant they were highly respected and inspired others to improve themselves.

Trannis did not take the resistance lightly. He decided that both the Galactic Council and the Guardians were threats to his plans. And as other divisions of his fleet were destroyed, he realised that a message needed to be sent. As the defending army drove Trannis's forces away from a planet they had recently conquered, and destroyed a portion of his army for good measure, the Emperor decided to make a decisive strike at the very heart of the Galactic Council and destroy the Guardians at the same time.

Trannis's chosen vessel, the mighty space station Terminus, was based on technology deployed by the first Emperor so long ago, namely the Star Killer. Unlike the Star Killer though Terminus was much larger with an outer ring and a smaller battle station that acted as a tug to move it through space. The massive super cannon was its main weapon, although it was also capable of tearing planets to pieces and draining them of their vital resources. Its resistance to most forms of attack marked it as a potent weapon.

Leaving his fleet to obliterate the Council's armada, he directed the battle station into orbit around the planet Frostfall. From there he launched the bombardment of Devadec, unaware that the Galactic Council had already relocated to the world of Erlion. After watching this act of open hostility, the Guardians finally decided to make preparations for his arrival. It was almost laughable that they hadn't expected him to destroy their world and he couldn't believe they were foolish enough to expect him to leave them alone if they failed to lift a hand against him. As soon as he saw that they were starting to become organised, he fired one of Terminus's more volatile weapons and watched in delight as the once proud world crumbled from within.

It was hours later that Trannis returned to the scene of his greatest crime. There he witnessed the success of his weapon and decided to collect some spoils of war. He had heard stories of the Guardians and the treasures they held in their vaults. After finding the vaults, he assigned one of his commanders to transfer their contents to Terminus where he could review them later. Meanwhile, he turned his attention to other matters.

"Summon the Ambassadors!" His words were soft but few were stupid enough to ignore his commands. He glanced to one side as the words left his lips, and only looked away when one of the three females he counted as his closest advisers nodded.

"They have heard your word, Emperor," she announced dreamily.

She was a true seer whose powers allowed her to catch the occasional glimpse of the future. Her skills allowed them to know more about the activities of Trannis's forces in the present. It was an amazing ability passed down from mother to daughter, and one that came at the expense of her sanity. Currently she was lucid and perhaps at her most dangerous, but at other times she was like a child.

"Then let them come," he said, glancing to where another female, his bodyguard, was ready to defend her master should she need to.

"There is no need for that," he promised. "You forget my servants would never harm me, would they?"

Although his faithful bodyguard remained silent, he could sense her eyes shifting to where the seer was staring vacantly into space.

"Or at least not without my knowing it."

Behind the bodyguard his third servant, a powerful sorceress, stood watching proceedings. While she didn't appear concerned, he could sense the energy crackling through her fingers ready to act.

Those he had summoned, each representing the most successful territories under his control had arrived. The four chief advisers were first, followed closely by his eight most senior generals. The Troobian representative named Golan and Darkstorm were the last to enter. Darkstorm was a nobleman with ideas above his station. They were two of the more powerful leaders from territory Trannis had previously conquered. Golan was the leader of the Troobian military, constantly seeking out new territory for Trannis, while Darkstorm wielded over a small domain with the aid of his wife and their son. Each served as Trannis's voice in those regions and were a vital part of his supply line.

He watched as they tried to remain subservient while wanting nothing more than the opportunity to rip each other's hearts out. It was no secret that they loathed each other, yet in confronting Trannis they presented a united front; personal issues aside, they were equally scared of Trannis.

Golan was a dark robed figure. His hood concealed his face and what many described as a terrible disfigurement. In his right hand he carried a large long staff that many believed was an ornament rather than a weapon. He was of the opinion that a few generals, some disposable foot soldiers and a few specialist weapons were all that he needed to succeed. He was boastful of his abilities, his limited magic far beyond anything Darkstorm could accomplish, but never in the presence of Trannis.

Darkstorm was far more mundane. The king of a powerful kingdom, he was a capable commander and a skilled tactician, capable of manipulating the emotions of his enemies. Unfortunately Darkstorm's ambition was greater than his loyalty meaning there was little chance that Trannis could trust him for long. Darkstorm used a more traditional army to fight his battles even though such an approach was often wasteful; he destroyed conquered worlds just for the fun of it. If he couldn't find a weakness in a world he targeted, he didn't bother conquering it. His desire was to rule alone, even if his was the only world to exist.

Darkstorm dressed as a knight, using a mixture of rare cloth, interlinked chain mail and solid plating forged at the cost of his subjects. He carried a broadsword in his right hand, a heavy axe on his back and a small pistol holstered on his left hip. His dark hair had not been washed for weeks and had grown matted by sweat. He looked every part the dark warrior, but his face carried an arrogant expression. He was not a pleasant man to know. His behaviour had been overlooked in the past because his domain was considered a valuable asset. However his desire to kill his master was well known and Trannis was sure to keep the rogue noble under scrutiny.

Darkstorm was an adept, a being capable of using magic but only to enhance his natural abilities. As a child his mother, one of the few of Trannis's servants to be a sorceress, had cast a spell to grant him immortality at the cost of most of his magic. He could never indulge in the black arts like his mother, or become a mage, or even wield the deadly powers of a warlock. He was however stronger and faster than most opponents would believe, but due to the stress using such power placed on his body, he displayed only a small portion of this power. It was a curse that his son Morgdred had inherited. Of course even that small portion was awe inspiring to many.

"You called?" Darkstorm asked, not bothering to hide his annoyance. Darkstorm was a ruler in his own mind and despised the idea of following the orders of other. Even his beloved wife asked rather than commanded him to act; it went against his nature to be a servant. And travelling through the small magical corridors that had been used to replace some of the relay stations was not a pleasant experience.

Trannis smiled, not a pretty sight all things considered. Darkstorm was obviously uncomfortable about receiving a summons after being allowed to do as he pleased for so long, but Trannis enjoyed keeping his servants on a tight leash. Knowing Darkstorm, the pompous king had probably forgotten his place in the grand order of things as all Trannis's lesser servants tended to do sooner or later. It didn't matter, Trannis had found many ways to 'convince' his followers to remain loyal and obey without question. That would come later though; other matters demanded his immediate attention.

King Darkstorm regarded Trannis cautiously. Despite his attempts to stay calm he knew that the man was anything but feeble. It was said that many times Trannis constantly changed his appearance to that of an old man in order to confuse his enemies. The grey cloak hid most of his features, but his bony hands and wrinkled face had been deformed by more than just old age. Darkstorm suspected that the magic that Trannis wielded was so great that it had eaten away at his body.

"I didn't call Darkstorm," Trannis stated, deliberately ignoring the title. "I demanded your presence here immediately."

"Forgive me mighty Trannis," Darkstorm with mock reverence. "I live only to serve you."

"Tell me Darkstorm, how is your little dynasty progressing? I was so happy to hear of the birth of your second daughter." He waited for Darkstorm to look at him before continuing. Darkstorm was powerful, but he could be kept in his place with a few correctly worded threats. "Address me again in such a tone and I shall have your beloved wife killed and your son sold into slavery and destroy anyone stupid enough to follow you. I wonder how you'd manage if I sent word that you were to be treated as a maid?"

"Please forgive me," Darkstorm begged, "I meant no offence."

Trannis cut him off. He heard the voice of the seer in his mind and she saw Darkstorm's actions for what they were, a deception to relieve his anger.

"Good," Trannis said after a pause. "Perhaps now we can get down to business."

He turned back to his throne where Golan was kneeling. The hooded figure only lowered his head to Trannis, but had not moved since entering. He was every bit as loyal as Darkstorm was treacherous.

"You may rise Golan," Trannis said.

Golan rose. No words, none were needed in order to comply with the invitation.

"Why are we here?" Darkstorm asked.

"I know that you are bored Darkstorm," Trannis said. "But if you do not show some respect, I will relieve your boredom permanently. That pathetic little empire of worlds you've been building outside of the territory I granted you and your kin remains independent only because I wish it to be. Never forget that."

He turned his attention back to Golan. It was time to get down to business.

"As you know, my relay stations have been damaged. I want both of you to make your way here. Bring the forces you have been amassing with you. It's time to consolidate the Empire."

Darkstorm looked as if he wanted to protest, then thought better of it and stalked away to make preparations.

"It will be done," Golan said before leaving. That was all he needed to say. His superior would deal with the details while Golan continued with his mission to make the Troobian military the best in the universe.

**End of part.**

Disclaimer: I do not own the Power Rangers, they belong to their respective copyright owners and are used here without permission. No money is being made from this fic. In addition some of the history in this universe is adapted and mangled from the Star Wars universe and belongs to the respective copyright owners. **The Rise and Fall of an Empire - Part Three**

The Master-At-Arms was dead and nothing could change that. But that did not mean the galaxy was without hope. The energy residing around her was almost sentient. It could sense the pain of the planet around it as slowly the voices of many living things turned into silence. The Power reacted instinctively, pressed into action by the desires of the dying. It reached out and found one survivor, a young woman who had arrived days earlier to beg for the help of the Guardians. Her pleas had fallen on deaf ears, but now she would have her chance to make a difference as she was chosen to become the first Master-At-Arms.

With the Master-At-Arms selected, new powers could be created. Some of the survivors of the initial assault were saved from death and transported to her location where they could be granted their new power. They were all students who drew their powers through the use of coloured crystals.

Being inexperienced in the ways of magic and having only a rudimentary connection, they hardly noticed when the link was broken as the Power used the pathways established to form its own links. None of those it had selected would have held their powers for long. The colour and animal they had been given, as guides were wrong for them. However, the Power took what it found and after a short ritual, the first team of Power Soldiers were born.

They were soldiers only in name. Their powers did not come from the later accepted source of the Power and despite their appearance; they were not bound as a unit. Each had a form that they were familiar with to help them in battle; the only thing they were familiar with at the time was being Soldiers.

"You are now Power Soldiers, the future of this universe," the Master-At-Arms spoke.

Nobody knew how much or how little time had passed. When in contact with the Power, time itself could be manipulated. There was no sense of urgency as the ritual continued.

"Where the Guardians have failed, you will succeed because you are pure of body, mind and soul. The people of the Universe seek justice, not arrogance. Never forget that the only way for evil to succeed is if good men do nothing."

She turned to study her team. How had they come so far so quickly? For that matter, how did she know what to say? The answer to both questions was clear; the Power was teaching her what to say just as it was teaching the Soldiers what to do.

The sound of banging alerted her to a new danger.

"The time has come, the power is yours. You need only to invoke it."

"I invoke the Power!" the eight students said as one.

"Red Dragon!" Lacutus, the human leader of his team called.

"Green Minotaur!" Kytte, a younger black-haired human called.

"Purple Spider!" The reptilian Dionnah cried.

"Black Lion!" Darrott, the bird-like representative of the Tengarian Empire called.

"Yellow Griffin!" Tink, the blonde haired human called.

"Blue Unicorn!" Gran, easily the most powerful man within the group cried.

"Pink Firebird!" Ces, the amphibian most at home on the planet Aquitar, called.

"White Tiger!" Sorran, the white-haired hermit turned defender called.

Their clothes did not change with the exception of a small power coin appearing on a belt around their waists. On one side of the belt were the Blade Blasters they used in combat. On the other side was a small silver cylinder, which when activated became a Light Sword bearing the owner's colour. Each had an additional weapon they could call on through the Power, but the concentration required summoning such weapons meant they were used only when absolutely necessary.

"Trannis has discovered the magic I have worked here," the Master-At-Arms spoke. "He has sent his servants elsewhere, but he has not yet finished with this world."

"How do we fight him?" Red Dragon asked.

"The Power will guide you," she answered.

Gran grinned. "Let's get out there."

Trannis had been drawn back to the planet and for some reason had decided to investigate the abnormal energy readings himself. He had temporarily assumed an armoured form to make movement easier. It was a technique that had proven useful over the years, though it took a great deal of effort to control. When he took such a form, he lacked the limitations of his constantly fading body while retaining a large amount of power. If needed, he could transform back at any time.

He appeared near to where the Master-At-Arms had been and immediately sensed that something had changed. The troops he had sent ahead were gone; as were the huge land walkers he had sent to scout the planet. He was at once alert. A scream caught his attention and he spun around to be confronted by the corpse of one of his troops, although he would never know who it was because the armour was scorched beyond recognition. Instinct dictated his next move as he tried to teleport back to the safety of his vessel. The planet was obviously not devoid of life, yet. Nothing happened, no matter how hard he tried and eventually he gave up. Something was going on and he had to be alert.

A burst of pink streaked across the sky and narrowly missed his shoulder. The air above him flashed brightly. He was under attack.

"Show yourself!" he bellowed. "Who dares to attack me?"

The pink shape moved back across the landscape, this time at a pace where he could make out the shape. It was a giant animal, a Firebird to be exact, which was partially solid, but mostly magical energy. On the top he could see a lone figure riding the mighty beast out of combat.

"We dare," a calm voice announced.

Trannis spun around to see seven figures in fighting stances, each with their Light Swords drawn and ready. Light Swords that marked them as Soldiers, a new development by the forces of light. In a beam of pink fire an eighth member joined them.

"YOU dared to attack me?" he asked, twisting the words so they sounded like an insult.

"You are guilty for the destruction of untold worlds," Sorran answered. "The Guardians were willing to not get involved if you had left them alone. But instead you showed an evil heart; all evil must be challenged and conquered."

"Fools, I am more powerful than you could imagine. I need only to teleport back to Terminus and I will fry this world."

"Then we'll have to make sure you don't leave," said a new voice.

The Master-At-Arms stood ready for action, her long staff poised to strike.

"Full power now!" Lacutus called.

At once the Soldiers were transformed into their battle armour. Their suits changed into the tight fitting fabric used that would be used for all future Soldier uniforms. Red, green, black, yellow, pink, blue, and purple wore similar outfits. The upper body was white with a gold trim, as were the bands surrounding the tops of their gloves and boots. On the left breast they wore a gold image of their spirit animal. The material on their arms and legs were predominantly their individual colour. The belts were gold, with an intricate pattern around the buckles and a holster on each side. Their helmets were shaped to resemble the heads of their spirit animals as well. In their hands the Light Swords were replaced by a set of staffs in their colour.

Sorran was the exception. His costume was all white with gold and black gauntlets around the tops of the boots, gloves and on the belt. A black and gold shield covered his chest with shoulder pads bearing the image of his spirit animal on the center of the front. His helmet resembled the face of a tiger. In his hand was a long golden sword.

"Surround him!" the Master-At-Arms ordered.

The fighters surrounded Trannis and after forming a circle, joined hands. They raised their arms into the air and joined hands.

"We call on the Power," the Master-At-Arms intoned. "Destroy this villain and vanquish this great evil!"

Trannis was worried. The Power Soldiers were calling on powerful forces and now that he had unleashed his weapon on Frostfall, the planet was desolate, providing no organic life he could pervert to his ends. There were no useful minerals in the soil from which to construct weapons. Trannis knew that by his own hand he had placed himself at a severe disadvantage.

"This is the end of the line Trannis," Red Dragon told him. "Your evil ends here today."

Realising he could not escape, Trannis shifted his form slightly so he could improve his chances. His armour and skin merged and his muscle tone increased to provide extra strength. This was his chosen form, he preferred it because of the added protection his metallic body provided. A deadly black blade appeared in his hands. It had no highlights and seemed to swallow daylight into its depths. He simply called it Hell Bearer.

The eight Soldiers fired their weapons, attempting to circle around Trannis as they did so in hopes of catching him off guard.

"Is this what you call playing fair Soldiers?" Trannis asked as he batted away several of their blasts. "Trying to sneak behind an enemy you already out number doesn't sound very fair to me."

"Since when have villains fought fair?" Yellow Griffin asked in response. "You can't expect us to follow rules that you wouldn't even consider."

A lucky blast from Sorran knocked Trannis off his feet, allowing them to concentrate their fire. Although Trannis refused to entertain the notion that anything the warriors did could cause him serious injury, their blasts were keeping him pinned and more vulnerable than he liked.

"Enough!" he cried suddenly as he released his sword.

The blade spun end over end towards the eight Soldiers until it was it connected with Green Soldier's Light Sword. Sparks flew as the evil blade absorbed the energy within the Soldier's weapon. The green clad warrior hurriedly powered down his weapon and watched as Trannis's sword fell to the ground.

In the instant the others took their eyes off their opponent to watch Green Minotaur, Trannis was about to scramble away from his predicament. Raising his hand he summoned his sword and attacked.

"Ces, look out!" Red Dragon warned as Trannis directed his assault towards the Aquitian.

For her part Ces was a highly skilled warrior with the aggressiveness and determination that set her people apart from other races. Before Trannis had started his reign of terror, Aquitar had been a planet of land dwelling life forms. It had been during his early assault that the villain had cursed the entire race so they could not retain moisture. He had then flooded their world, leaving the people with no choice but to adapt to their changing environment.

As Trannis approached she pulled both her Light Sword and Blade Blaster. She caught his sword with her Light Sword and used a blaster to damage the weapon. When that failed, she dispensed with the weapons and opened up with a violent onslaught of punches and kicks. The villain stumbled back wondering where these Soldiers had found such strength. Could it be that Soldier was more than a fancy title? He turned and ran straight into Purple Spider.

Dionnah did not bother with weapons. She used her powerful limbs to strike at Trannis's armour. Her first few blows kept him off balance so that she could land kicks to his jaw and shoulder. Her left fist connected with his chin as her right hand, now bearing her staff positioned itself next to his chest.

Even when her opponent went down Dionnah did not relent. Her planet had not been as lucky as Ces's. Trannis had considered her world a threat and exterminated it outright. It was vengeance that had fuelled Dionnah's determination over the last few months and years. It was rage that created the adrenaline that allowed her to continue punching long after she had cracked the bones in her hand.

"Power Staffs!" Red Dragon ordered.

The long staffs started to glow. In an attack pattern they had perfected during their brief training encounters, the Soldier lunged forward. White Tiger and Green Minotaur drove the points of their staffs into the villain's shoulders, driving him to the ground and preventing further movement. Blue and Purple Spider were next, securing his ankles to the ground. Taking the opportunity to disarm him, Red Dragon slammed his staff into Trannis's wrist. The Yellow Griffin hooked the sword away allowing Black Lion and Pink Firebird to destroy it with their weapons.

Sensing he would not triumph against such determined opponents, Trannis allowed himself to grow. As his body expanded, he reached out and seized Purple and Black Lion. As his body increased in size he applied greater pressure to his captives, laughing silently as he felt their bodies explode.

The others looked up at the giant who had just destroyed two of their friends. They didn't feel anger, which would have blinded them to their task and what they had to do. "Powers Merge!"

Some distance away the Master-At-Arms had been wielding an old magic, binding Trannis with the lives of those who opposed him. It took a while before Trannis realized that he had been tricked. The students had never intended to win. Their combined attack was little more than a light show to enable the Master-At-Arms time to trap him in a prison of crystal. The heroes disappeared as their bodies and souls were used to secure the emperor. Thanks to the eight warriors who had sacrificed their lives, Trannis was supposedly no longer a threat.

From the darkness, Naarkh had watched as the Empire rose and fell alongside its ruler. As Trannis had lost control, so Naarkh had positioned himself to one day take his place. While Naarkh was not as powerful as Marriss had been, and possessed nothing like the power that Raston had shown, he remained while the other villains had seemingly vanished. That meant that one day his destiny would be fulfilled and he would rule over a universe of darkness.

**End**

Disclaimer: I do not own the Power Rangers, they belong to their respective copyright owners and are used here without permission. No money is being made from this fic. **Delusions Part One - The Delusion of Obedience**

Rambouillet

Trannis could have been described in many ways: an evil maniac with a desire to conquer the known universe, a capable tactician who could pull victory from the jaws of defeat, and a powerful demonic wizard. But as mighty as he had been, he had failed to plan for every contingency, such as what would happen if he were somehow defeated.

Without a leader to unite them, the various personalities within the empire started to drift apart, allowing personal goals to override their collective interests. In a matter of months the collective had broken up into smaller factions, Darkstorm of course having declared his independence as soon as the news of Trannis's defeat had reached him. Others while not anxious or powerful enough to claim total independence, took the opportunity to divert their loyalties to the newly founded Alliance, a growing organisation that was rapidly snapping up Trannis's territory.

Not all abandoned the Empire though. Trannis's elite forces on board his floating planetoid knew nothing but loyalty to their master. When he had disappeared, the spells placed on the vessel had been activated and specially designed drones had been dispatched to find their master no matter how long it took.

When news of Trannis's death had reached Golan, he had laughed and had the messenger killed. In his mind the very concept of Trannis failing couldn't exist and the news was just a test of his loyalty. He pushed on with his missions, vowing to conquer Réaumur and Rambouillet, and then wait for Darkstorm to find the Earth before completing his task. The idea that Trannis had been betrayed and that Darkstorm had set out on his own was ludicrous.

Golan didn't like Darkstorm. In fact he loathed the halfling with every fibre of his being simply for his continued posturing. Darkstorm was a traitor, but he valued his life too highly to risk treason and Trannis it seemed, was blind to the treachery.

That Trannis had been defeated at all told Golan a great deal about the forces he had faced. Knowing it was unlikely such a powerful army could hide from Trannis's spies, he dismissed the idea outright. Trannis was not gone, he just needed time to return, time Golan would spend furthering his master's cause. The loyal servant decided that it was better to obey his orders than rush off to find Trannis given how big the Universe was. He decided to press ahead with the conquest of Réaumur and Rambouillet and then think again.

As time passed, Golan managed to convince himself that Trannis would return. Réaumur had been captured and Rambouillet had finally fallen; Darkstorm had yet to report his success, so Golan had been left without a purpose. Given the circumstances, Golan acted in the only way possible and reinterpreted his orders. Instead of conquering two planets he had been ordered to conquer the star systems. And years later when the solar systems were firmly under his control, he had extended his reach to two entire galaxies. All in the name of Trannis.

Away from Golan's force, the war between good and evil had moved on. The original Guardians had been reformed into the Masters, who fought for justice and maintained peace. The war had been in full swing as the forces of good and evil clashed once more. Many of the stronger, wiser and older figures fell in the early days of the battle, which saw the rise and fall of many great villains. The Masters' time was soon over and in their place came a new group, who referred to themselves as the Morphin Masters.

Under Golan's leadership, a small faction of Trannis's command had concentrated on their task, and now as the last of the resistance had been crushed and he breathed a sigh of relief that after so long the task Trannis had set him was complete.

Of course if it had taken him so long to complete his tasks, what had happened to Darkstorm? He had put it off long enough, it was time to investigate where the traitor had gone, just as soon as he finished securing his master's domain.

"Perhaps an extension of one star system on each side is in order."

**End of part.**

Disclaimer: I do not own the Power Rangers, they belong to their respective copyright owners and are used here without permission. No money is being made from this fic. **Delusions Part Two - The Delusion of Adequacy**

While most of Golan's forces had been kept busy, not all had been as productive with their free time. Smaller groups had drifted without a purpose and ended up causing chaos wherever they happened to land. Conquest was no longer on their agenda, if they even had an agenda, but that only made them more dangerous.

Hera liked to think of herself as a space buccaneer, a friendly pirate or perhaps a liberator or wealth. Most knew her and feared her as a awesome warrior built like a tank. Her body was covered with muscles, most of which were overdeveloped and made her resemble a man. When she arrived on a planet, the defenders rarely stood a chance of survival. Often if they didn't fight, she killed them for the fun of it.

It was a short time after a nearby world had burnt to the ground that the local sheriff showed up. Of course it recognised the villain at once and went into arrest mode.

"You are under arrest," the Manhunter said as it drew its sidearm.

Hera punched her fists together and laughed at what she considered a joke. Sparks flew from the gold-plated knuckles she wore on her already powerful hands. Her dark eyes narrowed she flashed the police officer a cocky smile.

Hera was a large woman, not fat, but certainly a good head taller than the machine she was facing. She was broad at the shoulders, across the chest and her arms were layered with muscle mass. Her upper body was covered by expandable material that allowed her a full range of movement. The garment was joined to her lower body armour, which covered the legs to just above the knee. The white boots stopped just the other side of the knee giving her maximum flexibility in that area.

"Come and get me you piece of junk," Hera sneered.

The Manhunter stumbled forward. It was a primitive machine, lacking the sentience the Machine Empire would one day achieve. It instead responded to a set of basic directives and parameters, which currently pointed to a single course of action; arrest Hera. The words the suspect spoke were analysed using a link to a central computer in much the same was as a hive mind. The meaning of the words was translated into possible actions and the machine responded accordingly.

As it approached the Manhunter reached behind its back and pulled out a pair of stun cuffs. Hera waited for the robot to draw nearer. As the machine tried to attach the cuffs the suspect attacked.

Hera's left hand caught the robot's right wrist as it attempted to seize her right arm. A squeeze in the right places severed the electrical link between arm and hand, which in turn made the robot drop the stun cuffs. The machine responded by swiftly changing position in an attempt to free itself, but Hera was already countering the movement by pulling the machine's arm into a position where the robotic policeman was off balance. As it attempted to correct its position it became locked in a test of strength with Hera.

The Manhunter was a machine and as such was designed to be stronger than most of the suspects it arrested. Unlike the newer police robots,. which were used to patrol space, this type of unit was intended to hunt and detain suspects. Slightly over six-foot with wide shoulders the Manhunter was black with white areas and shoulder pads. Despite the struggle its face remained expressionless.

Against a normal suspect the machine would have always emerged victorious, but then Hera was far from normal. Her unique muscle structure allowed her to increase her physical power. Her muscles strained as she fought against the Manhunter's mechanically enhanced strength. She waited until the robot was truly off balance before punching it in the face. Despite her strength and the metallic knuckles she wore on her fist, she yelled in pain as she struck the hardened metal face.

"This is an unauthorized action," the machine warned. "You are in violation of Intergalactic Law. You are ordered to cease immediately."

Hera laughed and tightened her grip. With a sharp twist she wrenched the hand from the mechanical law enforcer. The machine's hand sparked wildly as her severed appendage was tossed nonchalantly into the undergrowth. Its subroutines tried rapidly to figure out a new approach to the problem. A sharp punch to the shoulder of the damaged arm had the robot reeling.

Hera pressed the advantage and locked her arms around the mechanoid. Her arms tightened behind the machine's back, resulting in a satisfying series of sounds as the armoured policeman's back was crushed.

THWACK!

With more speed than Hera would credit the Manhunter unleashed a decapitating blow with its side-handled baton, now in its left hand. Hera released the hold and ducked as a fine spray emerged from the end of the baton. Had the spray hit her face she would have been covered with a mixture of gases designed to incapacitate humanoids.

With a snarl Hera drove her head into the Manhunter's left shoulder and delighted as the destruction of the control point caused the machine to drop its baton. She threw her head back and pitched the robot into the air. She leapt into its path and punched it back to the planet's surface. She smirked as she watched the Manhunter attempt to stand without its feet. She picked up the discarded baton and attacked.

The first blow caught the Manhunter across the neck. It attempted to duck the next shot but fell victim to a swift kick to the chest. The machine was handicapped by the loss of its arms while Hera was more than capable of fighting. Had the Manhunter been capable of feeling pain it would have screamed as Hera drove the baton into the hole in its shoulder and tried to wrench the arm free. Internally the machine was working to reestablish control over its damaged limb. It managed it just as Hera was preparing another punch. The Manhunter lashed out with its severed right arm.

"Unit is authorized to use lethal force," the machine said in its monotone voice.

The attack caught Hera unawares and she was launched into the air. She crashed to the ground and remained there, too stunned by the officer's sudden aggression to move. If the robot had moved from arrest to active restraint then even the apparently superhuman strength of Hera wouldn't be able to stop it. Luckily Hera was always prepared.

As the machine drew near Hera transferred all her magically enhanced strength into a single energy burst. A ball of sparkling energy converged at the very tip of her horn. She released it but the Manhunter had already summoned an energized shield used in riot situations. The energy was dispersed harmlessly by the shield. The robotic policeman pressed forward and raised its foot with the intention to kick the suspect into unconsciousness.

There was a flash somewhere nearby that illuminated the foliage and was accompanied by a loud bang. Something struck the Manhunter in the leg and as it looked down it was suddenly tugged off its feet. A silver arrow had pierced her leg and emerged from the far side. A length of cable was attached to the arrow and the Manhunter searched desperately to find its foe. A second projectile struck its other leg and pinned it to the ground. Finally it caught sight of her.

Like Hera, she was not as human as she appeared. A green and silver helmet protected her head with a black visor across the eyes. Her dull red hair flowed down her back, out of the way. The rest of her body was covered in green sectional body armour with black boots and gloves; the plate on her chest was silver. In her left hand she held the cable attached to the Manhunter's legs. In her right hand she held an Iron Wood bow. There was nothing delicate about the weapon; it was crude, heavy and deadly. As she twisted her hand, it became a short club.

"Pathetic machine," she said with genuine venom in her voice. "Stand up!" she commanded as she jabbed the base of the weapon into its leg.

The Manhunter struggled to its feet, suddenly forced to deal with two suspects instead of one. New protocols were loaded for dealing with multiple threats. It raised its damaged left arm, which had been rerouted, in order to access the small communications system inside.

"No!" Viralina growled

A blast of energy ripped the communicator off its body as its arm was transformed into melted scrap. She fired again, encouraged by the prospect of an opponent that couldn't fight back. With a sadistic grin she varied her shots to cover legs, body, head and arms. She left the head intact, determined to have some fun before she destroyed it.

"Just finish it," Hera said after a few minutes.

The Manhunter was barely standing and posed no real challenge anymore. To continue was a waste of Viralina's skills. She had other ideas. She backed off, allowing its emergency circuits to kick in and repair the worst of its damage. She attacked again, this time against an almost intact machine. Her first blow destroyed its ability to repair itself again.

"She's foolish," Hera commented.

"Or confident," her companion stated. "I perceive only victory from her actions."

She had appeared from nowhere, but Hera had been aware of her presence for a while. She appeared to be harmless, an innocent maiden in an unlikely location, but of course she was only disguising her appearance; opponents underestimated her in battle and always wound up regretting their overconfidence. She wore dark clothes and a cloak only because she wanted to. Her face was weathered by age, but her eyes seemed to hold an even older wisdom. With a thought she summoned armour similar to her friends and a delicate black sword.

She waited patiently as Viralina and the sheriff sparred. She was good, taking the machine to the limits of its design but never destroying it. Occasionally she would feign an error to give the machine some semblance of hope or whatever it was robots felt in place of hope. She even allowed it to retrieve its baton. The machine was quick, Viralina was quicker and even though the Manhunter could go on indefinitely she seemed to grow faster with each passing moment.

"My turn," Minerva said after a while.

Viralina gave way and her ally attacked. Her sword cut a "V" in the machine's armoured body. Its arms and shoulders crashed to the ground. The next strike finished the job as the head disintegrated on contact. A final and deliberate chop sliced the machine from neck to hips as the last few parts exploded.

Overhead the sky darkened. Thunder rolled as lightning struck the ground. They remained calm, recognizing this as a sign of their triumph. It was time to move on again, maybe the next world would bring a challenge.

**End**

Disclaimer: At the time this was originally written, Saban owned the Power Rangers and all associated concepts. It is now owned by Disney and all credit should go to them. Even though I hope it becomes clear during this saga that the Collective is based upon the Q but not identical to those portrayed in STG, the idea of Q belongs to Paramount, which owns Star Trek. Transformers belong to their respective copyright owners. No profit is made from this writing, and only is posted for your enjoyment.

**War Dawn**

Universal Node: ?.?.?.?

Multiversal theory described the Multiverse as an infinite cycle of timelines and universes containing one or more key worlds. However such a theory accepted that if the Multiverse as shaped like a large wheel, that there were some realms that existed outside but were somehow still a part of it. Twilight was one such example, a universe with only a single world that sat at the origin of the explosion that had first formed the Multiverse. However there were universes detached from the others, broken and decimated by the first war between good and evil, realities that never recovered. Dark misshapen places filled with twisted mockeries of life where evil reigned.

During the war between the entities remembered as Paladin and and Darke, they had transversed countless universes. The Multiverse had grown larger since then, but in the places they had visited, both had left their mark. In the case of Darke it was just a mark, a tainted smear that showed he had been there and would attract the darker creatures that would follow. For Paladin it had been something more; he had chosen a single world in each universe to uphold his legacy, forming an infinite arc through the Multiverse so that evil would be unable to gain a foothold. As time moved on, more arcs formed using different planets as their markers. In some the relationship between the planets meant nothing, but in others the positions of the three worlds indicated the presence of something very special.

Except with his death, that plan had failed and the evil had gained a foothold, the essence of the Light God insufficient to prevent the darkness from growing. Trapped in a dimensional rift between universes, it lurked. Having barely survived the final battle and completely sealed off from the means to replenish itself, it had been forced to wait for the time of its release when the Multiverse was finally destroyed.

The wait had not been as long as expected. After billions of years the opportunity to return had presented itself. In the moment between the end of existence and its rebirth, darkness reigned supreme, allowing him freedom. Not physical freedom, he and his opponent had lost their bodies during the climax of their battle. But while he could not physically travel, his will knew no such limitations.

He sent a command, reaching out to the creatures that had formed from his shattered remains, scattered as they were across the Multiverse. And that command though little more than a single word was sent with such force of will that it could not be ignored.

**COME!**

And they obeyed, appearing at his command. They were creatures of darkness lacking much in the way of form. They were the evolution of his remains - for though his physical body had been destroyed and scattered, it was a body of chaos, incapable of following the ordered rules of life and death - creatures fuelled by the same evil that had driven their master. And just as the limbs of a body would obey a command from the brain, so they were tied to his will.

Their arrival expedited his recovery as the darkness they had gathered over billions of years spent destroying one universe after another was transferred to their master. As he fed, they learned his plan and the part they would play both collectively and in some cases individually. When he was done, they were dispatched to carry out his orders, some to harass those who would oppose him, others to work towards his return. But as they left there was no doubt that all were determined that once their task was completed the legacy of Paladin would be erased and the fabric of existence remade in the image of the evil victor. And although those that led the fight didn't even acknowledge him, when the time came all would know his name.

**AND NOW, IT BEGINS!**


	2. Holding Back the Dark

Disclaimer: I do not own the Power Rangers, they belong to their respective copyright owners and are used here without permission. No money is being made from this fic. This is a partial rewrite of the episode Day of the Dumpster and has been altered with regards to Rita and Lokar, which will prove important later in the storyline.  
Although Earth does have a moon named Cruithne, discovered in 1986 and orbiting the Earth in a horse shoe orbit that brings it close every 385 years or so, it is actually a great deal smaller than implied in this story.

**Day of the Dumpster**

_"And in other news, representatives of Doom Enterprises stated this afternoon that their experimental space shuttles have successfully left the company's space station and are en route to their destination. So far there have been no problems with the mission to learn more about the planetoid that scientists believe could contain valuable information about the formation of the Galaxy."_

It had been a rushed mission and that meant the chances of something going wrong were higher than normal. The planetoid that scientists named Cruithne had been discovered several years earlier and proclaimed as Earth's second Moon. Although its strange orbit meant that it came close to the Earth only once every three hundred and eighty five years, the distance it travelled made it important to scientists around the globe.

NASA had been offered the funding to mount an expedition to what one of their directors dubbed a speck of space dust, but they had turned the mission down, choosing ton concentrate on the International Space Station. The Russian space agency had likewise been unable to provide a craft capable of travelling the extra distance. And so hope of conducting research upon the small moon faded.

But where government had failed, private enterprise was prepared to try. After a heartfelt appeal and a promise of seventy-five percent of all profits, Doctor Reed Richards had successfully convinced his former classmate and successful businessman Victor Von Doom to finance the expedition. They had built two shuttles, one to hold Reed's research team and the other for Doom's own team to retrieve any valuable material from the planetoid. They had used Von Doom's space station, an extra-orbital research center that had made Doom a fortune.

Doctor Richards was a certified genius whose interest in Cruithne was secondary to his desire to learn more about the strange energy surrounding the planetoid. He believed that the cosmic energy he and his team of assistants had been researching for years could provide the answer to genetic disorders. His crew would split their activities between the collection of dust samples and a multitude of other experiments.

Despite observing the strange storms that made for a turbulent landing, the explorers were not deterred from setting foot upon the planetoid and beginning their work.

The second shuttle landed two kilometres from Doctor Richard's expedition and while their Russian copilot remained to prep the shuttle for lift off, the others left to conduct their exploration.

"Atmosphere is breathable," one said as he looked over the instruments.

"That is impossible Captain Sharpe," Doctor Richards said over the inter-shuttle comm link. "The size and environment of the planetoid, the lack of plant life and water make it impossible for the air to be breathable."

"Yeah well someone forgot to tell that to the planet," a different voice said.

The two astronaut explorers allowed themselves a smile. Richard's assistant, a man named Grimm, was a very honest if slightly conceited man. And despite the scientist's best efforts to explain the scientific impossibility of the planetoid being able to sustain life, Grimm would simply point to the instruments panel and ask him to explain it. Of course when Doctor Richards failed to have an answer, and tried to point out the many possibilities, Grimm lost interest and walked off muttering something about long winded brainiacs.

As the two astronauts wandered over the surface, confirming as they did so that some of the soil samples they collected resembled ash, one of them noticed something glowing red in the distance.

"Hey, look at that!" he pointed to his partner.

"Let's go!" was the reply.

"Be careful gentlemen," Doctor Richards warned.

"I would appreciate it, Doctor Richards, if you would concern yourself with your crew and allow me to deal with mine."

"I was merely saying Victor..."

"My personnel are experienced in this environment Reed," Von Doom answered. They could almost hear him add, "unlike yours," a dig at Reed's pilot and copilot whose only experience to date was in flight simulators.

With a sigh Reed returned to organising his team and after completing their tasks, they lifted off back toward the space station where Reed planned to have a serious talk with their benefactor.

Meanwhile and without further discussion, the two explorers disembarked, with Doom guiding them toward an unusual object he had noticed on some satellite photos. Together the two men space-walked to the strange object and discovered that it was a strangely carved container. The glow came from a flashing red jewel on the top. "What do you think it is?"

The first one shrugged. "It looks like a giant space dumpster!" was all he could come up with, and indeed he was right. But what could have thrown whatever was inside of it away? The price of the jewel alone on the top was worth more than anything the two of them could think of, who knew what might be inside!

"Open it," their employer instructed.

Eagerly they touched the ruby, and easily came off the top of the dumpster. Four beams of light exploded from within, flying a short distance away and transforming into four roughly humanoid beings, all of which seemed to have no trouble existing without air. "What's going on?" the second astronaut moaned, terrified by what they'd unleashed already.

"Who cares?" his partner screamed. "Let's get out of here!"

"Calm down gentlemen and remember what you're being paid for," Von Doom warned.

The two men had been doomed by their employer's greed, which also placed the other shuttle, its crew and Doom himself in peril. The space dumpster as one astronaut had so crudely described it, was in fact a prison cell designed to hold those inside in a state of eternal incarceration. The jewel on the top of the lid was intended to resist any attempt to open the cell from the outside. Only when the jewel was damaged or shifted out of alignment, could the occupants escape. The planetoid held many more of these cells, all containing prisoners deemed too dangerous to hold in regular prisons. Originally the planetoid had been sent into deep space, but it had somehow been drawn back to Earth. Over time the security spells had failed, restoring the canister to its full size. And now the astronauts had unleashed the occupants.

The four creatures glanced at each other as the astronauts scurried a few feet away. One was tall, burly, covered in golden armour, and with a sword. The second was smaller, with white fur and spectacles, as well as a burn-spotted apron. The third resembled a giant blueberry, being small and round and blue, while the fourth was somewhat taller, with tattered wings and blunt claws. All bore the same glint of evil in their eyes.

"All right, we're out!" the small and blue one declared with joy. He ran over to the dumpster and peered back inside. "Rita, wake up, wake up, we're free!"

Grey hair wrapped up into a conical style emerged, followed by a woman dressed in a brown and gold gown decorated with even more cones. She threw her arms out wide and yawned deeply as Squatt, the one who had called her forth, fumbled in his pouch for something. "Uh-oh, morning breath!" he declared. "Let me get you a mint!"

The others were gathering around Rita as she got her bearings back. Finster, the one with the apron and glasses, stated firmly, "Oh, it's good to be free after ten thousand years!"

Baboo of the tattered wings came over to help her out of the dumpster. "Here, your Evilness, let me help you! Walk with me, talk with me," he sang off-key. She growled harshly and glared at him and he promptly shut up.

"Oh mighty Lokar, I am free once more," she cried, ignoring her underling. "For ten thousand years they have kept me from here; they will pay for denying me for so long."

Rita glanced around, and saw the two astronauts backing away as fast as they could. She laughed wickedly. "Don't leave!" she told them, a bolt of energy leaving her wand, encasing their retreating forms in crystal. "You'll miss our coming out party! That's where we destroy the nearest planet!"

The five of them looked up to where Earth floated over them, and evil laughter sounded that had not been heard in ten thousand years. It was time for some conquest.

It was Saturday in Angel Grove, California, warm, sunny, and delicious as so many days in that peaceful town were. In one of the most popular business establishments in town, the Angel Grove Gym and Juice Bar, kids had gathered as they did every day to work out, play, and just have fun together. The Youth Center, as it was also known, was known for its safety, it's popularity, and the fabulous fruit shakes provided by the portly owner, Ernie.

One thing the town was known for, other than near-complete peace, was an abundance of people into the martial arts. Two of them were working out on the practice mats that morning, one a tall, well-muscled fifteen-year-old in a red tank top and black workout pants, his short hair held back by a red headband, his partner a young black man of the same age, in black jeans and shirt. The two of them sparred back and forth easily; it was obvious they'd done this before.

As they pulled apart, the one in red grinned to his friend. "Nice recovery, Zack!"

"Hey, thanks for teaching me, Jason!" Zack Taylor responding, clasping his hand warmly. Zack preferred his own Hip-Hop Kedo for martial arts, but he didn't mind a few karate lessons, not from Jason, the acknowledged best martial artist in Angel Grove.

Not too far away, a young Chinese girl in bright yellow workout clothes was practicing a kung fu routine, her eyes flashing occasionally to a perky girl in pink on the balance beam a few feet from her. As she leaped off the bar, the girl in yellow came over and patted her on the back. "That was awesome, Kimberly!"

"Thanks, Trini!" the gymnast grinned.

They looked up as the final member of their small clique entered the main room of the Youth Center dressed in a white gi and white belt the young man also wore glasses. He headed over to Zack and Jason, who examined his outfit with critical eyes.

"Hey, fellas!" the blue head-banded guy smiled as he got closer.

"Yo, Billy!" Zack waved. "What's up?" he asked.

"Well, I think I'm mentally and physically prepared for my first karate class," Billy Cranston stated enthusiastically as he smiled at each of his friends.

As the small group continued to chat, Kim and Trini glanced up at the sound of footsteps, and groaned in unison. Two figures had entered the Youth Center, two very familiar, and unwanted, figures, clad in black leather and chains, one huge, the other skinny. "Oh, no," Trini whispered to her friend. "Look who's here!"

"Bulk and Skull," Kim sighed. These two had been doing their level best to 'date' the two of them for as far back as they could remember, and were also Angel Grove High's resident bullies, idiots, and ever present pains in the posterior. Bulk, the larger and supposedly the 'brains' of the two, grinned at them.

"Hi, girls!" he tried what he apparently thought was a charming look at them. "How about that double date we talked about?"

"Yeah!" Skull issued a hyena-like laugh as he leaned on Bulk's shoulder. "What about it?"

Trini shook her head. "Sorry, guys!" Skull shrugged and was about to walk off, when Bulk dragged him back, shaking his head. It was hard for him to take 'no' for an answer as he looked back at the girls.

"What's the matter?" he asked. "We're not good enough for you?" he was almost taunting in what he said.

"Leave us alone, Bulk!" Trini insisted.

Bulk grinned, leaning a bit closer to them. "Oh, yeah? Make me!"

"Yeah!" Skull nodded. "Make me!" he wilted a bit as Zack and Jason came up behind the two girls. "Him!" Skull pointed to Bulk quickly. "Make him!"

"Hey, you heard what she said!" Zack grinned a little.

Jason nodded. "Didn't you hear the ladies? They said no!"

Bulk rolled his shoulders aggressively and glared. "Oh, what do you know? The dancer wants to be a fighter! How sweet!"

Kim smiled at them both. "It's okay, guys," she said. "We can handle these two."

As Zack and Jason stepped aside, Bulk looked incredulously at Skull.

"Oh, really?" he laughed. "Let's show them some karate moves, Skull!" with wild parodies of karate yells, the two of them charged the girls. Kim and Trini moved in identical blurring motions, seizing Bulk and Skull by the arms and twisting, letting their own momentum drag them to the floor. The two bullies lay on the mats, trying to figure out what had happened to them, as Kim giggled a little.

"You guys should _definitely_ join Jason's karate class!" she declared. Bulk and Skull just looked at each other. How had it gone wrong?

The humans had put up a fight and provided Rita with some fun following her release. The two who had released her had been dealt with, the thought that they had attempted to steal from her dumpster had sealed their fate. Their copilot had been attempting to take off when Goldar had found her. The poor woman had trained as a cosmonaut to handle many situations, but a giant armoured space monkey had not been part of her education.

The Richards' expedition had reached the space station when Rita's forces had caught them. One of them, a short blueberry fired a pistol in their direction. The result was total chaos as the space station suffered severe system failure and drifted toward the energy wave that had prompted the expedition.

Having dealt with the annoying bugs, Rita had decided to follow through on her threat to destroy the planet Earth. She left Cruithne with her henchmen and chose the Earth's first moon as her new home. There she found an abandoned temple, which she rapidly reshaped into her new Lunar Palace. It would make the perfect staging ground for their attacks, and be a pleasantly depressing home to live in until they'd conquered the Earth; based on the humans that had released her it would not take long.

Rita stared at the Earth through her Repulsa-scope "Ah, I like it!" Rita smiled, examining what seemed to be a large concentration of magical energy in a small California city.

The servants, Finster, Squatt, Baboo, and Goldar, nodded quickly and thankfully. It was good to know they wouldn't be travelling; this place was perfect just as it was. Rita looked to Finster, the monster-maker, and snapped out, "Finster! Start making Putty Patrollers!"

"I'll take them down and make the Earth yours, Empress!" Goldar declared, raising his sword.

Rita laughed softly. "You sound anxious for battle Goldar, could it be your imprisonment has made you even more aggressive?" Goldar grunted in response. Rita nodded. "So be it, I can't fault you for that. Take the Putties and conquer this planet for my greatness!"

Goldar growled, the bloodlust taking control of him for the first time in over ten thousand years. He had a need to kill, to shed the blood of the powerless and his mistress had just given him leave to do so.

Back in the Youth Center, Jason's karate class had begun already. It was a beginner's class, for which Billy was extremely grateful as he struggled to learn the basics of the martial art. As Jason guided the class through the movements, it was plain Billy was having problems beyond the norm. The teacher finally halted them and came over to the young man.

"Try this," Jason said, demonstrating the move in much slower motion. Billy imitated it to the best of his ability, then Jason went on to the next, going through each slowly and carefully. Billy did what he could, but it was obvious he just wasn't getting it. He sighed.

"I'm just not good at this," he sighed. Zack laid a hand on his shoulder comfortingly.

"It takes time, Billy," Trini reassured him from the sidelines. "Nothing worth doing is easy." She understood Billy better than any of the others and could guess what he was feeling. He had mastered everything else in life that required science and technique so easily he'd almost thought he'd do this as well.

Jason nodded. "Billy, don't worry," he told his friend. "Even I was a beginner once!" it was rather hard to believe, seeing how good Jason was now. But Billy knew inside it was true. Jason moved to the front of the class, and looked at them all. "All right, class, what is it martial arts helps us to develop?"

Billy raised his hand quickly. "Courage, kindness, fitness, integrity, loyalty, and discipline," he replied at Jason's nod. The teacher smiled at him, and then frowned briefly as he saw Bulk and Skull making their way through the class.

"Hey! Geek!" Bulk grunted. "Teach us how to beat people up!"

Jason shook his head, and groaned almost audibly. He'd repeated many times of how a true martial artist only used their skills to defend themselves or someone who needed it. "Martial arts were not developed to hurt others!" he reminded them all.

"We did not sign up for a geeky karate class!" Bulk declared. Jason smiled a little.

"Okay, Bulk!" he decided. "Maybe you're ready for some more advanced training techniques!" Bulk nodded his eager agreement, and Jason did a smooth sidekick. "There. Side kick."

"Anything you can do, I can do better, baby!" Bulk challenged the martial arts teacher. Jason gestured for him to demonstrate, and Bulk puffed out onto the practice mat. With a sound that was more like a whine than a karate yell, he did a semi-passable sidekick. Skull applauded loudly, while Jason only smiled, and did another move.

"Tornado kick," he told them. Bulk grinned foolishly, and attempted this more difficult move. This time, however, he collapsed full on his face on the mat. Jason managed to keep himself from laughing, and looked at the students, who were cracking up over the bully's foolishness.

"Class dismissed!" he declared, sending them to the showers. He didn't make fools of people who bothered him, he let their own stupidity make fools of themselves.

Once Billy was showered and back in regular clothing, they gathered at the usual table the five of them sat at.

"Billy, I'm telling you," Jason reminded their friend, "For your first lesson, you did _really_ well."

Billy blushed a little bit. "I did?" he couldn't believe just what Jason was saying. This was the master of karate, telling him he was doing well?

Kim grinned. "Yeah, we were watching!" she told him.

"You're going to be a great martial artist one day," Jason told his friend. "Just give yourself some time to work at it, and don't lose hope. Some things don't happen overnight."

"I don't know if I've got what it takes," Billy said pessimistically, shrugging. Trini reached out to pat his hand gently.

"It's all a state of mind, Billy," she reminded him. "You don't need to be strong for martial arts!"

Zack nodded and touched his head. "Yeah, man, it's all up here!" as the others nodded, Ernie, the owner and runner of the Youth Center, came over with a plate of drinks.

"Hey, guys!" he grinned, waving to them all. "Who ordered the spinach juice?"

As Billy raised his hand, the entire Youth Center began to shake uncontrollably. "Oh, no, it's an earthquake!" Ernie cried out. As he tried to regain his balance, the plate of drinks he held suddenly splashed all over Bulk. "Sorry!" he apologized as they began to make their way out of the Youth Center.

"Oh, man, what's going on?" Zack cried out as the five of them slowly got to their feet, trying to find a way out and keep upright at the same time. Billy looked around, a strange sense of fate coming to him.

"Something tells me this is no earthquake!" he said, holding on to the table for support it wasn't providing. Something was going on, something that went beyond weird in the same way the sun goes beyond a candle flame.

Something was going to happen.

Outside of Angel Grove, in the middle of the desert, there was a small range of rocky hills leading up to the mountains. Near the top of one hill there stood a stone structure, centuries old and shielded from detection by humans. It was a strategic command post, one of many scattered throughout the galaxy and the main observation point within the Sol system.

It had been built, as part of the ongoing war between good and evil, allowing the forces of light a base of operations should war break out. The Command Center on Earth was there purely as a precautionary measure. Nobody ever expected an attack to come.

Inside the Command Center, there was some activity. The sudden earthquake had activated Alpha Five, the Command Center's maintenance droid. Unlike the other Alpha units found in other command areas, this one was prone to panic.

"Danger! Danger! It's the big one, I know it, and we'll all be destroyed!"

"Alpha Five, calm down at once," a booming voice ordered. Now Alpha had reason to be scared.

This was Zordon, an Eltarian Wizard and hero of the last Grid War. He was also the final victim of the last battle, having been assaulted while his back was turned and forced into a dimensional void. His body had perished there when the witch Rita Repulsa had detonated a bomb, but his mind and spirit had remained intact. Although he no longer had the ability to touch or feel, he could appear at designated places as a being of light and magic. Normally he preferred to communicate through a plasma tube while Alpha Five served as his hands.

"Ai-yi-yi, I'm sorry Zordon, but the earthquake could destroy us."

"Nonsense Alpha, this is not an earthquake, the planet is reacting to a sudden surge in evil energy." He paused. "Stand by Alpha, I am coming through."

It took a great deal of concentration for Zordon to transfer his ethereal body into the Command Center and in truth it was only the high levels of magic that ran through the building that allowed him to do so. While he couldn't actually touch anything, his mental discipline allowed him to wield a weak form of tactile telekinesis.

Apart from a slight shimmer as he moved, it was difficult to tell that he was little more than a ghost. His form came from his memory of what he had looked like before he had fallen. Residual self-image some called it; he sometimes wished he could remember having hair. He appeared to be wearing white robes and carried a carved wooden staff.

"Initiate a scan of the solar system and find the cause of the alarm," he instructed.

Alpha did as he was told while Zordon reached out with his mental powers to find the cause of the disruption.

"It is as I feared, Alpha," Zordon told him finally, checking that the computer was detecting the same energy he himself had found. "It's Rita. She's escaped and is attacking the planet."

"Ay-yi-yi!" Alpha was even more nervous now. "What do we do?" he vividly remembered how Zordon had tricked the evil sorceress, and her servants into the space dumpster and cast it into space with an orbit that would take it through the solar system repeatedly. The last report conducted before the Command Center had closed down a decade before had mentioned the canister had crashed onto a distant moon. At the time he hadn't realised the moon in question would come closer to the Earth.

"We have no choice Alpha," he said finally. "Rita's magic is still weak at this point and she will no doubt use the destruction of Earth to fuel her powers and summon Lokar to this dimension. To do so would require a great deal of negative energy, which will take Rita time to obtain." He paused. "At least we have a chance of stopping her if we act now. Teleport the Power Coins to the Command Center." There was another pause as he wished that his chosen warrior had been there to stop Goldar.

Earth was in need and he had no choice. "Find and teleport here, five of this planet's natives who are best suited to face Rita."

Could this happen, would normal humans be suitable for what he had in mind? Would they be able to see past their selfish natures to do what was right for the planet or would the Power corrupt them? The answers were unknown and he seriously considered calling for help from another planet. No, the Earth needed its own protectors. Lives had already been lost defending the world from the invasion. It was only fair the humans should assume part of the risk.

"Right away Zordon," Alpha said as he started entering commands into the super computer. "Searching now."

There was a sudden tremor; dust fell from the ceiling as Alpha stumbled around. Zordon stood perfectly still, his astral body immune to the shaking.

"Oh no, Zordon, the computer lost its lock in the tremor!" Alpha stated. "It's locked onto the wrong group."

"Teleport them here at once," Zordon instructed. "We are out of time."

Alpha would have shivered if he had been human. "But Zordon, they're teenagers!" He shook his head, wanting it to be a mistake.

"That is correct, Alpha. I am afraid that repeating the search will only yield the same results since the computer has been damaged. And calling in outside help now will waste precious time."

Alpha shuddered regardless of not being alive. "I was afraid of that!" Could teenagers _really_ do what they were going to be asked to do? Even as he denied it, he was starting the teleport system and bringing the five candidates from Angel Grove. He just hoped that despite their young age, they possessed the mental and emotional requirements.

He found them.

In the Youth Center, the teens were still trying to find a way out, and still couldn't get to the door because the shaking was too great. As the last of the other patrons ran out, Kim shrieked, "Oh my gosh, what's happening?" they could all feel something taking a hold of them, wrapping around them in a way nothing ever had before.

"I don't know, but I think I like it!" Zack felt a thrill running throughout his entire body, something he couldn't explain, something he doubted even Billy could explain. It was just right!

"This is too weird!" Trini shuddered.

Jason took a deep breath; something was tugging at them all. "Hold on!" he ordered instinctively. Suddenly, they dissolved into balls of coloured light: red, yellow, pink, blue and black and flew from the Youth Center.

As they landed on the floor, they transformed back to humans, and found themselves staring at most unfamiliar surroundings. It looked like the most high-tech place in the entire planet, if not the universe, and it was obvious Billy was in love. Kim, however, wasn't taking it quite that well. "This isn't exactly the mall, is it?" Kim whispered, staring around.

"This place is magnificent!" Billy exclaimed, in purest heaven at the technology that could be seen everywhere.

Jason frowned. "I don't get it," he said finally. "How'd we end up here?"

"I just want to know where _here_ is!" Trini insisted.

"This is just... unimaginable!" was all Zack could find to say.

Billy reached out to a control console, starting to flip things. "Maybe the answers in these controls!" he said hopefully. Suddenly a voice came from behind them all.

"No, no, don't touch that!" they all turned at a noise to see a small robot falling as he tried to interrupt Billy's fascinated examination of things. Billy slowly helped him to his feet, staring.

"Whoa!" he whispered. "A fully sentient multi functional automaton! I've never seen anything like this!"

The kids stared at Alpha in shock and surprised and wonder all merged. Suddenly, a deeper, richer voice spoke from above and behind, pulling their attention. "Welcome, humans."

Jason's eyes widened as they saw a face appearing in a tube set in the wall. "So who are you?" he asked.

"Like, _what are you?_" Kim wanted to know, staring wide-eyed.

He chuckled a little. "I am Zordon, an inter-dimensional being caught in a time warp."

The robot stepped forward. "And I am Alpha Five!" he declared.

"Would like, someone come back to Earth and pick me up?" Kim requested. "Cause I am _totally_ confused!"

Zordon smiled a little. "It's quite simple, my dear," he told her. "This planet is under attack and I have brought you here to save it."

"Oh, yeah, right!" Zack laughed, shaking his head and laughing. This was too... too silly!

"Ah, a nonbelieiver!" Zordon wasn't surprised; there was one in every group. It was almost necessary, someone who could give some practicality to the team. "Look behind you at the viewing globe. Your doubts will be answered in the images you see there."

The five of them turned around to see the large crystal ball on the floor, then peered into it. The image of Rita appeared in it for a moment. "This is Rita Repulsa, an intergalactic sorceress bent on controlling the universe. With her henchmen and Putty Patrollers, she plans to conquer Earth."

"I have but one question," Trini said quietly, "What does all of this have to do with us?" she gestured to include their group.

Zordon had been expecting that. "You've been chosen to form an elite team to battle Rita. Each of you will be given access to extraordinary powers drawn from the ancient creatures you call dinosaurs."

Kim laughed in disbelief. "Dinosaurs?"

Five flashes of light suddenly appeared at their waists, and they looked down to see each of them now wore a strange belt, with a device on it that bore a coin. "Behold! The keys to your power!"

"Whoa!" Zack pulled his off and stared at the symbol of the Mastodon on it. "What are these?"

"Those are your Power Morphers. When in danger, raise them to the sky calling the name of your dinosaur, and you will morph into a powerful fighting force known to one and all as the Power Rangers."

As Zordon spoke, each of them felt a jump in their soul, thought they knew not why. "Morph?" Kim frowned in confusion, almost wishing she'd spent more time studying her English.

"Metamorphosis," Billy tried to explain.

Trini translated, "That means to change!" Kim grinned a little, now understanding.

"As Power Rangers, you will have access to a universe of power, and will command a fleet of fighting machines called Zords," Zordon went on to explain.

"I don't get it," Trini said. This was very confusing for her even though she was one of the most intelligent members of their little group. In fact with her physical activities and capacity to understand things when explained to her, she was buffer between Jason's full on physical approach to life and Billy's more reserved desire to analyse and understand everything.

Zordon looked to Jason. "Jason, bold and powerful, you shall command the Tyrannosaurus Dinozord, and be the Red Ranger, the field leader of the team.

Zack, you are clever and brave. You shall command the Mastodon Dinozord, and be the Black Ranger.

Kimberly, graceful and smart, the Pterodactyl Dinozord shall be yours as the Pink Ranger.

Billy, patient and wise, you shall command the powerful Triceratops Dinozord, and be the Blue Ranger.

Trini, fearless and agile, the Sabre-Tooth Tiger Dinozord shall be under your command as the Yellow Ranger.

The five of them looked at each other for a moment, then Zordon continued. "Observe the Viewing Globe." As they did, he showed them how five of the Zords could come together. "As the five of you work together, so do your Zords. When you need help, you need only to turn to the power of the Dinozords, which will come together to form the mighty Megazord."

The teens looked at each other, then Zack shook his head. "Power Morphers? Megazord? This is just too weird for me!"

Kimberly nodded briefly. "It's been real, but we've got to go!" she declared. It drew her, she admitted it, but this just couldn't be happening, and even if it was, she was only a kid! What did she know about trying to save the world? What did any of them know?

Jason stood for a few moments, staring at Zordon, until Zack called out his name.

"Yo, Jason, you coming?"

The tall youth in red closed his eyes briefly, and wondered why he felt like he was turning his back on destiny as he followed his friends and girlfriend out. "Very well then, let the Power protect you!" Zordon declared as they left. Alpha shook his head.

"Well, that didn't go very well, did it? Ay-yi-yi!" they heard Kim's voice from outside complaining bitterly, "Great! They could have sent us back into town!"

~If I had, Kimberly, then you would have regretted it,~ Zordon thought. ~I can only hope it all works out.~

On the moon, Baboo was using Rita's scope to spy on Goldar's progress when the spell Rita had cast kicked in and the Repulsa-scope turned to focus in on a group of beings of high magical energy.

"Hey Rita!" he shouted, drawing the witch's attention.

Rita shoved the henchman out of her way and grabbed her Repulsa-scope. "Zordon, I'm surprised!" she laughed. "Teenagers? You'd think he'd recruit some _real_ warriors, not children!" she shook her head. "So, they think they can stop me, huh? Finster! Hurry up with those Putty Patrollers!"

Finster nodded as he shoved rolls of clay into the Monster-Matic shaping trays. "Yes, your Evil Badness, I'm moulding the last ones now!" as they went into the machine that would give them life, Squatt laughed.

"Those putties'll make space dust out of those kids!" he declared.

Finster shrugged. "And the beauty is if they don't, we can always make more!" he said pragmatically. He preferred to look on the darker side of things. He wasn't disappointed like that as much. "Now, into the Monster-Matic they go! Ten seconds should do it!"

As the putties came out, full sized and ready to fight, Rita laughed. "Now, my putties, prepare to get those teenagers!" she ordered. Goldar rolled his eyes, Rita was a glory hog and he was starting to suspect that when all was said and done, she was as much a servant as he was. One day the Emperor would return, then she would learn her place the hard way.

"Guys, we shouldn't have left!" Jason insisted as they made their way home through the desert. "I mean, he chose us to save the world! I say we do it!"

"Do you really think we can?" she wondered.

"Guys!" Zack interrupted. "You don't even know what you're talking about, we were talking to a giant floating head!"

Suddenly, an explosion came from just ahead of them.

"Whoa, what was that?" Trini stared in shock as suddenly grey warriors, Putties such as they had seen in the Viewing Globe, were flipping all around them, surrounding them. Kim shrieked as one reached for her arm, pulling her away from the others along with one of its companions.

"Let go of me!" she cried out, trying to get away from it.

"Zack, Trini!" Jason cried out, gesturing for them to spread out a bit. The two of them nodded, drawing away some of the Putties.

Zack grinned a little. "These two are mine!" he declared, getting two of them away from the others. He started in on his hip hop Kedo, working to take the creatures down as fast as he could.

Jason and Trini worked back to back, fighting, while Billy, as the weakest, was having the hardest time dealing with the Putties. Kim managed to squirm away from the grey things, and was doing her best to fight, kicking and punching and flipping with all her strength, as they all were.

It was a lost cause, though, as one by one, from Billy, Kim, Zack, Trini, to Jason, they were defeated and thrown into a pile under an overhanging ledge. The putties gathered around them, burbling and gloating it seemed in their senseless manner.

"This day is too weird!" Kim moaned.

"What do we do now?" Trini wondered.

Jason pulled the Power Morpher from his belt and looked at it. "Zordon said these Power Morphers would give us power," he said finally. "Let's do it!"

The five of them got to their feet, reaching for the Morphers. The putties looked at each other, too stupid to realize what was going on.

And then it happened.

"Mastodon!"

"Pterodactyl"

"Triceratops!"

"Sabre-tooth Tiger!"

"Tyrannosaurus!"

In multicolored flashes of light, where five teens had stood, now were a group of mighty warriors. In unison, they cried out, "Power Rangers!" Black Ranger, Pink Ranger, Yellow Ranger, Blue Ranger, Yellow Ranger, and Red Ranger all stood there, covered in armour of some strange material, with laser pistols by their sides, and a confidence flowing through them like nothing they had ever imagined before.

Back in the Command Center, Alpha suddenly went into an overload of joy. "Zordon, they've done it, they've made the metamorphosis!"

"Good. Teleport them to Angel Grove City, Rita just sent down Goldar."

"Right away, Zordon!" Alpha punched a couple of buttons, sending the newly made Rangers to where they were needed.

"We're teleporting again!" Billy shouted as they flew through the air. They'd discovered quickly they could speak while this was happening.

Kim was still a little afraid. "Where are we going?"

Jason had an answer for her though. "We're going to save the world!"

As they arrived on a rooftop in Angel Grove, Jason threw out an arm commandingly. "All right, let's do it!"

Goldar appeared, a full army of putties at his command. "Get them!" he ordered the clay warriors. The Putties rushed towards them, and this time, the Power Rangers got the best of the fight, as filled with their new strength and powers, they fought back.

The battle raged all over the tops of the buildings, as Rangers and putties flipped everywhere. The forces of good had just gained five powerful new allies, and the forces of evil were hard-pressed to stop them.

"Finster!" Rita screamed as she stormed into her servant's workshop. "Those stupid putties are being beaten by a bunch of pimple-faced meatheads! They're pathetic!"

As Finster huddled away from her wrath, Squatt piped up, "Why don't you make Goldar big with your wand?"

Rita glared at him, then marched back to the balcony she was watching the events unfold from. "I always have to do everything myself!" she grumbled. "Finster, I'll deal with you later!" as the little monster maker cowered in a corner, she raised her wand and threw it to Earth, calling out, "Magic wand, make my warrior grow!"

On Earth, Goldar suddenly expanded to immense proportions.

"Oh, YES!" Goldar cackled, stomping towards the Rangers.

"Man, that dude's huge!" Jason declared, backing away a bit. "Back off, fang-face!" he growled, glaring at the monster.

"The good guys are here!" Zack agreed from next to him.

Billy nodded harshly. "Get off our planet!"

"Cause we're the Power Rangers!" Trini announced proudly.

"And we're not backing down!" Kim finished.

Jason nodded. "Dinozord Power!" he ordered. From their secret hiding places came the five Zords, rising up at the command of the Power Rangers. The Rangers each leaped to the Zord's cockpits, and Jason commanded, "Log on!" he wanted to make sure all of his friends were handling this as well as he was.

Zack was first. "Zack here, this is kicking!"

"This is Billy, all systems go!"

"Trini here, ready to rock!"

"Hey, nice stereo!" that could only have come from Kimberly.

Jason nodded. "Megazord power, on!" as they started to come together, he listened in to what they were saying.

"Trini here, this is amazing!" the Yellow Ranger was excited! "I seem to know how to drive this thing!"

Billy giggled. "Affirmative, I can too! It's almost like second nature to me!" ~It must be a side effect of these powers. I must look into this.~

The five Zords united into the Megazord, and then started to fight with Goldar. The monster put up a great performance, knocking the huge robot to the ground with a drop kick. But ultimately the Megazord's Power Sword knocked Goldar back.

"This isn't over!" Goldar declared as he teleported away in a burst of flames.

"We did it!" Kimberly cried ecstatically.

"Yeah," Zack agreed, looking at the area where the battle had taken place. Falling rubble and Goldar's needless destruction had hurt many innocents. "But if victory is so costly, remind me never to lose."

Slightly sobered at the thought, the Rangers teleported away.

"I can't believe this!" Rita roared as they appeared on the palace. "You failed! How dare you fail! Goldar, you're supposed to be a great warrior. Pride of the Titans, and you screwed it up! How could you?" Rita growled and almost kicked at her underling. "This better does not happen again! I've got a headache!"

"No, IT HAD BETTER NOT HAPPEN AGAIN!" a voice boomed from the depths of space. Rita trembled while Goldar looked gleeful.

"Master, you have returned!" the warrior growled.

The voice ignored Goldar, keeping his attention solely of Rita. "YOU ARE FREE AGAIN, RITA REPULSA, TO CONTINUE WITH YOUR MISSION. BUT FIRST, I ORDER YOU TO REDEEM YOURSELF BY CONQUERING THE EARTH AND CRUSHING THOSE THAT HAVE HUMILIATED YOU THIS DAY. I COMMAND YOU TO CRUSH ZORDON ONCE AND FOR ALL. SUMMON THAT - LOKAR YOU WORSHIP IF YOU MUST, BUT DO NOT FAIL ME."

Rita mumbled something and curtsied, but her superior was long gone, leaving her to conduct her mission in her own way. She rushed from the room, more desperate than ever for a lie down.

Glad, cheerful, and surprised voices filled the Command Center as the newly made Rangers talked among themselves. Zordon's voice cut through it all. "Congratulations on a job well done," he told them. "Now that you have become Power Rangers, you must follow three basic rules, or lose the protection of the Power. First, never use your power for personal gain. Second, never escalate a battle unless Rita forces you. Finally, keep your identities secret. No one may know you are a Power Ranger."

Zack stepped forward. "Wait a second," he said, a bit nervously.

"Yes, Zack? What is it?"

He took a deep breath. "I'm not sure we're all up to this," he said. "I mean, we got pretty lucky this time!"

Zordon shook his head, though. "Luck had nothing to do with it. The five of you have come together to form as fine a group of super heroes as there has ever been."

"No way," Kim said. "Really?"

"You have been through an extraordinary experience together, "Zordon reminded them. "You need each other now, and the world needs YOU!"

Jason nodded sharply. "Yeah! All right, I'm in!"

"Me too!" Zack declared.

"Affirmative!" Billy decided.

"You can count on me!" Trini told them.

Kim shrugged. "I dunno, you guys," she pulled out a strand of brownish hair. "My hair gets all tangled up under the helmet. . .I don't think I can do it."

Everyone stared at her in shock. "Kimberly!" came from five different voices, as even Alpha tried to persuade her not to do this. She grinned at them all suddenly, and laughed.

"Not!" she'd only been joking! Alpha spun around a bit, smoke coming from his helmet as he tried to deal with what was going on.

"Illogical, illogical!" he cried out, "Circuit overload, circuit overload!" he whined until Kim explained what a joke was to him. "Humour," he shook his head. "What a concept!"

Jason laughed. "Let's do it!" he declared, holding out his hand. The others all piled their hands on top, and for a moment, they stood looking at each other. Jason, Kim, Zack, Trini and Billy. The Power Rangers. A team. A family.

In one mighty voice, they shouted out, "Power Rangers!"

The space station had been destroyed by the cosmic radiation that had swept through it. It had been fortunate that Von Doom had prepared for such a situation by installing shielded escape vessels. Even so, they had not escaped unharmed and when they returned to Earth, the extent of those side effects would become known.

** End**

Disclaimer: I do not own the Power Rangers, they belong to their respective copyright owners and are used here without permission. No money is being made from this fic. This story actually takes place just before No Clowning Around in Season One of Power Rangers. This chapter does not replace the events in that episode.

**No Clowning Around  
**

It was an ordinary day in Angel Grove. The Rangers were enjoying a brief respite from their seemingly never-ending battle with Rita Repulsa. Since the defeat of her Nasty Knight almost a week before, she had ceased her activities. The Rangers of course being teenagers had embraced the free time and were sitting around in the Youth Center discussing what they wanted to do.

"Hey Jase, check that out," Zack said, directing his friend's attention to the counter where Ernie was in deep discussion with two black suited men. "Feds, here?"

"I doubt Rita would attract the attention of the FBI," Billy commented. All the Rangers had been disappointed to learn that while a Galactic crime, conquering the world was not actually illegal on Earth.

"They're looking for someone though," Zack argued as he watched the two men handed Ernie a small flyer.

"Hey guys, guess what?" Kimberly said as she and Trini joined their friends, the latter picking up that something was worrying them. Kim waited for them to ask what she was referring to and then showed them a flyer, similar to the one the Feds as Zack had labelled them were pointing out to Ernie. "There's a circus in town," she announced, showing them the advert for Jolly Jack's Circus featuring a show that was guaranteed to be a killer.

"That's the same flyer they're showing Ernie," Zack pointed out.

"Maybe they're worried about a crime spree linked to the circus," Trini suggested after pondering the scenario.

Ernie chose that moment to look over in their direction. Hey guys, come here a minute," he called to them. The teens exchanged nervous glances and then shrugging, walked over to see what he wanted. "I need a favour from you five. This is Special Agent Johnson and- Special Agent Johnson."

"No relation," the older one remarked. Although his voice remained serious, it made the teens grin and removed some of the tension.

"FBI," the other one, a younger black man told them, showing his id badge as he did so.

"We need you guys to get the word out to your friends and families," the older one told them.

"About what?" Billy asked.

"Look guys, they can't tell you too much, but we need you to warn your friends to stay away from the circus for the next few days while it's being set up. We don't want anybody getting hurt."

"Okay, we'll spread the word," Jason agreed.

"Thanks guys, this is why they came here, to get me to warn as many people as possible."

"Okay Ernie," Trini said softly as the teens filed away.

"Did you guys buy any of that?" Zack asked as they returned to their seats.

"Negative," Billy answered. "A circus does not take days to set up. They were obviously worried about something and wanted to ensure the minimum chance of civilian injuries by warning people off."

"Yeah, but what are they really looking for?" Zack mused.

"Um you guys, I know this is really strange, but Jolly Jack's Circus was a front for the Joker in Gotham City," Kim pointed out. She saw the surprised looks on their faces and blushed slightly. "My Uncle Steve has had an unhealthy interest in super heroes for years. He has clippings on all of them; Batman, Green Lantern, Hornet... even the Power Rangers."

"So do you think they could be after Joker?" Trini asked, feeling a shiver as she said the name.

The Rangers had been fighting Rita Repulsa for several months now, but it seemed that no matter what scheme she managed, she had yet to kill anybody just for the fun of it. The Joker was another matter entirely, although not old enough to remember some of the atrocities he had committed, the Rangers could recall some of his more recent crimes; the Joker had a way of making headline news whenever he escaped.

"It would make sense," Jason answered.

"Can they even touch him now?" Zack asked. "I read somewhere he had diplomatic immunity."

"I don't think he's an ambassador anymore," Trini told him.

Their conversation came to a halt when Ernie walked over to their table, accompanied by a tall, handsome man who looked to be in his mid to late thirties.

"Thanks for helping out guys, we just need people to stay away and let the professionals do their work without being too obvious about it."

"Not a problem Ernie," Trini replied.

"Yeah we'll let our classes know that the site is unsafe at the moment and they should stay away."

"Maybe we should add in a warning about not going off with strange clowns," Zack half-joked. He didn't fail to notice the grimace that passed across Ernie's face. His companion's expression remained the same although his eyes did narrow slightly.

"That's a good idea Zack. Repeating the messages never hurts," Ernie said. "Anyway, I'd like you to meet a friend of mine who's in town for a few days. Jason, Billy, Trini, Zack, Kim, this is Bruce Wayne, an old friend of mine."

"The Bruce Wayne?" Zack said, "As in the owner of Wayne Industries? As in one of the richest men, if not the richest man, in the world?"

"That's right," Bruce said, smiling politely at the inquisitive teenager. "Nice to meet you all." He extended his hand and shook each of theirs.

"Care to join us, Mr. Wayne?" Jason asked politely.

"No thanks," Bruce said, "I just came in to see how Ernie's doing. The Wayne Foundation has some shares in the Youth Center as part of its Outreach Program. This is just the yearly check."

Kim looked over at the entrance and saw two young men standing there. "Hey," she said, "Who're they?" She motioned over to the young men.

"Oh, that's Timothy Drake," Bruce said, "My ward, in a manner of speaking. And that's Wesley Collin, his cousin. Wesley's father and I do business together, so I said I'd bring the boys out for the day. Hey, Tim, Wes." He waved to the young men, who came over. Both Kim and Trini gave them the once over unconsciously. Zack shook his head and tried to hide a grin as he thought about the teasing he could do later.

"Hi, Bruce," Tim said, "What's up?" He noticed the gang sitting at the table, his eyes drifting to Kim. "Hi, I'm Timothy Drake. People like to call me Tim."

"Hi, Tim," Jason said, "I'm Jason." They shook hands. Jason nodded to each of his friends in turn. "This is Kimberly, Trini, Billy, and Zack."

"And I'm Wesley Collins, although only my father and school friends insist on calling me that; I prefer to be called Wes." There seemed to be some bitterness in the preppy teen's tone and they saw Tim offer him a sympathetic look.

"I'm sure your father will come around eventually," Bruce promised the upset teen. "Just remember he's only doing his best."

Bruce didn't add that Wes's father's best efforts left a great deal to be desired. Still, his lifestyle didn't win him any father of the year awards.

"Well, We've got to be going," Bruce said, "I have to check over the paperwork for a business deal and the boys have a meeting with some old teachers of mine. It was nice meeting you all."

"You too, Mr. Wayne," Trini said politely.

"And, please, call me Bruce," Bruce said, "Being called Mr. Wayne makes me feel old." They all laughed. "I'll probably be by later, Ernie. You know me, can't keep my nose out of the Center's business."

The two boys said goodbye and followed the adult out of the building.

Ernie shook his head as he watched them go. "That is one of the most confusing men I've ever met. He takes no interest in the books or receipts, but notices the punching bag is a little worn. I bet you anything that I'll walk in next week and find he's replaced all the equipment."

"Tim's so cute," Kim said wistfully. The guys shook their heads and as Ernie walked away, the conversation turned to other things.

Most people would have been shocked, surprised or even terrified if they were whisked away from what they were doing and teleported to the Moon. Then to be confronted by a wand-waving witch with a painfully loud voice would have caused them to question their sanity. Not the Joker though. He was not like most people because, as he had stated on more than one occasion, he was quite certifiably insane. Oh sure he was a genius when it came to chemistry and psychology, but the fact remained that he was easily a few cards short of a pack.

Currently he was laughing at Baboo, who had stupidly taken the criminal's hand only to discover the fifty thousand volt joy buzzer he kept there.

"Smile," he taunted Rita. "All fun and no play makes Rita a very dull witch. And I hate dull people; they remind me too much of Batboy."

"You hate him?" Rita asked, trying to learn more about the man she intended to use against the Rangers. Fear was not going to be enough; she could tell he didn't have the sense to be afraid of her. And a mind control spell required a shred of sanity to stick to. All things considered, that left negotiation. "I can get rid of him for you."

That made Joker laugh even harder. "You, kill him?" He made a show of hiding his head in the crook of his arm while leaning on Goldar. The whole time he continued laughing although he was actually studying the alien for weak points. Then abruptly, the laughter stopped and mirth was replaced by anger. "Do you have any idea how difficult it is to kill the Bat? I've tried, many times. I even killed his little partner once, but he came back; I have no idea how that kid came back. Perhaps I didn't kill him enough. And you think that you can handle him?"

"You destroy the Power Rangers for me, and I'll destroy Batman," Rita promised.

"If these Power Rangers are such a threat," Joker asked, his voice edged by suspicion. "What makes you think little old me could succeed where an all-powerful witch like you failed?" He was enjoying the chance to mock Rita's failure even though somewhere in the back of his mind, a little voice was screaming at him to be cautious.

"Silence!" Goldar bellowed, brandishing his sword and positioning it so the edge was rest just under Joker's neck. A nervous laugh and slight shifting of the criminal's collar rewarded him.

"Easy there big guy," Joker protested, back-stepping. "Somebody might get hurt, namely me."

"Goldar, put him down," Rita ordered as the armoured monkey grabbed the Clown Prince of Crime around his throat.

"Yes Empress," Goldar responded immediately.

"Yes Empress," Joker mimicked in the voice he reserved for times when he wanted to agitate Batman by sounding like a child, earning himself a look from Goldar in the process. That made him cringe; one thing he had decided about Goldar was that the giant monkey was as mean as he was ugly.

"And you," Rita screeched, pointing her wand at Rita.

"Hey, be careful!" Joker complained. "You could have somebody's eye out with that."

"Be quiet," Rita snapped, ignoring his attempt at humour. "The Earth is mine and I will rule over it."

"Geez, like I haven't heard that before. You should meet some of my friends; you have so much in common. You all want to rule the Earth and you're all nuts!"

Rita sighed. Normally she would have disposed of such an annoying person by now, but she needed his services and that meant being just a little more lenient than usual. "If you don't stop, I'll dump you into space."

"Ew, sounds nasty," Joker said, adding a few forced chuckles. "Okay, okay, I'll behave," he promised, mopping his forehead with an oversized handkerchief.

"Good, now listen carefully," Rita replied, pleased that she had made some progress, "Normally your sort of filth is beneath me. I am evil and proud of it. You're an overrated criminal. You do however have quite the reputation and the Power Rangers require your - special touch."

"And if I get rid of these Power Rangers, you'll put an end to Batman?" Joker asked, pressing the issue. The Power Rangers were little more than a nuisance as far as he was concerned. Rather like the Gotham police force or the army. Batman however was a real menace.

"Batman!" Rita screeched, somehow transforming the name into an insult. "Batman is nothing compared to my power. I could crush him as easily as I could destroy the planet."

"Yet five little teenagers bother you. Are they wearing Spandex? Pink looks kind of cute, maybe I could have some fun with her." He heard Goldar grunt an agreement while Rita rolled her eyes in disgust.

"The Power Rangers are more likely to survive my power than their planet is," she admitted. The Morphin energies that the teens used to transform protected them from a great deal of physical damage. She didn't know if they could withstand the outright destruction of their world, but if anything could it would be either cockroaches or the Power Rangers.

"By golly, I'll do it," the Joker said, flashing her his trademark grin. "I'll pulverize them, the varmints are in for the whooping of a lifetime."

"They're at the Youth Center right now. Strike them while they're in their civilian forms and you're sure to win." She looked at him critically. "Do you have to wear that stuff?"

"Nope," the Joker said, his grin spreading as he sensed her annoyance. "It's all part of the image. Plus it intimidates the public and annoys the hell out of Batman."

"Good," Rita said, satisfied. "Those brats will never know what hit them!" She pointed her wand at the Joker and teleported him back down to Earth, near the Youth Center.

"How will you dispose of Batman, Empress?" Goldar asked.

"Batman, who cares about Batman?" Rita replied. "Once Joker is done with the Rangers, I'll terminate both him and our bargain."

"Do you think he really can destroy the Rangers?" Finster asked.

Rita thought about it for a moment. In all likelihood the Rangers would succeed, but that would leave them open to attack. She looked down at the Earth and spotted Trini with her cousin Sylvia. A plan started to form.

"Finster, make me a monster!"

Finster bowed and hurried off to obey, pleased that his queen had not forsaken his sound monster making skills in favour of hired help.

"This should be interesting," Joker chuckled as he watched the Rangers from a safe distance.

Oh Rita had been very precise when giving him orders. And he had been equally thorough in ignoring them. He was the Joker; he didn't work to other people's agendas. He was doing this more out of boredom than in hope that Rita would destroy Batman. Personally if she did kill him, she would not survive long to gloat about it.

He reached into his ridiculously deep pockets and pulled out a few of his special sponges, the ones he had been planning to use on the Boy Blunder the next time they met. ~Maybe they'll work where a crowbar and a bomb failed.~ He placed the small sponges under a nearby fire hydrant and walked away. He had always tried to be dramatic.

He pulled a small mechanical dog from his pocket and hummed a small tune as he cheerfully wound it up and set it on the sidewalk. When it reached the hydrant, it cocked its rear leg and exploded, breaking the pipe and releasing a torrent of water. "What did you expect," he asked a passing couple who started running to avoid the shower, "Tiddling Tiddles?"

As the sponges he had placed there earlier were hit by water, they started to expand, inflating to monstrous size.

"If this doesn't get their attention," Joker mused as he pulled out a remote control, "I'll have to start blowing things up."

When he pressed the button on the remote, the foam started moving forward in a slow and uncoordinated fashion. It wasn't a pretty sight, but the screams from the people told him he had the desired effect. Now he just needed to wait for the guests of honour to show up.

_"We interrupt this program for an important announcement..."_ Trini frowned when she heard the announcement. For one thing, interruptions to regular broadcasts in Angel Grove had recently involved Rita and her crew. More importantly, she had yet to see a newscaster wearing a red and black harlequin outfit. _"Giant monsters sighted in Angel Grove and if the Power Rangers don't get their butts there this instant, Mister Jay has promised some special fireworks."_

"Guys," she called, turning to where the others were sparring or in Kim's case, exercising.

"What's up Trini?" Zack asked as the others joined their friend.

She gestured to the television as the camera turned to show the inflatable monsters terrorising Angel Grove.

"Oh man," Zack moaned. "Does he think we're that stupid?"

"We don't have a choice," Jason reminded him.

"She said if we didn't show, Joker will cause an explosion," Trini told them.

"We cannot use our powers against a human," Kimberly said.

"I don't think Zordon would condone our forbearance if it costs others their lives," Billy pointed out.

"We'll face the consequences later," Jason decided, leading the teens over to the alcove they used to teleport. "It's Morphin Time!"

"Mastodon!"

"Pterodactyl!"

"Triceratops!"

"Saber-toothed Tiger!"

"Tyrannosaurus!"

At the Command Center the situation had not gone unnoticed. Nor had the Rangers' response to the threat, which caused Zordon problems he could have done without. For ten thousand years he had watched the race of man evolve and grow. He had seen their proudest achievements and witnessed the terrible acts they had committed. It had left him with a great sense of confidence in the humans of Earth.

But, there had still been doubts about whether they could handle the responsibilities of becoming Power Rangers. The program Alpha had used to make the selection had been extremely complex, searching many candidates for a variety of key attributes. In the end he was certain he had made the right selection. Still, that didn't make it any easier to trust them with the responsibility. Even the most noble of races had been tempted to misuse their ability.

So unable to decide between his hope that the Rangers would not disappoint him and his fear that they would, Zordon had cheated. The powers he had given them did come through the Morphin Grid, but not directly. And while the Power Coins were genuine and had belonged to a previous team that had been the basis for his judgement of the current team, the Power Morphers had been manufactured by Alpha and linked into the Command Center's computer core. Zordon had been able to use the computer to regulate the team's power and could in an emergency strip them of their powers at short notice. In effect he had created a localised Morphin Grid.

At least that had been the original idea. Zordon had hoped that while granting the humans the status of heroes, he would be able to maintain control of both their arsenal and their powers. His plan had failed; he had underestimated the link that all Rangers developed with the Power and its way of creating new conduits for more efficient usage. First Billy had somehow discovered a way to tap into the Morphin Grid to allow teleportation. Communication had soon followed. Now the Rangers were capable of contacting him at their convenience and not when he summoned them.

It made sense when he thought about it though. Billy was a natural choice for Blue Ranger. He was intellectually gifted in his own right and the Power had helped apply discipline to those creative thoughts. And now it seemed that Jason - without doubt a born leader and a natural Red Ranger - was starting to feel comfortable in his role as commander. To the extent it seemed, where Jason had taken to acting without prompting from Zordon.

~They are growing beyond my control,~ he thought solemnly.

With any other team he would have been pleased that they felt confident enough to do so, but in this case the nagging doubts remained. He wanted to believe that Jason had chosen to morph because of the ultimatum, not just because there had been a threat to the city. He had given the Rangers their powers to fight Rita, nothing more.

"Ai-yi-yi, the Joker registers the residual effects of Rita's magic," Alpha reported.

That made Zordon feel better.

"Very well Alpha, continue to monitor the situation but do not interfere."

"Ai-yi-yi-yi, yes Zordon."

When the Power Rangers had arrived, the sponges had been easily dealt with. A few blasts from their Blade Blasters had been enough to disintegrate the waterlogged foam.

"Rangers!" Joker exclaimed, flashing them his trademark grin as he stepped over the body of a police officer that had tried to arrest him. "Such an honour, really. Costumed freaks are ten-a-dozen, you to see you so young... it makes me cry." He blew his nose in his oversized handkerchief.

"What do you want Joker?" Jason demanded.

"Did Batman scare you out of Gotham?" Kim asked.

"Oh you're a feisty one, Pink Ranger. You remind me of Batgirl... before I put a bullet in her back and turned her into an even more worthless cripple." His eyes glazed over as he remembered how much fun that had been, right up until Batman had poked his nose in and used the Joker as a punching bag. "Forgive me," he said as he tried to reach for the Pink Ranger's hand, only for Black Ranger to block him. "Such a beautiful lady. Please, accept this rose as a sign of our love. Beauty and his beast so to speak."

"Look out!" Billy cried as a jet of toxic foam sprayed from the flower.

"What is that?" Joker asked, genuinely confused. He had expected a fine spray of acid, which would have eaten through their suits in a matter of minutes. Instead he managed to make the Yellow Ranger spark a little.

"You're going down Joker," Jason warned.

"It's not over until the fat lady sings," Joker quipped, tossing the Red Ranger and oversized doll dressed like a fat opera singer. The Red Ranger tried to throw it away, only to find it stuck to his hand. And during that time the Joker had made a show of putting his fingers in his ears.

"Guys, cover your ears!" Billy warned as the doll started singing, its high-pitched vocals deafening the Rangers and causing the buildings around them to spray glass into the street.

"Now that wasn't supposed to happen," Joker commented. He was starting to get nervous. That doll was supposed to explode, not sing.

"Zordon, isolate our helmets' audio pathways," Billy groaned as he clutched at his helmet.

Zordon must have done so for the next moment, the noise had ceased. But Joker was no longer alone. Putties wearing clown faces had joined him.

"Get them boys!" Joker ordered, vowing to kill Rita the next time he met her.

The Putties did as they were ordered, charging the Rangers with the usual success. It did give Joker time to sneak up behind Red Ranger and pull out his oversize mallet. He swiped at the Ranger only to miss; Jason had sensed him sneaking up from behind and ducked.

"You can't fight me, Ranger," Joker gloated. "I'm powerless."

"He has a point," Black Ranger commented.

Red Ranger was silent or so it seemed. In fact he was using his helmet's communicator to talk to Zordon, making arrangements.

"Zack," Jason called, passing his Power Coin to the black clad hero. His costume flicked, but remained in place. "Problem solved, now we can fight without powers."

"Sounds good to me, Blunder Ranger," Joker remarked, lifting the mallet for another try.

Jason was young and in excellent shape. He was also trained in karate. Unfortunately, that still placed him at a disadvantage against an enemy who was clearly armed and by reputation extremely dangerous. He was playing a dangerous game and he knew it. Rita had railroaded them into a no win situation; fight without powers or run away situation and Jason didn't like it.

"What's the matter boy?" Joker asked as Jason narrowly blocked one of the blows. "Feeling hammered?"

Jason didn't reply, his eyes were locked on the mallet. When it was in just the right position, he grabbed it and twisted his body to throw Joker across his back. Now he held the weapon.

"Hey, no fair!" Joker protested before a sinister grin crossed his face. He reached into his coat and pulled out a gun. "Oh well, guess we'll have to play a new game."

He never had a chance to fire the weapon. Had the beam from Zack's Blade Blaster not superheated the weapon, causing Joker to yell, caused him to drop the gun, then the sharp tip of a Batarang thrown from the shadows did.

"Oh no, not you two. You're supposed to be in Gotham!" He protested as first Batman and then Robin made an appearance, the latter emerging from just behind Billy. "You couldn't stay away, could you? You just had to follow little old me all the way to Angel Grove."

Batman grabbed the menacing jester before he could draw any more weapons, lifting him by the throat only to dump him violently on the bonnet of a nearby car.

"Chill out Batsy, you wouldn't want to give these kids a bad impression, would you?"

The response was a firm right to the side of the jaw that he responded to by blowing a raspberry.

"There's some Feds I know who really want to speak to you," Robin commented as Batman slapped a pair of heavy manacles on the criminal's wrists.

Before they could take him away though he vanished in a stream of teleportation.

"Oh man, I guess Rita did send him after all," Zack commented.

"Affirmative," Billy added.

"What were you kids thinking, taking on the Joker?" Batman demanded, turning to Jason.

"We were thinking that if we didn't turn up he was going to destroy the city," Kimberly replied.

"He could have killed you, all of you," Batman pointed out.

"We know," Yellow Ranger told him. Her voice was quiet, but her stance showed that she would not be intimidated.

"Where'd he go?" Robin asked, eager to move the conversation back onto important matters.

"If Rita was involved, probably the Moon," Billy answered. The look Batman gave him suggested that he found that a very unlikely answer.

"You're more of a fool than Goldar!" Rita screeched, poking Joker with the end of her wand.

"You never told me Batman would be there," Joker fired back. "I had the little punk right where I wanted him until Batdork showed up."

"How was I supposed to know?" Rita demanded. "You said he was in Gotham City."

"That's it, I'm gone," Joker said, "maybe I can get home before the Dynamic Duo and get a head start on them."

"We had a deal!" Rita protested.

"Forget it. If those Rangers didn't kill me, your voice would! I'll take my chances with Batman and Robin; they're more fun to play with anyway. Maybe I can kill the Boy Blunder a second time. Take this, as a memento of little old me." He threw Rita a box.

"You shouldn't have," Rita said sarcastically.

"Now, if you'd be kind enough to teleport me back to Gotham," Joker said, giving her a maniac's idea of what puppy eyes were supposed to be.

Rita raised her staff and did as the Joker requested, teleported him to Gotham City. She laughed as he discovered that while he was definitely in the city, Rita had teleported him five thousand feet above the ground. Then, she opened up the box. Zordon was detecting the explosion for the next few hours, during which time the Dynamic Duo were flying home.

**End**

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in this fanfiction. They belong to their respective copyright owners. MMPR is owned by Disney, JLA characters belong to DC Comics. The original concept and version of this story belong to Carl Turner.  
Power Rangers Timeline: Post Doomsday/ Pre-Mutiny  
JLA Timeline: This timeline runs closest to the current television series, except Hawk and Dove joined the team shortly after their formation. Should be considered Pre-Justice League Unlimited.  
Note: This is a fic set in a universe that is neither the Power Rangers universe nor an established DC universe.

**Heroes and Legends  
Based and adapted from the work of Carl Turner**  
The alarms in the Command Center sounded, bringing the formidable citadel to full alert as Alpha Five, the Command Center's controller shifted from one position to the next, trying to find the source of the problem.

"Zordon!" the android sputtered, "where are you? We've got real trouble now! A group of Putties..."

"Calm down Alpha, this is not the first time Rita has attacked although I had hoped the loss of Lokar's power would make her think twice before resuming her wicked ways."

In the past Zordon would have materialised inside the citadel, his spiritual body acting as a comfort to Alpha while he worked. But those days were gone thanks to the Green Ranger's attack on the Command Center. With the precious focus crystals destroyed, Zordon could only appear in the building's Plasma Tube; the feedback from the loss of one set of crystals had destroyed the others meaning Zordon was truly isolated within his timewarp.

"It's not Rita!" Alpha explained.

That caught Zordon's attention. If Rita wasn't in charge, who was?

"Alpha, identify the Putties' leader," he instructed.

"Ai-yi-yi, they're humans!" Alpha exclaimed. "The computer identifies them as common criminals known as the Cheetah, the Riddler, Two-Face, Brainiac, Felix Faust, Major Force, Doctor Light..."

"I believe you will find these are more than common criminals," Zordon warned. "I have been monitoring Earth transmissions for a while and those criminals are among some of the most dangerous people on this planet."

"But Zordon, how did they get control of the Putties?"

Zordon looked grimmer than usual. "I do not know Alpha, but I suspect that Rita has formed some sort of allegiance with these humans. This is a very dangerous situation; contact the Power Rangers immediately!"

"But the Rangers are on a field trip."

At that moment, Zack Taylor and Kimberly Hart were helping their tutor for the day move some books into her office. When the school had suggested the visit to Angel Grove College of Science and Dentistry, some of the students had grumbled. The Power Rangers though had embraced the opportunity, relishing the opportunity to do normal school activities rather than fighting evil space aliens.

"So moving here was only a short-term assignment, but I must admit it is a major change from Lockspur," Andrea Thomas explained to the two students.

"Man, I heard the science here totally jammed, but this year it sounds awesome!" Zack commented. He wasn't an academic like Billy, but he appreciated that science was more than difficult equations and could, with the right teacher, be fun.

"I think in a few years I will have to come back," Andrea commented. When she saw their confused looks, she explained. "I think your friend Billy has a real knack for this subject and I hope I get to the opportunity to have him in my class."

She was about to say something else when the two teens' alarms went off, signalling that the Power Rangers were needed.

"Sorry, but we better be going, Ms. Thomas. Prior commitment," Kimberly told her.

"Go ahead, I'll see you later," Andrea told them. With that, Zack and Kimberly raced down the hall into a deserted lobby. Andrea watched them go, she knew the signs all to well. In the past it might have been her hurrying away. But those days were over. "Good luck kids."

"We read you Zordon, go ahead," Kimberly whispered.

Zordon's voice boomed, "Rangers, teleport to the Command Center right away. This is vital."

Zack whispered, "We're on it, Zordon." Soon, he and Kimberly faded into black and pink light and shot out of the school.

Soon, the two Rangers were joined by Jason Lee Scott, Trini Kwan, and Billy Cranston.

Zordon spoke, "Rangers, behold the viewing globe. The world's worst villains have joined forces with Rita. Whatever they have planned, it can be no good for the world."

Trini spoke up, "We have to stop them now, but why have they come together like this?"

"Yeah, after Rita got done with Joker you'd have thought they'd tell her where to go."

"That's something we have to find out as soon as possible," Jason told her. "Guys, It's Morphin Time!"

"Mastodon!"

"Pterodactyl!"

"Saber-toothed Tiger!"

"Triceratops!"

"Tyrannosaurus!"

In a flash, the Rangers teleported into downtown Angel Grove. The Cheetah and another villain, Felix Faust, were about to lay waste to the entire area.

In his guise as the Black Ranger, Zack bellowed, "Hey, grandpa! Drop it! Don't make this any harder on you than it already is!"

Faust sneered, "Well, if it isn't the next generation of Teen Titans! Sorry, kiddies, you may defeat stupid monsters, but we're too much for you to handle. You can't beat us. You've already lost!"

Red Ranger snorted, "Wanna bet, has-beens?"

The Black Ranger yelled, "Come on guys, let's put these geezers back in the 'Old Villains' Home, where they belong!"

"Oh really?" Cheetah snarled. "Putties, attack!"

The Rangers made short work of the creatures. The Yellow Ranger spoke up, "You're next, kitty! Behave, and you may even get a saucer of milk!"

"Sorry, kid, I prefer mice. Ranger mice, to be precise. Shall we, Felix, hmm," Cheetah growled as she and Faust attacked the Rangers. Unfortunately, the creeps had the Rangers at their mercy. "So long, kiddies," Cheetah started.

"Oh really? We don't think so!" a voice behind her called.

Cheetah and Faust turned to see who they were facing, and both said the same two words before getting a right to the jaw. "Oh no!"

Wonder Woman and Hawkgirl looked at the villains in disgust. "Picking on children, what's next, kicking kittens?" one of them asked.

The evil twosome had six words to speak in reply: "Who the hell invited you two?"

"No one," Wonder Woman smiled. "We decided to crash. Oh, and speaking of crashes..." She promptly threw the Cheetah into a tree. Meanwhile, Hawkgirl showed Faust that there were some things his sorcery could not effect, such as her mace. Her blow to the chin shot him into the air like a cannon. Joining him, she grabbed his leg, and sent him screaming back into the ground, as Wonder Woman sent the Cheetah into orbit. The two fiends collided in midair and crashed to the ground, unconscious.

Wonder Woman walked over to the teens. "Are you all right?"

Jason was the first to recover from the attack. Looking at the two sleeping villains and glanced around, his eyes finally falling on Isis. "I know we didn't do that."

Her attention was drawn by the Pink Ranger asking, "What were those two creepozoids doing here?"

"They, along with several other super criminals, every one too dangerous to be allowed to run amuck, have joined forces with the one you call Rita Repulsa. Our sources told us they're planning to destroy several cities throughout the United States, causing chaos that Rita can use to her advantage."

"What do they get out of it?" Trini asked.

"Rita made contact with an intermediary, someone who could bankroll the whole operation. She offered him what he wanted and he promised them what they wanted. I don't think they realise what she has in mind, but f their plans succeed, the future of America, maybe the world, is in severe jeopardy."

"We need your help, Power Rangers. Will you join forces with us?" Wonder Woman asked.

The Rangers looked to their leader, knowing that he would make the decision. Jason for his part wished that he could talk to Zordon. Still he was the Red Ranger and the others looked to him for guidance. "You've got it," he said; the others nodded in agreement.

Hours later and the Rangers found themselves at the JLA's satellite headquarters, a facility that had somehow escaped Rita's attention during her attack on the planet. Now, after interfering in her plans, they would no longer evade her wrath.

Batman, one of the founding members of the organisation briefed the group on what he had discovered in his investigation. Unfortunately he was a hero the Rangers had had the misfortune to run into during the early days of their careers.

...Flashback

It was an ordinary day in Angel Grove. The Rangers were enjoying a brief respite from their seemingly never-ending battle with Rita Repulsa. Since the defeat of her Nasty Knight almost a week before, she had ceased her activities. The Rangers of course being teenagers had embraced the free time and were sitting around in the Youth Center discussing what they wanted to do.

"Hey Jase, check that out," Zack said, directing his friend's attention to the counter where Ernie was in deep discussion with two black suited men. "Feds, here?"

"I doubt Rita would attract the attention of the FBI," Billy commented. All the Rangers had been disappointed to learn that while a Galactic crime, conquering the world was not actually illegal.

"They're looking for someone though," Zack argued as he watched the two men handed Ernie a small flyer.

"Hey guys, guess what?" Kimberly said as she and Trini joined their friends, the latter picking up that something was worrying them. Kim waited for them to ask what she was referring to and then showed them a flyer, similar to the one the Feds as Zack had labelled them were pointing out to Ernie. "There's a circus in town," she announced, showing them the advert for Jolly Jack's Circus featuring a show that was guaranteed to be a killer.

"That's the same flyer they're showing Ernie," Zack pointed out.

"Maybe they're worried about a crime spree linked to the circus," Trini suggested after pondering the scenario.

Ernie chose that moment to look over in their direction. Hey guys, come here a minute," he called to them. The teens exchanged nervous glances and then shrugging, walked over to see what he wanted. "I need a favour from you five. This is Special Agent Johnson and... Special Agent Johnson."

"No relation," the older one remarked. Although his voice remained serious, it made the teens grin and removed some of the tension.

"FBI," the other one, a younger black man told them, showing his id badge as he did so.

"We need you guys to get the word out to your friends and families," the older one told them.

"About what?" Billy asked.

"Look guys, they can't tell you too much, but we need you to warn your friends to stay away from the circus for the next few days while it's being set up. We don't want anybody getting hurt."

"Okay, we'll spread the word," Jason agreed.

"Thanks guys, this is why they came here, to get me to warn as many people as possible."

"Okay Ernie," Trini said softly as the teens filed away.

"Did you guys buy any of that?" Zack asked as they returned to their seats.

"Negative," Billy answered. "A circus does not take days to set up. They were obviously worried about something and wanted to ensure the minimum chance of civilian injuries by warning people off."

"Yeah, but what are they really looking for?" Zack mused.

"Um you guys, I know this is really strange, but Jolly Jack's Circus was a front for the Joker in Gotham City," Kim pointed out. She saw the surprised looks on their faces and blushed slightly. "My Uncle Steve has had an unhealthy interest in super heroes for years. He has clippings on all of them; Batman, Green Lantern, Hornet... even the Power Rangers."

"So do you think they could be after Joker?" Trini asked, feeling a shiver as she said the name.

The Rangers had been fighting Rita Repulsa for several months now, but it seemed that no matter what scheme she managed, she had yet to kill anybody just for the fun of it. The Joker was another matter entirely, although not old enough to remember some of the atrocities he had committed, the Rangers could recall some of his more recent crimes; the Joker had a way of making headline news whenever he escaped.

"It would make sense," Jason answered.

"Can they even touch him now?" Zack asked. "I read somewhere he had diplomatic immunity."

"I don't think he's an ambassador anymore," Trini told him.

Their conversation came to a halt when Ernie walked over to their table, accompanied by a tall, handsome man who looked to be in his mid to late thirties.

"Thanks for helping out guys, we just need people to stay away and let the professionals do their work without being too obvious about it."

"Not a problem Ernie," Trini replied.

"Yeah we'll let our classes know that the site is unsafe at the moment and they should stay away."

"Maybe we should add in a warning about not going off with strange clowns," Zack half-joked. He didn't fail to notice the grimace that passed across Ernie's face. His companion's expression remained the same although his eyes did narrow slightly.

"That's a good idea Zack. Repeating the messages never hurts," Ernie said. "Anyway, I'd like you to meet a friend of mine who's in town for a few days. Jason, Billy, Trini, Zack, Kim, this is Bruce Wayne, an old friend of mine."

"The Bruce Wayne?" Zack said, "As in the owner of Wayne Industries? As in one of the richest men, if not the richest man, in the world?"

"That's right," Bruce said, smiling politely at the inquisitive teenager. "Nice to meet you all." He extended his hand and shook each of theirs.

"Care to join us, Mr. Wayne?" Jason asked politely.

"No thanks," Bruce said, "I just came in to see how Ernie's doing. The Wayne Foundation has some shares in the Youth Center as part of its Outreach Program. This is just the yearly check."

Kim looked over at the entrance and saw two young men standing there. "Hey," she said, "Who're they?" She motioned over to the young men.

"Oh, that's Timothy Drake," Bruce said, "My ward, in a manner of speaking. And that's Wesley Collin, his cousin. Wesley's father and I do business together, so I said I'd bring the boys out for the day. Hey, Tim, Wes." He waved to the young men, who came over. Both Kim and Trini gave them the once over unconsciously. Zack shook his head and tried to hide a grin as he thought about the teasing he could do later.

"Hi, Bruce," Tim said, "What's up?" He noticed the gang sitting at the table, his eyes drifting to Kim. "Hi, I'm Timothy Drake. People like to call me Tim."

"Hi, Tim," Jason said, "I'm Jason." They shook hands. Jason nodded to each of his friends in turn. "This is Kimberly, Trini, Billy, and Zack."

"And I'm Wesley Collins, although only my father and school friends insist on calling me that; I prefer to be called Wes." There seemed to be some bitterness in the preppy teen's tone and they saw Tim offer him a sympathetic look.

"I'm sure your father will come around eventually," Bruce promised the upset teen. "Just remember he's only doing his best."

Bruce didn't add that Wes's father's best efforts left a great deal to be desired. Still, his lifestyle didn't win him any father of the year awards.

"Well, We've got to be going," Bruce said, "I have to check over the paperwork for a business deal and the boys have a meeting with some old teachers of mine. It was nice meeting you all."

"You too, Mr. Wayne," Trini said politely.

"And, please, call me Bruce," Bruce said, "Being called Mr. Wayne makes me feel old." They all laughed. "I'll probably be by later, Ernie. You know me, can't keep my nose out of the Center's business."

The two boys said goodbye and followed the adult out of the building.

Ernie shook his head as he watched them go. "That is one of the most confusing men I've ever met. He takes no interest in the books or receipts, but notices the punching bag is a little worn. I bet you anything I'll walk in next week and find he's replaced all the equipment."

"Tim's so cute," Kim said wistfully. The guys shook their heads and as Ernie walked away, the conversation turned to other things.

Most people would have been shocked, surprised or even terrified if they were whisked away from what they were doing and teleported to the Moon. Then to be confronted by a wand-waving witch with a painfully loud voice would have caused them to question their sanity. Not the Joker though. He was not like most people because, as he had stated on more than one occasion, he was quite certifiably insane. Oh sure he was a genius when it came to chemistry and psychology, but the fact remained that he was easily a few cards short of a pack.

Currently he was laughing at Baboo, who had stupidly taken the criminal's hand only to discover the fifty thousand volt joy buzzer he kept there.

"Smile," he taunted Rita. "All fun and no play makes Rita a very dull witch. And I hate dull people; they remind me too much of Batboy."

"You hate him?" Rita queried, trying to learn more about the man she intended to use against the Rangers. Fear was not going to be enough; she could tell he didn't have the sense to be afraid of her. And a mind control spell required a shred of sanity to adhere to. All things considered, that left negotiation. "I can get rid of him for you."

That made Joker laugh even harder. "You, kill him?" He made a show of hiding his head in the crook of his arm while leaning on Goldar. The whole time he continued laughing although he was actually studying the alien for weak points. Then abruptly, the laughter stopped and mirth was replaced by anger. "Do you have any idea how difficult it is to kill the Bat? I've tried, many times. I even killed his little partner once, but he came back; I have no idea how that kid came back. Perhaps I didn't kill him enough. And you think that you can handle him?"

"You destroy the Power Rangers for me, and I'll destroy Batman," Rita promised.

"If these Power Rangers are such a threat," Joker asked, his voice edged by suspicion, "what make you think little old me could succeed where an all powerful witch like yourself failed?" He was enjoying the chance to mock Rita's failure even though somewhere in the back of his mind, a little voice was screaming at him to be cautious.

"Silence!" Goldar bellowed, brandishing his sword and positioning it so the edge was rest just under Joker's neck. A nervous laugh and slight shifting of the criminal's collar rewarded him.

"Easy there big guy," Joker protested, back-stepping. "Somebody might get hurt, namely me."

"Goldar, put him down," Rita ordered as the armoured monkey grabbed the Clown Prince of Crime around his throat.

"Yes Empress," Goldar responded immediately.

"Yes Empress," Joker mimicked in the voice he reserved for times when he wanted to agitate Batman by sounding like a child, earning himself a look from Goldar in the process. That made him cringe; one thing he had decided about Goldar was that the giant monkey was as mean as he was ugly.

"And you," Rita screeched, pointing her wand at Rita.

"Hey, be careful!" Joker complained. "You could have somebody's eye out with that."

"Be quiet," Rita snapped, ignoring his attempts at humour. "The Earth is mine and I will rule over it."

"Geez, like I haven't heard that before. You should meet some of my friends; you have so much in common. You all want to rule the Earth and you're all nuts!"

Rita sighed. Normally she would have disposed of such an annoying person by now, but she needed his services and that meant being just a little more lenient than usual. "If you don't stop, I'll dump you into space."

"Ew, sounds nasty," Joker said, adding a few forced chuckles. "Okay, okay, I'll behave," he promised, mopping his forehead with an oversized handkerchief.

"Good, now listen carefully," Rita replied, pleased that she had made some progress, "Normally your sort of filth is beneath me. I am evil and proud of it. You're an overrated criminal. You do however have quite the reputation and the Power Rangers require your - special touch."

"And if I get rid of these Power Rangers, you'll put an end to Batman?" Joker asked, pressing the issue. The Power Rangers were little more than a nuisance as far as he was concerned. Rather like the Gotham police force or the army. Batman however was a real menace.

"Batman!" Rita screeched, somehow transforming the name into an insult. "Batman is nothing compared to my power. I could crush him as easily as I could destroy the planet."

"Yet five little teenagers bother you. Are they wearing Spandex? Pink looks kind of cute, maybe I could have some fun with her." He heard Goldar grunt an agreement while Rita rolled her eyes in disgust.

"The Power Rangers are more likely to survive my power than their planet is," she admitted. The Morphin energies that the teens used to transform protected them from a great deal of physical damage. She didn't know if they could withstand the outright destruction of their world, but if anything could it would be either cockroaches or the Power Rangers.

"By golly, I'll do it," the Joker said, flashing her his trademark grin. "I'll pulverize them, the varmints are in for the whooping of a lifetime."

"They're at the Youth Center right now. Strike them while they're in their civilian forms and you're sure to win." She looked at him critically. "Do you have to wear that stuff?"

"Nope," the Joker said, his grin spreading as he sensed her annoyance. "It's all part of the image. Plus it intimidates the public and annoys the hell out of Batman."

"Good," Rita said, satisfied. "Those brats will never know what hit them!" She pointed her wand at the Joker and teleported him back down to Earth, near the Youth Center.

"How will you dispose of Batman, Empress?" Goldar asked.

"Batman, who cares about Batman?" Rita replied. "Once Joker is done with the Rangers, I'll terminate both him and our bargain."

"Do you think he really can destroy the Rangers?" Finster asked.

Rita thought about it for a moment. In all likelihood the Rangers would succeed, but that would leave them open to attack. She looked down at the Earth and spotted Trini with her cousin Sylvia. A plan started to form.

"Finster, make me a monster!"

Finster bowed and hurried off to obey, pleased that his queen had not forsaken his sound monster making skills in favour of hired help.

"This should be interesting," Joker chuckled as he watched the Rangers from a safe distance.

Oh Rita had been very precise when giving him orders. And he had been equally thorough in ignoring them. He was the Joker; he didn't work to other people's agendas. He was doing this more out of boredom than in hope that Rita would destroy Batman. Personally if she did kill him, she would not survive long to gloat about it.

He reached into his ridiculously deep pockets and pulled out a few of his special sponges, the ones he had been planning to use on the Boy Blunder the next time they met. ~Maybe they'll work where a crowbar and a bomb failed.~ He placed the small sponges under a nearby fire hydrant and walked away. He had always tried to be dramatic.

He pulled a small mechanical dog from his pocket and hummed a small tune as he cheerfully wound it up and set it on the sidewalk. When it reached the hydrant, it cocked its rear leg and exploded, breaking the pipe and releasing a torrent of water. "What did you expect," he asked a passing couple who started running to avoid the shower, "Tiddling Tiddles?"

As the sponges he had placed there earlier were hit by water, they started to expand, inflating to monstrous size.

"If this doesn't get their attention," Joker mused as he pulled out a remote control, "I'll have to start blowing things up."

When he pressed the button on the remote, the foam started moving forward in a slow and uncoordinated fashion. It wasn't a pretty sight, but the screams from the people told him he had the desired effect. Now he just needed to wait for the guests of honour to show up.

_"We interrupt this program for an important announcement..."_ Trini frowned when she heard the announcement. For one thing, interruptions to regular broadcasts in Angel Grove had recently involved Rita and her crew. More importantly, she had yet to see a newscaster wearing a red and black harlequin outfit. _"Giant monsters sighted in Angel Grove and if the Power Rangers don't get their butts there this instant, Mister Jay has promised some special fireworks."_

"Guys," she called, turning to where the others were sparring or in Kim's case, exercising.

"What's up Trini?" Zack asked as the others joined their friend.

She gestured to the television as the camera turned to show the inflatable monsters terrorising Angel Grove.

"Oh man," Zack moaned. "Does he think we're that stupid?"

"We don't have a choice," Jason reminded him.

"She said if we didn't show, Joker will cause an explosion," Trini told them.

"We cannot use our powers against a human," Kimberly said.

"I don't think Zordon would condone our forbearance if it costs others their lives," Billy pointed out.

"We'll face the consequences later," Jason decided, leading the teens over to the alcove they used to teleport. "It's Morphin Time!"

"Mastodon!"

"Pterodactyl!"

"Triceratops!"

"Saber-toothed Tiger!"

"Tyrannosaurus!"

At the Command Center, the situation had not gone unnoticed. Nor had the Rangers' response to the threat, which caused Zordon problems he could have done without. For ten thousand years he had watched the race of man evolve and grow. He had seen their proudest achievements and witnessed the terrible acts they had committed. It had left him with a great sense of confidence in the humans of Earth.

But, there had still been doubts about whether they could handle the responsibilities of becoming Power Rangers. The program Alpha had used to make the selection had been extremely complex, searching many candidates for a variety of key attributes. In the end he was certain he had made the right selection. Still, that didn't make it any easier to trust them with the responsibility. Even the most noble of races had been tempted to misuse their ability.

So unable to decide between his hope that the Rangers would not disappoint him and his fear that they would, Zordon had cheated. The powers he had given them did come through the Morphin Grid, but not directly. And while the Power Coins were genuine and had belonged to a previous team that had been the basis for his judgement of the current team, the Power Morphers had been manufactured by Alpha and linked into the Command Center's computer core. Zordon had been able to use the computer to regulate the team's power and could in an emergency strip them of their powers at short notice. In effect he had created a localised Morphin Grid.

At least that had been the original idea. Zordon had hoped that while granting the humans the status of heroes, he would be able to maintain control of both their arsenal and their powers. His plan had failed; he had underestimated the link that all Rangers developed with the Power and its way of creating new conduits for more efficient usage. First Billy had somehow discovered a way to tap into the Morphin Grid to allow teleportation. Communication had soon followed. Now the Rangers were capable of contacting him at their convenience and not when he summoned them.

It made sense when he thought about it though. Billy was a natural choice for Blue Ranger. He was intellectually gifted in his own right and the Power had helped apply discipline to those creative thoughts. And now it seemed Jason - without doubt a born leader and a natural Red Ranger - was starting to feel comfortable in his role as commander. To the extent it seemed, where Jason had taken to acting without prompting from Zordon.

~They are growing beyond my control,~ he thought solemnly.

With any other team he would have been pleased that they felt confident enough to do so, but in this case the nagging doubts remained. He wanted to believe that Jason had chosen to morph because of the ultimatum, not just because there had been a threat to the city. He had given the Rangers their powers to fight Rita, nothing more.

"Ai-yi-yi, the Joker registers the residual effects of Rita's magic," Alpha reported.

That made Zordon feel better.

"Very well Alpha, continue to monitor the situation but do not interfere."

"Ai-yi-yi-yi, yes Zordon."

When the Power Rangers had arrived, the sponges had been easily dealt with. A few blasts from their Blade Blasters had been enough to disintegrate the waterlogged foam.

"Rangers!" Joker exclaimed, flashing them his trademark grin as he stepped over the body of a police officer that had tried to arrest him. "Such an honour, really. Costumed freaks are ten-a-dozen, you to see you so young... it makes me cry." He blew his nose in his oversized handkerchief.

"What do you want Joker?" Jason demanded.

"Did Batman scare you out of Gotham?" Kim asked.

"Oh you're a feisty one, Pink Ranger. You remind me of Batgirl... before I put a bullet in her back and turned her into an even more worthless cripple." His eyes glazed over as he remembered how much fun that had been, right up until Batman had poked his nose in and used the Joker as a punching bag. "Forgive me," he said as he tried to reach for the Pink Ranger's hand, only for Black Ranger to block him. "Such a beautiful lady. Please, accept this rose as a sign of our love. Beauty and his beast so to speak."

"Look out!" Billy cried as a jet of toxic foam sprayed from the flower.

"What is that?" Joker asked, genuinely confused. He had expected a fine spray of acid, which would have eaten through their suits in a matter of minutes. Instead he managed to make Yellow Ranger spark a little.

"You're going down Joker," Jason warned.

"It's not over until the fat lady sings," Joker quipped, tossing the Red Ranger and oversized doll dressed like a fat opera singer. The Red Ranger tried to throw it away, only to find it stuck to his hand. And during that time the Joker had made a show of putting his fingers in his ears.

"Guys, cover your ears!" Billy warned as the doll started singing, its high-pitched vocals deafening the Rangers and causing the buildings around them to spray glass into the street.

"Now that wasn't supposed to happen," Joker commented. He was starting to get nervous. That doll was supposed to explode, not sing.

"Zordon, isolate our helmets' audio pathways," Billy groaned as he clutched at his helmet.

Zordon must have done so for the next moment, the noise had ceased. But Joker was no longer alone. Putties wearing clown faces had joined him.

"Get them boys!" Joker ordered, vowing to kill Rita the next time he met her.

The Putties did as they were ordered, charging the Rangers with the usual success. It did give Joker time to sneak up behind Red Ranger and pull out his oversize mallet. He swiped at the Ranger only to miss; Jason had sensed him sneaking up from behind and ducked.

"You can't fight me Ranger," Joker gloated. "I'm powerless."

"He has a point," Black Ranger commented.

Red Ranger was silent or so it seemed. In fact he was using his helmet's communicator to talk to Zordon, making arrangements.

"Zack," Jason called, passing his Power Coin to the black clad hero. His costume flicked, but remained in place. "Problem solved. Now we can fight without powers."

"Sounds good to me, Blunder Ranger," Joker remarked, lifting the mallet for another try.

Jason was young and in excellent shape. He was also trained in karate. Unfortunately, that still placed him at a disadvantage against an enemy who was clearly armed and by reputation extremely dangerous. He was playing a dangerous game and he knew it. Rita had railroaded them into a no win situation; fight without powers or run away situation and Jason didn't like it.

"What's the matter boy?" Joker asked as Jason narrowly blocked one of the blows. "Feeling hammered?"

Jason didn't reply, his eyes were locked on the mallet. When it was in just the right position, he grabbed it and twisted his body to throw Joker across his back. Now he held the weapon.

"Hey, no fair!" Joker protested before a sinister grin crossed his face. He reached into his coat and pulled out a gun. "Oh well, guess we'll have to play a new game."

He never had a chance to fire the weapon. Had the beam from Zack's Blade Blaster not superheated the weapon, causing Joker to yell, caused him to drop the gun, then the sharp tip of a Batarang thrown from the shadows did.

"Oh no, not you two. You're supposed to be in Gotham!" He protested as first Batman and then Robin made an appearance, the latter emerging from just behind Billy. "You couldn't stay away could you, followed little old me all the way to Angel Grove."

Batman grabbed the menacing jester before he could draw any more weapons, lifting him by the throat only to dump him violently on the bonnet of a nearby car.

"Chill out Batsy, you wouldn't want to give these kids a bad impression, would you?"

The response was a firm right to the side of the jaw that he responded to by blowing a raspberry.

"There's some Feds I know who really want to speak to you," Robin commented as Batman slapped a pair of heavy manacles on the criminal's wrists.

Before they could take him away though he vanished in a stream of teleportation.

"Oh man, I guess Rita did send him after all," Zack commented.

"Affirmative," Billy added.

"What were you kids thinking, taking on the Joker?" Batman demanded, turning to Jason.

"We were thinking that if we didn't turn up he was going to destroy the city," Kimberly replied.

"He could have killed you, all of you," Batman pointed out.

"We know," Yellow Ranger told him. Her voice was quiet, but her stance showed that she would not be intimidated.

"Where'd he go?" Robin asked, eager to move the conversation back onto important matters.

"If Rita was involved, probably the Moon," Billy answered. The look Batman gave him suggested that he found that a very unlikely answer.

"You're more of a fool than Goldar!" Rita screeched, poking Joker with the end of her wand.

"You never told me Batman would be there," joker fired back. "I had the little punk right where I wanted him until Batdork showed up."

"How was I supposed to know?" Rita demanded. "You said he was in Gotham City."

"That's it, I'm gone," Joker said, "maybe I can get home before the Dynamic Duo and get a head start on them."

"We had a deal!" Rita protested.

"Forget it. If those Ranger didn't kill me, your voice would! I'll take my chances with Batman and Robin; they're more fun to play with anyway. Maybe I can kill the Boy Blunder a second time. Take this, as a memento of little old me." He threw Rita a box.

"You shouldn't have," Rita said sarcastically.

"Now, if you'd be kind enough to teleport me back to Gotham," Joker said, giving her a maniac's idea of what puppy eyes were supposed to be.

Rita raised her staff and did as the Joker requested, teleported him to Gotham City. She laughed as he discovered that while he was definitely in the city, Rita had teleported him five thousand feet above the ground. Then, she opened up the box. Zordon was detecting the explosion for the next few hours, during which time the Dynamic Duo were flying home.

End Flashback...

Batman waited until he had the Rangers' attention. He remembered his encounter with the heroes of Angel Grove, and he remembered his first opinion of their capabilities. He had been surprised when he had heard that they had succeeded and had to admit that when it came to fighting demons they were more than capable. Against the twisted evil of the human mind though he wasn't so sure. There was a good chance that the teenagers would soon find themselves out of their depth, but he hoped for their sakes they were as strong as their costumes made them appear.

"None of those criminals we have seen so far have the financial resources, brainpower or the leadership to pull this off. And we know they're not acting alone. Fortunately some of them have never heard of covering their tracks and we managed to track the money back to its source. Five guesses who is funding this whole cataclysmic endeavour?"

The Flash mused, "That of course being..."

"Lex Luthor. He is the only one with the money to pull something like this off, and pull together this type of talent. Needless to say, he's the brains behind this," Batman told everyone.

The Rangers were understandably puzzled. In their minds Lex Luthor was a humanitarian, a benefactor to various organizations that were in place solely to help people. There again they knew that appearances and impressions were not always true. And once Batman showed them the evidence, it was clear that Lex had been fooling people for a long time.

"But why would Luthor get involved?" Zack asked. He saw the looks on the JLA's faces and quickly explained his question. "I mean crime I can understand, but why let somebody take over the world. What does he gain?"

"He probably has some double cross in mind," Batman countered. "At the least he has buildings with hefty insurance figures in each of the targeted cities. So long as the plans get to the destruction stage, he stands to make a fortune."

Hawkgirl then told everyone, "We have less than 29 hours to stop this plan from becoming a reality."

"If we're going to be truly effective in stopping their plans, we'd best split into smaller teams," Wonder Woman told them. "The Pink Ranger and J'Onn are with me in Boston."

"Red Ranger, you're with myself and Hawkgirl in Gotham," Batman told him.

"Yellow Ranger, you come with me and that geek over there," Hawk said, pointing at his brother Dove.

"Flash, Black Ranger, and myself will take Angel Grove," John Stewart, the current Green Lantern told them plainly.

"That leaves Metropolis for the Blue Ranger and myself," Steel mused. "Let's get going kid."

Boston had a history of important events. The Boston Tea Party was remembered as one of the key events in America's road to independence. More recently though it had been a city that Wonder Woman had called home for the first six years of her life in man's world.

Now after moving away, she had returned along with her companions to save the city from the perilous duo of Poison Ivy and Bloodsport.

"Ooooooh, where do we start, what do we do first?" Poison Ivy snickered.

"How about 'Surrender peacefully,' how's that for an option?"

The criminals turned, surprised that they had been interrupted. Surprise turned to annoyance when they noticed that it was Wonder Woman accompanied by the Martian Manhunter and another hero. ~This must be one of those Power Rangers.~

"Hello, Ivy. Anything to say before we put an end to this?" Wonder Woman asked. "You know you can give it up and go back to jail, or we can knock you two into next week?"

Poison Ivy growled, "You really know how to kill a party, don't you Wonder Woman?"

Bloodsport shouted, "Let's just blast them to hell! All three of them!"

He started blasting away with the mega-cannon he had transported from somewhere. Wonder was ready for such a move. She promptly deflected each shot right back at him with her bracelets while Pink Ranger using her Power Bow, aimed at the creep's weapon and launched an arrow. Bloodsport promptly dropped the death-dealing item. Another shot destroyed his transportation belt, taking away any weapon access he had. She paused before firing a third time, allowing him to notice where her arrow was pointing. He wisely chose to surrender.

Meanwhile J'Onn was having problems with Poison Ivy.

"Hey there tall, green and handsome," the seductive killer said as she blew some of her pheromone dust into the alien's face. "How about you and me finish off these pesky heroes and head back to my garden for a little - weeding?"

J'Onn was an alien, but he was also male. And while the dust did not have its usual effect on him, he was torn between obeying her wishes and doing nothing. With a huge effort he turned himself intangible, allowing the pheromones to leave his system.

Kimberly meanwhile had left Wonder Woman to deal with a now very compliant Bloodsport while she went to help J'Onn. As the Martian struggled to shake the temptress's influence, Kimberly moved in to subdue her. She skilfully avoided any and all of Poison Ivy's attacks, be they chemical, or whatever, simply by ducking and avoiding the botanical vixen until the time was right. Then she grabbed her by the wrist and slammed into the base of the Paul Revere statue, revealing the hefty mass of plastique.

"Wonder Woman, J'Onn, the bomb's here!" Pink Ranger shouted.

In seconds, the amazing Amazon was there, wrapping the statue with her magic lasso. Then, with the use of her super strength, she hurled it up into the stratosphere. There it exploded safely where it could harm no one. A later search would reveal the real statute, hidden in a storage chamber, with so many items covering it, no one would be the wiser.

"All right, we did it!" Kimberly cheered.

Wonder Woman was more cautious. "Let's hope our friends are just as successful in their efforts."

Gotham was, and always had been, a city that had seen better days. Caught in the grip of constant crime, violence, terror and despair, it was no wonder that hope was a truly rare commodity in the city. It is this reason that only Gotham City could have given birth to the Batman. Now he, Hawkgirl, and the Red Ranger, had to find the Scarecrow, the Riddler, and sixty canisters of deadly fear gas.

"I never thought I'd actually be in here," Jason marvelled. Compared to the Command Center it was nothing special, but to actually stand in the fabled Batcave... the novelty didn't last long.

"Knowing the Scarecrow's insane desire to put everyone in a state of total fear, it's most likely they would want to disperse the gas at an extremely large gathering, but where? That's what we have to find out, and soon," Batman spoke.

"Plenty of targets," Hawkgirl observed, flicking through a list. Let's see... Rock concert... Electronics and computer exhibit... boat show... football game..., it could be anywhere?"

"Wait a minute, isn't there supposed to be a major Martial Arts exhibition here in Gotham today?" Jason asked. Batman nodded but Hawkgirl looked puzzled. "If Rita's behind this then that's where they'll target."

Batman nodded, "Every martial arts school in the country will be sending representatives, plus some of the more obscure masters are invited."

"That has to be it!" Jason announced with certainty.

Hawkgirl accessed the internet, bringing up the advert for the exhibition. "We need to get to - got it, Mazzuchelli Auditorium!"

Chicago had many names although the Windy City was perhaps the one most used. Although not as bad as Gotham, Chicago was still loaded with crime, bigotry, and strife. The city gained two guardian angels by the names of Hawk and Dove, two argumentative brothers who somehow managed to work together long enough to protect the citizens that looked up to them. Today, they had extra help in the form of the Yellow Ranger against the threat of Major Force and Two-Face.

"Sounds like they're arguing," Hawk said. "Two of them want to blow the city up, the other is demanding forty-five thousand dollars in unmarked bills not to blow it up."

"Yeah, but there's only two of them in there," Dove pointed out.

"They're dreaming. No way are we going to pay that," Hawk said. "Let's just go in there and kick some butt."

"You know we don't always have to go in there guns blazing," Dove argued. "Maybe if we offer them the chance they'll surrender."

Hawk looked at the Yellow Ranger. "Can you stand this guy, all he talks about is peace?"

"Yeah well that's better than..."

"That's enough," Trini said. She'd realised soon after meeting them that dealing with Hawk and Dove was like dealing with argumentative toddlers. "We need to stop them."

"Right!" Hawk agreed, obviously taking her interruption as support for his argument. "I'll go high, you go low and tackle those Putties." He looked at his brother. "You, see if you can keep out of trouble long enough to find that bomb."

As Hawk shot into the sky, Dove gave Trini an apologetic look before heading after the Putties, leaving her with Two-face.

The dual demon taunted, "Looky, looky. A little lady come to play. Let's put the dear woman out of her misery, shall we?" He flipped a coin and while he was awaiting the outcome, Yellow Ranger attacked.

Dove meanwhile was trying to negotiate a peaceful settlement with the Putties, all the time skilfully avoiding their blows with his nonaggressive fighting style.

Yellow Ranger caught Two-face with a flying kick to the jaw, causing him to whirl around. She tied him to a chair securely, then went to check the hostages, to make sure they were okay.

Hawk meanwhile, soared down onto Major Force on the roof of City Hall. He swooped down low and took out the Putties who were unprepared for such a direct assault, leaving only six left to aid Major Force. The villain whirled to discover Hawk swooping down upon him, but he really couldn't do anything; It was too late for him.

"Yeah, we did it!" he yelled. Then he sobered. "Speak to me little brother, how did you do?"

"All accounted for," came the reply as Dove flew Trini up to join him.

Fifteen minutes after discovering the location of the attack, they had arrived at the auditorium.

"Spread out, and most importantly, find those canisters!" Batman instructed.

Jason teleported into the rafters above the seating area, and discovered the Riddler attaching twenty canisters to the ventilation systems.

"Put you hands up, NOW!" Red Ranger yelled.

"So, Red Ranger, is it? I've got one for you. Why are you like a baby carp?" Jason was confused. "Because you're small fry!" He swung his cane at the Ranger, who fortunately ducked out of the way and used his Power Sword to cut the pipes connecting the canisters to the ventilation system.

"Hey, Riddler, I've got one for you," Red Ranger said as he moved to block the criminal's escape. "What's the difference between a lawyer and you?"

Riddler asked, "What?"

Jason slugged him in the jaw, straining to prevent too much power from entering the blow. Regardless, he succeeded in knocking the criminal out.

"A lawyer goes before the bars of Justice... and you're going behind them."

Meanwhile, Hawkgirl encountered several Putties at the ticket booth, along with twenty more canisters of fear gas. After kicking her way into the booth, she decided to see what effect her mace had on the foot-soldiers. She waded into the putties, mace swinging, taking them out with ease, then simply disconnected the canisters.

Batman found the remaining twenty canisters under the stage. After disconnecting the valves, he confronted the Scarecrow, who chose to taunt the Dark Knight instead of escaping.

"A little present from me to you, Batman!" he sneered, tossing a plastic skull at him.

As always, Batman was prepared, snatching the skull out of the air and throwing it back at the Master of Fear. Emitting fumes, the skull had soon enveloped Scarecrow, who began to hallucinate images of bats, and tyrannosauruses, ripping him apart. The images ended when Batman knocked him out.

"That's my present, Scarecrow!"

Hawkgirl and Jason joined him with news that they had stopped their foes, and that Wonder Woman, J'Onn, and Kimberly had been successful with their mission. Batman said, "That's good to know. I wonder how the others are doing."

If Gotham was a city of crime, struggle and general unhappiness, then Angel Grove was it's exact opposite. Crime was low, the economy was strong and the only kind of trouble it usually received came in the form of Rita Repulsa. Of course to the citizens, that was more than enough.

Today wasn't much different except that Rita had attacked while the other Rangers were away. Luckily with Flash and Green Lantern as his allies, Zack was more than confident that he could handle Doctor Light, even if he was aided by a few Putties.

"Man, we need to deal with Doctor Light," Zack said.

"Leave that to me," Flash said, winking before taking off toward the criminal.

As Light continued to darken the city, potentially disabling the Rangers' Megazord, Flash burst through the door, scattering Putties in his wake.

Doctor Light was furious. "So, the little super hero wants to try to stop me, does he? Well..." But before he could do anything, Flash sped out of his vision field, changed direction and snatched his gadget-laden belt, returning Angel Grove's light and power in the processes.

"Hi!" Flash snorted and gave him a quick right hook. Quickly recovering, and having no stomach for physical confrontation, the cowardly crook began to run, crying for mercy. Flash simply ran in front of him and yelled, "BOO!"

Some distance away, the Putties were being taken out one by one.

"No... don't worry about the Rangers... the other one" Light bellowed as Green Lantern swiped the foot-soldiers aside with a large mallet he had created with his ring.

"Rita, I need help!" Light cried.

He was answered by the appearance of Rita's wand and the power to grow.

"Oh man, we don't have the other Rangers to make the Megazord," Zack groaned.

"Megazord eh," John answered. "Hey Flash, I have a job for you."

Using his ring, John summoned a green replica of the Megazord with a ramp extending from its back to the ground and directed it to fight the henchman. While this was happening Zack summoned his Cosmic Cannon and after Flash took his hand, the pair sped up the ramp towards the giant crook's head. Bursting through the chest of the green Megazord, Zack fired the Cosmic Cannon at his chest. The villain fell and having decided enough was enough, surrendered.

Metropolis was thriving in any and all aspects. Although it too had its fair share of crime, unrest, poverty, and other social ills, these were significantly lower than those of Gotham City, due to the efforts of her number citizens and a little help from heroes like Steel. Today, Superman, as some in the media had tried to call him, and the Blue Ranger were there to stop Mr Freeze from putting the downtown business district on ice, and put a permanent end to the architect of the entire scheme, Lex Luthor.

"So far, I've stopped at least ten executives from jumping to their deaths, but how in the..." He noticed Doctor Mesmerio talking to one executive. "Of course, mind control."

Steel frowned; Luthor's plan was diabolical. Doctor Mesmerio would command the executives to give Luthor power of attorney, giving him control of their companies, then they would leap to their deaths. And the entire scheme would be concealed by the flash freezing of the area.

"We're putting a stop to this, right now!" Steel shouted. He used the strength granted by his armour to bind the diminutive hypnotist before he returned to the task at hand.

Steel went to deal with Mister Freeze while Billy was left with Copperhead and the Shade, both of whom Luthor had hired as bodyguards.

"I don't understand Freeze," Steel said as he used his heat emitting Thermo Goggles against the wicked snowman's icy touch. "Why are you involved in all this?"

"Luthor promised me the biggest diamond in the world to help him," Freeze answered. "My research requires a lot of ice to keep it going."

It was a sad state of affairs. Like Two-face, Mister Freeze was as much a victim as he was a criminal. In this case the crimes he committed were out of love and not from an illness of the mind. But it didn't really matter since his crimes were about to cost hundreds of lives.

With a ferocity rarely seen, Steel tore the ice man's suit apart, leaving him exposed to the atmosphere. As a show of mercy, Steel used a few of his Rapid Freeze sprays, which he had been developing to assist plumbers, to keep the criminal stable until he could be shifted back to Gotham Prison. He turned around to find that Billy had dealt with his adversaries; it was time to get Luthor.

Lex Luthor knew that his plan had failed. He was a realist and had always assumed that there was a likelihood the criminals he had gathered would fail. But there were other schemes and the Just-sick League could not be everywhere; next time, no one would stop his schemes.

"Wait, you two can't go in there..." he heard his secretary shout.

Seconds later the heavy, oaken doors were broken down and Steel and Billy strode into his office. Lex made sure he had a weapon close by, just in case, but outwardly gave no indication that their arrival had concerned him.

"Most people knock," he remarked.

"We've finally got you, Luthor! You're going to be in jail for a long time," Steel announced.

"For what exactly?" Lex asked.

"Conspiracy to destroy several cities across the United States, for starters."

"I'm sorry, there must be some confusion," Lex answered. "I'm sure if there was such a conspiracy that I have no part in it."

"We have funding records Luthor, transfers from your accounts to dummy corporations..."

"Lex Corp is always on the lookout for new investments, if those businesses are illegal... I'll need to speak to my lawyers forthwith. In future they'll have to double-check all investments; you can't trust anybody these days."

"That's not all, we have your co-conspirators..."

"You expect the police to take the word of a few thugs over that of a legitimate businessman?" Luthor asked. "Who are these felons?" He smiled as Steel listed off the captured criminals. "All known super criminals known for among other things lying to the courts. Their word will never be enough to convict me."

"By the time we're done we'll have much more than that," Billy said. "Computer records for example."

"Hold it there young man," Luthor warned as the Blue Ranger moved toward the terminal. "Despite his belief to the contrary, Steel here is not a police officer and nor are you. I am not under arrest and you have no right to access any of my personal files. Now, if there is nothing else, I suggest you gentlemen leave."

Steel turned and stalked out of the office, followed by the Blue Ranger. Lex smiled to himself as he watched them go. His accomplices had been well paid and would not talk willingly, and now they were in police custody the Justice League would not be allowed access to them. As he watched the two heroes walk away, he couldn't resist a parting shot.

"Oh and Steel, where do I send the bill for that door?"

Rita Repulsa was not a happy witch. Lokar was gone and that meant a great deal of her power had been taken away. Worse still she had exhausted the power she had stolen from the former Green Ranger. So when the human Luthor had approached her, she had welcomed the opportunity to have someone else take care of the Rangers in return for a few Putties. His scheme had been doomed to failure from the start, but that didn't mean she couldn't get some measure of revenge.

She looked at the JLA's satellite and laughed; they couldn't reach her on the Moon, but soon they would remember the name Rita Repulsa.

One week later, the Power Rangers were teleported to the JLA satellite.

"We never gave you a tour last time you were here," J'Onn said. "We figured now would be a good time to show you around; you'll need to be able to navigate around here, especially if you accept our invitation."

Zack as the first to react, "Invitation? For what... Oh my god, you're joking, right?"

"I never Joke," Batman replied.

"Yeah Batman has no sense of humour," Flash remarked, earning him a death glare.

"What Batman and Flash meant to say is we would like you to join the JLA," Green Lantern said.

Hawk asked, "Well, how about it?"

"Jammin! This is a major groove!" Zack said.

"This is so totally awesome!" Kimberly cheered.

"Count me in!" Trini said quietly.

"All right, I'm in!" Jason agreed.

"This is most prodigious!" Billy chimed.

"Zordon told us of the three rules that you must follow as Power Rangers. We'll uphold these as well, and provide all of you access to any and all JLA files as well. Your primary responsibility will remain Rita. The League isn't really suited for her attacks. Kimberly, Zack, Trini, Jason and Billy, welcome to the JLA!" Steel smiled.

As the other Rangers got accustomed to the headquarters, Jason was deep in thought about this new situation they were in. Were they ready for this, could they handle such a responsibility? ~We will be,~ he thought. ~It might take a while, but we'll be an asset to the Justice League.~

**End**

Disclaimer: If I said that the Rangers were mine, Saban would have me killed. The same goes for Wonder Woman, JLA, and DC Comics, as well as Xena, Gabrielle, and MCA/Universal. TIME TRAVEL WARNING! There is definitely time travel involved in this tale, and before you ask, no, the Rangers and Wonder Woman do NOT go back in time. Possibility of culture shock for Xena and Gabrielle.

**Warrior Rangers  
**

Angel Grove Museum of Ancient History was known for its exhibitions and had once again attracted a huge crowd with its latest display piece: the Xena scrolls. Of course the tales of the heroic warrior princess, who had supposedly turned from a ruthless follower of Ares to noble protector of the innocent, had captured the interest of Kimberly Hart, Zack Taylor and Trini Kwan, all heroes in their own rights. Today they were accompanied by Wonder Woman in her guise as Diana Prince; the Amazing Amazon had expressed a keen interest in learning more about the scrolls, especially given her heritage.

"I can't believe how packed this place is. You almost have to make a reservation just to get in the door!" Trini commented after noticing how long the line was.

"Yeah, I'm really bummin' about it! My cousin went to see the exhibition in LA and said it was awesome. I really wanted to check 'em out for myself!" Zack frowned.

Diana was optimistic about the situation. "You know, we've still got two more days before they leave Angel Grove. Maybe tomorrow there won't be so many crowds."

Any reply was cut short by the unexpected arrival of some of Rita's clay-brained soldiers.

Kimberly snarled, "Putties! I knew this day was gonna go from bad to worse! Well, let's take these potheads out!"

After months of fighting Rita's forces the three Rangers were more than capable of putting her foot soldiers out of commission, and Wonder Woman while not as experienced, could throw them around like a professional athlete.

As the four continued to fight, Trini noticed that one of them took out a strange jewel and threw it away from the fight. "Careful, gang! Looks like we may be getting more grief!" The jewel started to glow, then exploded into a weird doorway of light.

Zack had a pretty appropriate response. "What the hell was that?"

Greece  
Circa 2000 Years Ago

Two women were grousing about their most recent adventure.

"I don't care if the result is total warfare! I will never, I mean NEVER, EVER AGAIN go undercover in a beauty contest! NEVER!" Xena snarled.

"Well, you gotta admit, it was a lot different than our usual tales of danger and catastrophe," Gabrielle told her.

"True. I usually don't dress like a tramp or act like a total IDIOT! I HATE pageants! Four days watched pigheaded warlords and a bunch of underdressed overdeveloped BIMBOS in a BEAUTY CONTEST? NEVER! NEVER AGAIN!"

"Uh, Xena? What is that glow in front of us?" Gabrielle whispered.

"I'm not sure. It looks like a passageway of some sort."

"It's - it's moving towards us," Gabrielle pointed out.

"Run!"

The two women took off in the direction they had just come. In a world where the Gods of Mount Olympus were known to send monsters after people, they were not foolish enough to stick around a strange doorway, at least until they knew what it was and who had sent it. Unfortunately they were too slow as the doorway caught up to them.

Kimberly had her hands full with three putties when...

SYEEEEEYAH!

When she looked up, a woman in a brown leather outfit with an odd-looking breastplate was making short work of the clay warriors.

"What sort of creatures are these things?" the woman's companion asked as she batted the Putties away with her staff. Although it was obvious that she was the weaker of the two, she was capable of defending herself.

"They're called Putties," Zack told her. "Just keep hitting them until they run away."

"I think the more important question, where are we?" the brown haired woman asked, surprising a Putty when she pulled a dagger from some concealed part of her armour.

"You're in Angel Grove. Where did you think you were?" Kimberly asked, unable to really pay attention to the fact the two women had just appeared from nowhere.

"Celaphonia... wait? What is 'California?'" the blonde woman replied.

Kimberly was amazed that her companion didn't seem to know about her surroundings. In fact, she seemed to be downright out of place. On a hunch, she asked, "What year do you think this is?" The answer she got...

"Fourteen."

"Actually, you're way off, and at a guess you just travelled through time, probably through that portal thing over there," Trini surmised as best as she could.

"Persistent creeps, aren't they?" Gabrielle asked.

"Oh, you haven't seen anything yet. For brainless creatures, they can really test your patience," Kimberly told her.

Meanwhile, Zack and Diana were slamming putties together. "Man, we're gonna have to recycle way too much clay after this!" Zack grumbled.

"Getting back to the issue at hand, I believe our two new allies came from that portal, or gateway, or whatever that is, probably intended to send us somewhere. Three guesses as to who sent it," Diana quipped.

"Easy. Rita. Odds are, it would have been a one-way trip, knowing those two. Now what?" Zack asked.

Gabrielle spoke up then. "Xena, it looks like we went through some kind of time portal and wound up in the future! Now, how are we supposed to get back home to our own time?"

A stunned Trini gasped, "Xena?"

"I was when I woke up this morning. You?"

"Trini Kwan. It's an honour to... HEADS UP! MORE PUTTIES!"

Zack bellowed, "THAT'S IT! I'VE HAD IT! Let's finish these things! Kim, Trini, shall we go to work?"

"Let's do it!"

"Let's kick some putty!"

"It's Morphin Time!"

"Mastodon!"

"Pterodactyl!"

"Saber-toothed Tiger!"

"On that note, time I got into my working clothes," Diana shouted, ripping off her clothes to expose her regular costume underneath. "Time to finish this. Black Ranger?"

"In the groove, ready to move!"

"Pink Ranger?"

"Let's smash these clay pots!"

"Yellow Ranger?"

"Powered up and ready!"

The six warriors quickly went to work, Xena quickly kicking and punching as skilfully as any of the Rangers. Trini noticed that she could probably give both Jason and Tommy a run for their money, maybe even give Batman a real workout. Xena noticed that all of her new friends were very adapt at fighting, especially Trini. In almost record time, the putties were completely trashed.

"Now that those are out of the way, let's see about getting you home to your own time frame," Trini said. "I assume that the portal is still over..."

"Uh, guys?" Kimberly interrupted. "The portal is gone."

"I guess they did intend for us to have a one way trip," Wonder Woman finished.

"Our one way home is GONE? I do NOT believe this! There must be a certain group of gods who have it in for us!" Gabrielle shouted.

By this time, the Rangers had demorphed. Trini suggested, "Maybe Zordon could create a time portal that could get you back to your own time. We'll need this though," as she picked up the diamond-like substance.

"Well, it's worth a try, anyway," Wonder Woman added.

"Useless creatures," Felix Faust growled as he looked at the few remaining Putties. The only thing working in his favour at the moment was that the Rangers and Wonder Woman believed Rita responsible for their problems.

He had sent the Putties simple instructions to use to the jewel to tap into the past and bring him a warrior capable of defeating the Power Rangers and JLA. They had been under strict instructions to find the legendary Xena, the warrior queen who had terrorised Greece.

What Faust had failed to specify was for them to retrieve the Warrior Princess before she turned away from evil. As a result the world was now stuck with two extra heroes.

He briefly considered contacting the gods and maybe using their animosity toward Xena, it had taken them two thousand years to recover from the damage she caused, to destroy all the heroes. The Greek Gods were nowhere near as powerful as they had been before Xena had almost destroyed them - an event that had yet to occur in her timeline - but they would still prove difficult foes.

At the Command Center, Alpha 5 was examining the jewel while Zordon told them, "Rita is not responsible for Xena and Gabrielle's appearance. While she has no doubt agreed to aid the villain, the magic used to charge the Chronogem does not match her known signature."

"Rita seems to be doing that a lot recently," Trini observed.

"Zordon, can you help Xena?" Kimberly asked.

" I can recharge its energy to full, but it will take quite a while, however, given the temporal distance than the two of you have crossed to get here."

"What do Gabrielle and I do in the meantime?" Xena asked.

"Well, since you both won't remember anything about this little time trip except us, it really won't do any harm for them to explore our world," Zordon spoke up.

By now, Gabrielle was totally confused. "How different could your world be from ours?"

Trini told her, "You'd be surprised. A lot can and has changed."

Within thirty minutes, Xena and Gabrielle discovered just how much different the world was from what they knew. Neither were used to the ideas of electricity, indoor plumbing, cable and satellite TV, clothing stores, music stores, telephones, restaurants, and just about everything else. Kimberly tried to explain the notion of shopping malls.

"You mean people actually build places for trading and selling? What a world this is!" Xena marvelled.

Kimberly was dumbfounded. "Maybe this isn't the time to explain credit cards just yet."

"Credit cards?" Gabrielle asked.

"Never mind. Maybe later." It was at this point that Kimberly noticed something about Xena's armour, mostly the design and texture, reminding her of a family heirloom. "My family has this item I think dates back to your era. Maybe you can tell me all about it."

"My mom said it was almost two thousand years old," Kimberly told Xena. They were now at Kim's house, examining a ring that was ancient in design. "She said it found its way into the family from descendants of a girl who was saved by... NO WAY! She was about to become a sacrifice of some weird deity."

"...Of Fertility. A couple of days ago, Gabrielle and I rescued a young woman from some tribal priest, who also seemed to get a form of sick joy out of the whole thing," Xena replied.

"By the way, what is a 'Power Ranger?'" Gabrielle asked.

"Power Rangers protect the Earth from Rita Repulsa and lately, some earthbound scum. As for how we became Power Rangers, well..." Kimberly started, when Diana, Zack, and Trini came in, along with Tommy Oliver, who had just heard been catching up with his friends' adventures since he had left the team. This was the first time he had spoken to them since they had joined the JLA and he had jumped at the opportunity to meet Wonder Woman and Xena.

After being brought up to date by Kimberly, Tommy asked, "How long do you think you'll be here in this time frame?"

Xena truthfully answered, "I wish I knew. To tell you the truth, it depends on your friend Zordon. As for your world, it moves a little too fast for me."

"Too fast for you? Shall we talk truly ironic here? We don't exactly live the quiet life ourselves, either," Gabrielle smirked.

"Kimberly was telling us all about the Power Rangers. How did you become these super teens?" Xena asked.

"It all started when an evil witch named Rita Repulsa, escaped from her prison and started her plans to destroy the planet," Kimberly told her.

"That was when Zordon first chose Trini, Kim, me, Jason, and Billy to become Rangers. Rita's kept us hopping ever since," Zack finished.

"A while after that, Rita captured me, and made me her evil Green Ranger. The Rangers were able to break the spell, and I've been their friend ever since. I was the Green Ranger for a while, but Rita found a way to take them away from me," Tommy added.

"And few weeks ago, the Rangers helped the JLA crush a major scheme by Lex Luthor, and a seemingly reformed Legion of Doom. After that, they became the newest and youngest members of the Justice League of America," Diana added."

Right then, the communicators went off. Zordon's voice rang out, "Rangers, Goldar and a team of Tengas and Putties are giving Jason and Hawkgirl trouble in the park. They need your help. Hurry there at once, and may the Power protect you all!"

Zack shouted, "You got it, Zordon. IT'S MORPHIN' TIME!"

"MASTODON!"

"PTERODACTYL!"

"SABER-TOOTH TIGER!"

Diana also transformed into Wonder Woman once more. "Tommy, it was nice to meet you. Now, if you guys don't mind me saying it this time, BACK TO ACTION!"

In seconds, the warriors were at their fellow Leaguer's side. Rita had decided to take advantage of the confusion Faust has caused, sending Putties, and Goldar, her right-hand monster.

Soon, Hawkgirl and Goldar were going at it tooth and nail, while Kimberly, Zack, and Trini kept slamming Putties into the ground, trees, playground rides, passing busses, and at one point, even into a portable barbecue grill.

Scorpina had just arrived and tried to attack Jason from behind, when she was caught completely off-guard by Wonder Woman. The Avenging Amazon walked right up to her, tapped her on the shoulder, and said, "Hi, there," very smugly before knocking her into dreamland.

Hawkgirl, however, wasn't fairing well against Goldar. He was a better warrior than she was used to fighting. In fact, Goldar had her cornered and at a disadvantage, his sword holding her mace out of the way, allowing him to punch her in the gut. Goldar was about to use his sword to deliver the final, killing blow, grinning, when a deadly, razor-sharp disc-weapon flew through the air, aimed at Goldar. It smashed into his sword, knocking it from his hand before deflecting back to its owner. Xena threw it a second time and hit him in the forehead, leaving a nasty gash. Before he could recover, he saw both Xena flying at him, fists armed and ready.

"The chronogem is fully charged and working again. Xena, Gabrielle, we thank you for your help. I do regret that you won't remember anything else about this time frame, outside of us," Zordon spoke.

Gabrielle smiled, "I wouldn't have missed it for anything."

Xena agreed. "I will always be proud to have known you. It was nice meeting all of you. Take care."

"We will, and you take care, too," Zack grinned.

"You both be careful, too," Kimberly cheered.

Wonder Woman, Jason, and Hawkgirl smiled and waved goodbye.

The time portal opened. "Good luck, and may the Power protect you both!" Zordon spoke.

"Give Rita no mercy! Good luck, my young friends!" Xena shouted as she and Gabrielle jumped back through the portal. In seconds, the portal disappeared.

"Man, awesome! Simply awesome!" Zack smiled. He then looked at Jason's hurt expression. "What's up, bro?"

The Red Ranger frowned and said, "You guys actually met Xena and didn't think to call me and let me know!"

"We didn't call you because you would be drooling all over the place!" Kimberly smirked.

"You'd have your tongue hanging out!" Zack added. "And basically making a damn fool of yourself!"

"Me?"

"Yeah, YOU!"

Trini and Diana just sat back and enjoyed the show.

In the past, Xena and Gabrielle had returned to the very point where the last adventure had begun.

"I don't remember much about our little trip, but I get the feeling that the future is definitely in good hands. Gabrielle, are you going to write about this?"

"You bet. I was thinking about calling it... 'Xena's Mighty Morphin Power Warriors.' How about that?"

"Gabrielle."

"How about 'Wonder Rangers?'"

"Gabrielle!"

"'Super Friends?'"

"GABRIELLE!"

"OK, OK!"

**The End**

Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers, they belong to Disney. I do not own the JLA, they belong to DC. Namor belongs to Marvel Comics, if you like him you are better off not reading this. This fanfic was originally written by Carl Turner and was reworked by me as part of a team up project.  
Author's note: I don't hate Aquaman, Namor or any other comic character. I don't have a season of Power Rangers I truly despised, but admit there are a few times I have thought to myself: what would happen if they'd done this?  
The result is that this story is not an attempt to bash Aquaman. I do consider his version of the Justice League to be a mistake, however there was an underlying reason as Dove attempts to reveal. Nor is this an attempt to compare Aquaman to Namor or to lynch Namor for that matter; the latter's character is a cross between the character's portrayal in Marvel, his revision in the Marvel Mangaverse and my attempt to place Namor and Aquaman in the same universe. Should he ever resurface it will be clear that this Namor is not the same man.  
Note: This story takes place after Warrior Rangers

**When Heroes Fall  
**

Trini Kwan felt a sense of longing as Dove took both her and Jason Lee Scott on a tour of the JLA's Hall of Heroes. It was a museum built by the League to pay homage to those members that had either retired from active duty or chosen to work outside of the group. Longing, because she wished she could have been a part of those cases. The weeks that she and the other Rangers had spent in the League seemed insignificant given its long history and roster.

Jason was soon standing in front of a portrait of an earlier team; each incarnation had its own portrait, some had smaller pictures from periods when a member had joined, but the team had not changed enough to warrant a new picture.

"Wow they're all here," he whispered, awed at the number of heroes present. "How was it back then I wonder, back when the original Flash and Green Lantern were more ... human?"

"John and Wally are just as human as the rest of us," Dove told him, "having super powers doesn't make them less than human."

"I know," Jason said, "I meant they were more vulnerable, I suppose."

"Powers have a way of evolving," Trini said as she stopped to look at one particular picture. The plague underneath told her this incarnation had been led by Aquaman with J'Onn as his second. Other members had included Zatanna, the Elongated Man, Vixen, Gypsy, Vibe and Steel. The portrait was not in the same condition as the others and she had heard very few stories from this incarnation. "What happened to these guys?" she asked curiously.

Dove looked sad. "There are some wounds that don't heal, some decisions that will always have us questioning why we didn't do something to avoid it. That picture is a reminder of what happens when communications break down.

Aquaman was a difficult member to deal with, being a king in his own right made him stubborn and difficult to get along with. He was also dedicated, more so in his opinion than some of the other members of the League. There was an emergency and very few members turned up, they were all so caught up in their own problems they didn't see the bigger picture. So Aquaman decided to disband the League and assemble a new organisation."

"I've never heard of half these guys," Jason admitted.

"Very few people had," Dove told him. "That's why Aquaman chose them: they were young, eager and dedicated if inexperienced. They messed up more often than the previous members and some people thought they were a joke, mostly because they appeared to be just powers and attitude; some went so far as to blame Aquaman, but I think he was only doing what he thought needed to be done."

"So what happened?"

"His League wasn't up to the job and eventually disbanded. Aquaman decided to go back to his kingdom where he was needed and another League was formed, this time under Batman's guidance."

"Has he ever returned?" Trini asked.

"Once or twice," Dove answered. "That was when I got to meet him and heard his story. A criminal from his kingdom called Namor, blamed the entire surface world for disasters affecting the kingdom. While Aquaman tried to find peaceful solutions, Namor tried to raise an army against the surface world.

The thing is, while Aquaman and Batman might disagree on things, and I know he and Flash have had many heated arguments, Aquaman always cared about his people. Namor only cared about power and invading the surface. He thought Aquaman was weak for siding with humans and his actions soon reflected his murderous attitude when he started attacking the city and blaming it on the surface world. He even tried to have Aquaman imprisoned for treason."

"Did the rest of you get involved?"

"We had to," Dove explained. "When Namor went after waterfront cities and destroying lives it was our job to intervene. And when he initiated an assault on an underwater farming project, something Aquaman had helped to set up in the first place, his army rebelled against him and freed their king. Sadly we couldn't get to him before he destroyed ten years of work which would have helped ease world hunger. He also crippled and nearly killed some of the personnel assigned to the project."

"Man that's bad," Trini said finally.

"It was," Dove agreed. "Trouble is we never caught Namor, and Aquaman was too busy rebuilding his kingdom to track him down. Every now and then Namor appears again with a new attack and each time he seems to get worse. In fact, just one month before you and the other Rangers joined, he used his powers to demolish the waterfront district of Gateway City, and would have tried to trash the entire city, if Wonder Woman wasn't there. I'm happy to say that she stopped his rampage although I think she was fighting a losing battle once he took the fight underwater again. And as hard as she fought, he was still able to escape."

"Is there any chance he is under a spell or something?"

"I don't think so Trini, I really wish he was. Aquaman once told me that Namor had been found in the city when he was a child and had been allowed to stay there. His villainous side didn't show itself until his late teens and by then he had already set himself on the path he now follows. I don't think Namor's ever shown any sign that he wants to reform."

At that moment their signal devices went off. The Flash, who was the communication officer of the day, was clearly disgusted as he spoke. "We have a Code Nineteen people. Namor's been sighted and... it's not pretty. He's done it folks, take down is authorised; he's gone beyond the point of no return."

"Understood," Batman could be heard answering, his voice emotionless as it was, helped to calm the situation. "Assemble at the Watchtower."

It was a rare occurrence for the entire JLA to gather. Since the Rangers had been members there had been few occasions when the entire roster was present and a meeting that included former members was almost unheard of; mostly because such meetings led to personality clashes that nobody wanted to deal with. This was an emergency though, a threat so great that it warranted calling in as many heroes as they could find. For the Rangers it was a chance to meet the likes of Black Canary and Sentinel, heroes who under normal circumstances kept their distance. And then there was the last and most controversial arrival: Aquaman.

Batman was even grimmer than usual as he addressed the assembled council. "We don't do this often and we all know why. The government is already twitchy about this large an assembly taking place without a representative on hand. Oracle?"

Barbara Gordon, formerly Batgirl and now known as Oracle following an incident that had left her paralysed, wheeled forward.

"Namor has been sighted heading along the California coastline. Based on his more volatile behaviour recently and his attack on the Gateway project, we believe that he intends to destroy Angel Grove and all of its population. There have been no ransom demands, all attempts at negotiation have failed. Intelligence reports he had a meeting with Rita Repulsa two days ago and that she offered him something that led to this action."

"Once he does away with Angel Grove, he'll probably go after the rest of the continent," John Stewart, Earth's official Green Lantern surmised.

"Probably," Barbara agreed. "Rita was seen to give an object, possibly a book of spells that he can use."

"Can he use magic?" Hawkgirl asked.

"If the book is charged with magic and he just needs to say the words then yes he can use them," Barbara answered.

"Oh, man, it sounds like Namor was enough of a problem without help," Zack said.

"We should contact Zordon, he knows more about Rita's magic and could probably tell us what spells he could use," Billy said.

"Agreed," Batman said. "In the meantime we have to be ready to put him down if necessary. Remember only Arthur can match him in the water, so we need to keep him out of the water. John, Wally, let's get things organised."

The hours passed as the various heroes organised themselves into teams. Some had broken out their full arsenal while Batman went over a more in depth plan with Aquaman, Wonder Woman and Steel, the only heroes truly capable of standing up to Namor should he escape into the sea.

"Guys, we have a problem," Kimberly announced as she teleported in. "I just asked Zordon about the book, he checked his satellite network and managed to find the footage. Um, this is like totally freaky guys, the book Namor was given was created for warlock in the H-20 Galaxy just before it was destroyed. It contains the means to give Namor an army of sea monsters and enhance his physical powers."

The alarm sounded, Hawk listened to a report as it came in, his face darkening in anger. "That's done it, I'm gonna cream the little punk!" he snarled.

"Are you gonna share with the rest of us or just stand there threatening revenge?" Dove asked. He had seen his brother angry often enough that the sight no longer phased him like it had when they were children.

"Namor just attack the Angel Grove docks," Hawk announced. "Thirty are missing, two injured and five were killed; reports say he killed one man with his bare hands."

"That's it then," Wonder Woman announced. "He's actually committed murder, not manslaughter or accidental killing, but cold blooded murder."

"The question is whether we go for Maximum Takedown or Maximum Capture," John Stewart announced, the no nonsense approach that had gotten him through life showing through again.

"Maximum Takedown," Guy Gardner, formerly a Green Lantern now named Warrior called, officially proposing the harshest sanction available, an option that was one step short of kill on sight.

"Seconded," Hawkgirl agreed, "this guy has been allowed to run free for too long. If we can't contain him, we must stop him."

"Is there any objection?"

"We don't have a choice in the matter," Dove said, "he's killed for the sake of killing and shows no sign of stopping. He's proven he won't come peacefully and we have the lives of the citizens of Angel Grove to consider. I don't want to do this, but if we can't talk him down..."

"What the squirt is trying to say," Hawk interrupted before his brother could force himself to continue, "is that if he won't surrender, we have to put him down."

Had anybody else said it the confirmations would have continued. Maximum Takedown was a no holds barred approach to an enemy that while allowing for mercy upon surrender, authorised members to kill if needed. It was an approach the League rarely used. When the order had been confirmed by Dove, the most pacifistic member of the JLA though, it was clear that Namor was dangerous enough to warrant such an approach.

"In favour?"

It was unanimous if reluctant.

"Approved, Maximum Takedown is authorised for this operation. You will stop if Namor surrenders. This is not a vendetta people." Steel looked at Batman as he said that. Like Dove, he was strongly opposed to killing.

"Are you guys okay with this?" Zack asked his fellow Rangers. "We took an oath when we defeated Rita and decided to pursue other criminals, never to take a life."

"No man, I'm not," Jason admitted. "When we go out there, I want you guys to do everything possible to take this guy down short of killing him. If somebody's life is in danger that's your call, but right now we treat this guy like he's Goldar."

"You guys really think you can take him in, there isn't a prison that can hold him?"

"I don't know," Jason admitted, "but if we have a chance to take him in then that's what we'll do. And if we have to find a way to imprison him afterwards, we'll find a way."

"Enough talk," Hawk said, "We need to get to Angel Grove now or there won't be anything left to save."

"Okay, let's do it," John Stewart yelled. "Move out!"

Angel Grove had been flooded. It wasn't covered by water, but the six-inch river that now covered the city's streets allowed all manner of sea monsters to make their way through the city, causing pandemonium. People ran in blind panic as law enforcement tried to keep the invading creatures at bay. And in some parts the waters had turned red with blood.

"Spread out and try to keep those things from advancing further," John ordered, sending the majority of the JLA's reserves into battle. "Rangers, get your Megazord into position and try to keep those bigger ones from moving beyond the docks."

"I'll see if I can do something about the water," Steel offered, already planning how to create a channel to drain off some of the water. He had just the invention for the job.

"I'll help," Wonder Woman offered.

"As soon as you're done, get back here," John told them, "we'll need all the help we can get if Namor shows up. Arthur... where is he?"

"Old fish breath went that way," Flash said, pointing to where the King of the Seas was battling a giant serpent.

John was about to reply when he noticed that Batman was attacking the same creature. Between them they had managed to restrain the massive beast before moving on to the next.

"Hawkgirl, get airborne and shout if you see Namor. The rest of us need to start shifting civilians away from here. J'Onn, can you teleport them?"

The Martian Manhunter, still on board the Watchtower, answered affirmatively.

"Shift them to the mountains outside the city," Hawkgirl cried from her position above them. "They should be safe there as long as Steel completes his trench."

"Twenty miles inland, any direction," John ordered instead. "It doesn't pay to gamble on what might stop the next wave."

At the Angel Grove Docks, while the various heroes fought his little pets, Namor was working on summoning new and more powerful creatures to devastate the city. The Rangers' Megazord had already taken out his giant eel, but his dark squid was proving a more formidable foe.

"I'll take that!" Flash called out as he raced by, grabbing the spell book as he did so.

Namor, much fast than the red suited hero when in water gave chase, not realising that he was being led to where Steel and Wonder Woman were waiting. The JLA's current membership and the villain that had caused them so much trouble clashed, the latter proving that he had already used some of Rita's spells to increase his resistance. He was a slippery fighter, difficult to hold long enough to hit and strong enough to throw all but the strongest members of the team around.

In the end it was Aquaman who managed to land the blow while Batman had distracted him. Striking the criminal in the back had not worried the King of the Seas, although he had made certain that the blow wouldn't prove fatal unless left untreated.

Namor was not about to stay down though, shaking off his opponents he raised his arms over his head and cried out for Rita to help him.

"Oh no," Trini gasped, realising what was about to happen. "If he grows, we might not be able to stop him."

"I have an idea," Zack said even as they heard the sound of Rita's wand descending. "We need some of those lamp posts we knock over earlier and some cable."

"You are not thinking what I think you're thinking," Kimberly protested as the wand connected, causing Namor to grow and mutate into a large green creature with pronounced amphibian features.

"We don't have time for this," Jason interrupted, "Zack, what do we do?"

"Join the cables to the posts and load the posts into the Thunder Cannons," Zack told him, referring to the two large cannons on the back of the Megazord.

Catching on to what the Rangers were doing, the other members of the JLA joined in; while most kept the now giant Namor busy, Batman and Aquaman attached the other end of the cable to one of the creatures they had defeated.

"Fire!" Jason ordered.

The two posts were launched at the monstrous villain, both managing to pierce his skin.

"Steel, Wonder Woman, you're on!" John told them as the pair twisted the posts where they emerged from the other side of Namor's body and wielded them together.

"Bring me on board," Aquaman ordered. The Rangers quickly complied as he directed them to seat the Megazord on the sea monster's back. "Hawkgirl, get it moving!"

The winged detective was quick to respond, striking the sea monster with her mace, forcing it to move out to sea in a bid to escape the pain. As it did so it dragged Namor behind it. The villain cried out as the Megazord used its strength to guide the sea monster through the ocean, dragging Namor out to sea.

"Now dive!" Aquaman ordered.

The Rangers obeyed and the Megazord forced the creature down into the depths of the ocean, the cockpit straining under the pressure as they dragged the villain lower and lower until they were below the point where Aquaman believed he could not ascend under his own power. The Megazord was on the point of collapsing by now, but they dove deeper, looking for a place where they could trap Namor.

"This will do," Aquaman said at last. after the monster had been driven into a cave.

"Power Sword!" the Rangers called.

A quick swing and the cave collapsed on the villain, trapping him under the sea. As the Rangers teleported away, knowing that while helpless their foe would at least survive in his new prison, they couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief at not having to kill him.

Had they won or had they lost? The jury was still out on that one. The combined might of the JLA and the Power Rangers had ended the threat of Namor for the time being, but there were many that thought the Rangers should have put an end to the villain while they had the chance. Even inside the League there was some discussion about whether or not they should have dealt the killing blow.

Batman had taken the Rangers aside after the team had returned to the JLA's headquarters. He and the rest of the League's senior members at least agreed with their decision and had only expressed a small amount of surprise to learn that Aquaman had gone along with the plan.

"What if he comes back?" they had heard Hawk complain half-heartedly. Even a volatile person like Hank could agree that while he wanted to slap Namor around a bit, he didn't want to take a life.

"Then we'll deal with him just as we did today," Dove told him.

The repairs to Angel Grove were underway, the government had offered tax exemption for businesses helping in the recovery efforts; the Wayne Foundation had made a generous payment to the city to issue emergency help. The teens had joined the clean up crews while several other heroes had made special guest appearances to help in the repairs; Flash racing from street to street with a mop was a common sight for the next day or so.

The funerals for those that had died were held the following week. For the Rangers it was a reminder that not everybody survived a monster attack. It also served to show the citizens of Earth that sometimes the greatest threats did not come from space or another dimension, but rather from their own planet.

And on the Moon a celebration was in progress. Rita hadn't won this round, but she hadn't lost either. Angel Grove had come close to destruction and the next time her plan would be perfect. She just needed more time. The problem was that for Rita, time was running out.

**The End**

Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers, they are owned by the respective copyright owners. Power Rangers the Movie is property of Fox. This is a retelling of Graduation Blues and has been altered for storytelling purposes within my series.

**Graduation Blues**

Mr Caplan had been the Principal at Angel Grove High School for almost nine years and considered himself a firm yet fair administrator. He encouraged student participation in issues arising outside of school life; pollution was a special concern of his and sometimes he missed Trini Kwan and her petitions. However he was also a strict disciplinarian who held no tolerance for the more antisocial members of the student body and their behaviour. Bulk and Skull were regulars in detention and despite their beliefs to the contrary, he knew exactly what they got up to when he left them alone. Today though was one of his more pleasurable tasks, when he had the opportunity to speak to a student who not only took his education seriously, but was an inspirational role model to Angel Grove's younger citizens.

There was a knock at the door and he quickly placed the file he had been reading back into the appropriate tray. He wanted this discussion to occur without distractions. It was such a rare occurrence when a young man truly reinforced his faith in the school system.

"Come in," he called, deliberately keeping his voice neutral until he knew who it was. Although having given the instructions to his secretary not to allow anybody else to see him, he had a very good idea who was outside the door. The handle moved and the door opened slowly, revealing the nervous teenager he had sent for. "Ah, Billy, punctual as well as hard working. Good, good, another trait I wish some of your fellow students would learn."

"Thank you, Sir," Billy replied. He tried not to sound nervous, but couldn't help feeling just a little concern about the reason Mr Caplan had asked to see him.

The principal took his time, studying the boy now standing in front of his desk. From the chemistry book in his hand he could imagine Billy had not been expecting his request and had been on his way to class. Although given what he knew about Billy, this could have been just a bit of extra study. ~And to think his teachers wonder why he aces their tests.~

"I imagine you're wondering why I asked you here Billy. No, don't look so worried; you haven't done anything wrong. Quite the opposite in fact, I'm afraid we've been unfair to you."

"I don't understand," Billy replied, clearly confused.

"As you know, the school's board recently asked that we review all our academic records following the installation of our new computer system. It was a good thing they did, the spreadsheet that monitors our grading system had a coding error and- well let's just say if we hadn't found it some of your fellow students would be leaving with a negative average. I'm afraid your grades were among those that have been misrepresented for the last two years. You've taken more classes than any other student and managed to maintain a 4.0 Grade Point Average in those classes, an amazing accomplishment and one that leaves us with a problem."

"I don't understand Mr Caplan," Billy confessed.

"In simple terms, Billy, you've amassed both the grades and hours needed to graduate. In fact you have exceeded that requirement and should have graduated at the end of last year." He saw the look of panic in Billy's eyes, the slight tremor as he dropped his chemistry book and knew instinctively that while he was academically finished at the school, he was not ready to move on just yet. "Had you been any other student Billy, I would have insisted that you graduate today and left immediately. However, I clearly remember the young man who started here just a few years ago and I see before me the man you've become. It's clear to me that the environment here has helped you to become a more sociable person and learn the skills you would not necessarily find in a book. And that is why I'm satisfied I have found a solution."

Billy looked up hopefully, interpreting the principal's words to mean that there was a way he could remain in the school until it was time to graduate. He didn't want to leave yet, to become further separated from his friends, the Zeo Rangers, than he had been since allowing Tanya to keep the Yellow Zeo powers.

"Personally, I would be in dereliction of my duty if I did not push you forward, Billy. You have a great mind and it would be a terrible waste to see you held back when there is nothing to stop you progressing further." He sighed, this was harder than he thought. "I'm going to suggest that you take this opportunity to better yourself. I can arrange for you to act as a teaching assistant in some classes to give you a position of responsibility. This will go on your permanent record and count as extra credit. The rest of the time I suggest you look into a part-time course at the college and take the opportunity to join some of the fine clubs you seem to have overlooked. Coach Stevens was sorry to see you leave the Football Team and I believe such activities will help you present a more rounded resume to future employers. You'll be on a flexible timetable, though of course you are free to graduate now if you would rather."

"Thank you, Sir," Billy answered, feeling numb that his comfortable routine of schoolwork and homework had been thrown out the window.

"Very well, you may go," Caplan smiled as he made a show of tucking the diploma in his desk drawer. He knew Billy would need time to think this out, but was certain the boy would see that continuing at Angel Grove High School after all this would have a detrimental effect on his future. He trusted Billy to come to the right conclusion on his own and to tell him when he had done so. "And Billy, congratulations, you've worked hard to accomplish this."

And with a firm handshake, Billy left the principal's office, secretly wishing perhaps that he had been given detention. He stooped and picked up his chemistry book on the way out. He held his silence long after he had escaped the outer office, waiting until he was at the front entrance before asking himself: "Now what?"

When Bulk and Skull had signed up for the Junior Police Patrol, they had done so for the girls. They both knew that was the truth, just as Lieutenant Stone realised that was probably the only reason they were even remotely interested in what would normally be too much like hard work for the bothersome pair. He had read their school reports, part of the vetting procedure for Junior Police applicants, and had instantly reached for the stamp to decline their application.

What had changed his mind that day he wasn't sure, perhaps it was an overwhelming desire to teach the two boys a lesson and make them realise the level of dedication they needed to join the force. He knew even now that Bulk and Skull were the most unlikely Junior Police he had ever met. So why had he helped them and pushed them to succeed? He didn't believe it had anything to do with the annoying sergeant with the bald head who had insisted on telling him that Bulk and Skull would make fine officers.

He had tried to think of as many ways to justify his decision as possible, but in the end it boiled down to the fact that they had impressed him. When he had heard them talking about quitting, he had felt that his instincts had been correct. Then he had heard Bulk tell his smaller sidekick that they would succeed and had decided to give them the benefit of the doubt. The pair had not let him down and had completed their training.

Since then he had not regretted his decision. Sure the boys were bunglers, accident prone and almost certain to get mixed up in any trouble, but they couldn't always be blamed for what happened. ~This is Angel Grove,~ he mused, ~and it's not as if they invite monsters into their homes and consider them pets.~

Unfortunately for Lieutenant Stone, while he liked Bulk and Skull, they presented him with the constant problem of finding tasks for them without making it obvious that many of his superiors refused to sanction them for any jobs that involved members of the public. Where possible he had complied with requests to "keep them out of the way", but it was becoming difficult to do so. There were only so many quiet parking lots and security details he could find for them.

"Bulkmier, Skullovitch?"

"Sir!"

He jumped at their response; it still annoyed him that for such a clumsy, and in Bulkmier's case awkward duo, they could sneak up behind him so easily.

"Don't do that!" he told them for the hundredth time that week. He saw the two exchange sly smiles and knew that once again it had not been an act of stupidity, but a demonstration of what they could accomplish. He chose not to approach that subject. "The Police Academy recently had a picnic in this part of the park," he told them, gesturing to the small eating area close to Angel Grove Park's lake. "Now as police officers we cannot go around having picnics and leaving the area a mess, can we?" He waited until his Junior Patrollers had finished nodding before he pushed a pointed stick at each of them. "Glad we agree. You boys will pick up every piece of litter in this area. I will be back in an hour to see how you are doing. Any questions?"

"No Sir!"

He walked off, waiting until they couldn't see him before rubbing his ear. Sometimes he wished they wouldn't shout so enthusiastically.

Bulk and Skull watched him go and then exchanged a brief glance. They nodded and gave a shrill whistle, watching as the Goldar and Rito emerged from the bushes. The two henchmen readily accepted the sticks from their masters, still having no idea that in the past these humans would have been working for them as slaves.

"Now, get to w-WO!" Bulk exclaimed as the ground rumbled. He turned around in time to see a plane of some kind, he quickly realised it was a space capsule, landing over the hill.

"Come on," Skull urged, curious to see what had landed and for some reason not concerned that it would be an aggressive alien.

"Hey," Bulk said as they approached. "There could be someone trapped in there." His eyes lit up in that speculative way Skull had come to recognise after years of friendship. "If we save him, we could be ... heroes."

They spent the next minute or so kicking the door, trying to release it after finding the handle didn't work. Finally there was a hiss as the air pressure equalised on both sides and the door slid open, drenching Bulk, Skull and their servants with water.

Bulk screamed. He couldn't help it; of all the things he had expected to find in an alien spaceship, an alien was not one of them. Skull joined him as the black suited alien emerged. Taking this to be the native language the alien started screaming in response, an action that set started Goldar and Rito off and as a result made Bulk scream all the louder. When after a few minutes Bulk realised that the alien was probably not going to hurt them, he decided it must be scared of them, hence the screaming.

"Hi there," he said in a loud and slow voice that would have made many obnoxious tourists proud. "We're not going to hurt- you."

"Please," the alien replied. "I must find the one known as Zordon."

"Zordon?" Bulk repeated, "I don't know any Zordon. Do you?"

"I do!" Rito exclaimed, scratched his skull and then amended, "Nope, I forgot."

"You... I know you," the alien said, looking at Goldar and then Rito. He started to back away having heard the tales of Goldar and Rito. Suddenly he did not feel so trusting of the two Earthmen. He turned and started to run. "I must find Zordon, the fate of my world depends on it."

"Mommy, Daddy!" Sprocket cried. "Come and see."

"What is it Sprocket?" his father asked, shuffling his large frame towards his newest model son.

"Yes, what could possibly excuse this shouting dear? It's simply vulgar to exclaim so loudly in front of the Cogs," Machina added, her fan opened to cover her embarrassment at her son's antics.

"Something just entered the Earth's atmosphere," Sprocket explained.

"Really?" Now Mondo was interested. He studied the planet, searching for the incoming craft. "An Aquitian! How dare he land on Earth without my permission?"

"Oh no," Machina moaned. "Those organics are simply dreadful with their rust producing planet. They're ten times worse than those Earthlings. Tell me dear, isn't he one of those Aquitian Rangers?"

Mondo focussed in on the alien, running his appearance against the Machine Empire's enormous database of enemies. "Yes my beloved queen, he is. But no matter, Aquitian Ranger or not his powers are quite useless against us."

"But not against the Rangers, right Daddy?"

"Quiet Sprocket, your father is thinking," Machina admonished. ~We really should have installed that upgrade that allowed Sprocket to be seen and not heard.~

"No, Sprocket has a good point," Mondo told her. "This Ranger is no match for us, but against those Zeo Rangers he could prove useful. Now then, this is what we shall do... Klank!"

Ernie's parties did not always make things right, for that matter they sometimes made things seem worse than they really were. Still, at that moment in time, Billy was grateful that he had friends such as Tommy, Tanya, Adam, Rocky, and Kat, who would think to throw him a party and attempt to lighten his mood.

"So Billy, what do you plan to do with all the extra time?" Kat asked.

"I have yet to allocate a suitable activity for that duration," Billy admitted.

"Hey, maybe you could tutor us," Rocky suggested.

"Rocky, he already tutors us," Adam pointed out. "If he did any more, he might as well do our homework for us."

There was a silence during which Rocky seemed to ponder such an occurrence.

"Saved by the tone," Tanya teased as their communicators sounded. The six teens made their way to Ernie's back area.

"We're here Zordon," Tommy half-whispered.

"Rangers, teleport to the Power Chamber immediately," Zordon ordered.

After checking they were in the clear, the Rangers did as they were told, teleporting to the chamber underneath the citadel in the middle of the desert outside of Angel Grove.

"We're here Zordon," Tommy stated when they arrived.

Zordon continued as if the Red Ranger had not spoken. "Behold the Viewing Screen, what you are seeing occurred just before we contacted you. The spaceship is of Aquitian design and land some time ago."

"Aquitians?" Tanya asked.

"Aquitar is an ocean world and the Earth's closest neighbour with a live population. The Aquitians are a peaceful race that live in Aquitar's ocean cities. As such they are unsuited to the environment on Earth."

"So why would one come here?" Kat asked.

"Ai-yi-yi, the computer has locked onto his pattern within the Morphin Grid. His name is Cestro, one of the Power Rangers of Aquitar."

"Alien Rangers?" Tanya asked.

"You didn't believe that Earth was the only planet with Rangers did you?" Billy asked. Tanya looked sheepish and tried to shrink away as Billy added, "Even when you know Zordon is an alien being trapped in a time warp and Rita is a space witch?"

"So Cestro is on our side," Tanya said, coming to her blue teammate's rescue.

"Affirmative. The question would be why he felt it necessary to come to Earth."

"Hey, why don't we ask him?" Tommy suggested.

The others seemed to agree and teleported away, leaving Billy to monitor the scene. "Am I the only one who wonders why Bulk and Skull are walking with an Aquitian Ranger, and Rito and Goldar?" Zordon didn't answer, but his soft laughter echoed through the Power Chamber.

Bulk and Skull jumped as five Power Rangers appeared before them, said Rangers extremely grateful that Billy and Zordon had installed holographic generators on their Zeonisers so they could appear morphed to any non-Ranger humans without needing to morph. It meant that while Bulk and Skull couldn't see their faces, the Aquitian was less likely to find their sudden arrival threatening.

"Ah, the Power Rangers!" Bulk announced triumphantly, thumping Cestro on the back as he did so. "These citizens might be able to help you, sir." He chuckled in a heroic fashion.

"Cestro?" Kat asked.

Cestro shifted as he heard his name.

"Zordon sent us," Adam told him calmly.

"I must see him," Cestro told them urgently. "Only he can help me find the one who can save my world."

"We'll take you to him," Tommy offered.

Cestro nodded and the Rangers teleported away.

"Cestro, it is good to see you again," Zordon greeted. The last time he had seen the Aquitian had been during a lecture he had given on battlefield strategy.

"I am glad I found you Zordon," Cestro replied, making a gesture of peace. "I am afraid that I do not come to reminisce. Aquitar has been under siege for many years by our dreaded enemy the Hydro Hog. Now he has found a new weapon, enormous engines that pollute our oceans, the most sacred resource on Aquitar. We do not know where he found such weapons, but he has used them to attract an alien race that call themselves the Hydro Contaminators. Unless we can destroy the engines and the monsters they attract, my people are lost."

"Couldn't you fight them?" Billy asked. He had taken time to learn as much as possible about the Aquitians before Cestro arrived. He had seen they were active Rangers, holding powers similar to those that Billy had used during his time as a Ninja Ranger. There were also references to the legendary Ninjor giving them battle machines to protect Aquitar.

"I am afraid our weapons are ineffective against the Hydro Contaminators. No matter what we try, our energies are simply repelled. They used their first attack to shut down out computer system. Without those mainframes our teleportation system has failed; our planet's Battleborgs have also been rendered useless."

"That explains the spaceship then," Billy commented.

"Yes, without teleportation and communication, this was the only way to find help."

"The Rangers of Earth will help you," Billy told him, already he could see that having a friendship with the Rangers of another world would be useful.

"That will not be necessary," Cestro told him. "Zordon, I need to speak to the one you call Billy. News of his genius is known beyond this planet although many refuse to believe it."

"I am Billy," Billy told him, realising in the rush to discuss Cestro's arrival they had dispensed with the courtesy of an introduction.

"Then perhaps you can help me," Cestro said. He pulled out a sheet of paper that Billy recognised as the technical schematics for some kind of weapon. Obviously without the use of a computer the Aquitians had been forced to make do. "Our analysis shows this weapon will work, but we have been unable to make it reliable."

"I will do what I can," Billy promised. "Have you managed to produce a working prototype yet?"

"Yes, but it is still in my ship."

"Hey, we'll go and get it for you," Tommy offered, just before the alarm sounded.

"Ai-yi-yi, King Mondo is trying to steal the ship."

The Rangers didn't need to wait for instructions. After dealing with the Machine Empire they were aware that Mondo would turn anything he found inside the ship against them. The idea of Cestro's weapon, even in an unreliable state being turned on them was unappealing at best. And since the ship was also Cestro's only guaranteed way of returning to his world, they understood the urgency of stopping the Cogs.

"It's Morphin Time!"

"Zeo Ranger I - Pink!"

"Zeo Ranger II - Yellow!"

"Zeo Ranger III - Blue!"

"Zeo Ranger IV - Green!"

"Zeo Ranger V - Red!"

While the five Rangers teleported into battle, Billy and Cestro started to review the schematics. For Billy it was a welcome distraction from watching his friends in battle. As much as he hated to admit it he was really starting to regret giving up his chance of being a Zeo Ranger. For Cestro, the few times he looked at the Viewing Screen revealed that the rumours he had heard were true; the Rangers of Earth were a force to be reckoned with.

They winced in sympathy when Rocky took a nasty blow to the back as the Cogs started to gang up against him, then shared a grin as the Blue Zeo Ranger skilfully ducked a Cog's eyebeams, which then went on to slag the two robots behind its intended target.

"Billy, you must hurry," Zordon spoke up, surprising the two Rangers since they had assumed he too was waiting for the others to get back. "Intergalactic travel between Earth and Aquitar is dangerous without a portal. The current portal will close within the next two hours and will not reopen for another two weeks."

"Is that normal?" Billy inquired.

"Earth and Aquitar share a direct path for only a short time during which the portal can be accessed. After it closes we must wait for the planets to rotate into the correct position to try again."

"Right," Billy conceded, reaching for the communicator. "Tommy, we need that weapon back here."

"We have our hands full," was Tommy's short reply.

Billy and Cestro nodded and before Zordon could stop them, teleported to the ship in the hope that the Rangers would keep the Cogs busy long enough for them to retrieve what they needed.

Away from the immediate battle between the Rangers and the Cogs, another ship was about to land. This one spelled disaster for the Earth should its occupant make contact with the native water supply. It was one of the Hydro Contaminators, one of a number who had designated themselves as defenders of the machine that had attracted them. It had a nonferrous metallic body, which was shaped like a landmine. It had been sent with the sole purpose of stopping Cestro. However, when it realised its quarry had reached the allies it sought, the Contaminator had changed its approach, deciding that by contaminating the Earth's water, any potential allies would be too worried about their own problems to consider aiding Aquitar.

He noticed the Cogs drawing the other Rangers away, and when he saw that Billy and Cestro were alone with the weapon, he decided the time had come to see if he could contaminate a human. ~After all, they are mostly water.~

"Not so fast!" Rocky yelled as he teleported in front of the metal monster. The other Zeo Rangers joined their friend in the face off just as Mondo decided that it was time to help against a mutual foe. He dispatched more of his Cogs into battle, with orders to aid the Hydro Contaminator.

Using the distraction, Billy and Cestro teleported back to the Power Chamber, hoping that they would be able to get the weapon working and be able to test it against the Hydro Contaminator.

"Logically, if the molecular bonds within the monster are the same as the machine, the weapon will be effective against the machine and anything it can create."

The Zeo Rangers kept fighting the Cogs on the beach for a while, but had to abandon the battle when they saw the Hydro Contaminator heading for the lake. They managed to get there in time to stop him, but doing so, had allowed the Cogs to regroup. Rather than fight though the Cogs teleported away and now on his own, the Hydro Contaminator also took the opportunity to withdraw.

"Time's running out," Billy growled as he painstakingly slotted one of the last pieces of circuitry into place.

After their opponents had vanished, the Rangers had returned to the Power Chamber and started searching for Hydro Contaminator's activity. Adam had been the one to suggest they check the places where water entered the system, which had led to a detailed scan of the Angel Grove Dam, the pumping station, many water towers and even the out-of-town spring. So far though they had failed to find any traces of activity. But when they scanned the treatment plant, they discovered the telltale signs that something was wrong. Terrified citizens running from the buildings were a clear sign something was wrong.

"Will this work, Billy?" Kat asked.

"I think so," the young genius replied before addressing the entire Zeo team. "I have integrated the prototype to work in conjunction with the Zeo Power Weapons to create the Zeo Power Blaster. With a few modifications to handle the different environment, I believe the weapon will function adequately on Aquitar. I just have a few more modifications to make."

"Rangers, you must go ahead and try to slow the Hydro Contaminator before he can locate the water source," Zordon told them.

"I am sorry Rangers," Cestro said. "If I had known I was being followed I would have stayed away. Now I have endangered your world as well as my own."

"Hey, don't worry about it. Earth was already under attack and we agreed to help you. That's what Rangers do." Tommy told him as he picked up his helmet from the console. "Back to Action!" The five Rangers vanished in columns of light.

"Your students are a tribute to your teachings, Zordon," Cestro told him as he watched the Zeo Rangers lay waste to the Cogs that had appeared to show the Hydro Contaminator the way to the water supply. They were using their Zeo Power Weapons to dismember the foot soldiers, but against the Hydro Contaminator their efforts seemed wasted.

"I cannot take credit for the bravery of my Rangers," Zordon answered. "It is their strength that has made them such a formidable force."

"The Hydro Contaminator's ability to alter its molecules into a liquid state makes it too fast for them to attack," Billy surmised as Tanya took a nasty blow to the left shoulder.

"Alpha, reconfigure the Rangers' helmets to adjust for his speed," Zordon instructed. "Billy, the Rangers need the weapon."

"Oh boy, this is the best monster I've seen in days," they heard Sprocket announce as Billy completed the last piece and prepared to prime the weapon.

"I am not certain I can make the modifications to the weapon," Cestro confessed. Seeing Billy work had been an amazing sight and made him realise just how little about the technology he understood.

"I know," Billy admitted. "I anticipated this and, - the only way I can ensure the weapon works is if I accompany you to Aquitar."

"I cannot ask you to do that Billy, the risk is too great."

"I'm not letting you ask me," Billy retorted. "I'm asking you to take me with you."

"The Rangers of both worlds are lucky to have you in their lives," Cestro stated, slapping Billy on the back in what he had observed to be a gesture of encouragement.

Billy stumbled forward, his contact lenses falling on the floor as he did so. As he scrambled to find them, he failed to notice Alpha approaching until the robot had stood on them, cracking the lenses and leaving Billy visually impaired and the weapon's completion looking bleak.

"Zeo V Power Sword!" Tommy cried, slashing at the Hydro Contaminator and forcing him back before ducking aside and allowing the other Zeo Rangers to blast it with their Zeo Pistols. He combined His Zeo Sword and Zeo Pistol to form an advanced version of the Zeo Pistol, which then fired a pure Oxygen field at the monster. The move was successful and the Hydro Contaminator fell from the building. When he tried to get back up, the Rangers were there, weapons drawn and ready to put him right back down.

"Guys, this is Billy, I'm sending you the weapon now."

"Got it," Tommy acknowledged. "Zeo Blaster..."

"Power Up!" the others cried.

"Pull it in guys," Tommy ordered and the Rangers assumed what seemed like the most helpful firing position, bracing their leader against the recoil. "Fire!" A massive ball of energy shot from the weapon, striking the Hydro Contaminator and evaporating him with its superheated beam.

The Rangers ensured that he remained defeated before teleporting back to the Power Chamber.

"Where's Billy?" Rocky asked.

"I am sorry Rangers," Zordon told them. "You are too late."

The Viewing Screen centerd in on Angel Grove Park where Billy and Cestro were preparing the ship for launch. Minutes earlier they had been told that time was running out and they had little time to get ready. Billy had reluctantly agreed to go without saying goodbye when Zordon had pointed out he had done all he could for his friends.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Cestro asked.

"Affirmative," Billy answered. "I will miss my friends, but this is the chance of a lifetime. Besides, it took me too long to convince my dad to let me go to back out now."

Had they been there the Rangers would have laughed at the scene as Billy and Cestro tried to load their things into the ship. But the Rangers were not in the Power Chamber; they had teleported to the park. They were too late to say goodbye in person though because the hatch had already closed.

"Billy!" Tanya shouted.

The door panel became transparent, showing Billy as he waved to them and smiled, pleased that his friends had come to wish him a good trip.

"We'll miss you, pal," Tommy remarked, but his words were lost as the engines roared to life.

The ship took off, leaving the Rangers in the crater as they watched their friend disappear on his next big adventure.

"Good luck Billy!" Tanya called as the ship disappeared from view, bending down to pick up the chemistry book he had once again managed to drop, and leaving the Rangers to wonder: "What now?"

** End**

Disclaimer: I do not own the Power Rangers; they belong to their respective copyright owners and are used here without permission. No money is being made from this fic.  
Authors Note: This is an alternate universe from the television show with an alternate timeline.

**Clash of Honour**

"The best laid plans of mice  
and men often go awry"

====  
Flashback

"A mirror, right?" the impostor asked.

As soon as he spoke, he knew it was a mistake. Even Kimberly would not make things that easy, more likely it had been something only the true Billy would know. 'Damn!' He'd been so busy fighting the real Billy that he had not paid enough attention. She had tricked him, using some stupid hologram project Billy had supposedly been working on earlier, not a mirror. How was he supposed to know when Zedd had never told him that?

"Wrong, it's a hologram." Kim said with a superior grin.

Billy shook his head, trying to clear it while the clone pushed him off. How did Kimberly get his hologram, anyhow? He'd just used it. Not that he was complaining. She had used it to discover he was the real Billy and not some clone. Now they would make the fake pay for his mistake and send a message to Zedd about the uselessness of trying to create false Rangers.

"It's Morphin' Time." Tommy called. In seconds, the Power Rangers were lined up, facing the clone, their weapons levelled and at the ready.

The Blue Ranger raised his blade blaster. "Your masquerade is over," he said. "You picked the wrong Ranger to replicate!"

Billy fired his blade blaster. The impostor dodged it skilfully, but the other Rangers opened fire alongside their comrade. Luckily his suit had been created from the power of the Morphin Grid and was just as resilient as that of the real Blue Ranger. The blasts damaged him, ripped into his suit, but the natural protection prevented them from causing more than a few bruises.

"All together," Billy suggested.

The Blue Ranger picked a spot on one shoulder and fired, the others quickly joining with him to create a single, powerful burst of energy. A small hole appeared in the fabric, hardly a great result considering the energy they had poured into their combined fire. But it was enough to break the protective aura created by the Power; it was enough dislodge the mask that hid his wicked soul.

The clone screamed, consumed by the Power as it started to run wild through his body. The powers of the Morphin Grid were not to be trifled with and the powers used to create Rangers should never have been touched by evil. The Power escaped him, shredding him as it did so and leaving him vulnerable to the Rangers' next shot. He was not foolish enough to remain and used the explosion as cover to return to his master on the Moon.

Teleporting was painful, almost unbearable, but just as the Power could not be perverted, the powers he had received upon morphing could not be prevented from working while he was morphed. Ranger healing intensified by the magic of Lord Zedd had already started to heal him by the time he had vanished. Still the shock of teleporting was too great and he passed out.

He came around seconds later when he felt a sword probing his side. He pushed it away weakly... his shoulder was still damaged no doubt due to the power the Rangers had blasted at him. At the time his body had been pumping with adrenaline. Now his body had returned to a more reasonable state, the pain was back in force. Reluctantly he opened his eyes.

Fangs and red eyes filled his bleary vision. He jumped and tried to back away but he was already up backed up against the wall. Goldar's ugly mug was not something he wanted to wake up to on a regular basis. He realised that he was in normal clothes, not the uniform he had been wearing. And the power coin he had hoped to obtain was gone too. 'Lost during transit no doubt.' No, not gone he realised as he felt a thin wafer of metal in his pocket. In retrospect that was all he could have gained. He wasn't holding onto the morpher at the time they transformed. Power morphers were easy to build; a decent power coin was another matter.

Goldar scratched his head. This was something new. Typically a defeated monster came back in pieces or in the case of Zedd's monsters just didn't come back. Granted, the replica appeared wounded, but it was just strange enough that he summoned Lord Zedd.

"Master..." Goldar droned to his leader," We might be able to reuse this one."

The replica's face contorted into a scowl. He didn't appreciate Goldar using him to score points with Lord Zedd, especially when it was his existence on the line.

Lord Zedd looked at the monster before him, puzzled about how it had survived the onslaught with only minor damage. It was a big surprise to see him there when he knew the statue had been returned to the foolish girl who crafted it.

The replica blinked. Was it really possible that he was alive? He remained silent though, aware that Lord Zedd was standing less than two feet away. He should, he thought slowly, try to do something to convince his master to spare him, but what? Zedd was not known to forgive failure, look at how he had banished Rita. He could sense his impending doom and shivered, trying dizziness and the pain from his arm.

Zedd chuckled. "Well, my plan may not have completely failed after all." He kicked the clone, which made no real effort to avoid the blow, not wishing to aggravate his master into more drastic means of showing his displeasure. "Yes, a most interesting turn of events."

"What?" Goldar thought he understood. "How do you want him punished, my lord? Perhaps some time in the Caves of No Hope."

Lord Zedd shook his head in disgust at Goldar's stupidity. "We don't want to kill him, you moron. Not now. In spite of his failure, this clone could still prove useful. The question is whether he values his pitiful life?"

"Please master," the clone begged. "I can still be useful. I know things about the Rangers. I know how Billy thinks; I know how the Zords work."

"Fool!" Goldar growled. "The mighty Lord Zedd is too important to listen to your pitiful pleas."

"Silence, Goldar. This creature was made by Rita, he is bound to be flawed." He held the tip of his staff beneath the clone's throat, inching it closer until it drew a thin bead of blood. "Interesting, Rita's creations do not bleed." He leaned forward so the grill on his head was touching the clone's chin. "Prove yourself useful," he challenged.

The clone reacted on instinct, grabbing the staff and using it as a pivot to take Zedd off his feet. He spun; catching Goldar before the titan could draw his sword and tried to grapple him to the ground. But Goldar was not in Zedd's employ for his classic good looks and charm. He was there to provide a little extra muscle as he demonstrated by pitching the clone away from him. The clone looked up to see both Zedd and Goldar standing above him, their weapons drawn. His hand tightened around the wafer of power coin in his pocket.

"What is that?" Zedd demanded, spotting the movement.

Goldar wasn't subtle in his attempt to find out. His powerful foot slammed into the replica's wrist and forced the fist to open.

"So, you can fight and you have a piece of a power coin," Zedd mused. "With Goldar's assistance you may yet prove useful."

"Zeddy! What is_ that _doing here?" Rita demanded.

"Our little clone has come back to us my wicked wench," Zedd laughed.

"Good, he can help Finster in his laboratory as raw material." Rita never could see the bigger picture. She stared at the clone for a while, recognising the Super Putty used in manufacturing the original figure. Where had that girl found Super Putty?

Zedd looked at his wife ready to argue back when the palace started to shake.

"What is that?" Zedd demanded, not used to having his tirades interrupted before they were started.

In answer to his question there was a sudden burst of flame accompanied by a pleasant yet sickly smell. Smoke enveloped the area before lifting like curtains to reveal the new arrival. She was tall with long black hair, which trailed behind like a cloak with emerald strands showing. In some places the dying spell had yet to take place and the black looked decidedly grey. Her eyes were cold and conveyed very little as she looked around the room before her gaze settled on Rita and Zedd.

"So this is what happened to you," she said after a short time, looking at Rita critically.

"Who is this woman?" Zedd demanded, pointing his staff at the intruder and ignoring his wife's desperate warnings not to.

"Zeddy," she squeaked, noting that Goldar and the rest of her former henchmen had decided to kneel. The clone had followed suit, deciding to play it safe and maybe live a while longer. "This is my mother, Monastra Repugna."

"Your mother?" Zedd asked, clearly confused. "Great, just what we need, a useless member of your family to leach off us."

"How dare you? I am Monastra Repugna, Mistress of the Dark Cosmos and sworn enemy of all that is good," Monastra announced proudly. Her cold eyes fixed on Zedd's staff, which he now lowered. "So you're the man, who married my beloved daughter," she said thoughtfully, "I don't think her father will approve. He prefers suitors with their own skull."

"Daddy disowned you, you're not even connected to him anymore," Rita pointed out.

"True, your father is an extraordinarily evil creature, but even he could only entertain me for a while. After a few centuries domination of the M-51 Galaxy can be so dull. Your father and I still speak though. He's not the man I called husband anymore and I am not the woman he declared unfit to be his wife. We've both had out little... changes. You on the other hand have not changed. The least you could have done was to restyle your hair."

"Enough!" Zedd boomed. "I don't care about my wife's imbecilic family. What are you doing here in my palace?"

"Oh I'm just passing by and thought I'd drop in on my favourite daughter," Monastra responded. She continued, apparently ignoring Zedd's tirade. "I'm planning on starting my own little empire in the far corner of this little Galaxy. You needed worry though, I'll allow you to keep this planet, if you can ever conquer it that is."

Zedd snorted, earning him a disapproving look. He seriously disliked this woman who had invaded his home without an invitation. He couldn't stand the idea of relatives turning up and refusing to leave.

"So Rita, what have you been up to for the past ten millennia?"

"She got trapped in a Dumpster," Goldar blurted out, earning a sharp look from Monastra and a look of absolute hatred from Rita. He shied away from the first and returned the second with his own look of disgust.

"Quiet monkey brains," Rita ordered. "I might have been put in a Dumpster, but I did trap Zordon."

"So that was you," Monastra said with a touch of emotion showing. "At least that is something. And now you are stuck here on this rock attacking some backward planet, why?"

"Zordon is there," Rita answered. If they played this right, then maybe her mother would help her.

"Besides, Earth is not an easy planet to conquer," Zedd interjected. He was keen to save face. "They have Power Rangers."

"All planets worth conquering have Power Rangers," Monastra answered. "That's no excuse for incompetence. If you cannot handle things, step aside and someone else can deal with it."

"You arrive here - in my palace - telling me how to deal with those Rangers?" Zedd was furious. "Putties, remove her."

"Putties, you use Putties?" There was amusement in her voice as she asked. "Oh my, you really went all out to create your own forces Zedd," she added sarcastically as she took in his poorly modified Z-Putties. "Please, tell me these are not your normal foot soldiers."

"Of course they're not!" Zedd snapped. This woman knew she was annoying him and seemed to enjoy making him twitch angrily.

Still, he wasn't angry enough to stop his Z-Putties from advancing on the wretched woman. Against Rangers they were practically useless, something Zedd had come to expect. However against a witch like Monastra, a woman not used to the trials of regular combat, he expected them to prove useful. They advanced on her while she watched with interest. Only when they pounced, did she act, turning to look at Rita.

"Didn't you teach your husband that these Putties are little more than golems?" she asked.

"I know that," Zedd snorted as the first Z-Putty made contact with her arm.

"Then you should have foreseen the outcome," she told him.

The first putty solidified as it touched her, the shell breaking down rapidly as it crumbled into dust. A second stepped towards her only to start bubbling rapidly as she forced it to boil.

"To the unskilled general, like my beloved daughter, these Putties are a useful resource. Loyal, numerous and ultimately expendable. Anybody can create a Putty given the right tools; Monster-matic, energy from a staff, it's the same thing in the end. Both methods make equally inferior Putties."

She reached down and scooped some of the molten clay that had been the second Super Putty. She closed her fist, squashing the clay into a deformed ball.

"Now a real witch who knows what she is doing can accomplish so much more. Rita learnt how to make Putties from her father, but he only learnt the skills in passing. Her brother lacked the skills to learn the arts of golem making altogether. I however, learnt from the best: my grandmother. Rita can use clay to make Putty Patrollers and perhaps the odd monster. In my hands, this clay can do anything. Watch."

The rough ball bubbled into a perfect sphere, which came to life in her palm. It rolled to the ground and started to spin like a top. Suddenly, it jumped into the air and formed a giant blade, which severed one of the heads from the closest Z-Putties. When it landed, it leaped again, although this time it nearly split in two. Two smaller balls formed with blades of their own, joined by a very fine fibre of material connecting the two. Two more Putties were cut in half by the smaller spheres, and then the balls spun around each other, hitting some more. After reforming quickly, the ball then threw a projectile about the size of a golf ball, at incredible speeds at dense group of the Z-Putties, striking the "z" spot with ease. Several were destroyed in this way as the projectile ricocheted around, and Monastra seemed to smile ever more gleefully as the sphere mercilessly slaughtered the few remaining foot soldiers.

As she turned her hand, the ball reformed back into a perfect sphere and calmly rolled back to her waiting palm. Around her she could sense Rita and Zedd's unease at the power she had displayed. Although it took all her willpower not to show the effect such a display of power had on her. Magic was exhausting, creating golems even more so. Still it had probably made Zedd aware that she was not to be fooled with.

Rita looked over the crumbled remains of the Z-Putties wondering why she had never learnt to use her skills to this level. With that sort of power, her battles against Zordon would have turned out far differently.

"Mistress Repugna," a cheerful voice called as Scorpina entered the chamber, skilfully avoiding the kneeling henchmen until she was level with the female villain. She bowed, the smile never leaving her face.

"Scorpina dear," Monastra greeted as a genuine smile appeared on her face. "If I had known you were here I would have visited before."

Mistress Repugna had always had a soft spot for Scorpina. In fact of all her daughter's so called servants, Scorpina was the only one she would attempt to start a conversation with. Scorpina was a fine warrior and although never trained in magic, a skill Monastra believed could have benefited the female Edenite, she was underhanded, deceptive, cruel... all the things a good warrior should be.

"I must admit that with you on her side, I am surprised Rita has taken so long to conquer this little world." She emphasised the word little, not believing that Earth was a worthy target. After all, its population was primitive and weak. As slave labour they would be useless. As far as materials went there was very little of value to be found on Earth, at least to a powerful witch like herself.

"She has been as useless as the rest of these fools," Zedd complained.

"And how often has she been allowed to act alone?"

"Once," Goldar answered, "and she failed, just like Rita did."

"And how many were you allowed to try Goldar?" she asked, displeased by the titan's interruption.

"If... if you please Mistress Repugna," Finster managed. "We have all been unlucky."

"Ah yes, Finster," Monastra drawled. "Ever the practical one. How are your monsters?"

"Not good my lady," Finster answered. "The Power Rangers have an extraordinary amount of luck when it comes to my creations."

"I see. That is to be expected. You are an artist Finster, a creator of beautifully monstrous beings. As a monster maker you far surpass my skills. But you were not born a conqueror. Your monsters like you lack the desire to triumph, not the skill. And Squatt and Baboo, how are my favourite potion makers and warlocks?"

"Hey, great to see you," Baboo greeted.

Monastra sighed. "I suppose even the best villains have to endure incompetence at some point. In your case Rita, it would seem to be since your release. Or perhaps" she looked at Zedd, "perhaps I should say since your marriage."

"If you think you can do a better job be my guest," Zedd snapped and immediately regretted his words. He disliked this woman and wanted her gone as quickly as possible. Now because of his big mouth he had practically invited her to move in.

"Sorry Zedd," she said quietly, flashing him a brilliant smile. "I have better things to do than sort out my daughter's mess. I'm sure the two of you can work something out if you put you heads together... Oh hello, I didn't see you there." The replica looked up as she addressed him and her face contorted into one of absolute disgust. "Minions, you're using clones? Your situation is worse than I thought." She turned to the now blushing clone and offered her hand, trying not to look like she had a piece of dung under her nose when he kissed it. "So is this your new plan Zedd?"

"No," Zedd replied dryly. "This is the remains of my last plan."

"I see," she said, turning her gaze back to the clone, her curiosity driving her to examine the craftsmanship. She gently prodded his arms and legs, but when she touched his face she let out a cry of anguish and recoiled angrily. "What kind of a joke is this Zedd?" she demanded.

"It is not a joke Mom," Rita whined. "I used Zedd's staff to bring a copy of that goody two shoes Billy to life."

"Impossible," her mother proclaimed. "Cloning would not have given him a link to the Morphin Grid."

"Oh that," Rita said dismissively. "He shared a morph with a Power Ranger."

Monastra was silent. This was unheard of.. Minions created in the way Zedd and Rita described should have had no more link to the Morphin Grid than a Putty Patroller should. Yet she could sense the power there within him. 'This one has potential.'

She raised her hand again, this time commanding the clay used to craft the clone. She watched with interest as it obeyed her, repairing the damage caused to the clone's body. On impulse she flicked a finger and watched as his arm jerked in response. More fingers flicking rapidly and the clone was performing what could only be described as a dance. Although whether it was the Monkey or the Swim, she couldn't have said.

Once again Zedd was convinced that the Mistress Repugna was special. She had certainly set a new record with him. Usually Zedd didn't make up his mind until he met someone for the third or fourth time. But Rita's mother was different because although he had only known her for a few minutes, Zedd thoroughly loathed the old witch.

"I fail to see how those Rangers could have defeated you so often," she announced crossly. The left side of her face twitched she attempted to sneer at her son-in-law. With her magically altered face though it looked more like she was winking at him. Zedd recoiled in disgust; Mistress Repugna was old enough to be his grandmother. She ignored his reaction and continued. "You have the power to destroy this planet, you have more monsters than is healthy and regardless of how you act, you seem to be a powerful wizard... for a halfwit. With the right plan, Zedd, you have everything you need to ensure victory."

"Then why does he keep on failing?" Rita whined.

"Some are born to be great villains Rita," she said. "Some are born to be losers. Sadly you married the wrong sort."

"Why you..."

"Quiet Zeddy, getting worked up will not help you," Rita crooned.

"I think I'll take this little sweetheart," Mistress Repugna said, sliding her hands over a very nervous looking clone. "Maybe by the time I visit next time you will have thought up a sufficiently evil scheme. Otherwise, I might just have to try running things. Have fun kids." She disappeared in a column of flame, resuming her search for her brother. The clone looked around uncertain of what to do, when the flames reappeared and a very feminine hand dragged him away by the neck.

"Well, what did she give you?" Zedd asked while looking at the box Monastra had throw to his wife.

"Us Zeddy, she gave it to us," Rita corrected nervously. In her palm she held a small box, which opened to reveal a figurine of a silver cat.

Zedd snorted in disgust and turned his attention back to ensuring that the wretched woman had left the Moon and was not lurking nearby. He was relieved to discover that she was gone and had apparently taken Scorpina with her. Neither woman would be missed in a hurry.

Meanwhile Rita was looking at the figurine with great interest. The silvery object had given her a new plan, one that would take time to come to fruition. She would need to find a suitable candidate and a spell. But then with luck she would have the means to draw all the Power Rangers into a trap. Especially that pesky traitor Tommy.

The Moon,  
Months Later

It had been a busy time for Rita and Zedd. And while they could not claim to have achieved complete or even near victory, they had certainly not lost the war. In all fairness they had been on the brink of conquering Earth when the Machine Empire had arrived and evicted them. Now with Mondo gone it was their chance to retake control.

In the time before they had fled the Moon, they had been close to victory. True, the Power Rangers had managed to steal the Shogun Zords away from Rita and rescued Kimberly Hart despite Zedd's plan to use her as a hostage, but they had not won the war. Zedd still had held the Falcon Zord that Katherine had captured for weeks because they were designed to act as a united force, he had incapacitated the collective Ninja Zords. As an added plus, they had managed to capture the great Ninjor and had used him to further their plans. That miserable maker of power coins had soon started to wish that he had stayed inside his temple.

His favourite memory of that period would always be his confrontation with Tommy. Though he had lost, he had still managed to outfight the famous Tommy Oliver. The boy had been inches away from death and had it not been for that blasted magical sword, Zedd would have emerged the victor. Still, that fight had been worthwhile and months after the event he planned to put the knowledge he had gained to use. He had already enjoyed Rita's appreciation of his talents. His wife was quite the little dynamo when given the right inspiration.

-  
Flashback

Lord Zedd and his forces were celebrating. Not only had the Rangers been beaten, they were about to be humiliated in front of all those they had sworn to protect. At long last Tommy would be working for him, as he should have been all along. Who would have thought that a simple coin, the very source of the Rangers' powers could bring them to their knees?

"Three cheers for Lord Zedd!" Goldar cried.

Zedd pretended to acknowledge the cheer; in truth he had little respect for Goldar. He wished that the gold armoured monkey would stop creeping and start fighting like the fierce warrior the titan had once been. Still he laughed, gloating over the defeat of his enemies.

"I'd better check on those Rangers," he muttered. Their surrender had been a little bit too fast for his liking. "What? They're trying to rescue Kimberly! Tengas, destroy them.

Tommy appeared in the cave where Kimberly had been left, strapped helplessly to a table. The rotation made it difficult for him to see if she was moving. He hoped she was; they stood a better chance of escape if she could move on her own. If Zedd had immobilised her with magic, escape could prove impossible.

"Hold on Kim," he said as he swiftly crossed the cave. "I'm getting you out of here."

"Wrong, Ranger."

Tommy turned, knowing full well what he would find waiting for him. Lord Zedd in all his evil glory held his staff at the ready and Tommy's confidence plummeted further. Few Rangers had faced Lord Zedd in one on one combat and lived to tell about it. Zordon had revealed during the days following Zedd's first arrival that Zedd was more than capable of fighting his own battles. Tommy often wondered why he didn't do so, especially given Goldar's record.

"You tried to double cross me. Now you, and your precious Pink Princess will perish...together."

Zedd's laughter filled the cave. Tommy frowned. He had only a short amount of time before the portal closed. Fighting with Zedd was not desirable, but it was now necessary. He had to make it quick.

"Back off, Zedd. I'm getting Kimberly outta here. It's Morphin Time!" He was surprised that Zedd hadn't tried to stop him. It would have been very easy to unleash such power before the White Ranger had finished his transformation. But instead Zedd remained silent, waiting for his challenger. "Okay, Zedd, I'm ready for you."

Zedd laughed mockingly. "I'm far more powerful than you can ever handle, White Ranger."

Tommy gulped. He had a feeling that Zedd was speaking the truth. Outwardly though he tried to portray a confident appearance. "Well, we'll have to see about that, won't we. Hiya!"

"Is that really necessary?" Zedd inquired. "Here I'll do some, whoa, whoa, come and get me."

Tommy realised by the third blow that Zedd was as dangerous as he had first believed. Without dropping his staff, the dark master had effectively blocked his first two punches. If anything Zedd's staff was an extension of his body, showing a degree of competency that could only have been achieved through regular practice and hours of training.

Zedd went on the offensive for a short time; showing that whoever had taught him to use the weapon had drummed into him the importance of using the whole weapon. Zedd's attack used the length of the staff, the edge and points of the razor sharp 'z' at the top of his staff, and the rounded butt of the staff. Tommy was forced to dodge most of the blows since blocking them risked breaking a bone.

As the staff hooked towards his right knee, Tommy sidestepped and moved in close. He attempted a punch, but Zedd anticipated the move and caught the White Ranger's fist. With a firm shove he threw Tommy backwards.

"Ah, you missed me," Zedd taunted. He tried to drive the staff into Tommy's mid-section; something Tommy was easily able to avoid.

"Is that the best you can do?" Tommy asked, sensing that Zedd was getting angry.

"You're going to be sorry you said that," Zedd growled in response. Energy shot from the end of his staff and enveloped the surprised human. With a jerk of the staff, the White Ranger was sent hurtling from side to side, bouncing painfully off the walls as he went. Then Zedd pointed at the ground and Tommy was deposited in front of him as Zedd sent a shockwave of black electricity into his opponent.

Tommy was desperate and flailed wildly as he tried to take Zedd by surprise, but his clumsy attack was easily blocked and countered.

"At last White Ranger, you will appreciate just how powerful I am. Such a shame it will be the last thing you learn. But just wait until I tell your pink friend how much courage you had at the end."

Zedd fired his staff at Tommy, which causes him to writhe painfully on the floor.

"It ... it doesn't matter what happens to me, Zedd. Kimberly and I may not get out of here, but you'll never be allowed to win."

"Brave words White Ranger, but just words." Zedd lifted his staff for another blast.

Tommy knew he had to move. If he was caught again, the chances were that he would not escape with his own life, let alone Kimberly's. He rolled as the tip of Zedd's staff glowed and continued to move. He ducked each blast, desperately trying to lead Zedd on without endangering his girlfriend. 'This is it,' Tommy thought as he finally moved into position. Zedd fired and Tommy once again moved aside, this time exposing the controls that held Kimberly in place. He smiled under his helmet as they exploded and Zordon teleported the Pink Ranger to safety. Now whatever happened, his fellow Power Rangers would not be forced to pilot Zedd's ancient machines.

"This is over Zedd," Tommy stated, drawing Saba ready for action, using the blade to deflect another one of Zedd's blasts.

Zedd snorted and attacked, disarming Tommy with a decisive swipe of his staff. More energy drove the White Ranger to his knees as he prepared to deliver the finishing blow.

But Zedd had forgotten that Saba was not a normal sword. He had been enchanted to aid the White Ranger in combat and had gained some abilities of his own in the process. When he had been sent flying away, Saba had levitated him into a position where he could help and had waited for the opportunity. Then faced with Tommy dying if he didn't act, the sword had sailed through the air, hoping to destroy Zedd in the process.

Zedd heard the sword approach and twisted rapidly. His staff was in position to block before Saba could change course. However Zedd's staff could not withstand the touch of the enchanted blade and was transfigured into a snake before Zedd could argue.

Tommy remained on the floor, dazed from the blows he had taken and terrified by the man who had come so close to killing him. He raised his hand to intercept Saba and teleported away, leaving Rita and Zedd to rant about losing their bargaining chip. Regardless of who had won or lost that battle, Tommy had found a new level of respect for Zedd. While Goldar had grown easier to defeat in combat over time, Zedd was as dangerous as ever and despite his reliance on magic; he was a capable combatant with a weapon.

-  
Flashback Ends

Zedd walked into the lower levels of the motor home he had acquired as a temporary headquarters and enchanted so it was linked to a limitless number of pocket dimensions, searching for Rito and Goldar. When he found them, he groaned to himself. He was the supposed conqueror of Earth and his two most powerful warriors were morons.

"Did you watch the battle?" he asked, not waiting for pleasantries. There had been a monster attack earlier that day by what was left of the Machine Empire, and the Rangers had triumphed yet again. But this time Zedd had kept a close eye on the fighting hoping to glean some vital information from the Rangers' triumph and the machines' failure. The chamber's occupants nodded. "What did you learn?"

In between the meaningless banter of Goldar and Rito, Zedd was pleased to learn that somebody had been paying attention.

"The time has come to crush those humans," he said. "And with the fate of their world on the line, I doubt those pesky brats will be able to ignore my offer."

-  
Flashback

"Hold him still you fools," Zedd yelled as he watched Rito land on his back yet again while Goldar could only moan from his place on the back of this bucking bronco.

Rita watched from the sidelines, feeling a mixture of glee at her husband's inability to perform even the simplest of tasks and anxiety that their prisoner was about to escape.

"We're trying Ed," Rito protested.

"That's Zedd, you fool. My name is Lord Zedd!"

"Lord Zedd, got it. Sure thing Ed."

"You'll never hold me, you villains," Ninjor proclaimed as he wriggled free of Goldar's grip only to be set upon by Putties. "I have the power of good on my side. For I am Ninja."

This made Rita Repulsa even more irritated; furious would be a better word to explain her mood as she saw yet another scheme about to fail. But this time the plan would flop before it had a chance to get started. For their scheme to stand a chance they needed the coin smith to work for them and that meant he had to remain their captive.

"Hurry up and get those bracelets on him," she snapped at her husband, brother and anyone else who would listen. "Move it, monkey boy!"

Goldar glared at her, baring his teeth in an attempt to look threatening. It didn't work, Goldar seemed impressive and awe inspiring when you first met him, but after ten thousand years in a Dumpster, he was next to useless.

She decided she would have to act personally if she wanted to avoid losing this most important pawn in her plan. But first she would need to distract Ninjor.

"Well, it's been a long time, are you ready Baboo?"

Rita frowned, she didn't remember telling Squatt and Baboo to join in. 'just what I needed: two more imbeciles in the mix.'

"Certainly."

Rita watched in stunned silence as Baboo launched himself through the air, claws outstretched. Ninjor stiff-armed and blocked Baboo's attack while throwing Rito aside, but didn't notice Squatt hurling himself like a living cannonball right into his chest. Ninjor struggled to stay on his feet only to be grabbed from behind by Rito and a growling Goldar. Ninjor hooked his leg behind Rito's knee sending both Goldar and Rito to the ground. He quickly found his balance and tried to draw his sword.

Baboo and Squatt were not as dumb as they looked though and knew what came next. Not wasting any time Baboo got to his feet and kicked Ninjor in the back of the knees, forcing him into a backwards roll as Rita and Zedd's foot soldiers piled onto the suddenly prone Ninja master.

"Now!" Zedd boomed, aiming his staff at the fallen coin smith.

Rita followed suit, conjuring the power binding bracelets into place around Ninjor's forearms, filling them with her own dark energy. As she ceased her assault she looked to where her husband was casting the next portion of the spell. Chains of energy linked the bracelets while Goldar and Rito snapped heavier chains wrought of Cold Iron into place as an additional safeguard.

"We did it," Zedd told her as the chains repelled his attack. He gestured to the Tengas and they hauled Ninjor back to his feet. "Not so eager to fight now, are you Ninjor?" he sneered.

It was pathetic in some ways to see the might Ninjor brought to his knees so easily. But there again, Ninjor had been resisting Rita and Zedd since he had been captured. In that time he had exhausted himself beyond his physical limitations and had been drawing heavily from the Morphin Grid to renew his energy. With the Cold Iron in place and the power binders blocking his Ninja talents, he was just a normal man in armour, armour that now weighed heavily on his unpowered shoulders.

"Maybe I should get Finster to build me a can opener," Zedd quipped as he ran the tip of his staff over the Ninja master's armour, producing only a small number of sparks and a significant cut in the metal plating.

"Brilliant Zeddy," Rita cried as she joined her husband. "Now we can use him in our plans without the risk of him escaping."

"I will never help you villains," Ninjor said defiantly.

"You won't have a choice," Zedd answered.

"Brilliant!" Goldar proclaimed. Rita shot him a look and he shut up.

"And here we have a statement from a witness who claims to have seen the stranger just appear from nowhere," the tour guide toned as she pointed to a stone statue, which despite the damage caused by pollution and Angel Grove's weather patterns, had survived the last century or two.

And it is said the stranger did emerge from the heavens  
Bearing little more than the clothes 'pon his back  
And as his companion in white returned to the swirling gateway  
Ne'er again to return  
Did he decree: "Aw man."

Tommy smiled as he read the words carved into the base of the stone statue of a very familiar figure. The statue had been a mystery to local historians, who wondered what the colonists had seen that day. Only in recent years had it been suggested that perhaps, just perhaps they had been talking about a Power Ranger.

"There are very few hints about whom this figure is or how he was significant to Angel Grove. Remember that this was a British colony in an area the Spanish had already claimed. Tensions were high for many years and at some points it appeared likely that either the foreign or native colonies would wipe out the colony. It is likely that this tribute is to one of the many people who worked tirelessly to bring about a peaceful outcome to such negotiations."

Tommy knew and from the looks on his friends faces, they were also well aware of whom that statue represented. It was Tom Oliver, the clone Rita and Zedd had created from a lock of his hair. The same clone that had chosen to remain in Colonial Angel Grove rather than risk disrupting the Morphin Grid. Tommy had personally left the clone in the past, using the Wizard of Deception's wand to return to the present, convincing himself that in doing so he had left behind the darkness within his soul.

The day Tommy had said goodbye to Tom had been the day the Green Ranger had vanished. Not only had the Evil Green Ranger had been laid to rest that day, the other Green Ranger had disappeared from Tommy's life as well. He wasn't sure which he hated more, the personification of the evil within him or the reminder of just how weak and useless he had been without his dark side in control; the good guy Green Ranger had been a pathetic joke.

But in recent times Tommy had found himself wondering whether dissociating himself with those incarnations of his personality had been wise. Near death experiences have a way of grabbing people's attention and the battle between himself and Zedd a few weeks back had been a real eye opener.

That was what the Green Ranger represented. It was cautious, thoughtful, and slow to anger; it didn't rush headlong into a situation and then improvise a way out. The Green Ranger didn't strike head on. He used strategy. Even while he had been under Rita's spell Tommy had felt the need to plan his next move, relying on cooperation with Rita to ensure that the plan continued as desired.

As White Ranger though Tommy had been keen to distance himself from both the good and the evil Green Rangers. He wanted the White Ranger to represent power and purity, not weakness or worse, evil. This had continued over the course of his time as the White Ranger. Cooperation had been thrown out of the window as the need to prove himself had surfaced again and again. He was aware of it, so were the others. He remembered Rocky once remarking that they could all retire and let Tommy handle things.

Then Rito had arrived and Tommy had received a wake-up call. The powers that evil could not take had been stolen away by his own stupidity. It had been a sobering moment to stand in Angel Grove surrounded by the remains of the Thunderzords.

But the real shock had washed away all Tommy's illusions of invulnerability. When he had faced Lord Zedd alone, he had realised just how deluded he had become. Zedd had taken everything Tommy could throw at him and had kept coming. His staff had almost shredded Tommy's uniform. Had it not been for Saba, Tommy might have died. That event while not fatal had led Tommy to rethink his approach to battle. And now as Red Zeo, he had been able to control himself to a greater degree, but the urge to charge recklessly was still there. He was just better at suppressing his urges.

The truth of the matter was that Tommy's recklessness had been a facade to hide his fear. His days as the near powerless Green Ranger had been torture for him as Zedd had singled him out time and again. At first it had been an attempt to erase what Zedd saw as Rita's greatest mistake, but over time he had seen the benefit of having Tommy as an ally. From then onwards the attacks had become even more personal as Zedd had made it clear that the only power Tommy would be allowed was power granted to him in the service of Lord Zedd.

He shook his head, not wanting Zedd to ruin his day. At the moment, everything was going well for Tommy. Kimberly had left and he missed her, but they had gained Katherine and he had discovered his brother. All that and Jason was back.

"Now, if you'll all follow me, we can continue this tour." The silky voice of the tour guide interrupted his thoughts, or maybe it was the sharp nudge Tanya gave him.

"Tommy, are you okay?" Kat asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he said. "Just distracted."

"I believe you might find it beneficial to discuss your problems," Billy said.

Tommy chuckled. "It's nothing guys, I was just wondering what happened to Tom?"

The others were silent; unable to give their friend the answer he sought. The friends continued their tour; each distracted from what should have been an enjoyable day.

Angel Grove Park

He had an IQ that would make MENSA jealous, the strategic guile that rivalled some of the Earth's most notable military minds and the fighting skills that would allow him to lay waste to a legion of Rangers let alone six. His body and mind were at their physical peak and maintained by constant physical and mental exercise. In short he was perhaps the single greatest soldier Rita and Zedd had ever created. 'So why,' he wondered bitterly, 'given all my abilities and attributes - all the skills I bring to their little operation, why did they pick such a ridiculous name as Minion?'

He wasn't supposed to harbour ill feelings towards his master and mistress, but something had changed inside him since he had met the Mistress Repugna. He liked to think she had given him a small amount of her power as a personal sign of approval.

Regardless, the touch of Rita's mother had refocused some of the spells that Rita and Zedd had used to give him life. It had driven him to a physical and mental plateau that he felt compelled to reach beyond, knowing that with each small improvement he made to himself, would reap additional benefits when he was allowed to morph.

"Checkmate," he told his opponent after studying the board for a moment.

He was standing in the middle of Angel Grove Park in broad daylight and the Rangers had not detected him. Right now he was enjoying a test of his mental faculties as he played not one, but seven games simultaneously. He smirked as the man he had defeated stared aimlessly at the board, seeking a way out. There was none and the man knew it. That didn't stop either of them from looking. For the man it was impossible to accept such a defeat from a cocky teenager who had divided his attention over several games. For Minion each second confirmed his victory and allowed him to gloat, even if it was such a ridiculously easy win.

Across the park a lone female watched him while trying to catch a suntan. A scowl crossed her otherwise flawless face as she studied Minion's body language. While his opponents were seated at the permanent cement chess tables deep in thought, Minion remained standing. It was not for the ease of movement that Minion remained upright; rather it was because his conceit wouldn't allow him to sit. To do so might give the opposing player the idea that the two players were of equal skill. Instead, the clone sauntered from table to table, pausing briefly, his hands folded behind his back until he was ready to move a piece. He would also take the time to grace his opponent with a condescending smile after each move. For a teenager, Minion was a real brat. Monastra sighed and once again wondered whether to hand the clone over to Scorpina for a few days; the scorpion warrior was almost as capable in breaking male slaves as she was in combat. In fact Scorpina had been known on occasion to leave her defeated foes alive just for the pleasure of making them her willing slaves. But Scorpina was distracted right now, trying to renew her acquaintance with a band of renegade Edenites led by a creature named Scorpius and a failed Masked Rider candidate named Count Dregon. Mistress Repugna had no idea why she would seek such contact. From memory Dregon was a nasty little man that should have been squashed like a bug. Still, that was Scorpina's business.

Mistress Repugna had been to this part of the park previously during her prolonged stay on Earth. She had even watched some of the chess matches although she was the first to admit the game held no interest for her. Strategy was all well and good, but power was so much better.

She had enough skill to recognise that the players in this park were far from amateurs but accomplished players as well. Only devoted chess players with a true love of the game would come and play outdoors all year round. She had seen first hand that actual Grand Masters would occasionally visit the park and do exactly what Minion was now doing. A Chess Grand Master in Angel Grove, whatever next?

Minion looked up and made direct eye contact with his mistress. A brief mental battle followed, which Monastra easily won. Minion smiled and turned away, leaving her to wonder if she had really won the battle and lost the war?

Minion turned to his opponents and smiled. "I have a rather pressing appointment gentlemen. Let's see if I can move things along a bit. Your bishop's opening Scholar's Mate was an easily recognisable trap," he said to the elderly and neatly dressed gentleman seated directly across from him. "If you favour bishop openings, you might consider Legall's Mate. Against a _novice_ player, you might find it to be a bit more effective," he said somewhat haughtily. "Checkmate in three moves." He moved quickly to the next table.

"Your King's Gambit opening allows for quite a bit of latitude. But unfortunately you're playing black and must be very careful to protect the extra pawn on f-four. Becoming overeager can result in a fatal weakening of the king's pawn cover." Minion shook his head apologetically while moving his knight. "Checkmate."

"A Danish Gambit as an opening trap," he nodded his head in appreciation. "And a somewhat innovative version no less. I must admit I was caught off guard but you should have pressed your attack. You unfortunately chose to retreat with your bishop, which resulted in your present predicament. Checkmate," Minion paused, forecasting the next several moves in his head, - "in eight moves."

For the next two minutes, he went from table to table, thirteen in total. The outcome was the same in every case - checkmate in so many moves.

Minion walked out of the circle of onlookers who had gathered to observe the games, then stopped and turned. "I thank you for a most enjoyable afternoon, gentlemen. I might offer a bit of advice. The opening moves that you employed, going for the quick kill so to speak, are almost always ineffectual against an experienced player. Patience in chess as well as patience in life I find, bears the greatest fruit," he said with a reflective smile on his face and then turned and walked away from the gaming area. The players immediately returned to their respective games to study what went wrong.

"When you are quite finished beating up on the little kids in the school yard, you have work to do," Monastra said acidly as way of greeting.

One of the old men had risen from his seat to ask a question, following behind the victor and his companion. But as he moved to catch up he was thrown back as both vanished in a ball of flames and a dark blue flash.

Cranston residence

Professor David Cranston crossed the study and parted the heavy drapes to reveal a clear crisp night sky filled with multitude of twinkling stars. He thoroughly enjoyed evenings like this - as long as he was indoors. The fireplace contained a few quietly burning logs that filled the room with warmth as well a golden glow that always had such a relaxing effect on him. The house had taken years of work to get to the point where he felt it was perfect for both himself and his son, Billy. The perfect environment to sit and enjoy a new book that he had recently purchased; the background material for the project his wife was undertaking in Oregon.

He placed his hand on the windowpane, which revealed something else about this evening, it was extremely cold - unusually so. Angel Grove did not suffer from abnormally cold weather even in the heart of winter - in spring such conditions were almost unheard of. Of course nothing in Angel Grove could be described as normal anymore. Since the Power Rangers first arrived on the scene, life in Angel Grove had taken a definite turn for the bizarre.

As he glanced across the great lawn of his detached residence, he noticed a thin cloud of smoke rising from just behind the shrubs marking the property's boundary. He quickly looked down see that it was not smoke at all but steam that was coming off some late night joggers.

He closed the drapes and left them to their exercise, it made him cold just to watch. He was glad that Billy was sensible enough to exercise indoors when the weather turned chilly. He was also glad that his son had friends who ensured that he was active instead of sitting in the garage all day. It not for his friendship with Jason and the others, David wondered how his son might have turned out.

Out of instinct he walked into the hall and looked at the distribution board. No real surprise there. Billy was home and downstairs in the garage, working on some new project. What he was working on David didn't know, but he was sure that if Billy was involved he would find it truly remarkable. He had a very remarkable son; how else could you describe a boy who had visited another planet?

Rocky DeSantos burst into the Cranstons' garage, a copy of 'A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court' in one hand and a large jelly sandwich in the other. He gave a short nod to the room's only other occupant before flopping down on the battered sofa in to back corner.

Billy raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything. No doubt Rocky would say what he wanted when he was done reading, dozing or eating. Whichever it was he was doing at that point in time. At one time Rocky's antics would have annoyed the Power Rangers' resident genius, but just like Tanya's awkwardness and Adam's long periods of silence, Rocky's exuberance had grown on him.

Billy continued his work and didn't appear to notice that Rocky had even entered the room. Not the result the Red Ranger had been seeking.

"So that's how it's going to be Billy. I am not going away until you say yes."

"You have yet to pose a question," Billy mumbled, his head deep inside a strange box of assorted wires.

"Oh so there _is_ someone alive in there," Rocky laughed. "Let me cut to the chase. Tommy Adam and me are heading down to the beach tomorrow for a day out. We need four people to play beach volleyball and you are cordially invited."

"I have too much work to accomplish this weekend, Rocky," Billy said without glancing up. "I have to realign the vertical lift on Zeo Zord I and determine a way to integrate the Super Zeo and Zeo Megazords so they can work in unison." He paused for thought. "Another time perhaps?"

"Bull!" Rocky exclaimed. "We're not stupid Billy. We all know what's going on, whom you're avoiding. We're a team Billy, you need to get these things out, discuss them and at least make it so you can be in the same room as..."

"I am well aware of your concerns. I assure you my personal issues will not affect the cohesive functioning of the team."

Though he spoke the words quietly, it was easy for Rocky to hear the venom behind each syllable. That was not good, Billy was more upset than he was letting on and Rocky was unsure about how to help him.

"I'm sorry Billy," Rocky said quietly. "I just thought that you needed a break," he went on nervously. "We've all had a busy time of it lately and now that Mondo is gone... I just think you should take some time out while you can, look at what happened to Kim when she overworked herself."

Billy sighed. "Rocky, please forgive me and accept my sincerest apology," his voice already tinged with regret. "My frustration level with all my ineffectual attempts to replace Pyramidas has reached an all-time high. Everything I've tried has been a dismal failure. My anger has nothing to do with you and is inexcusable." A small smile crossed his face as he added: "Nor is any other member of the team responsible for my mood. Perhaps some beach volleyball would make an interesting diversion. It would be beneficial to forget about Machina and Sprocket, Rita and Zedd for a short time."

"Then I am sorry to disappoint you."

The chillingly familiar voice startled both Billy and Rocky. They spun around and were horrified to see Lord Zedd step out of the shadows of the garage, where he had been watching them for some time, enjoying the small signs of dissension amongst the team. As the seconds ticked by, Rocky overcame his initial shock and his training took over. He began to move while simultaneously summoning his Zeonisers into the ready position. Tommy and Jason had constantly drilled it into Rocky, Adam and Tanya after the power transfer to never present an opponent with a stationary target, move immediately. Even seasoned fighters often ignored this seemingly obvious bit of advice. Jason had once told Rocky as a piece of parting advice that it was the very first few seconds that almost invariably determined the outcome of any fight.

With just a casual wave of his staff, Zedd enveloped Rocky in a faintly glowing pink sphere, which literally froze him in place. Rocky was conscious but unable to move. His mouth was frozen in the middle of calling on his power. The ease in which Rocky was rendered harmless actually stopped Billy in mid-stride from triggering the alarm he had installed after giving up the role of an active Ranger. What also stopped him was the impassive manner with which Zedd now greeted them.

"Enough! I assure you, I mean you no harm, yet. All I am here for is to deliver a message, a challenge if you will. And since I cannot just appear in the park and read a declaration, I decided a captive audience would prove beneficial." Zedd delivered this seemingly benign little speech with his hands folded innocuously in front of him; staff leaning casually against his shoulder, attempting to dilute the natural menace he exuded.

Although Billy, like many of the other Power Rangers, had an almost intrinsic fear of Zedd - the Emperor of the Dark Galaxy had seemed unstoppable during the early days of his attempts to conquer the Earth - Zedd's logic did not escape him. It would have been easy for him to have destroyed both the Blue Zeo Ranger and Billy before they could react.

Billy shuddered. Yes, perhaps their greatest and most insidious enemy had somehow easily bypassed the protective scans Zordon maintained on all the Rangers' homes, possibly the most advanced security system on the planet, and was standing in the middle of his garage completely unhampered, currently free to wreak havoc and do as he pleased, but he had not done so, yet.

If recent events had shown anything, it was that the Rangers had more reason to fear Zedd than ever. When Tommy had gone to retrieve Kimberly from captivity, he had been lucky to escape with his life. Zedd had nearly killed him that day. Tommy hadn't been quite so cocky since that incident.

The subtle change in Billy's demeanour as he recalled the events Tommy had described did not go unnoticed by Zedd. "Your comrades have no idea that I am here so no one will be coming to your aid, nor will you require any. I will deliver my challenge and then leave you and your friends to discuss it."

"Release Rocky as a show of good faith and I will hear your challenge," Billy demanded with as much false bravado as he could muster stalling for time.

"Obtain his promise that he will not attempt to attack me, what little good it would do, and he will be released. But rest assured, should he break his promise, I will employ the same spell I have just demonstrated in tandem, and your friend will find his head and abdomen in two vastly different locations." Rocky understood that this was no idle threat especially when Zedd punctuated his remark with an intimidating stare.

"As long as you don't try to harm us, I won't do a thing" Rocky managed to croak trying to sound as confident as possible considering his situation, but was unable to meet Zedd's gaze. No doubt the Blue Zeo Ranger would be experiencing plenty of nightmares over this turn of events.

"Then we are in agreement and can converse in a civilised manner." The pink sphere surrounding Rocky disappeared and he was able to move again.

Unhurried, Zedd slowly approached Billy, his gait a mixture of grace and strength, innate confidence and power oozing with every step. Billy had to consciously fight back the urge to run and managed to hold his ground, quoting equations to steady his nerves. Zedd towered over Billy, his terrifying visage now within a few feet of his own face. His elaborate costume, if one could call it a costume, with metal piping seeming to hold the otherwise formless flesh in place.

"State your challenge," Billy said.

"A simple contest," Zedd replied. "One Ranger versus a combatant of my choosing in one on one battle. When my champion wins you will surrender your power coins and Zords, which will then be dealt with as I see fit. Should your candidate triumph, I will surrender the Ranger that Rita and I captured during our time away from Earth and leave this galaxy forever. Should you not accept the challenge I will leave here and you will witness the death of a fellow Ranger as if you had lost."

"How can we trust you?" Rocky asked. "I haven't heard of any kidnapped Rangers. Besides, you could just snatch him away again regardless of the outcome."

"And here you see the reason why I approached Billy and not your esteemed leader," Zedd answered, unaffected by Rocky's question. "Had I approached Tommy with my challenge he would have dismissed it outright. Rocky at least offers me the chance to defend myself, what about you Billy?"

"You obviously have some method of reassuring me that your intentions are honourable," Billy said after some thought.

"I will prepare a container for the prize that will teleport them into the possession of Zordon if your combatant wins and remove them to the Moon should they lose. I will surrender control of the container until a victor is declared. Of course Zordon is welcome to check the spell is in place."

Billy's eyes widened, recalling historical accounts of such battles. Once initiated neither party could meddle with the prize unless they won. He found himself automatically nodding and Rocky was looking at him in shock.

"Do you swear on the power of the Morphin Grid that you will honour the outcome of this challenge should the Rangers accept regardless of whether it turns out in your favour?"

"I will," Zedd answered, shaking Billy's hand.

"Billy?" Rocky asked, clearly confused.

"Later," Billy told him.

"I will need to speak with Zordon and the other regarding your offer," Billy told the chrome-lined tyrant.

"Very well, you have until tomorrow to decide. After that I will dispose of the prize in any way I see fit."

Billy nodded and Zedd promptly vanished, leaving two shaken teenagers wondering just when he had stopped trying to kill them.

"We need to speak to Zordon," Billy said after a while. Boy boys had flopped down onto the sofa when Zedd had vanished, relief temporarily causing them to forget what had occurred.

Rocky nodded absently still unsettled at the ease with which Zedd had neutralised them. Was this a new power on the part of the villain or had he been toying with them all that time before the Machine Empire had shown up? Rocky couldn't be sure.

"Come on," Billy smiled encouragingly, noting the way his friend's hand shook briefly.

In twin columns of blue and white light they were gone.

The next morning found Billy Cranston in the Command Center adjusting the communication console to transmit directly to the Moon. The discussion the night before had been heated with Tommy insisting they could not trust Zedd and even going as far as suggesting they use the opportunity to double-cross Zedd.

Billy shook his head, realising that Tommy would never understand why Zedd could be trusted. Billy had tried to talk him around, but Tommy was convinced it was a trap.

But then Adam had intervened. While Billy and Tommy could argue all day about the best way to approach the problem, Adam was quick to point out that Zedd was not the main point of concern. A life was on the line and if they didn't accept the challenge, Zedd's prisoner would be executed. They really didn't have a choice.

That decided the whole team had discussed their best chance for victory. Of course Tommy had elected himself as their champion and had been quick to start discussing contingency plans for when he won. Billy had managed to bite back the remark about if he lost; Tommy could be an annoyance sometimes.

"It would help if we knew who Zedd had chosen," Tanya had said.

Ever the practical one, her comments had made sense and led to speculation.

"As long as it's not Rito Revolto," Kat had joked. "I mean, ew, he stinks!"

That had caused the Rangers some amusement. In the end though it had seemed logical that Zedd would choose either Rito or Goldar. Zordon had pointed out that Zedd would no doubt attempt to strengthen his champion with a super strength potion of some type.

"I am sending the message now Zordon," Billy said.

"Very well Billy," Zordon replied.

Billy pressed the buttons and the deed was done. Now battle could commence.

Angel Grove Quarry

The Rangers appeared in columns of light shortly before their villainous opponents. Zedd and Rita were easy to recognise, Goldar and Rito likewise stood to one side.

Baboo, Squatt and Finster could be seen in the background. Finster looked slightly miffed at the idea of having to play the role of cheerleader yet again. Baboo and Squatt on the other hand seemed delighted with their new roles and actively waves their pom-poms around.

"I guess Rita brought the whole gang," Rocky commented.

Billy didn't answer though; his eyes were fixed on the two figures standing to one side. The first was a moderately attractive woman while the other was difficult to see due to the cloak he wore.

"Zordon, who is that?" Billy asked.

"That is the Mistress Repugna, Rita's mother and one of the most accomplished warrior witches in her home galaxy."

"Is she dangerous?"

"Mistress Repugna is one of the most dangerous villains you will encounter, although she lacks the strategic skills of her daughter and son-in-law."

"Okay, we need to be extra careful here guys," Tommy said as they waited for Zedd to approach. "I have a bad feeling about this."

"Rangers of Earth, I challenge you to one on one combat in this place. Should your fighter succeed, I shall release my prisoner to you. Should my champion triumph," at this point Goldar laughed and said something about it being a certainty, "you will surrender your powers and Zords."

"As Red Zeo Ranger, I accept your challenge, after you vow to abide by this agreement regardless of the outcome." Tommy's words were forced. He really did not want to be doing this, he knew Zedd had something planned.

"I swear upon the power of the Morphin Grid that I will abide by our agreement, regardless of the outcome of this battle. I further swear that neither I nor any of my allies will seek to intervene in the battle and that my champion will fight only until he attains victory."

"I accept your word Zedd," Tommy said. "Let's fight."

"Patience, you insolent pest," Zedd snapped. "First, you Rangers must swear on the Power that you will abide by the decision and not seek to intervene in the battle."

The Rangers nodded, but it was Tommy who voiced their answer. "We swear it."

Rita cackled and the Rangers wondered just what they had let themselves in for. Zedd also seemed pleased as Goldar made a show of inspecting his sword.

"Name your champion," Rita challenged.

"I will fight," Tommy answered. From the look on Rita's face she had not expected any other answer. She seemed pleased. "And you?"

"Our champion will defeat you without breaking a sweat, Red _Zeo_ Ranger," Zedd boasted.

Goldar stepped forward upon hearing his master's words.

"Where are you going, Monkey Boy?" Rita asked. Goldar looked at her with a mixture of rage and confusion. Then Rita burst out laughing. "What, you think Zedd meant you?" She sounded amazed.

"As if," Zedd growled. "We intend to win this battle. Get back in line."

Goldar dejectedly did as he was told.

'Is Goldar sulking?' Adam wondered as he focussed on the titanic warrior.

"Hey Ed, does that mean I get to fight? Puh-lease," Rito begged.

"NO!" Rita snapped. "You'd mess up worse than the monkey."

"And my name is Zedd, LORD ZEDD!" Zedd added.

"Zedd, gotcha, sorry Ed."

"Enough!" Zedd snapped, his skin sparking with angry red energy that extended all the way to the tip of his staff and back. "Here is my champion Red Ranger. I'm sure after meeting him you will appreciate his abilities. Minion, the greatest disciple of the Dark Masters."

The Rangers had been taken by surprise. Rito or Goldar they had been expecting. Pudgy Pig would have been less of a shock, but to hear that Zedd had not only convinced a Minion to appear, but had convinced him to fight, was a shock.

"I think we scared them Zeddy," Rita cackled.

"Don't look so worried, Red Ranger, I promise my Minion will not kill you... Although when this is over you may wish for death. The fight will take place on the quarry floor," Zedd stated. "All nonparticipants will watch from the sides. Once the battle begins, observers may not intervene or teleport away. Those who are here at the start are compelled to stay until the end."

The participants nodded, the observers moved to their places and silence fell over the makeshift arena.

"This is going to be too easy," Minion said.

"I wouldn't bet on it," Tommy shot back as the two circled each other.

Minion attacked with a lightning-fast crescent kick to Tommy's head, but Tommy ducked it by dropping into a split. Then he retaliated with a fist to the groin. However, Minion pivoted out of the way and snapped a front kick at Tommy's head. Tommy rolled away from Minion's kick, leaping upright. Minion turned sharply, trying to jab his elbow into his opponent's side. Tommy allowed his momentum to carry him through, extending his leg outwards to knock the elbow aside before trying to decapitate Minion with another blow, which Minion promptly blocked.

The fight continued in this way, physical attacks interspersed with periods of waiting. While they were both the same size, and equally matched in their skills, Tommy was getting the worst of the physical battle. Minion's technique was complicated and unpredictable. The aggressive style had caught him unawares. He had received a black eye and split lip from a series of strikes to his face. Still, he refused to surrender.

"I'm disappointed," Minion stated as he backhanded Tommy. "I expected you to fight, not surrender in the first few minutes of this battle."

That was enough to draw Tommy back into the fight. A flare of rage shot through Tommy's mind, instantly clearing his senses. He recalled how his sensei had once told him to focus his emotions to bring himself extra strength. By learning to channel his anger, Tommy had learnt to use his emotion in fighting, instead of allowing his anger to blind him.

Minion was taken aback at Tommy's sudden rage, and was unprepared when Tommy launched an attack using all his skills. In quick succession, Tommy had blacked both of Minion's eyes, split his lip, and cracked him in the stomach. Backing away from his berserk opponent, Minion allowed a look of pleasant surprise to cover his features.

"So you do have some fight in you," he said, wiping the blood aside from his lip. "Why don't we take this little fight up a notch?"

"You're on," Tommy replied confidently.

"Zeo Ranger V - Red!" Tommy called. Minion closed his eyes and waited for a black ball to appear in his right hand, a telltale sign of the powers he now possessed.

"I can't believe he can use the Power against us," Rocky said, desperately watching the two fighters transform.

Tommy was soon in his usual costume, ready to fight. His was face hidden by his helmet making him as difficult to read. Minion's mask helped to hide his expression. His gloves and boots had thickened into a firmer layer of black felt.

"Now we shall see who is the more capable," Minion announced.

They shook hands, marking the beginning of this new phase of the battle. Tendrils of energy ran between them as their powers flared wildly. Both opponents tried to intensify their grip, but only one was successful in doing so. With an almost careless twist, Minion sent Tommy tumbling away. The Red Ranger landed on his back, scraping along the quarry floor until he finally stopped. He lay there for a moment, wondering just how much power Minion had put into that first throw.

Tommy flipped back to his feet and the two warriors met in a flurry of kicks and punches. Before they had been fast, but boosted by their respective powers, their blows became almost invisible. Tommy dodged a left punch, ducked quickly into a prayer position and then launched himself upright with a sharp uppercut. He had some satisfaction in watching Minion's head rolled to one side with the force of the punch, before he felt the sharp thrust kick to his stomach. Both combatants fell back to the ground.

"Come on Tommy!" Kat shouted from where the five remaining Rangers had chosen to view the contest.

As Minion came charging in for a new assault, Tommy used his abilities to teleport out of range. Minion retaliated by using his own skills, and as Tommy delivered what should have been a devastating punch, the Ranger found himself holding only empty clothing.

"Hey pip-squeak!" Minion boomed from above, where he had used his powers to enlarge his body.

Tommy closed his eyes and focussed his senses. He drew his Zeo Pistol and snapped off a series of shots that hit Minion between the eyes. Then his giant opponent swung with a double axe-handled blow to the Ranger's head and Tommy was glad he was now so much smaller he could duck easily.

"Yeah!" Rito cheered as he watched Minion's attempts to squash Tommy like a bug.

"Fool!" Goldar grumbled; well aware that if he was too successful, Minion would become Rita and Zedd's new henchman while he and Rito were relegated to the pitiful tasks Baboo and Squatt were called on to perform. ~What do those two do anyway?~

Minion didn't waste much time. He shrank back to his normal size and as soon as he did so he was attacking his opponent once more. He unleashed a burst of power, which struck the Ranger on his right side. Tommy struggled against the beam as it forced him down, concentrating on channelling the evil energy away from his chest. From the pain in his side he guessed the assault had cracked at least a rib despite his uniform. Not a good start.

Minion was somewhat surprised when Tommy managed to return to a standing position; the beam of energy now focussed on the Ranger's arm. He could tell it was still painful for the Rangers' leader to endure such an intense beam, but his ability to divert it meant Tommy had more control over his powers than Minion had given him credit for.

"My turn," Tommy grunted, forcing the power of the Zeo Crystal into a ball, which he then threw at Zedd's champion.

"Go Tommy!" Tanya cheered from the sidelines.

"Be careful," Kat called, noticing that Minion was already recovering.

The ball exploded on impact, causing only minor discomfort. It did however cut short Minion's energy beam. Minion took a step back before returning fire with a set of shurikens. They exploded on impact, tossing Tommy to the ground again.

"Oh no," Billy said softly.

"What is it?" Adam asked.

"Minion's going to try to finish the contest," Jason replied.

Sure enough Minion was building a huge ball of fire, ready to shoot at his prone opponent.

"Tommy, look out!" Rocky cried.

Tommy's head spun around as Minion released the flaming ball. He stayed low, bringing all his will to bear against the fire. With a grunt he stood and batted the fireball aside, not really worrying about where it landed. An explosion rocked the quarry as the ball caused a small rockslide.

"Very good," Minion commended. "You're better than I thought. But then I haven't had a worthy opponent for centuries so I doubt you have any real skill."

Tommy growled and attacked, discharging energy bolts from his Zeo Pistol, that Minion deftly avoided. The few that got past the clone's defences seemed to bounce off randomly.

"You can't hit what you can't see," Minion told his opponent as he raised his hands to the side of his head, palms facing his foe and fingers spread outwards. A faint glow appeared around his head and it took Tommy a moment too long to realise what was happening.

"Tommy, he's trying to turn himself into a mirror!" Billy warned, just as Minion accomplished his goal.

Catching the sunlight as it fell on his forehead; Minion redirected it as a concentrated stream of light. Straight into Tommy's eyes. He had the satisfaction of watching Tommy grope helplessly at his helmet, trying to reach his burning pupils, shaking his head in the hopes of clearing the pain.

"Or hear."

Minion's body twisted as he forced an object to fly towards Tommy at just past the speed of sound. It narrowly missed the Ranger, but the noise was enough to leave Tommy deafened. He had now lost two of his senses.

Minion used the opportunity to transform his clothing into armour while Tommy was incapacitated. He was now at a level beyond that of a normal Ranger while Tommy was helpless. In desperation the Red Zeo Ranger tore off his helmet, unheard of in battle. Minion didn't intend to give the Ranger a chance to catch up.

"Tommy!" Kat cried frantically.

She wanted to help her boyfriend, they all did. But the rules of the contest prevented them from interfering in anyway. Billy's earlier shout had almost been grounds for disqualification.

"Don't worry Kat," Tanya said. "He can do this." Only Rocky heard her add: "I hope."

Minion stalked the suddenly vulnerable Ranger. Tommy's senses had recovered to the point where he could make out shapes and hear loud noises. Fully powered, Minion made just enough noise for Tommy to pick up on. He attacked, catching Minion by surprise. However the attack was short-lived as Minion gripped the Ranger's shoulder and tossed him aside. Tommy landed on his feet, but Minion drove a fist into the ground, creating a chasm that swallowed the Zeo Ranger whole.

"Now that is how to fight a battle," Minion gloated.

"It's not over yet," Zedd pointed out, spotting Tommy's gloved-hand as it gripped at the flaking soil.

"Back to Action!" Tommy called, using the time it took to recall his helmet and bring his powers out of standby mode. He also took the opportunity to teleport away from the chasm.

Now they were fighting man to man, both determined to triumph. There was something important on the line in this battle: pride. Tommy was drawing every erg of power he could from the Zeo Crystal, using a technique usually reserved for special moves. He used his enhanced strength to lift a large chunk of rock from the ground and threw it at his opponent. Minion teleported away before it crashed to the ground. Tommy though knew where his enemy was and tackled him around the waist before Minion could regain his bearings.

The clashed again, this time their punches glowing with the power that they siphoned from their respective power sources. The Zeo V Power Sword clashed with Minion's short sword, neither able to break through the other's defences. A lucky blow from Tommy breached Minion's guard, allowing Tommy to deliver two more blows across the shoulder, followed by a blast from his helmet that struck Minion in the chest. Then glowing with energy, his sword was drawn through Minion's side, cutting upwards until it emerged through the shoulder blade. Minion dropped his sword; it should have been the end of the match.

"He did it!" Rocky proclaimed loudly.

"I don't believe it," Zedd hissed angrily. He turned on Monastra. "I thought you said he would win. I thought your Minion was supposed to be among the elite of evil warriors."

"Oh he will win Lord Zedd. Look!"

As he spoke, Minion was using the powers of the Morphin Grid to heal his wounds, much to the shock of the Rangers.

"Aw man," Tommy exclaimed as he watched Minion reform.

"I can't believe it," Adam said softly to the other.

"Neither can I," Billy agreed. "I didn't know the Morphin Grid could heal such a mortal wound."

"Guys, Tommy's in trouble," Kat pointed out.

That was true. The battle had taken a lot out of the Ranger. He had put a great deal of his strength behind that final cut, and it had been for nought.

"Now it's my turn," Minion mocked. "Maybe you should surrender, nobody would think any less of you. How could they?"

Tommy braced himself as Minion charged. The two collided, and for the first time it was a battle between the undeniable force of Minion and the immovable object that was Tommy. Waves of surplus energy exploded outwards, causing their audience to take cover. Both warriors had dropped their swords in the collision and it was clear that Tommy had taken the worst of the impact.

"Zeo Power Blaster!" Tommy called, hoping that he could summon the Rangers' joint arsenal.

The powerful weapon appeared and he lifted it into position. He hoped it would be enough; he doubted he had the strength to call forth the Zeo Cannon.

"Fire!"

"Wow, I never thought he'd be able to use it," Rocky said.

Minion however was not impressed. The blast of pure energy engulfed him, burning away the evil power that kept his armour intact. Flames consumed him, but his will was strong and he survived.

"Oh man," Rocky moaned. "This isn't good."

Tommy had dropped the blaster back into its storage place, retrieving the Zeo V Power Sword as he did so. He watched as Minion battled to shake off the effects. It was clear he was succeeding.

"I believe I said it was my turn," Minion said coldly as the last of the flames faded, leaving him in his charred armour. "First, I will clear the air."

He threw his arms into the air and power erupted around him. A gold and black aura formed around him, cloaking him in its power and as he stretched, the aura exploded outward.

"What was that?" Tanya asked as Tommy was thrown off his feet.

"A manifestation of Minion's power," Billy replied. "It would appear he has chosen to wield the energy directly against Tommy without a conduit."

"Now, for the special feature," Minion grinned as he looked down at Tommy.

He raised his right hand and extended his index and middle fingers from the clenched fist. A tiny ball of black energy formed around the extended fingers. Electricity crackled around his hand as he pressed the fingers to the top of his helmet. The energy around his fingers grew in size.

Tommy stood slowly, a look of shock registering on his face. He could sense the power Minion wielded and wasn't sure whether or not he would be able to avoid it. He certainly did not want to test his uniform against such power.

"Hiyah!" Minion cried as he fired a ball of black fire at his opponent.

Tommy jumped aside as more and more blasts came towards him.

"What is he doing?" Zedd demanded.

"Stay still," Minion, cried as Tommy continued to dodge, seeking a way through.

"Never!" Tommy returned defiantly.

"Oh but you will," Minion told him in an amused tone. "Because if you try and dodge this attack, it will strike your friends. And since they cannot morph, I'd wager they would suffer far more than you would."

"You wouldn't," Tommy claimed. "The rules."

"The rules only say that the observers cannot interfere," Minion answered. "I'm aiming at you, it's not my fault if they get hit because you moved."

He was caught and Tommy knew it. If he moved his friends were finished, while if he stayed still, the battle would be over.

"Time to make up your mind Tommy," Minion said. "Because here it comes!"

The world seemed to move in slow motion as Minion drew his fingers away from his head, focussing the massive energy now trapped inside those fingers. He pointed at Tommy, knowing he would not miss; the civilian Rangers would not survive and morphing was out of the question. He locked onto his target and relaxed the safeguards he had used to prevent the energy from dissipating. "Destructo Beam!" he cried.

"Tommy, no!" Kat cried. Adam and Jason grabbed her shoulders, turning her away. Billy didn't have the presence of mind to turn his head. Just like a serious road accident, the events that followed captured the attention of those nearby.

Rocky's mouth opened and closed, but no words came out. His eyes widened as the twisting beam of energy rocketed its way towards his friend. He wanted to close his eyes and look away. He was tempted to transform and pull Tommy out of harm's way. He did neither. It was too late.

Rocky and Tanya were on their feet as Tommy took a defiant stance and waited for the inevitable. They looked across to where the villains were seated and scowled at the delight evident on Rita's face.

"That's more like it," Rita said, her voice subdued by the cheering of Baboo and Squatt. Zedd was speechless and Finster was rubbing his eyes to make sure they weren't deluding him.

The beam tore directly through Tommy's right shoulder, spinning him around like a rag doll. Smoke hissed from the gaping wound as he tried to stay upright. The pain was incredible and had it not been for the adrenaline already flowing, it would have been far worse. He doubled over, catching his breath and trying to gather enough sense to make a comeback.

"Did you enjoy that?"

He looked up. Minion was stood in front of him, hand outstretched palm first. The face that now confronted him was smiling.

"I knew you wouldn't let me hurt them Tommy. You hero types are way too predictable."

"The match is over," Goldar cried from his position.

"This match ends when I say it ends," Minion snarled. For once Goldar had the sense not to pick a fight. He drove his knee into Tommy's gut and then smashed both fists down upon the boy's back. As he saw the Ranger's power start to fade, he fired another blast that carried Tommy across the base of the quarry. "Now it's over." Tommy's powers faded at that moment, no doubt agreeing with what had been said.

Everything turned dark as Minion raised his hand to the sky one more time, this time to dissolve his costume and return the powers he had summoned. As the Rangers and villains around the edge of the quarry looked on, they saw Minion standing unscathed surrounded by scorched earth. Across from him Tommy lay unmoving.

"Stop!" Rocky warned as he saw Minion march towards his leader. "We had a deal Zedd."

"Yes we did," Minion agreed. Effortlessly, he lifted Tommy from the ground. "I'm only collecting my prize. Hand it over and he lives."

The others reluctantly complied, handing him the Super Zeo Zords, Golden Power Staff, their Zeonisers and the Zeo Crystal, which Billy summoned from the Power Chamber.

"You know," Billy said as he held the crystal out. "This doesn't mean we can't attempt to get them back again."

Minion's face curled into a grin. "I look forward to seeing you try."

He aimed his Golden Power Staff at the Super Zeo Zords, returning them to the Super Zeo Gems. The Rangers fell to the ground, feeling as if their hearts had been torn out as the remnants of the Zeo powers were sucked from their bodies.

"Now we are done here," Minion said.

The villains teleported away, leaving the Rangers lying in the quarry, too shocked by the attack to move.

**To be continued**

Disclaimer: I do not own the Power Rangers; they belong to their respective copyright owners and are used here without permission. No money is being made from this fic.  
Authors Note: This is an alternate universe from the television show with an alternate timeline.

**Re-enter: The Green Dragon**

"We did it Zeddy!" Rita cried.

"Silence!" Zedd was not in a good mood and spun sharply to confront Mistress Repugna. "What were you thinking by interfering, do you have any idea what could have happened?"

"What does it matter, you made your little bet, gave your little oath and thanks to my intervention, we won."

"The point is that you could have destroyed us all," Zedd snapped. "That oath contains powerful magic."

"Relax Zedd. So I cheated, we didn't get caught."

"Those Rangers are going to try and retrieve their powers," Zedd mused, ignoring the woman. "Perhaps we should make it easier for them. Goldar, take the Power Coins back to the quarry and wait for those annoying teenagers to show up. When they do use the Putties or Tengas to capture them. Rito, go with him and make sure you don't mess it up. Minion will be nearby, just in case."

"Yes Lord Zedd," Goldar growled.

"Sure thing Ed," Rito added.

"And you," Zedd snarled, his finger pointed at Monastra. "Stay out of the way or I'll put you in a Dumpster."

"Sure Zedd, whatever," Monastra replied, temporarily appearing as a blond haired, blue eyed, bubblegum blowing teenager. When the villain was out of earshot, she added: "Try putting me in a Dumpster when I turn your magic off grate face."

"Hold still Tommy, I'm almost done," Alpha announced as he dragged the pen-shaped device across one of the many cuts Tommy had gained during his battle.

The shoulder he had damaged had been found to be clear from infection and had sealed relatively quickly until Zordon's guidance. The flesh would hurt for a few days to come, but the bones and muscles had regenerated nicely. Still, the power the Dark Ranger had shown in creating that blast was frightening.

"I lost," he repeated for the fifth time since he had been back at the Command Center, as if saying the words would somehow make it seem better.

"Yes Tommy," Zordon answered. "I am afraid that although Minion's tactics were underhanded, he remained within the rules you had agreed on with Zedd. There is nothing we can do about the decision."

"Man, we need to get the Zeo Crystals and the Zords back," Tommy said. When they arrived back at the Power Chamber, they had seen that the Zords had been teleported away.

"We need to find some different powers," Rocky said.

"How about out old powers?" Adam asked.

"Ai-yi-yi-yi-yi! Adam, you must never use those morphers again," Alpha warned. "The power could destroy you."

"It's okay Alpha, calm down," Tanya said reassuringly. "Adam was only asking."

"Hey I know, what about the Green Ranger powers?" Tommy asked. "They were never destroyed with the Thunderzords."

"No," Billy agreed, "but they were drained by Zedd. The Green Ranger is powerless."

"His clone wasn't," Rocky muttered.

"Yes Rocky, you are correct," Zordon boomed, gaining the attention of the Command Center's occupants. "The clone of the Green Ranger never had his powers drained since he is a magical construct and to do so would have ended his existence. With a Power Coin in his possession, they would be intact."

"Yeah, but the clone is in the past," Kat remarked, remembering the stories Tommy had told her, and those not so nice versions that Rita and Zedd had shared.

"I believe we can still contact him for help," Zordon stated. "Alpha, access your tertiary auxiliary memory and recall the wand from that location."

"Zordon?" Billy asked, a suspicion starting to form.

"I am sorry to say I misled you Rangers," Zordon boomed. "After the Green Ranger was left in the past, I considered destroying the Wizard of Deception's wand. However, the wand proved difficult to destroy and I feared we would need a method of time travel in the future, so I had Alpha secrete the wand deep inside the Morphin Grid and ordered him to hide the location within his memory. Only Alpha has the knowledge and means to retrieve it."

"You lied to us," Rocky accused.

"I am afraid I did," Zordon acknowledged. "However, I am certain that my actions were for the best. By keeping the existence of the wand secret I avoided the temptation to use it. By not destroying we have the means to contact the clone."

"Tom," Tommy said. "His name is Tom."

"I apologise Tommy," Zordon said.

"So how do we open this portal to Colonial Angel Grove?" Tanya asked.

"The wand will only work for Tommy, due to his experience with the Wizard of Deception," Zordon said. "You must take the wand to the Colonial Museum and use it to open a portal to the past. Hopefully Tom will agree to aid us."

"I'll go now," Tommy said. He vanished in a column of white.

"Zordon, how can the clone have his powers?" Adam asked. "Tommy told us the Green Ranger powers were lost fighting Lord Zedd."

Kat and Billy exchanged an awkward look. Luckily Tanya interrupted.

"Tommy said the clone used the powers before," she pointed out.

"Yes, but I thought those powers came from the Wizard's wand," Adam answered.

"When Rita and Zedd created the clone, the Wizard used Tommy's hair as a genetic blueprint and managed to duplicate his residual link to the Green Morphin energies. He then used a spell to create a coin with similar properties to Tommy's and energised it using the magic of his wand; he later used the same means to empower the Dragon Zord. But I believe the conduits needed to tap the Green Ranger powers, which had been damaged in Tommy, were normalised within the clone."

"So the clone, Tom, can still morph?" Adam asked.

"I'm not sure." Billy admitted. "You see, the clone was magical in nature, not genetic. So when the Wizard created him he used Rita's memory of the Evil Green Ranger as the design and Rita would not have remembered him having the weakness from the candle at that time. Unfortunately since the coin and the clone are magical constructs, I have no way to ascertain their ability to transform him into the Green Ranger again; from Tommy's description when he transformed back, the coin the Wizard of Deception created just vanished. I don't know if he could morph again."

"If he had a power coin he could," Alpha stated.

Tommy turned pale as his hand sank into his pants' pocket and pulled out his old power coin. Unmistakably that of the Dragonzord.

"So if we gave Tom that coin," Jason said trying to reconcile what he had learnt. The natural leader that he was, it was difficult for him not to just take charge.

"He should be able to morph," Billy answered. "And since the coin is not only connected to the Morphin Grid, but also contains some of Tommy's stolen energy, he should be powerful enough. If he agrees."

"In the meantime we need a plan," Adam said, keen to change the subject. "Maybe we could ask Tom to battle Minion. Now we know how he fights, Tom could win."

"Perhaps," Billy agreed, "but I think Zedd wants us to attack outright."

"How do you know that?" Tanya asked.

"Because he's placed everything we lost in plain view in the quarry, on Earth."

"So if we could get them back, we can be Rangers again, right?" Kat asked.

"That is correct Katherine," Zordon boomed. "Alpha, retrieve the storage trunk."

Alpha moved to comply, dragging a large trunk with him. There he opened it revealing the contents.

"Wow," Rocky remarked pulling out a set of weapons similar to those they used as Rangers.

"Our original Power Weapons," Billy gasped, recalling the weapons they had handed over when Commander Crayfish and his mutants proved too powerful. Zordon had replaced their weapons with similar yet more powerful copies. "You kept them?"

"I was afraid that one day you would need them again," Zordon admitted.

Billy pulled them from their box and as they touched his unpowered hands, the weapons changed, becoming simpler and lighter.

"On some planets, Rangers are allowed to carry their weapons while unmorphed," Zordon explained. "These Power Weapons have been endowed with the ability to blend in with an unmorphed team."

"Hey Billy, remember these?" Jason asked, pulling out the weapons they had retrieved for use against the Super Putties.

"Affirmative," Billy grinned. "We never named them though. Trini said they should be called the Power Slingers, but I thought Thunder Slingers suited them better. Don't you throw anything away Zordon?"

"What's this?" Rocky asked, holding up a piece of rope.

"I remember that," Jason said. "Goldar used it to tie Kat, Zack and me to a chair."

"Correct," Zordon said. "The rope generates a powerful electronic force field that prevents those trapped by it from morphing and teleporting."

"We were lucky to get away," Jason told them.

"Will it still work?" Kat asked.

"Alpha, hand me that scanner," Billy instructed. Alpha did as he was told and Billy passed the device over the top of the rope. "Affirmative, the rope has retained all its properties," he said.

"So we have a magic rope, the Thunder Slingers and unpowered weapons," Adam said. "Anything else?"

"Yes," Tommy said, sounding pleased. He pulled out a pink ribbon. "Kat used this against the Bloom of Doom."

"Let me see that," Alpha said, taking the ribbon from the Ranger. He turned away and then handed Kat a new device. "I modified it to create the Pterodactyl Thunder Whip."

"And this," Billy said, pulling a large rifle from the trunk before closing the lid, "is the Mega-Heater I developed against Turbanshell."

"It's not much," Adam said.

"But it's all we have," Tanya added. "We'll work with what we have, assuming Tommy can convince Tom."

Angel Grove  
Colonial Times

"I don't have a choice, do I?" Tom asked.

When he had been left in the past, he had known that one-day the Rangers would seek him out again. That didn't mean he had to like it. It wasn't fair of them to expect him to abandon his new life, his family, to save a world where he didn't belong. It had taken months for the colonists to accept Tom as one of them, and that had been on the grounds that he didn't use magic. In such a superstitious place, the reappearance of a white clothed stranger and disappearance of a local man would cause a stir. If Tom agreed to this, then the chances were that the life he had known for the past few years would be gone forever.

"We need you," Tommy said, giving the clone a sympathetic smile.

Had he had his way, Tommy would have ensured the wand was destroyed. Nobody deserved to have his or her lives disrupted in this way. He could see that Tom was torn between the life he loved and the friends he barely knew. At the end of the day though he was a Ranger and that meant he had to do what was right, not what he wanted.

"On one condition," Tom said after some thought.

"Name it," Tommy said.

"If I succeed, I will get to keep the wand," Tom told him. "No offence, but I have a life, although it looks like I won't be able to return here again. Still, I can't have you guys ruining it every time Zedd strips you of your power coins. I'm not a Ranger anymore!"

"I'm really sorry man, if we succeed, I promise I'll make Zordon destroy it."

"Not good enough," Tom snarled his anger obvious. "I'm not a part of your lives anymore. You shouldn't even be asking me this. If I succeed, I want the wand, so I can ensure it is never used again."

"I don't think Zordon would agree."

Tom's face was hard when he answered. "Zordon doesn't have a choice. I can't stay here anymore. The wand will allow me to find a new time where I won't upset the balance. And you are the White Ranger, so you decide."

Tommy nodded reluctantly. "Okay, we'll do it," he said finally. He didn't have a choice.

The two Rangers clasped forearms in agreement, and then Tommy handed the wand to Tom and they both vanished.

"Master, the Rangers are not attacking," Goldar reported.

"Oh my," Finster said. "Perhaps they found some new powers."

"No," Zedd said firmly. "They will try and recover their powers first. Perhaps those teenagers lack the proper incentive. Minion, attack the city!"

"Yes, Lord Zedd," Minion replied before disappearing, taking a collection of Monastra's clay creatures with him.

Command Center

"So we're ready then," Tommy said at last.

There had been a great deal of argument between Tom and Zordon when the two youths had returned. Zordon had argued fiercely that if Tom kept the wand he would be tempted to use it. Tom had responded by pointing out that Zordon was no better and that since the Rangers needed his help, Zordon would need to agree to his terms.

"I'll handle Minion and see if I can draw Rito and Goldar into battle," Tom said. The Rangers had updated him on the changes in the villains' camp. "You guys will have to handle the Putties and Tengas though."

"We'll get our powers back and then come and help you," Tommy said.

"Zordon, what happens if Tom needs the Zords?" Kat asked as Tom clipped the last of the original Power weapons to his body, aware that although unpowered, they would provide an additional arsenal.

Trini's daggers were strapped to his ankles, Jason's sword sheathed at his right hip and the less powerful Dragon Dagger was secured on his left hip; Kat's bow and Billy's spears were secured to his back. Zack's axe was in his hand as he contemplated whether or not to take it. Unpowered, the weapons lacked their gestalt form and the axe couldn't be transformed into the Cosmic Cannon. In the end he placed it with the bow and spears.

"Dragonzord should answer to your call," Zordon boomed. "However, without the other Dino Zords, Dragonzord may be overwhelmed. You will have to hold out until the others can reach you."

"I understand Zordon," Tom said. "Are you sure I can access these weapons when morphed?"

"Affirmative," Billy answered. "Although I doubt they will be of use to you."

"Well, I guess it's time."

"Then go, and may the Power protect you."

Tom shook his head in disbelief. "I never thought I would say this again." He smiled as he pulled out his power coin and inserted it into his morpher. "It's Morphin Time - Dragonzord!" He teleported away in a column of green.

The unpowered rangers followed moments later on their own mission. Jason, Adam and Rocky each carried a pair of Thunder Slingers, a third was strapped to their ankles; Tanya wrapped the rope around her fist while Kat had the whip concealed somewhere on her person. Billy had the Mega-Heater clasped firmly in his hands leaving only Tommy without a weapon.

"What about you Tommy?" Kat asked.

"As if you have to ask," Billy snorted, well aware of what their glory hog leader was up to. "Six Rangers bonded in mind and purpose. Right Tommy?"

"Billy is correct," Zordon boomed. "The Sword of Power will prove useful."

"Let's do it," Tommy smiled.

Moving clockwise from closest to Zordon, the teens stood in the circle: Tommy, Billy, Rocky, Tanya, Kat, Adam; they held their right hands in toward their shoulders.

"Sword... of Power!" they called as one.

They put their right hands together in the center of the circle, causing Ranger-coloured energy to flow down their arms, up Tommy's arm as red energy, and form the Sword of Power in Tommy's left hand with a swirl of red energy.

"It's still as beautiful as I remember it," Tommy said, looking over the strange blade. "Just think, last I held this I was under a spell and practically handed it to Zedd."

"It wasn't your fault," Kat told him, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"You must hurry Rangers," Zordon reminded them.

In five columns and a small sphere of light, they were gone.

Upon arriving in Angel Grove, Minion had transformed into the Dark Ranger and set off on his blazing path of destruction. The clay creatures he had taken were wrecking their own havoc while acting as his bodyguards. They were gargoyles, shaped by Mistress Repugna to resemble those found on some buildings. People ran as he marched down the streets towards the City Hall. Unlike most villains, Minion was going to make his point right at the heart of Angel Grove.

A flash of green knocked him aside, forcing him to roll aside. His gargoyles were already moving in to protect him as the green object shot passed three more times, causing them to spark. Minion's eyes narrowed.

"Who are you?" he demanded, throwing shurikens at anything that moved.

"Another little blast from the past," Tom replied, slowing to a stop so the light no longer hid him.

"Tommy," Minion said. His amusement was evident. "Back for round two are you? I won't stop before I kill you this time."

The Green Ranger cocked his head to one side; Dragon Dagger was clasped firmly in his right hand, his left hand was behind his back. His head moved slowly, watching both the gargoyles and Minion for signs of movement.

In his mind Tom was sizing up his opposition. Minion had chosen three very different gargoyles. The first and probably the most dangerous towered over the Green Ranger by a foot, had a stone grey body with huge muscles, powerful demonic wings and sharp teeth. He was made for power, Tom could tell.

The second one was smaller and resembled a schoolboy rather than a killer. Still any illusions Tom held about this creature were put aside when he noticed the claws on the end of its fingers. It had a smooth green skin, a thin tail and small wings.

And the last one was a dog. There was no other way to put it. Grey skinned, it stood on four legs and had large snapping jaws. It had a long powerful looking tail that thrashed from side to side.

With little else to do, Tom attacked, hoping that Minion would prefer to see his pets take care of the problem before involving himself. He charged at the gargoyles, avoiding the dog as it charged at him. He was atop the small one before it could react, using Tommy's dagger to pin its tail to the tarmac. He drew Jason's sword for a swift kill when the larger gargoyle connected with a punch.

Tom flew backwards, threw the window of a delivery van and out the other side, coming to rest in the security shutter of a small shop. The small gargoyle was free and stalking towards him. He saw it leap and catch the wind on its wings before gliding towards him, talons extended to shred him to ribbons. He rolled, bringing Zack's axe to a ready position. He waited until the gargoyle was in reach and then swung the axe.

The blade tore through the clay skin, unleashing a spray of toxic material that seeped into the Green Ranger's uniform. The Dragon Shield glowed brightly as it worked to counter the assault. Tom threw both the axe and sword to the ground as the corrosive chemicals caused the weapons to melt. The dagger he had used earlier to pin the gargoyle's tail in place had dissolved into nothing.

Surprisingly, the small gargoyle was still coming; it's head threatening to rip all the way from its neck as it held on by a slender piece of stony flesh.

"Dragon Dagger!" he called, moving the weapon through a series of motions intended to activate its power. A beam of green light shot from the tip of the weapon, and he wielded it with deadly accuracy as the beam sliced through what was left of the creature's neck.

WREEEEEAGHHHHHHHHHH!

The street exploded under the Green Ranger's feet, glass shattering from the ear splitting wail. The dog had moved in on him while Tom had been distracted and had unleashed on of its many weapons, a paralysing scream every bit as destructive as the club like tail that now pummelled Tom.

Sparks flew as powerful jaws tried to breach the protective fabric of his suit, the pressure sufficient to cause Tom's bones to pop. Tom reached down and drew Trini's daggers, using them to lever the dog's mouth open. Another scream was his reward, this time at close range and powerful enough to crack a part of Tom's helmet. Tom kicked the dog away and scrambled back to his feet. He tried to make some space between him and the clay mutt, but the dog's tail was long and smacked into his damaged leg.

Tom fell forward, rolling onto his back out of instinct; there was no way to protect himself if he couldn't see his opponent coming. The dog was already charging him. It leapt, he raised his feet and managed to kick it away, but the dog landed on its feet and charged in for a second attempt. Tom placed Billy's spears so that the points met over his chest. Kimberly's bow was drawn ready; the Dragon Dagger was primed as an arrow.

The dog landed, its chest firmly embedded on the spears as Tom released the Dragon Dagger. The blade ripped down the gargoyle's throat and out the other end, destroying the beast but also covering Tom with more of the corrosive chemicals. This time though the liquid found its way through his damaged uniform. Tom however didn't have time to thank about that or about the weapons that had been destroyed by the spray or the Dragon Dagger now safely back in his grip. The largest gargoyle was back and mad.

They crept as near to the podium where their power coins had been placed as they dared to. Rita and Zedd had set Tengas and Putties in place, no doubt expecting the Rangers to charge in without a plan and become trapped by the overwhelming odds. They had spotted Rita and Zedd earlier, hiding in the background ready to strike them at the last moment. But something had happened, and angry exchange had taken place and the two villains had vanished along with Goldar and Rito. The Rangers took that as their signal and closed in.

Against the Putties the Rangers showed no mercy, blasting them with the Thunder Slingers and Billy's Mega Heater. The clay foot soldiers were numerous, but relatively easy to break. Tanya and Adam used their fighting skills to hit the Z-Putties in the right place.

Kat was using her whip to trip Tengas as the attacked. Since they were living creatures, the Rangers tried to keep the bird creatures alive if a little banged up. Behind her Rocky had abandoned his Thunder Slinger in favour of his feet as he lured the Tengas in.

Tommy held the Sword of Power at the ready, using its powers to trap anything that moved in a bubble of orange energy. He kicked a Z-Putty in the chest and then used the hilt of his sword to knock a Tenga unconscious. He was grateful that although powerless they had managed to retrieve the sword.

Billy turned constantly, preventing anything from getting too near as he maintained fire. The number of Putties had been cut and the Rangers were making progress, but it was becoming clear that time was running out. Once Rita and Zedd realised what was going on, they would return.

"Kat, the crystal," he shouted, noticing that the Pink Ranger was the closest to the podium.

The Pink Ranger nodded in reply and after breaking off her attack, ran for the podium. She came to an abrupt halt though when Rita's latest monster, Mistress Repugna appeared, energy shooting from her fingertips.

"Such rude children you are," she stated. "Trying to steal from Empress Rita and Lord Zedd isn't polite. Prepare for a tongue lashing."

Fire burst from her mouth, taking on the shape of a forked tongue that whipped back and forth across the Rangers chests. Kat was knocked back into the throng of foot soldiers.

"Perhaps the trap they laid was too simplistic for you. Putties!"

A red Putty appeared, its body covered with spikes and two powerful blades on its arms. It made a noise similar to a snarl and charged at the powerless humans while the monster turned her attention on Kat and Tanya.

Billy tried to use the Mega-Heater, but a slash from the Putty cleaved it in half. He rolled away before a second blow could hurt him while Adam and Rocky distracted it with kicks and Tommy traded sword blows. The Putty while not skilled in fighting, was resistant to their attacks. It could change shape to avoid any potentially dangerous shots and could retract or elongate its natural weapons.

Rocky and Adam drew their Thunder Slingers, pelting the Putty with several shots before realising they were having little effect. When it returned fire, using its spikes as darts, the two Rangers abandoned their action and retreated.

Mistress Repugna was ruthless in combat. The combination of her fire breath and energy shooting nails was bad enough, but combined with the sceptre, those powers were of little importance. Especially since she was currently shifting said sceptre between its usual form and a long slender sword.

Kat used her whip to catch the woman's ankle while Tanya attacked with a series of sharp kicks, which were blocked easily. A downward slash from the sword and Kat's whip was broken.

"Transform!" the monster cried.

The red Putty obeyed and turned into a spinning ball composed of sharp edges.

"Look out!" Tommy warned as the ball chased after the Rangers.

Kat tried to attack Mistress Repugna again, but found herself knocked into the podium but a sharp backhand. She shook her head to clear her thoughts as her palm closed around something familiar. The Zeo Crystal. As soon as she touched it, the crystal and the Zords were teleported away by Zordon, leaving the Zeonisers and Golden Power Staff.

"Zeo Ranger I - Pink!" she cried, tossing Tanya her transformation device.

Soon the Rangers had their Zeonisers back and the fight was on again. The ball like Putty was still proving dangerous though as it tore into them and they had to use all their abilities to avoid it.

The monster towered over Kat as she had once again knocked the Pink Ranger down. She drove the sword forward, but Kat was gone, teleporting to safety. She pulled her blade back only to be met by Tommy; Sword of Power gripped firmly in his hands.

The two battled back and forth, Painforte slipping in the occasional blast of energy that kept Tommy off balance. He in turn used the sword's capabilities to throw her off balance. She still had the upper hand.

The ball spun back towards Rocky, who had transformed into his Ranger uniform in the hopes of finding better protection. The blades however cut into the fabric and while not deep enough to reach his skin, it caused him to spark violently.

"Guys, I have an idea," Adam called. He told them the plan quickly, using their internal communications.

The others nodded quickly in agreement as first Adam and then Billy explained why the plan would succeed, after which the genius teleported back to the Power Chamber.

"Hey, over here," Rocky shouted, drawing the ball in his direction before teleporting around to the far side of Kat.

Together the Rangers kept the ball chasing after them, slowly positioning themselves in the right place for their plan to work. Meanwhile Tanya had moved closer to where Tommy and the monster were fighting. She waited for the right moment and then attacked.

Mistress Repugna took a while to realise what had happened. The Yellow Ranger had come from behind and had slipped a piece of rope around her, distracting her just long enough for Tommy to trap her in a bubble. She didn't worry though because she could order the ball to help her. Or at least that was what she thought until she noticed the ball was not responding the rope had blocked her ability to control it mentally.

There was an anguished scream as the Rangers continued to draw the ball into a series of wild attacks. Finally Tommy signalled and the others demorphed and vanished from sight, leaving Tommy as the only target.

"NO!" the monster cried, now aware of what the Rangers were up to.

It was too late. Tommy teleported, but the ball kept coming, ramming and tearing its way through the bubble... and its contents were torn to pieces.

But the Rangers did not celebrate. They still had to stop Minion.

The gargoyle flew ever higher as Tom's struggles diminished. The chemical, whatever it was, had seeped into his skin and had left him feeling weak and nauseous. He couldn't remember any monsters that naturally included such chemicals and assumed someone had put it there deliberately. Minion's idea of a prank no doubt.

He gripped the Dragon Dagger hard as the beast started to dive towards the rooftops, dragging him over the roofs as it did so. With his Power enhanced uniform the buildings suffered more than he did, but any debris that found a way into the rips in his suit, burnt against his suddenly sensitive skin.

He waited, biding his time until the beast was close to the ground. Then he used the dagger to rip at its wing, careful not to inhale the noxious chemicals that sprayed out. He was having trouble focussing on what he was doing and flailed blindly in the hopes of connecting with a target.

The beast howled in pain, dropping its prey to the ground. Tom rolled away, scared that the gargoyle might land on him. He scrambled along the street; still unable to see exactly where he was going. It was getting difficult to breathe.

The gargoyle had recovered and despite its useless wing, it was stalking after the Green Ranger. It lifted Tom into the air and after wrapping its arms around him, squeezed, driving the air out of the boy's lungs and preventing him from getting a fresh breath.

Tom kicked out, hoping to connect with something that would cause pain. Of course as a golem-based monster, the gargoyle lacked the most natural target for the Green Ranger's knee. Because giving a golem-type warrior a useless but energy-depleting organ made no sense strategically. Every special body part or organ came with a price. It took extra energy to maintain. As such, that weakness was removed.

Eventually his kicking found a pressure point where he could at least throw the beast off balance. By doing so he prevented it from tightening its grip on his body. His eyesight was no longer blurred. Instead everything seemed too bright, too real.

The gargoyle growled after one particularly nasty kick and threw Tom aside. The Green Ranger bounced painfully of the bonnet of a station wagon and onto the sidewalk. The paving cracked on impact. In retaliation, Tom threw a hubcap at the oncoming beast, subconscious pouring a little of his energy into the object to accelerate its flight. It sliced through the creature's arm, severing the limb.

Using the opportunity, Tom retreated once more, this time on the lookout for something that might aid him. He found it when he approached Nigel's Discount Gas and Flower Store. Normally the Rangers would not condone the public damage Tom had in mind. But he was alone, hurt and possibly getting weaker by the second - he couldn't tell anymore since he had lost sensation in his body below the neck.

Using a Blade Blaster to cut a hole in the street, he covered it with a large truck. He then soaked the area in gasoline, after warning the police and fire officers to evacuate the area. Only one officer had protested since the others saw the gargoyle as the bigger threat.

He saw it moving up the street towards him, stalking its prey and crushing anything in its path. Tom wished it would hurry. He didn't know what was wrong with him, but he did recognise there was a good chance he would not survive the encounter should he pass out.

The gargoyle had seen him and charged forward. It leapt at him and he dodged, drawing his Blade Blaster ready. The gargoyle landed, its weight forcing the truck into the hole and the pool of gasoline. Tom fired a single shot and the fuel exploded, baking the creature in the intense heat. Tom fired continuously, chipping away at the now brittle monster until he hit the right place. The gargoyle crumbled.

Tom saw his work pay off as the gargoyle disintegrated, the toxic foam from its dying body extinguishing the flames that had taken its life. The street would need replacing and the surrounding buildings would be a mess, but nobody was hurt and the damage was minimal. He should have been pleased.

Pain caused him to keel over as the chemical he had absorbed into his body started to overcome his immune system. Even with the Power to enhance it he was fading fast. Remaining morphed was adding a further drain on his powers. He needed to enter standby mode to heal such extensive wounds.

"So, you survived my little pets did you Tommy?" Minion asked.

Tom turned towards the other clone's voice, only to be greeted by the Dark Ranger's fist. Minion seized the advantage and attacked his green opponent.

"What's the matter Tommy, feeling a little ill?" he asked. "Those fumes you breathed, the chemical that burnt into your skin... it's poison. Not fatal, but I promise you'll be lucky if you survive the next hour. And when I'm done beating you to death, the others will still be powerless."

"Just one little problem with... that," Tom gasped as the Dark Ranger's grip intensified. "I'm... not... Tommy!"

"What?" Minion asked. That statement confused him. It had to be Tommy. Who else could wear the Green Ranger's costume? "Who are you then?"

"Just ... another... clone," Tom gasped. Breathing was becoming increasing difficult.

Minion let out a cry of anguish, realising he'd been distracted from his duty. He should have been stopping the other Rangers from stealing their powers back. That meant they could have their powers again and that the whole battle against Tommy had been for nothing.

"No, I will destroy Angel Grove," he hissed defiantly. "Goldar, Rito, attack!"

The giant sized aliens attacked, tearing through the buildings already damaged by Minion and his gargoyles.

"No... can't let you," Tom managed. "Dragonzord, arise."

A beam of green light shot into the air from Tom's morpher, summoning forth the power of his Zord. Deep inside the Morphin Grid the Dragon heard his call and answered, once again infusing the cold metal shell with the spirit of the Dragon. Magic and machinery merged as the Dragonzord was activated one more time.

Tom's flute sounded over Angel Grove as the musically coded commands were sent to his machine. And the Dragonzord emerged, the physical manifestation of the Green Dragon on Earth. Tom raised his hand in the direction of his Zord and teleported, knowing he would be unable to control the fight from outside. On this occasion he had to take manual control.

Dragonzord stomped towards Rito and Goldar; ready to punish them for the destruction they had caused.

"Tommy," Goldar growled in greeting. "I never knew you had it in you."

"I'm ... not ... Tommy," Tom stated, his voice barely recognisable because he was breathing so hard.

The Zord turned, scraping its tail across Rito's chest. Goldar caught the drill end as it started to spin, sparks flying from his armour. Tom moved the controls and the Zord fired its finger rockets, blasting Goldar to the ground. The Zord stumbled as it was hit from behind. Tom made it turn to reveal Scorpina in her mutant scorpion form, her tail wrapped around the Zord's neck.

Goldar and Rito combined their fire; Dragonzord gave an electronic groan as it fell to the ground.

"Soon as we get there guys, call on the Megazords," Tommy instructed.

They were in mid-teleport, so he never saw their nods, although he guessed correctly that they had heard him.

"Super Zeo Megazord power!"

Once complete the Megazord stood while Goldar, Rito and Scorpina tried to knock it down. Their attacks bounced away harmlessly. When it finally moved, its powerful fist almost crushed Rito with a single punch.

"This isn't fair," Goldar could be heard protesting.

"Then I'll even the odds," Minion told the golden monkey.

In a flash of black the Dark Ranger teleported aboard the Megazord, attacking the Rangers and throwing them from the cockpit. Rocky grabbed the invader before he could assume control of the battle machine and abandoned the Zords, knowing they would be sent back to its hiding place.

"So we're back to where we were before," Minion said casually. "Perhaps another contest with greater stakes. You win; I'll give you Zedd's prisoner. If you lose, I get possession of your powers and your lives."

"How can we trust you?" Tommy asked, suspicion once again coming to the front of his emotions.

"You don't have a choice," Minion answered. "But I will give you the same Oath that Zedd gave you earlier."

"Negative," Billy interrupted as he teleported on the scene. "Swear an oath on the honour of Lord Zedd's father that you will abide by these terms regardless of the outcome and that no harm will come to any Ranger during the battle unless they are fighting."

"Very well," Minion said and he repeated the oath Billy had chosen. "We will return to the quarry."

"The battle starts now?" Billy asked.

"Yes," Minion answered, unsure what Billy was up to.

"What about Tom?" Tommy asked.

"Oh yes, the Green Ranger," Minion said. He turned and unleashed a ball of explosive energy. Dragonzord was bombarded with energy, pieces ripped from its shell covered the area until the Zord's emergency system kicked in and the Zord vanished. "He served his purpose and distracted me so you could get your powers back, he won't be missed."

In columns of light the Rangers and Minion left for the quarry. This more than their powers were on the line.

Tom lay inside the remains of the Dragonzord, what was left of his life ebbing away as the Zord was transported back to its underwater resting spot. A short rest and the Zord would return, just as Tom's Ranger powers were regenerating him. It had been a close call; he had known somehow that when he had followed Tommy into the present, he risked certain, but this experience was not what he had expected just how close to death he would come.

The poison had not affected him like it did most victims. He didn't feel the pain or the gradual leeching of his life force. Instead the poison was attempting to break down the cloned cells in his body, reverting him to the magic from whence he came. Fortunately the Morphin Grid leant him additional resistance; he would live. There was no poison left in his body, it had been burnt off by his metabolism, and the damage though severe was reversible if he could reach medical help.

Slowly he lost consciousness, as the struggle left him exhausted. But before he did so he swore on his powers, his life and his soul that Minion would not be allowed to continue. As long as Minion lived, Tom would be there to stop him. "Please, let me survive this so I can keep my word." Green light surrounded him as the Power moved to protect him from further harm. He had demorphed and held his Power Coin in one hand. In the other, he held the Wizard of Deception's wand.

Tommy was losing again. Minion had not tired from recent events while the Rangers had just battled unmorphed to retrieve their powers. This time Tommy had hardly managed to land a blow and Minion was already on the point of victory. He grabbed the Rangers' leader and turned to the onlookers.

"You will surrender your powers, now!"

"That wasn't the deal," Billy told him in response.

"Surrender your powers or Tommy here will die at my hand."

At that point, two things happened: Minion cried out in pain. Smoke poured from the Dark Ranger while Tommy stood straight, sword gripped firmly in his hand.

"Now it ends," Tommy stated as Minion burst into flames, cursing at Billy and the Rangers.

"What happened to him?" Tanya asked.

"He didn't take the oath seriously," Billy answered.

Tommy leapt forward, his sword meeting Minion's as he landed. The two warriors fought for a while as their blades met in a flash of energy. Minion was surprisingly skilled despite being on fire.

Then the Red Ranger saw an opening and in a repeat of a move he had made in their earlier battle, removed Minion's sword arm and most of his shoulder. A spinning slash across the chest stopped abruptly when it hit something hard. Tommy drew back the blade and thrust forward, bringing the power of the Zeo Crystal to the battle.

There was an explosion of gold metal and Tommy was thrown backwards as the Dark Ranger's uniform vanished, leaving Minion behind, his body covered with shards of gold. Flames were consuming his body, as he stood defiant. Then a pool of darkness opened around him, sucking the still screaming Minion inside.

Tommy stood victorious, raised his hand in triumph and promptly fainted.

"So when Minion threatened us without ending the match, he broke his oath... Minion was as good as gone," Tommy said.

"Affirmative," Billy answered. "Minion never understood the meaning of the oath he undertook. He thought he was swearing the oath on the father of Lord Zedd, a creature of chaos and wickedness without a strong sense of honour. But he forgot that Zedd as we know him has a mortal host and that host had a father."

"That is correct Billy," Zordon boomed. "Lord Zedd's father was a noble king who created strong enchantments around his honour. Should anyone cause dishonour, he would in turn destroy him or her. When Minion failed to keep his oath, he broke that word of honour. The spell was quite specific: those who dishonour my name shall be bound in fire and removed from this world to one of eternal sorrow."

"So what will you do now?" Tanya asked.

"I'll use the wand to go back to Colonial Angel Grove," Tom answered.

"Tommy will go with you and bring the Wizard's wand back to this time," Zordon offered.

Tom frowned and shook his head. "Sorry Zordon, but that wasn't the deal. I go back to the past and then I'll decide what to do with the wand."

"I assure you..."

"You'll what?" Tom demanded, "Lie to your own Rangers again? Hold the wand here in case you need me again? That's not going to happen Zordon, I don't belong here and I am not backup in case your team fails."

"I cannot allow the wand to fall into the wrong hands," Zordon pointed out.

"When I get home, the wand will be disposed of."

Zordon sighed. He could not win this argument, no matter how hard he tried. And he knew that after all he had done to help, the Rangers would never attack Tom. In short, he had no choice but to agree.

"Very well Green Ranger," he said. "May the Power protect you."

Tom said very little as he teleported away.

Angel Grove Youth Center

It seemed strange to be in such a sombre mood in the middle of one of Ernie's parties. But today the Rangers couldn't bring themselves to smile. At least not yet. There was something they had to do first.

"To Tom Oliver," Tommy said, raising his glass.

The others followed suit. Although they had gotten over the shock of his departure so soon after his return, they still felt guilty for putting him that position. This toast was their way of say goodbye, albeit they were drinking smoothies.

"Thanks Bro," Tommy whispered.

The Moon

"How dare you return here?" Zedd boomed as the battered form of his mother-in-law teleported into his Chamber of Command.

"They beat him," the woman wailed. "They defeated my Minion."

Zedd wasn't listening though. He had seen enough defeats to guess what had happened. But that didn't matter to him. What did matter was that this woman had invaded his home, insulted him, dishonoured his father - not that he cared about that - and then had the audacity to come crawling back after such a humiliating defeat. Zedd was no fool. He knew she was feeling weak and vulnerable right now. She took full advantage of it.

"Get out of my palace!" he snarled, aiming his staff at the woman.

"You can't," she protested.

"I can and I am," Zedd reasoned.

"Rita... please," she begged, appealing to her daughter's better nature. Rita didn't have a better nature.

"Bye Mom," Rita waved, cackling.

"Your father will hear of this," she warned, but the only response was a double blast from Rita and Zedd's magic as she was forcibly dumped on a planet on the far side of the galaxy.

"And now, where were we?" Zedd asked as the music started again. His wife giggled, replacing the rose in her mouth as they resumed their Tango.

**End**

Disclaimer: I do not own the Power Rangers; they belong to their respective copyright owners and are used here without permission. No money is being made from this fic.  
Authors Note: This is an alternate universe from the television show with an alternate timeline.

**Clash of the Megazords**

NASADA Base, Angel Grove

"Excellent work Professor Belle," General Wicks said as he followed the white clad scientists into the test bay.

"As you can see General," Graham Belle answered, ignoring the compliment. "The Pulse Disruptor is ready for use. By generating a low frequency energy wave, it interferes with the flow of electrical power. In short, after pushing the trigger, this machine could knock out just about every electronic device in a country the size of Australia. And, even after it's turned off the effects will remain until the damage is repaired."

"So it would cause collateral damage," General Wicks commented.

"No more than an existing EMP wave, General," Professor Belle told him. "Without the need to cause a nuclear explosion, large scale devastation would be a thing of the past. Of course delicate equipment could explode as a result of the pulse wave and that in turn could cause collateral damage. I am this device is no closer to solving that particular problem, but with further research we might find a way to disrupt electronics without permanent damage. That could take years of research."

"I see," General Wicks agreed. "And how would this device operate against something not of this world - the Machine Empire for example."

"In theory this device would render any machine requiring electronics to malfunction. Even King Mondo. Unfortunately the drain on the device means it will only fire a single burst before it needs recharging."

"That would be a drawback, which I hope you will correct as a priority," the General stated.

"Yes sir," Professor Belle answered.

He directed the General towards the control center where his daughters Joanna and Jennifer were working. At seventeen, Josie was one of the professor's best electricians, a considerable feat given her competition and her age. Both girls were students and Jo was home schooled. Her twin, Jennifer, had been attending classes at Angel Grove for the past year, but still had a lot to learn when it came to designing printed circuit boards. However, she easily outclassed her sister in computer programming, a class in which she excelled. Both girls owed their skills to their parents' dedication to their education and access to some of the leading experts in their chosen areas.

"Ladies," the General acknowledged.

The two girls mock-saluted before going back to work. For some, the idea of a seventeen-year-old being allowed anywhere near such advanced technology would seem ludicrous, but Professor Belle had raised his daughters to appreciate all the good that computers could do while instilling a moral objection to replacing humans with machines, unlike his brother who merely saw the opportunity to turn a quick profit.

"As you can see, our role in this operation is almost complete," Professor Belle said. "The electronics are completed and the programming has been design to allow remote activation. I'm afraid we cannot provide a way to get it to the target."

"This is a United States military project Professor," the General laughed, "I'm sure we could find a way to get it there. Which is why it's so disappointing for me to close this project down."

"I... I don't understand," the scientist protested.

"Professor Belle, there are some weapons that should never be unleashed upon the world. The nuclear bomb was one such weapon; mustard gas was another. If we continue to fund this project, other countries might start to believe that development is feasible. Could you imagine what a device like this would do to one of our cities? I'm sorry, but as of now this project has been terminated."

"What are you saying?" Professor Belle asked, surprised that he had not heard about this before and shocked that the military would consider such an action.

"The United States Government has decided that this device poses too great a threat to our domestic welfare to be allowed to become public knowledge. It will be moved to a secure warehouse and stored until disposal becomes an option."

So that was it then. Of course, he didn't believe the general. They weren't interested in taking the device away for security; they wanted to duplicate it as quickly as possible and improve it to make a more efficient weapon. He had no doubt that part of their time would be spent finding ways to shield from the pulse in case aggressors managed to create a similar weapon. But to men like General Wicks, the domestic good was an excuse, never a concern.

"You must admit Professor Belle that it makes sense to be cautious. It is after all in the national interest to protect innocent lives. My men will arrive shortly and this device will be moved to a more secure area."

"More secure than thirty miles underground in a bunker intended to survive a full scale nuclear assault?" Mrs Belle asked. She had been in on the early discussions and knew that Angel Grove had been deemed the safest place for all such studies. It was unlikely that had changed. "And what do the other members of the committee think about that?"

"The Committee for the Development and Employment of Tactical Weapons has no authority once a project has commenced," the general told her. "This is a military installation and as such I am in charge of this operation. And I intend to move that device." His tone changed as he gave his next orders. "The device will be collected immediately. You are ordered not to leave this room or contact anyone until the convoy is underway. This is a code red situation. Personnel will be along shortly to supervise the disposal of sensitive information and to formally debrief you. This entire operation has been marked sanitised. I trust I do not need to tell you what that means."

~Of course not,~ Professor Belle thought as he pushed a button on a small signal device he had been given. ~It means that if he wants to, the general could have us locked up without trial... or worse.~

NASADA Storage Facility, Angel Grove

The convoy of four jeeps, two transportation lorries and a small tank remained motionless as its occupants were confronted by a team of six multicoloured fighters brandishing an array of weapons. More guards were rushing from the barracks located behind the warehouse as desperate civilian employees scrambled to escape what promised to be a bloody confrontation.

A large green car pulled up, the flags fluttering in the midday breeze. A soldier stepped from the driver's seat and opened the rear door. He opened the door and saluted as his superior officer moved into view.

"Zeo Cannon!" five of the six strangers called. "Fire!"

A large weapon appeared on their shoulders and they aimed it at the ground next to the car, ignoring the guns that were now trained on them. A blast of multicoloured energy caused the ground to explode, taking the car and its driver with it. In a blur of action the costumed assailants attacked the other soldiers as the officer's protests were ignored. Of course it was overkill, but then Tommy had been allowed a free hand for this battle.

"It was a good plan," Red Zeo told the man who resembled General Wicks. "Dress up as our own military and steal the Pulse Generator before the government could sanction its use."

"Rangers, what are you talking about? You're delirious; my men are simply moving the bomb to a safer location. If King Mondo were to lay his hands on it now, it could be disastrous."

"King Mondo is destroyed," Tommy said softly as he pulled and armed his small weapon and pointed it at the General. "But you already knew that didn't you? Hold still, this won't hurt," he assured the officer as he aimed at the soldier before adding, "much".

Red Zeo fired off six low energy shots, drawing a gasp from the media who had gathered for the unveiling of the new super weapon designed and built by the Belle Organization. The man's uniform smoked as each discharge burned a little bit more of the fabric away. On the sixth shot the General's belt snapped, revealing a lack of underwear and the smoothest pair of metallic legs anyone had ever seen. In panic the officer managed to knock the rubber mask from his face, confirming what the six Rangers already suspected, he was one of Prince Gasket's machines; the Rangers had dispatched Mondo after a spectacular battle a couple of months before.

The real soldiers, who had been attracted by the noise, swiftly moved the shocked crowd away as the Rangers attacked the other Cogs, who had been exposed with their leader. Already several Cogs had been shut down, but at two to one the machines had the strength of numbers. The Rangers were not in the mood for fun and games; they beat on the mechanical terrors with all the aggression they could muster, and showed no reluctance to double or even triple team a single robot. It wasn't need that drove them to such unfair methods, they were just eager to finish the battle before anything went wrong; they were aware of the weapons kept within the base and didn't want Gasket's forces to steal any.

Things had changed since Jason had been the Red Ranger. Back then, the team had been reliant on Zordon for guidance and it had taken the arrival of the Green Ranger for them to actually think for themselves. That was probably a bit harsh, but the days of waiting for an enemy to make the first move were behind them. Now that the United Nations had made it clear that Rita, Zedd, their henchman and anyone else considering conquering Earth were unwelcome; their very appearance on Earth was an invitation to be attacked. Of course, UN forces could not attack in the first instance, since conquering the world was not considered a crime according to their mandate.

Of course attackers were still offered the chance to leave, but the Rangers were able to take some pro-active measures against their opponents.

It was, Jason reasoned, a sign that the team was facing a more serious threat than they had against Rita and Zedd. Back when he had been the leader the attacks had been almost weekly due to the time taken for Finster to build Putties and think up a new monster, not to mention that her migraines seemed to consume a lot of Rita's time. Gasket however, was a machine, just like his father. He rarely got tired and already had a near inexhaustible supply of parts. His monsters could be easily mass-produced if they showed signs of success. And with his wife Archerina to help him, not to mention Queen Machina and Prince Sprocket, Gasket was able to send attacks every couple of days. If he didn't send an attack for more than a few days, then the Rangers knew they were in real trouble, like the time Gasket had kidnapped and brainwashed Tommy.

"You know," the Gold Ranger called to his red teammate, "We need to buy Gasket a diary because he has lousy timing."

Tommy grinned under his mask, knowing full well why Jason was annoyed. The message from Zordon had come at an inconvenient time for the Gold Ranger. To be caught in class or during training was one thing, but to have to teleport from the men's showers at the Youth Center wearing only a towel had proven especially embarrassing. 'For one thing,' the Red Zeo Ranger smirked, 'Every time he tried to morph he almost dropped the towel.' The look on Kat and Tanya's faces would have been worth a fortune if that had happened, not to mention that Jason would have been the red ranger once more.

"You so didn't want to do that," they heard Yellow Zeo say from not too far to their left.

They looked over in time to see Tanya rubbing the base of her helmet where one of the Cogs had landed a powerful right hand. He imagined that she would have a nasty bruise there for a couple of days.

"Zeo II Power Punch!" she called.

Her Zeonisers drew more power from the Zeo Crystal as they usually did when calling on Zeo Zord II. The difference was that instead of diverting the excess power into the battle machine, it was focussed into her fist.

"I'll teach ya not to hit a lady," she promised the Cogs as her fist connected with the side of its metallic jaw.

The head was transformed as it flew from the shoulders into a ball of shrapnel that tore a neighbouring robot.

Adam turned from where he was easily holding off two Cogs to give his girlfriend the thumbs up, while Rocky ploughed through his own opponents with a Zeo Power Kick.

Tommy did the quick math and discovered there were at most six Cogs excluding the General, whom Kat had chosen as a guinea pig for her own frustration at being called away from dance class.

"Switch off," Red Zeo called.

His Pink friend nodded and moved alongside Jason while Tommy handled the now dented general.

"Golden Power Staff!" Gold Ranger called.

"Zeo I Power Disk!" Kat cried. "Hi-yah!"

The Zeo Power Disk sliced through each of the Cogs, separating their heads from the robotic bodies.

"Time for a Gold Rush!" Jason cried as he raced forward.

Despite what the public believed, the Gold Ranger was not a Zeo Ranger. His powers bore a similarity to those of the Zeo Rangers and the Golden Power Staff shared a similar history to the Zeo Crystal, but there was no other connection.

The Golden Power Staff contained a piece of crafted crystal shaped by the Master Carvers of Crystal. The crystal drew energy from the vast pool of magic that seeped into the universe. Unlike most magic, the energy was not affected by Iron and could even be used by Iron-based life forms such as the Machine Empire. Hence the reason Mondo had put a lot of time into capturing the weapon.

As the heads that Kat had sliced off with surgical precision fell to the ground, the raw heat of the Gold Rush erased the metal bodies. All of which left only the Cog General to be dealt with.

"I am Garrison," the robot revealed, as several panels opened to expose an array of weaponry. "Prince Gasket's finest creation."

"Yeah and Rito Revolto is a member of MENSA," Rocky snapped back.

"Why not try my twenty-one gun salute?" Garrison suggested.

Before the Rangers could decline several bursts of energy exploded from the machine's chest. The Rangers were thrown back; the military vehicles behind them were not so fortunate.

"Zordon, emergency teleport," Green Zeo yelled.

The truck containing the Pulse Generator was transported to a safer part of the military base where Alpha had set up equipment to block any further teleport attempts. Although the bomb exploding would solve the problem of it being stolen and eliminate Garrison, it would also wipe out every mechanical device in Angel Grove. That was something they could not allow.

"Man, we really need a plan," Tommy commented as they all ducked for cover. "Adam?"

The normally quiet Green Zeo Ranger also acted as the team's strategist, drawing on the things his father had taught him growing up to devise workable plans. Tommy tended to defer to Adam's judgement almost as much as he had Billy's.

"Hold still," Adam warned the others as he unclipped his Zeo Pistol and fired at the ground.

The soil beneath them gave way to form a small trench. At the same time the jeep they had been crouched behind tipped to provide more cover.

"Now teleport," he told them. The others did as they were told, leaving Adam behind. He dared to glance around the edge of the jeep and ducked back as a plasma burst almost took his head off. "Zordon, I need all the teleport systems tuned to my frequency."

The teleportation system had always been separate from the Power. When morphed they had been able to use the Power Coins or Zeo Crystal to teleport, but when demorphed the ability required a direct link to the Morphin Grid. Complex machinery in the old Command Center and now the Power Chamber allowed them more control over the function. It also allowed the Zeo Rangers to control their journeys when morphed. That was what Adam planned now.

By altering the device so it listened for the signal from his communicator he hoped the system would respond faster than the Zeo Crystal would. At least it had better respond faster or he would be in serious trouble.

"Yes Adam," Zordon's voice responded.

The Green Zeo Ranger did not bother replying; instead he was using the scanning apparatus in his helmet to pinpoint targets. He checked the grip on his Zeo Pistol and then jumped into the air, hoping that Garrison would not take the opportunity to shoot him down. As he moved higher, he squeezed off a shot from his weapon, marking the ground where it hit. He repeated the step several times as he marked different distances on the ground. Then he teleported just as Garrison locked on.

He reappeared next to the first mark he had placed on the ground and waited. The machine turned and fired, but not before Adam had moved to his next location. Each time he vanished, Adam moved further away, testing the monster's ability to fire from a distance and predict his next move. When he collected all, he needed to know for those tasks he started randomly appearing to test the speed of response. All went well until a lucky shot clipped his leg.

"Now I have you..."

The tip of Blue Zeo's Power Weapon remained embedded in Garrison's skull as the other Rangers rescued their friend. Zordon had worked out what the Green Zeo Ranger was planning, and had adapted the teleport system so they could all move short distances like Tommy had done in his days as the Green Ranger. Of course Rocky's first instinct was to stop the machine from hurting his friend.

"Hard and fast," Adam told Red Zeo. "His range is half a mile."

"You have a plan?" Tommy asked.

Under his helmet Adam smiled. "Oh yes." He started to tell them his idea.

"Hey ugly!" Tanya called as she moved into sight. "Your momma was a snow blower!"

It was a shame that trash talking was not part of the Ranger power, but they made do with what they had. The effort had the desired effect regardless of quality; Garrison turned and fired on Tanya, who teleported away.

"Hah, you wouldn't hit us if we were the size of King Mondo's butt!" Rocky called.

The machine reset its targeting device quickly and locked in on Rocky. The Blue Zeo Ranger moved before Garrison could fire, reappearing just a few feet away. He teleported again as Jason took his place.

"Watch the birdie," the Gold Ranger whispered as he lifted the Golden Power Staff. "Gold Flash!"

A ball of golden energy exploded from the end of the Power Staff and blinded Garrison long enough for Jason to escape.

Kat was next up, using a few dance techniques she learnt in ballet to confuse the robot until she was ready. Then she whipped out her Zeo Pistol and took a few shots at its head.

"Pink Zeo Fire cloud!" she called, as Garrison was engulfed in a cloud of hot gases.

Garrison fired his weapons and the gases exploded. He was consumed in a ball of flame. And when the flame cleared he saw Red Zeo move in with the final blow.

"Defender Whe - Sphere!" Tommy called. He had forgotten that the name had changed.

The cage-like ball that Billy had designed to replace the original design dropped from Zeo Zord V. As Tommy's hands touched the metal frame, the power of the Zeo Crystal was transferred into the cage. Inside Tommy momentarily demorphed, but was quite safe, unlike those outside the sphere. As he moved his legs so the ball started to move and as he increased speed, the sphere glowed brightly.

"Please Red Ranger, let's discuss this," Garrison begged.

"Too late," Tommy answered. "See ya!"

Garrison fired his entire magnificent arsenal in a vain attempt to stop the inbound Red Ranger, but only managed to slow him down. Nevertheless it was enough to save the machine from total destruction as the Defender Sphere bounced away.

"You will have to do better than... Uh oh!" Garrison started.

"Fire!" The Rangers called as the Zeo Power Blaster held by Gold Ranger and the Zeo Cannon fired at the same time.

On the Moon, Gasket was less than pleased at the way the battle was going. Garrison had been designed as a stealth robot not a combatant. It was surprising the machine had lasted this long. Still, Gasket was not about to let an opportunity to defeat the Power Rangers slip through his fingers.

"Klank..."

"...And away ye go!" Klank cried as he released Orbus.

"Here you go buddy," Orbus said as he triggered Garrison's growth mechanism.

"Now I will show you some real fire power!" Garrison said.

Large cannons appeared on each shoulder as the leg mass increased to provide extra support. A rocket pack on its back allowed it to leap while enlarged sensor arrays gave it an excellent aim. Most surprisingly, the full-grown version in no way resembled Garrison. This was a different machine.

"We need Super Zeo Megazord power," the Rangers called. "Now!"

The Zord was fired from the Power Chamber's launch tube without the need to join later.

"Jason, take control for a moment," Tommy said. "Alpha, send in the Zeo Zords, from the far side of the base."

"You have an idea?" Green Zeo commented.

Tommy grinned; Zord battles were definitely more fun.

The ground rumbled as Zeo Zord III and Zeo Zord IV raced towards the Rangers' position, pulled Zeo Zord II and I behind them. After inserting their Zeonisers Crystals in their respective slots, the Rangers felt the familiar power boost that signalled the conversion to Megazord mode.

"All right guys, logon!" Red Zeo ordered as he watched the power reading reach the required level. "Let's put them together."

Zeo Zords VI and III quickly released their pulling chains, which allowed the constantly pulling winch mounted on the fronts of Zeo I and II to haul them back inside. At the same time the weapons mounted on the Pink and Yellow Zords retracted inside as Zeo Zord V flew overhead. As the tops of the two Zords detached, the legs were ready to receive the rest of the Megazord. By that time Zeo Zord III and IV had launched into the air and merged to form the arms and body of the Zord. The Phoenix Zord once again swooped down from on high and the computer beeped as it pinpointed the connection and the wings started to fold out of the way. Then Tanya selected the Zeo II Battle Helmet to allow them Zeo rocket power.

"Okay guys, Kat and Adam take the Super Zeo Megazord, Tanya and Rocky will control the Zeo Megazord. Red Battlezord is mine."

"Rangers, Pyramidas is at your disposal," they heard Trey tell them.

Tommy smiled again. The final part of his plan had just fallen into place.

Garrison wasn't the most sophisticated machine they had ever fought, but he was the one with the most weapons. Unfortunately that meant that neither of the Megazords could get close, something they needed to do if Tommy's plan was to succeed.

Red Battlezord flew towards Garrison and plough through him at full speed. That was enough for the Super Zeo Megazord to grab hold of him and the Zeo Megazord to use its fists.

"We're ready Tommy," Rocky's voice said from inside the Zeo Megazord.

"All right, let's do this," Tommy said.

The Super Zeo Megazord and Zeo Megazord took off; dragging the machine with them while Jason waited inside Pyramidas.

"Hey, you can't do this," Garrison protested. "No..."

"Now what?" Kat asked. Knowledge poured into her mind the subconscious link the Rangers had established long ago.

"Zeo Ultrazord, Carrier mode!" the Rangers called.

The Carrier Zord teleported the Zords aboard, slaving their powers to its own massive generators, which it then used to blast Garrison to pieces.

Prince Gasket was irate. To see his creation, his perfect machines lose in battle was one thing, but to see them lose battle after battle to inferior organic-made machines was a slap in the face for the heir to the Machine Empire. In the past he had made allowances for such losses, associating the failures as by-products of his father's malfunctioning logic server. Since his arrival on the Machine Sky Base and later the Moon, his diagnostic programming had tried to troubleshoot the failure of both his creations and his father's robots.

This was not the way the Machine Empire operated; Gasket knew that. He was programmed with the detailed manual compiled by King Mondo himself. Under normal circumstance, the machines would find a new planet to invade and attack with sufficient force to gain control of sites around the globe. Then, once in control of materials and fuel supplies, they would move towards areas of political power and gain surrender. It was a tried and tested method that usually generated victory within the first month.

Sadly, the Machine Empire had failed to use this method when approaching Earth and it annoyed Gasket to discover the reason for the lack of protocol was due to the perceived need to remove Rita and Zedd from the lunar surface.

"Father was a fool," he stated. "Rita and Zedd cannot harm the Machine Empire. We are immune to magic!" Those valuable hours had given Zordon time to create his team of Zeo Rangers.

The Zeo Rangers were the second problem he had discovered. Normally Ranger teams were insignificant to the robotic conquerors. The magic that made them Rangers was useless against the Cold Iron construction of the Royal House of Gadgetry and its followers. Zeo was different though; the energy was indirect and therefore very effective against the machines.

But even so, Gasket's machines had been developed over thousands of years and his father's designs had been perfected before that. He had ruled out design failure since he himself had been deemed to be operating at peak efficiency even if his father was suffering from rust on the circuit board. ~Making Sprocket his heir, what was he thinking? ~The problem was that the Rangers possessed superior machines. This was something that could and should have been rectified when the Machine Empire had first attacked. Their enjoyment of a technological advantage could not be allowed to continue.

"How dare those Rangers defy me?" he toned as he gesticulated out of the view port with his staff. "I am Gasket, son of Mondo and rightful ruler of the Machine Empire. They should be kneeling before me. Klank!"

"How may I be of service, Sire?" Klank asked.

"Those impertinent humans dare to possess powerful machines as their weapons," Gasket stated. "Why have you not built similar machines for our forces?"

"Forgive me Sire," Klank answered. "I did try, but designing a machine on that scale without plans is impossible."

"I don't want excuses Klank, find me the blueprints for those Zords. By using their own machines to destroy them I will prove to father that I deserve to be his heir. Then I shall take over the Empire."

"Yes Sire," Klank said. He hurried off to begin his new task.

Angel Grove  
Late night, a few days later.

Despite the warm temperatures of midday, at night, the desert outside of Angel Grove was extremely cold. Very few humans were foolish enough to travel through the desert at night without a warm jacket. Beneath the rapidly cooling sand, something moved and it was something, which could not be considered human.

The sand above it shifted as a mechanical arm extended from beneath the surface. At a height of four feet, the protruding cylinder split to reveal three legs. The extended out and down towards the surface, form a tetrahedron with the arm as a vertical support. There was a loud crack as the legs locked into place.

A small aerial emerged from the top of the structure, aimed towards Angel Grove. It sent a small burst of data, reporting that its first objective had been secured: it had survived intact and avoided detection. Two signals were sent in return. The first was a confirmation of the original message while the second provided additional instructions.

The aerial retracted as a second motor kicked in to retrieve the arm. But with the tripod in place, the motor had the opposite effect and hauled the rest of the machine to the surface. Even as compressed air tanks were blasting the sand away from vital bearings, the tripod had been detached. It would be needed for a later for her escape.

Her name was Cyber Agent, a strange name for one of her construction, granted to her to aid in fitting in on Earth. She was a creation of the Machine Empire, the latest development in Prince Gasket's ever-increasing arsenal. While the prince lacked the materials and resources of his father, he made up for it with tactical thinking, sound strategy and innovation. He was not afraid to improve upon an existing idea in order to benefit from the results.

She looked human, more human than the average Cog could accomplish. Synthetic skin grown under Klank's supervision, allowed her to duplicate things such as tears, sweat, body-odour. Even her programming was adaptive, designed so that she could fit in with the humans. It wasn't really important to her current mission, but the results of this unofficial testing were being forwarded to Gasket for review, the mechanical monarch intended to build further models that could replace the Earth's leaders.

If interrogated by a friendly processor, she would respond that her mission was espionage. In essence she was a Cog with upgraded interaction systems and a few extra parts. She was expendable. She had been positioned in the ground during an early attack on the city of Angel Grove, taking advantage of the broken links in Zordon's satellite network.

She had remained buried, using sonar and other instruments to learn about her surroundings. She was still a significant distance from her target and would need to move soon so as not to lose the cover of darkness. She shut down as she sensed a probe passing over the nearby desert. She wondered what was going on.

The probe ended and Cyber Agent could tell that the situation was in her favour. The beam she had detected had been strictly passive - Zordon had not known she was there. It had also been a detailed surface scan of the area, suggesting that Zordon was being especially watchful in this area. That meant Zordon was hiding something. ~Good.~

She sped through the desert, using short-range teleportation in case Zordon had a secondary detection net. Soon she came to the mountains where Rita and Zedd had reported the old Command Center had been positioned. Her master had anticipated there was a good chance that the Power Chamber was hidden under the old citadel. For now though her mission did not include finding the Rangers' hidden base.

It was a longer climb than she had expected, but eventually she reached the site of the old Command Center. She had expected to find ruins, but apparently somebody had thought ahead to rebuild.

She pointed at a small space a few metres away and watched as a small unit of Cogs appeared. They had been painted black to maximise the darkness and their joints had been well oiled to reduce noise. Their task was simple: locate the entrance for the Command Center and then the wiring that controlled it. Another Cog equipped with more detailed scanning equipment was studying the walls, looking for signs of weakness while Cyber Agent kept to the shadows. If detected the Cogs would be destroyed and she would be left to finish the mission.

A beep from the lead Cog revealed that it had finished. She downloaded the data and sent the unit to scout the rest of the mountainside. Gasket's research, using Mondo's records revealed there was a secondary post somewhere in the mountains that the Rangers had used during the development of their Red Battlezord.

She studied the information, highlighting the weaknesses the Cogs had found. The Power Chamber was extremely secure. Zordon had managed to seal the new headquarters off from the citadel using heavy barricades and magical wards. There were safe guards against incursions and explosives; any attempt to tamper with the high-tech scanning system installed in the old Command Center would trigger defensive mechanisms. She doubted she would survive.

Luckily in his carefully thought out protection of the Power Ranger's current headquarters, he had made a fatal oversight. While currently used equipment could not be tampered with and it was futile to attempt a break in, the old computer core had been left unprotected. And while that core had no direct access to their new computer and could not affect their operations, she calculated the odds were favourable that she would be able to use it to initiate a data feed with the Power Chamber's backup files.

Her optical sensors danced over the various devices placed to detect intruders. Plates beneath her feet revealed she had already tripped several alarm systems. She would just need to be fast and finish before Zordon noticed.

Cyber Agent initiated contact with the computer, relieved there was no security to bypass - deactivate any security systems would trip background programs and expose her insertion - but she was slightly put out that with all the advanced technology at his disposal, Zordon had only installed a small serial modem. While she directed, her efforts into navigating the Rangers' data store automatic systems took over her body's functions to keep her alert. It was fortunate that Zordon had changed data cores when he had moved to the Power Chamber. It meant the old computer system had been there for Billy to use in his Zord building project. And now the information he had gathered belonged to her mechanical master.

[File Error: 000A-000F at Sector ...]

The screen went on to list a continuous stream of data errors caused no doubt by the bomb Rito and Goldar had left in the building. Her attempts to retrieve data concerning the Red Battlezord and Zeo Zords were blocked. She retrieved as much data from surrounding files, hoping it would be enough and withdrew from the system.

As the data feed finished, she transmitted a small program of her own into the computer's processor. It would not hurt the Power Chamber, but no doubt it would prove useful later. She sent a final disconnect command and removed herself from the core. As she did so she triggered all the protocols Zordon had installed during the building of the Command Center. Without power to report though, the alarms remained silent and the crime was undetected while the computer sent urgent messages to its successor. When Zordon and Alpha eventually discovered the break-in, it would be too late.

Now Cyber Agent just needed to escape.

"Marvellous," Gasket proclaimed as he reviewed the data his dutiful spy had retrieved for him. He had sent Cyber Agent back to Earth with orders to await further commands. In the meantime she was to fit in as well as possible. "With these schematics and superior Machine Empire technology, we can show those Power Rangers what a real arsenal is like. Klank, begin work on manufacturing these machines. I expect the first batch shortly... Father will be so pleased when I present him with the Earth and a new army. He will probably scrap that little squirt Sprocket."

"Yes, you're right dear," Archerina answered.

"Come, my love. Let us observe the construction process."

"Yes," she answered excitedly.

The data Cyber Agent had retrieved were the schematics for the Rangers' Zords and included the original Dinozords, the reformatted models that went on to become the Thunderzords, the Ninjazords and the Shogunzords along with their respective Carrier Zords. And while the file concerning the Zords used by the Zeo Rangers was corrupted, Gasket had a considerable arsenal at his disposal. While not providing all the data, the diagrams included data on the Battleborgs used by the Rangers of Aquitar. When those partial designs were combined with the designs of the Shogunzords, there was enough information for Klank and Orbus to recreate the full plans.

Once a production line was established, it would be a simple matter of cloning each Zord. Even with the typical lack of imagination shown by most machines, Klank could predict the result of an army of Saber-toothed Tigers or even Dragonzords marching through the world's capital cities.

Klank was swift to obey his ruler, or at least the member of the Royal Family most likely to have him melted down at that time. He had deployed Cogs to begin the necessary work that would bring the huge production centers online. This was a large project and for the first time since its arrival in the galaxy, the Machine Sky Base would be expanded to cope with the scale of Gasket's scheme.

The artificial atmosphere was increased to the correct levels. Despite common belief, the Machine Empire did require an atmosphere to work efficiently. Their computers functioned more efficiently when maintained at the correct temperature; Cogs could move better when there was at least minimal gravity.

With a high-pitched whine that cut through the Machine Base, the huge turbines started to turn, filling the complex with power. And as the power filtered into the dormant machinery - this part of the base had remained unused for months - the Machine Empire's manufacturing plants came to life.

At first it produced only the soldiers that would be needed to perform the next stage of production. Hours later and thousands of those Cogs were spilled out of the foundry and into space, along with the raw materials they would need to build another factory. This one was specially made for Gasket's new weapons. It would create the tools that Gasket would send to finish off the Rangers. But the Cogs would not stop at one production center, they would continue building others, each dedicated to a single Zord and would set those plants working until they had massed an army. And then the conquest of Earth would truly begin.

While the Cogs worked on the factories, Klank and Orbus were busy elsewhere. Gasket had been eager to deploy his new machines, but had failed to specify how they would be controlled. Cogs would pilot the first generation of Machine Zords, but the generations after that required control programs. Between them Klank and Orbus hoped to manufacture a brain unit to operate those programs.

Hours turned to days and the machines worked tirelessly. As the Cogs ran low on oil, new units, whose first programmed task was to recycle their predecessors into useable components, replaced them. Thus the process continued without lapses as construction slowly took shape.

"The first Zord is ready," Gasket told his silent audience. Queen Machina remained quiet, unwilling to upset her eldest son, Sprocket wisely held his audio circuits in check around his older sibling. Archerina was at her husband's side, admiring the work and genius of her husband. "I shall send it to Earth now and those Rangers will learn what it is like to face a real battle machine."

"But Sire," Klank protested. "This was just the prototype."

"I don't want excuses Klank," Gasket told him. "Begin work on the next batch of Zords immediately."

Klank garbled something in binary about wishing Mondo was back and went to obey his master's orders.

"You should listen to Klank, Gasket dear," Machina told her son.

"Please mother, the day I take advice from servants is the day I shall truly be deemed unfit to rule the Machine Empire as its rightful king."

"Ai-yi-yi, the Ninja MegaFalconzord!" Alpha exclaimed, "Is nothing sacred?"

"I am afraid not Alpha, Gasket has somehow managed to reproduce one of the Rangers' previous Megazords and has set it loose in Angel Grove."

"Oh Zordon, this cannot be good," Alpha said.

"Summon the Rangers," Zordon said solemnly. "Regardless of the threat, the Rangers must engage this foe."

"Yes Zordon, I understand." Alpha shuffled between the consoles, his circuits burning with electronically processed emotion. "Why couldn't it have been Pudgy Pig?"

One by one the Rangers appeared. Billy was the last to arrive since Alpha had refrained from calling him until the last minute. Alpha and Zordon had become increasingly concerned by Billy's behaviour since he had given up his place on the team. They had both agreed that the teenager needed to spend more time in the real world and fewer afternoons lodged under a pile of spare parts.

"All here," Jason said as he caught sight of his former teammate and a man he considered to be one of his best friends.

"Finally," Tommy muttered as he in turn nodded to Billy.

Billy's expression turned to a scowl for a moment before he regained control of his emotions and settled down to business. "What's the emergency, Zordon?"

"Rangers, a day I have long feared has finally arrived; one of your enemies has found a way to resurrect your expired Zords. Behold!" The Viewing Screen activated on cue and the Rangers were given their first glimpse of the Ninja MegaFalconzord, hovering like a dark angel over Little Japan section of Angel Grove. "I fear that this is Gasket's work. King Mondo is unlikely to allow any organic designs to dictate his strategy."

"That's the Ninja MegaFalconzord," Rocky agreed, "but what is it holding?"

"Yeah, when did that Zord gain a Power Sword?" Tommy added.

"I believe Gasket has made some refinements to the original designs," Billy told them. "The lack of a Power Sword, or hands for that matter, was always a drawback for that Zord. On the other hand the lightweight design makes it an ideal choice."

"Those changes to the design could prove a problem," Adam frowned. That was true, if Gasket had made one change, who was to say he hadn't made other alterations?

"More importantly, can we destroy it?" Tanya asked.

"In theory the Zord should be no stronger than one of Gasket's regular monsters," Billy said.

"But?" Kat asked, sensing the hesitation.

"If Gasket somehow got hold of the plans for the original Ninjazords, there's a chance he was able to replicate their shielding and strength. In which case defeating it will prove difficult."

"In that case we won't gain anything by sitting here talking about it," Tommy said.

"I agree," Zordon added. "Rangers, you must confront this new menace before Gasket sends it into battle. No doubt if he is allowed to do so he will seek to damage your reputations. By releasing the Zord over the city, Gasket has already made your task more difficult. The Zeo Zords will have a difficult time navigating through Little Japan without causing structural damage."

"We'll have to worry about any damage afterwards," Tommy sighed. He paused for a moment in thought. "Alpha, can you teleport citizens from Little Japan to another part of the city?"

"Theoretically," Billy answered before Alpha could argue. "We would need time though to configure the teleport system."

"You have two minutes," Tommy said, hardly glancing at his friend.

"How about leaving the citizens and moving the Zord?" Rocky suggested.

It was a simple plan, but the idea of moving a single large object was preferable to hundreds of small objects.

"Affirmative," Billy smiled slightly. "I should be able to force it to move to an uninhabited area outside of the city. Doing so will drain the Power Chamber's generators so if you need to be brought back here in an emergency..."

"Let's just make sure it doesn't come to that, then," Adam nodded.

"Let's go guys," Jason said, shooting Billy a sympathetic smile. He knew what it was like to be an observer.

"It's Morphin Time!" Tommy cried, keen to reestablish his command over the team.

"Okay Alpha, this is what we do," Billy explained as the Rangers vanished.

"Aw man," Tommy said as he laid eyes on their opponent for the upcoming battle.

The machine they faced was indeed a fake, a fact that was easy to see. The colours were too metallic and far too shiny; the outer shell looked weak and flimsy. The sword it held resembled the Fire Sabre of the Shogun Megazord and was already ignited, ready for the swift strike and rapid victory.

"We need the Zords," Tanya said, tapping her leader's arm and snapping him out of his daze. She had never known the Ninja Zords or the connection the Rangers had shared with them.

"Your right," Tommy agreed. "We need Zeo Megazord power, now!"

On Tommy's command, the secret hangar in which the Zeo Zords were kept opened, and the great battle machines accelerated through the tunnel exit that ran beneath the mountainside.

"Let's do it, guys!" Tommy called to the others. With a fierce battle cry, he leaped skyward, and streaked toward the Phoenix. His teammates did the same, transporting themselves to their own Zords.

"Zeo Zord I, online," Kat stated as she secured herself in place.

"Zeo Zord II, ready!" Tanya reported.

"Zeo Zord III, rarin' to go!" Rocky added.

"Zeo Zord IV, here to kick some butt!" Adam continued.

"Zeo Zord V, flyin' high!" Tommy finished, to complete the cycle.

He took a look around the cockpit to see that all systems were running smoothly, and then checked his main display. The Ninja MegaFalconzord was hovering to his right, still some distance away. There was easily enough room to make the transformation if they hurried, although even the Zeo Megazord would have trouble with that flaming blade.

Unfortunately, the Cogs controlling the Zord had decided to prevent the Rangers from gaining an even footing. It swooped down, sword swinging as it dived towards Zeo Zord III. It over shot the target, choosing instead to strike the chain binding the machine to its cargo. The chains held, but the disruption dislodged the pulling platform. Zeo Zord I swerved, pulling Zeo Zord III with it as both machines tumbled. The chain finally broke as the Zords slid in opposite directions.

"Kat!" Tommy called at almost the same time as Adam and Tanya exclaimed "Rocky!"

"Adam, keep it busy down there!" Tommy called. "We need to give them time."

"You got it!" Adam replied. He switched channels briefly to speak to Tanya. "I have to let you go, will you be all right?"

He could almost hear the amusement in Tanya's positive response. He couldn't afford the time to worry about her though. Zeo Zord III and I were still unmoving, and the occasional shower of sparks erupting from its overstressed joints.

Zeo Zord IV lowered its head as it charged towards the Ninja MegaFalconzord, turning abruptly as the winged executioner soared towards it. Adam shifted course, drawing the machine away from his friends.

While the aerial Zord followed the speeding Zeo Zord, Tommy shifted the Phoenix into a screeching power-dive, he watched as Adam's Zord, tiny from his current height, managed nonetheless to weave a complex path of avoidance.

"Adam, right turn!" Tommy ordered, pulling out of his dive and firing all weapons.

A series of explosions hit the Zord's winged back. He nudged his Zord under the stunned metallic ninja; by this time Tommy had decided that regardless of appearance, this was not the Ninja MegaFalconzord he had known during his days as a Morphin Ranger. That made destroying it all the easier. He pulled out and shifted direction, bringing his Zord's armaments in line for a second barrage that rocked the sword-wielding warrior. But before he could fully pull out, it raised its sword arm, allowing the fiery blade to tear at the edge of the Phoenix's wings. The Zord tumbled as Tommy struggled for control.

Flying Zords are extremely delicate. The structural requirements of the wings are such that any damage will affect the aerodynamics and bringing them crashing to the ground. Lucky, the power of Zeo gave the Phoenix just that little bit of extra magic to enhance the superb technology Billy had managed to create. Despite the tear, the magic was sufficient to maintain the airflow as the mechanical bird flew away.

"Cutting thrust, extending wingspan." He talked quickly, his words aiding his memory as he followed through a procedure intended to allow the Zord to repair itself. There was a sudden kick as the air pressure changed and the Zord was drawn higher into the air.

"Tommy, ditch the Phoenix and switch to Red Battlezord," Billy told him. "You're already two Zords down, and the Phoenix won't make that much difference."

"All right, autopilot set to land, teleporting now." He left the cockpit in a column of red light. "Red Battlezord, power up!"

Kat wasn't hurt, just helpless. The Zeo Zord had twisted in such a way that the internal structure had twisted. Now instead of shielding her from injury, it prevented her from moving her arms. The communications systems were damaged, not surprising since they were close to the point where the Zord had rolled.

Luckily the mental interface between Ranger and Zord was still operating and while she couldn't aid her friends, she had a clear view of what was happening. Unfortunately, while she could fire her Zord's weapons with the correct series of thoughts, she needed her hands to aim them. Unless the Ninja MegaFalconzord happened to slip into her crosshairs, she was out of the battle.

Rocky's Zord was intact and for the most part, so was Rocky. Had it not been for the lifeless controls, lack of data displays and refusal of the engine to start, he would have been fully operational.

"Must have shorted something when I crashed," he said, remembering Billy's lessons on how to get the Zords up and running in an emergency.

Securing himself firmly in his seat, he twisted sharply to the left while pushing back on the seat. There was a loud 'CLUNK' as the springs holding the seat in place were released, raising him by a few inches while shifting the seat back slightly. A mechanical lever appeared where the floor panels had been; they had shifted downwards.

"Here goes," he said.

Placing his feet on the lever, he pumped it up and down six times, listening to a series of clicks as the backup electronics were activated. The lights on the console flashed in sequence as the systems were restored. The Zord was now back in action, once he found away to shift it to the upright position.

While he was waiting for the Red Battlezord to arrive, Tommy watched the ongoing battle, not that there was much fighting with only Zeo Zord IV capable of moving. The Taurus was still running, drawing the Ninja MegaFalconzord on a seemingly random chase. In fact, it was clear that Adam knew exactly what he was doing, timing each turn so the flying Zord couldn't lock onto him. And all the while Zeo Zord II's turret was moving as Tanya watched for the right shot.

This continued until one of the Cogs noticed the second Zord moving. Deciding to pick on the immobile Zord, the winged ninja changed course, barrel-rolling towards the vulnerable turret.

Tanya however had not only seen this threat approaching, she had counted on it. "Eat this!" her voice sounded over the communicator, and then she fired all of the Zord's potent weapons, as the opposing Zord slipped into range.

"Here we go," Tommy, said as the Battlezord came spinning into view above. Tommy again leaped skyward, teleporting himself to the cockpit of the great human-shaped Zord.

"Red Battlezord, ready!" he transmitted to the others. "Break of your attacks. Adam, see if you can get Rocky and Kat upright. Tanya, are you okay?"

"I had a little scare there," Tanya managed, her voice somewhat strained. "I'm okay now though."

"Glad to hear it Tanya," Tommy replied. "INCOMING! YEE-HAH!"

With a fierce cry, he prompted the Zord to spin even more rapidly than normal. He held his course, the Zord's fists extended until they came into contact with the MegaFalconzord chest. It bounced backwards from the impact, spinning head over heels until it came to a stop.

"Tommy, I have Zeo Zord III back online and an idea," Adam said.

"Good, because I'm not gonna be able to hold him long!" When he had finished bouncing, the ninja was on him again and in his Zord's position, he lacked the leverage to keep the Fire Sabre away.

"Hang in there," Rocky told him.

"We're almost ready!" Adam replied. "Rocky, start scraping!"

The two Rangers had reattached the chains to their Zords, connecting Zeo Zord III and IV together. But now instead of drawing the two gun-Zords into action, the chains had become a powerful weapon.

"Let's go!" Rocky cried as the two Zords took off across the ground, the chain flailing between them.

"Tommy, force it a bit higher," Adam instructed.

Tommy closed his eyes, forcing all his mental abilities into making the Red Battlezord raise its arms a little higher. He succeeded as the Ninja MegaFalconzord head was raised into line with the chain.

"Accelerate!" Adam instructed.

"Full speed!" Rocky confirmed.

The Zords reached their maximum speed seconds before they raced past their opponent, the chain they carried striking its target. The two Zords continued to move, circling their target and bind it in place.

"Now Tommy!" Rocky cried as both Zeo Zords stalled and manage to shrink towards the ground.

"This is it guys," Tommy said. "Here I come!"

Tanya was getting frustrated. Her Zord was perfectly operation, she was in excellent shape, but due to the fact that Adam was not pulling her, she was immobile. Still, as she had shown, lacking mobility did not make her helpless; her Zord had proven its worth during this battle at least.

~If I could get to the Super Zeo Zord, I could cause even more damage.~

Still, that was not to be. So instead, she found herself waiting for an opportunity that might not even arise. Her guns were aimed high; she was going for the head shot.

When Adam had nudged her Zord back to a vertical yet very unstable position, Kat had been freed from the restraint of her own restraints. However, her relief had turned to frustration upon realising that her Zord's turret was still jammed at an impossible firing angle and that for all intents and purposes, her Zord was next to useless for this battle.

"Guy's this is Kat," she said. "My Zord is crippled and I'm teleporting back to the Power Chamber."

"We hear you Kat," Tommy replied. The relief in his voice was evident as she vanished.

The Red Battlezord tore into the bound Ninja Megafalconzord. Pushing the hydraulic rams to their full, Tommy directed the Zord's fists to strike repeatedly at the exposed chest, shoulders and wings. Tommy was keen to ensure the machine could not take flight again.

"Fire!" he called, causing his Zord to shift from rapid punching to strafing its target with rapid gunfire.

The Ninja Megafalconzord struggled, slipping the chain that bound it and launching into the air, crossing Tanya's line of fire as it did so. The single shot ripped open the Zord's face, exposing it as Gasket's creation; the inside of the head was filled with Cogs as well as the machinery that could only be described as alien.

"Tanya, hit it again!" Tommy ordered.

She obeyed and the machine dropped to the ground.

"Now together!" he instructed.

Red Battlezord and Zeo Zord II fired. Zeo Zord III and IV charged from opposite directions, their chain bouncing shredding metal back towards their target. Until finally the massive piece of Machine Empire engineering collapsed and exploded.

It took a few moments for Tommy to realize that he was all right. Once he did, he got his Zord back under control, and brought it to its feet. "Check in with me, guys. You all okay?"

"I'm fine," Adam groaned. "Can't say the same about the Zords though."

"Did we get him?" Rocky asked, weakly.

"You _bet _we did," Tanya replied, triumphantly.

"Billy, anything you can tell us from your end?" Tommy asked.

"Looks like you got it," Billy affirmed. "My scans show nothing moving. Oh and Kat got back okay."

"That's great Billy," Tommy answered. "We're on our way."

The Rangers had returned to the Power Chamber where Billy and Zordon were reviewing the battle, move by move. The former was making notes as he did so; keen to fix any obvious flaws in his creations that had not been caused by operator error.

"My initial observations of the remains on the Ninja Megafalconzord confirm it was a carefully constructed fake," Billy told them. "I'm designating it as 'the ninja' for the remainder of this discussion."

The other Rangers didn't object.

"Gasket or Mondo, whoever activated this machine was not playing," he continued. "The construction seems to have followed the schematics down to the last detail. Fortunately or unfortunately, they chose the wrong designs."

"What do you mean Billy?" Kat asked.

Billy sighed. "The design they used was not based on the Ninja Megafalconzord, it was a series of plans I drew up before we obtained the Super Zeo Zords. I was trying to recreate the Ninja Zords and incorporate some of the improvements we'd noted during our days as Ninja Rangers." He paused to look at Tommy. "Such as the lack of hands creating a serious disadvantage in battle."

"So how did the Machine Empire get your designs?" Tommy asked. He didn't say anything directly, but his eyes looked accusingly at the former Blue Ranger.

"I don't know Tommy," Billy admitted. "There was only one copy of these plans and they were stored on a computer file in the Power Chamber."

"You must be mistaken," Tommy told him. "Maybe you had a second copy and forgot about it."

"Tommy, if Billy said he only made one copy, he only made one copy," Jason said, interjecting before the two friends came to blows.

"Sorry Billy," Tommy said after a little prompting.

Billy smiled in return and the incident was ignored.

"Tommy does raise an interesting query," Billy said. "If there was only one set of plans, how did Gasket or Mondo get them?"

"I am certain it is Gasket," Zordon boomed. "I have not detected any evidence of Mondo's return."

"Let's hope it stays that way," Jason said. The others agreed.

"Agreed," Zordon said. "Alpha, begin a complete security scan of the Power Chamber's computer system."

"Ai-yi-yi, yes Zordon," Alpha said as he went to work.

"Billy, were there only plans for one set of Zords in that file?" Adam asked.

The others exchanged nervous looks as the implications became clear. If Gasket had plans for more than one set of Zords, could construct more than one set of Zords, then they were in serious trouble.

"Houston, we have a problem," he murmured. Out loud he asked: "What's the status of the Zords?"

"Phoenix should be operational again within the hour, Zeo Zords II, III and IV just need to recharge and a few minor repairs; Zeo Zord I suffered the worst of that attack. The turret is mangled and will require replacement, most of the aiming mechanisms need realigning, and its towing platform was crushed when it tipped over. However, if I can devise a way of moving the Zord into position, it should still be operational for Megazord formation."

"Hey, why don't you manually form the Megazord in the Power Chamber and fire it through the Launch Cannon?" Tommy asked.

"That would prevent you from using the Zords individually," Billy pointed out.

"We can still use the Super Zeo Zords," Tommy countered.

"And the Red Battlezord," Adam added.

"And don't forget the Warrior Wheel," Tanya said.

"We need to know everything we can about the ninja," Tommy said. "We need to know where to hit it if Gasket decides to repeat this plan."

"Fortunately Gasket and Mondo rarely utilise the same plan twice," Billy said. "Although there are always exceptions."

"Will there be more of them?" Tanya asked. "I mean, if they downloaded plans for more than one set of Zords."

"Undoubtedly," Zordon answered. "I believe the ninja was incomplete or as Billy stated, a prototype. If Gasket has the schematics for real Zord technology, we could be seeing many more such attacks."

"Yeah and next time they might pick something really dangerous," Tommy said.

"At least this explains what Gasket's been up to lately," Adam frowned.

"Zordon, how would Gasket build one of those?" Kat asked, causing the others to look at her. "I mean Zords are bigger than your average robot."

"You are correct Katherine," Zordon said. "Alpha, when the security scan is complete, initiate a new search pattern centring on the Machine Sky Base. We need to know if there have been any additions."

"Ay-yi-yi," the diminutive robot fretted, wandering from console to console. "That will take time, Zordon."

"In the meantime Rangers, I suggest you try and rest," Zordon said, ignoring the little robot's comment. "I will contact Trey and seek permission to use Pyramidas if necessary."

"Right, let's go guys," Tommy said. He disappeared, followed closely by Kat and Rocky. Adam and Tanya smiled at each other and the two teleported away.

"Are you coming Billy?" Jason asked.

"Negative," Billy answered. "I need to assist Alpha with his security scan."

"No Billy," Zordon boomed. "You are as much a part of the team as any other Ranger and my instructions apply to you as well. Now, go and relax before I have Alpha eject you from the Power Chamber."

"Yes, Zordon," Billy answered, sounding resigned as he and a very smug looking Jason teleported away.

"How can those Rangers continue to triumph against their own machines?" Gasket asked, clearly enraged that his machines were somehow inferior.

"It wasn't the Zords that were superior, it was the pilots," Orbus blurted out.

"WHAT?" Gasket bellowed with the machine equivalent of a snarl. "How dare you compare those humans to my Cogs?"

"But Gasket dear, you must admit those Rangers have the advantage of experience," Machina pointed out.

"Yes mother, perhaps you are right," Gasket, conceded. "My Zords need the same experience as those Rangers possess."

"How will you manage to do that?" Sprocket demanded. "It's not like the Rangers will just share their experience."

"For your information, squirt," Gasket growled, "I have no intention of asking the Rangers. I intend to take what I need and perhaps gain a new ally in the process. The Zeo Rangers have humiliated the Royal House of Gadgetry for too long. Since we cannot defeat them, we will assimilate them. And we'll start with that leader of theirs."

"A great plan my love," Archerina cooed.

"Of course it is," Gasket answered. "By this time tomorrow not only will the Rangers be defeated, but it will be their own leader who vanquished them."

Another failed scheme, well several failed schemes if you wanted to be accurate. Gasket's plot to kidnap Tommy and transform him into a weapon that the prince could use against the Zeo Rangers had almost succeeded. Sadly, primitive human emotion had overcome the advanced neural processing of Gasket's machine. Tommy had escaped and had then managed to unravel two more plots that Gasket had set in motion.

But it didn't matter. While using Tommy as a weapon had been an enjoyable failure, at least one of Gasket's plans had come to fruition. Between the memories Gasket had taken from the Red Zeo Ranger's mind, and the complete analysis Klank had made of Zeo Ranger V's helmet with its built in data recorder, the Machine Empire now possessed the combat experience of Tommy Oliver. Furthermore, Klank had managed to draw information from the other Zeo Rangers' helmets while he had been interrogating Tommy's headwear.

He now possessed the experience his machines had lacked in the past and would program them accordingly. In all the confusion surrounding Tommy's disappearance, the Rangers had seemingly forgotten about the Machine Empire's Zords. Gasket however, had not forgotten and was getting closer to unleashing his creations upon the Earth.

The Cogs had followed the downloaded plans without question, reproducing the machines in every detail, including their control systems. Unlike the first machine he had sent down, these had been tested continuously for signs of weakness or failure. Every fault had been repaired along the way and in some cases, changes had been made. The Battleborgs had been replicated through guesswork and careful testing at each stage of development. While outwardly resembling the originals, they had been forcibly adapted since the plans had completely overlooked the issue of Cogs lacking telepathic abilities. Given that Gasket was not relying on Cogs this time that hardly seemed to matter. Although it did raise questions about why the control systems were kept in place.

It took a mechanical eternity before the first Zord rolled off the production line. The Red Tyrannosaurus towered over the conveyor belt and was soon joined by the bulky form of Titanus. When the Dragonzord design had been deemed a failure and had been abandoned, Gasket had ordered Klank to find an alternate method of creating the Ultrazord. Klank had ordered a second Titanus, this one incorporating the Dragonzord as part of its design. It was not a perfect likeness, more a bodged together collection of parts that performed the desired function. Tor had been more difficult to replace since its original design had not been in the database, so the Thunderzords were left without an Ultrazord mode.

Soon they were lined up on the lunar surface. Gasket had decided they should attack in their gestalt forms, a move that had annoyed Klank since building the Megazords was easier than recreating five Zords that could unite. A computer program, something that irritated the royal retainer's circuits, had replaced the Cogs he had originally planned to operate the machines. Gasket had taken the greatest war machines Klank had ever made and turned them into mere monsters. Not that Klank cared; he wasn't programmed to care only to succeed.

"Those thermo cells are inefficient compared to Cog Oil," Gasket noted as he inspected the finished machines.

"Aye young prince," Klank agreed, "but they weigh less and allow these beasties to move faster."

"An acceptable compromise this time," Gasket nodded. "My father wouldn't understand though. He'd say something along the lines of: 'A warrior does not need speed, just a good strong body'. Ensure that all future models are given 'real fuel'."

"Are they ready yet?" Sprocket asked as he waddled over to his brother.

"Of course they are you pint sized shrimp," Gasket replied. "Now be quiet and allow me to work. All I need to do is infuse them with energy."

So saying, he pointed his sword at the inactive machines and unleashed a bolt of power. The Zords' eyes flashed as they grouped together and transformed into their gestalt modes. The Dino Megazord, Mega Tigerzord, Red Dragon Thunderzord, Shogun Megazord, Ninja MegaFalconzord, the Battleborgs, and of course two versions of Titanus, stood ready.

"Go to Earth my legion of Zords," Gasket ordered. "And do not return until you are victorious."

The machines came to life, nodding obediently before leaving the surface of Gasket's base.

**End**

Disclaimer: I do not own the Power Rangers; they belong to their respective copyright owners and are used here without permission. No money is being made from this fic.  
Authors Note: This is an alternate universe from the television show with an alternate timeline. In the show's continuity it begins after Gasket and Archerina arrive and continues through the episodes that follow. The mention Gasket makes to having Tommy under his power is from: Where on Earth is Zeo Ranger V and King for a Day parts 1 and 2. Jennifer Belle is the same girl Rocky was interest in the episode with Silo.

**When Zords Attack**

The alarms sounded deep inside the Power Chamber, warning the Rangers that peace was being disrupted once more. Zordon's satellites high above the Earth pinpointed the disturbance and fed the visual data to the Viewing Screen inside the Power Chamber as Alpha interrogated the computer, urgently seeking more information.

"Ai-yi-yi-yi-yi!" Alpha exclaimed as he visually identified the cause of the alarm. "Zordon, there's an army of Zords out there."

"Calm down Alpha, this is clearly one of Gasket's schemes." Zordon boomed as he watched the Dino Megazord stomped towards the mountain. Clearly they were not interested in Angel Grove, just its defenders. "Summon the Rangers," he instructed.

The Rangers appeared moments later, Billy following not far behind.

"Aw man, not more evil Zords!" Tommy said as he laid eyes on the small army of metal that was heading towards them.

"I always wanted to see them one more time," Jason muttered as he laid eyes on the Red Dragonzord, "but not like this."

"These Zords are based on the original schematics," Billy told them. He frowned. "Gasket has upgraded them with Machine technology, but the basic parts are still there. I bet they even have the inserts for our Power Coins." That last sentence was said with a hint of sadness. There was little doubt that Billy missed his days as an active Ranger.

"How could Mondo build something that big?" Rocky asked, awed by the size. "Zordon said his scan turned up nothing unusual."

"Maybe they built them small and grew them," Kat answered.

"Computers say there are no signs of metal fatigue or plate distortion," Billy droned. "They were made this size."

"Alpha, begin another scan of the Machine Sky Base," Zordon ordered.

"But Zordon, we already scanned there," Alpha complained.

"Alpha, scan for nothing," Billy instructed.

"Ai-yi-yi, how do I scan for nothing, I can see nothing."

"Not nothing," Jason said, seeing where his friend was going with this. "_Nothing_. Look for anything that shows up as void on the scans."

"A Machine Empire cloaking device," Adam realised.

"Like the one they used before," Tommy added.

"Affirmative," Billy replied absently.

"Found it!" Alpha cried.

"Billy, can you break through?" Kat asked.

"Given time I should be able to see through their shield."

"Great," Tommy said. "In the meantime we need to head off those Zords before they get too close to the Power Chamber."

"Prodigious!" Billy exclaimed as he managed to pierce their cloaking device. "Gasket left it on the old frequency."

"Alpha, please adjust the Viewing Screen accordingly," Zordon requested.

Alpha did as he was told and the evidence was clear for all to see. The base was now twice its original size and was at full production.

"Gasket built an entire factory," Kat whispered, shocked by the revelation.

"That's overkill for one set of monsters," Adam said.

The Rangers exchanged nervous looks. "You don't think he'd..."

"It would be logical," Billy pointed out. "Defeat the Rangers with their own Zords and then mass manufacture an army of war machines to finish conquering the planet."

"Rangers, Gasket's actions threaten not only this world, but every other inhabited planet. With Zord technology the Machine Empire could prove impossible to stop."

"Zordon's right," Tommy agreed. "We need to stop those Zords and ensure he doesn't make any more."

"It's going to take everything our Zords have just to survive," Billy pointed out. "And that's before the factory."

"I know!" Tanya called out, causing the Rangers to give her their attention as she explained her plan.

"A risky plan Tanya," Trey stated as he teleported into the Power Chamber. "But that is our best hope. Pyramidas is at your command Jason, as always. I thank you for allowing me to use it for travel from here to Triforia, but the Carrier Zord is the property of the Gold Ranger and not the Lord of Triforia. Your need has priority now and forever. I trust you will attempt to return it in one piece."

Jason nodded the affirmative.

"It'll take time to get the item we need," Billy said, directing his words at Tommy. "You might as well try to separate the Zords before they can attack en masse."

"Right," Tommy nodded. "It's Morphin Time!"

"Alpha, assemble the Zeo Megazord," Zordon instructed.

"Do they have a chance of victory?" Trey asked quietly.

"I believe so," Billy answered. "Gasket copied the Zords, but there were some additions not contained in the schematics."

"The Zords also lack a connection to the Morphin Grid," Zordon pointed out.

"But, I thought the Zords were always part of the Grid," Billy said, slightly confused.

Trey of Wisdom chuckled lightly as he became the dominant personality for a time; since leaving the Earth, Trey had found a way to achieve limited reunification. Maintaining unity though required constant application of willpower and was a temporary solution only.

"Zords are more than just machines Billy," the former Gold Ranger said, remembering the lessons he had been given as a youth, back in the days before he had become a Gold Ranger and the sentience of the Power had become less significant. "The Zords used by the Morphin Grid represent the spirit guardians you have used before. The metal gives them form, the Morphin Grid grants them sentience."

"And Gasket's creations only have the physical aspects," Billy surmised.

"That is correct Billy," Zordon said. "Only a Morphin Master can infuse Zords with the power of the Morphin Grid."

"And since Gasket is a machine and doesn't understand the workings of the Grid," Trey continued, "such an approach would never occur to him."

"Or to me," Billy said.

"On the contrary Billy," Zordon said. "While the Zeo Zords are not connected to the Morphin Grid you have carried out a similar infusion of power using the Zeo Crystal."

"Thanks Zordon," Billy said, hardly comforted. "Did you find out how Gasket gained those designs?"

"I believe so," Zordon answered. "Alpha and I found a security breach in the Command Center's computer system, the one we used as a data backup and allowed you to use for storage. I am afraid that such a breach never occurred to me Billy."

"So does that mean the Zeo technology has been compromised as well?" Trey asked.

"Affirmative," Billy agreed, recalling what had been stored on that system. "I will have to find a way to limit the damage."

"In the meantime Billy it is essential that you contact Professor Belle and retrieve the Pulse Generator," Zordon stated firmly. "Gasket must not be allowed to start full production."

"I'm on my way Zordon," Billy said, lifting a small device from a handy cabinet. "I just hope Tommy can keep the Zords intact until we're ready."

"Super Zeo Zords, Power Up!" the Rangers minus Jason called.

The five geometrically shaped Zords appeared in the sky and the Rangers teleported aboard. Tommy didn't give the command for them to unite and the others did not question his decision as they flew into battle.

"Pick your targets," Adam warned, "stay away from the Megazords."

The others nodded as the Zords separated, zeroing in on the Battleborgs, which they interpreted as the most vulnerable targets. They engaged briefly in combat, taking advantage of Gasket's lack of insight surrounding the control systems. Yellow and pink energy lanced through the battlefield as the Battleborgs were herded into a single position so Tanya and Kat could strike them with their Zords' chest mounted energy beams.

"They can't move properly," Rocky realised as he dodged the Red Battleborg's clumsy attack.

"They were never intended to be piloted," Adam told him. "Billy said they are just an extension of the Aquitian Rangers' wills."

"They're down," Tanya reported. "Moving in for the kill."

"Leave them!" Tommy cried desperately. "Gasket might not replace them if they're repairable."

The others were sceptical, but Tommy was the leader. Perhaps he had something in mind.

"Tommy, the other Zords are heading your way," Jason warned.

It was a frightening sight. The Ninja MegaFalconzord hovered on the horizon, with the Red Dragon coiled around its legs like a huge serpent. It resembled a looming angel of death, waiting for the call to strike, far more impressive than the earlier version. Its fists glowed with power, hinting at the attack it had in mind. Beneath the airborne Zord, the Shogun Megazord stalked across the small area of the city, walking through buildings as if they weren't there.

"Tommy, they're spreading out," Kat warned.

"Dino Megazord and MegaTigerzord closing in from the east," Adam reported. "Shogun Megazord, Ninja MegaFalconzord and Red Dragon to the North, I've got a double reading on Titanus from the south; they're trying to force us to go west."

~Which would have led us into the path of the Battleborgs,~ Tommy realised.

"I think it's time we called the shots for a while," Tommy said. "Jase?"

"We're ready," the Gold Ranger responded from inside Pyramidas.

"We?" Rocky asked.

"You trying flying a huge pyramid that turns at low speed with all the grace of a cruise liner and firing its weapons at the same time," Jason shot back, his amusement evident. "I was offered some help and accepted it."

"After all, nobody knows Pyramidas better than I," Trey said.

"All right guys, welcome to the fight," Tommy said. "Zeo Rangers, let's bring them together."

The five Zords unified, folding and reshaping themselves to form the Super Zeo Megazord. Its twin sabres were at the ready as the heavy Zord settled on the ground.

"Warrior Wheel, power up!"

"Zeo Megazord, online!"

"Red Battlezord, activate!"

After calling the three Zords the Rangers braced themselves for what was to come.

"They're here!" Kat warned as the first monstrous Megazord emerged, its imitation Power Sword glowing with energy. "I hope this works."

"I hope this works," Billy muttered as he appeared in the family's quarters and activated the hologram projector. It would not do for civilians to know he was a part of the Power Rangers' inner circle. Inner circle, there's a laugh; ~Ernie has more involvement in the Rangers than I do since giving up the Zeo Crystal,~ he thought bitterly.

It had taken longer than usual to reappear through the thick concrete walls of Professor Belle's family's research laboratory. They looked up as he entered, but relaxed once they knew whom it was.

"Um, hi?" Billy managed, forgetting that his face was hidden.

It was Professor Belle who answered. "What can we do for you, Blue Ranger?"

"The Rangers need the Pulse Generator," Billy said, raising his hand to prevent the angry response. "Please, hear me out. Prince Gasket has launched a plan that could mean the end of the Power Rangers unless we stop him. Your Pulse Disruptor might be our only hope."

"I cannot condone such an act," Professor Belle replied. "The Machine Empire are sentient beings. How can I condone wiping out an entire race?"

"I understand that," Billy admitted. "We don't want to destroy the Machine Empire. The chances are that the best we can manage is to disable them for a while. When they come back online though their plan will be worthless."

"To disable the Machine Empire would mean taking the device into space," Jo mused. "Can you do that?"

"We have something in mind," Billy assured her. To himself he added: "As long as Tommy doesn't destroy it."

"I bet," Jo muttered, not impressed.

Jo had nothing against the Rangers; in fact it was their technology that had once saved her father from the maniacal Machine Empire. It was just that she hated the idea that they only had one generator and it would take a long time to design a replacement should they break it.

"If we can fit the generator inside a projectile, we should be able to stop their operations and destroy their factories," Billy told them.

"All well and good," Jo said, "but do any of you understand the workings of the machine, could you guarantee that you could fix any faults before Gasket's servants destroy it. We only have one generator, if we lose it we lose any hope of destroying this threat."

"I am aware of the ramifications of this project," Billy admitted. "I cannot see an acceptable way to avoid it."

"You'll need to take us with you," Jo said, matter-of-factly. "We can fix any problems remotely."

Billy considered what she was effectively asking. Taking a civilian along on the mission was definitely out, but even NASADA's radar would be unable to keep up with Megazord in flight. Taking her to the Power Chamber though would mean revealing one of the Rangers' greatest secrets.

"Whom would you need to take with you?" he asked.

"Any two of us can detonate the bomb remotely," Professor Belle revealed. "It shouldn't be me." He raised his hand to stop any protest. "I wish I could, but I am military personnel. If asked I would have to tell."

"I'm going," Jo volunteered.

"Me too," Jennifer added.

Billy nodded and the three of them teleported away.

The Super Zeo Megazord was a large piece of machinery. So large in fact that it easily towered over the Zeo Megazord. Despite that ample height advantage, it lacked the weight of the Shogun Megazord and maintained a high degree of manoeuvrability. The twin swords it held glowed with energy as it twirled with surprising speed through the city. One blade deflected the Dino Megazord's Power Sword while the other blade hooked in under the Mammoth Shield, ripping it from the giant machine's grasp.

"We've got to go straight to full power, guys!" Tommy warned as the Dino Megazord responded with a cranial blast.

The Super Zeo Megazord dodged and as the Rangers worked in unison to provide adequate counterbalance, tilted on one leg, swing its other leg in an arc that connected with the Dino Megazord's chest. The large machine then turned, its two swords combined into a single energised blade, which it used to slice downwards, as it turned to face its target; the blade sliced through the first Titanus unit, destroying the Dragonzord assembly as it did so. A soft flick of the elongated sabre and the partially complete Ultrazord was gone.

"One more for the good guys," Rocky explained.

"Don't get cocky," Tanya warned.

"Brace for impact!" Adam cried as he noticed something speeding towards them.

The Zord staggered forwards, sparks flying from its damaged right hand, the super sized blade and a few fingers scattered across the ground as the Firebird returned to the MegaTigerzord.

"I forgot about that," the Blue Zeo Ranger admitted as the other Machine Megazords closed in.

"We need to use the other Zords," Adam stated. It was true; if they continued using the damaged Zord, they would be at a considerable disadvantage. The Megazord Sabre was their greatest weapon and without it they were restricted to hand-to-hand combat.

"All right, Rocky and Kat stay here," Tommy, instructed. He spared a glance out of the cockpit where the Zord's hand was clenching rapidly. This was not a good turn of events; their primary mecha was now a liability. "Call on the Warrior Wheel and... try to use the other hand. Adam and Tanya transfer to the Zeo Megazord. Use the Battle Helmets if you need to." Tommy withdrew his Zeoniser Crystal from the console. "I'll take the Red Battlezord."

"Damage to right-hand limits operation to ten percent," Kat said as the others vanished and she started looking to make repairs.

"We're not going to be using the combined sabre for a while," Rocky agreed. He shifted the controls and scattered their attackers. "We can still use the left-hand sabre though."

"Jason, how about that backup?" Tommy asked.

"Pyramidas is ready when you are," Jason replied. "Lightning attack, now!"

The huge pyramid ascended into the sky and hovered there, waiting for the right moment. Then, after Jason had managed to identify the Rangers from their opponents, the area was blasted with lightning from Pyramidas's apex cannons. The effect was as needed, the Machine Zords were divided up; the Dino Megazord and second Titanus unit faced the Super Zeo Megazord and Warrior Wheel, the second MegaTigerzord and Shogun Megazord were confronted by the Zeo Megazord while Tommy in the Red Battlezord was staring down the Red Dragon and Ninja MegaFalconzord.

"That's all I can do unless you hold them still," Jason warned.

Pyramidas was a self-contained arsenal, but even with Trey onboard, the cast craft was limited to how much power it could release without risking the Rangers; it wouldn't do for Jason to fry his own comrades.

With three Megazords working together, the Rangers forced their mechanical opponents to spread out as the Zords tried to find a workable strategy.

"Warrior Wheel, energise!" they heard Tommy call as the black wheel appeared in the Red Battlezord's grip.

"Wait," Jason said from his post, inside the pyramid now floating overhead. "A little longer... now!"

The Red Battlezord threw the Warrior Wheel at the Dino Megazord. The small robot energised as it connected, blasting the chest shield away as Red Battlezord followed up with a flurry of punches.

"I have him!" Tommy cried, without looking.

"Tommy!" Kat screamed as the Dino Megazord transformed into tank mode.

Tommy kept his cool and managed to avoid its onslaught and returned fire with his Zord's wrist mounted Gatling Cannons. The opposing machine transformed back to humanoid mode and fell to the ground as the attacks shredded its gyro circuits.

"That was too close," Tommy sighed.

Titanus had moved in without Red Zeo noticing and gripped the Red Battlezord by the neck, its teeth ripping into the armoured joints. As it was released, the Red Battlezord dropped on the remains of a small hut as the Machine Empire's Carrier Zord crushed it under its huge wheels.

"This is amazing," Jo said as they arrived in the Power Chamber and her eyes took in the wondrous sight of alien technology working for the benefit of mankind.

"Yeah," Jennifer whispered. "What do you think it took to build this place?"

"Almost two millennia of building and technical improvements," Billy told her casually. "Ten thousand years of strategic planning and paranoia, combine with the magical resources of a Morphin Master and the political power of a living martyr; placed on a direct line to one of the largest convergent points of mystical energy on the planet and seal inside a mountain; I give you the Power Chamber."

"Thank you, though I am not as paranoid as you believe," Zordon's voice boomed.

"Oh, so it was not paranoia that caused you to give us placebos in place of power coins until the Green Ranger came along?"

"Welcome my friends to the Power Chamber," Zordon said, ignoring Billy's challenge. This argument was one he hoped the former Blue Ranger would eventually drop the subject, which had become a sore point between them, especially since Billy had lost his powers. "I am Zordon, mentor of the Power Rangers."

"Well at least that's one unmasked face," Jo muttered, "even if it is the face of a giant head."

Zordon laughed, it was difficult to be insulted after so long spent with only Alpha as company. During that time he had come to realise that to the outside world he was just a big giant head. It was an illusion he didn't mind maintaining, one day it would no doubt become an asset.

"Before the Rangers can reveal their identities, you must swear not to reveal their secrets," he said.

"I promise," Jo said.

"Me too," Jennifer added.

"Very well," Zordon said, turning to address Billy. "You may remove the hologram now."

Billy obedient deactivated the device that had made him resemble a Ranger. He turned so that the two girls could see his face as he addressed them.

"I'm Billy Cranston, former Blue Ranger and assistant here in the Power Chamber."

"So what now?" Jo asked.

"We need to modify the device so we can use it remotely," Billy said. "We can use my workshop."

"You need to hurry Billy," Zordon said. "When the Rangers have defeated Gasket's current fleet of Zords, we need to ensure he does not begin manufacturing a new collection."

"We're working on it," Billy said as he dragged the girls from the room.

"We have to help him," Kat said as she watched her boyfriend take another blow.

"We have our own problems," Rocky warned.

Without its swords, the Super Zeo Megazord was fighting unarmed. Its damaged right fist sparked as it traded blows with two heavy weights of the Zord world, namely the Shogun Megazord and MegaTigerzord. Fortunately the Super Zeo Megazord was large enough to make the MegaTigerzord look small and anorexic in comparison to the Shogun Megazord, it was hardly dwarfed by the monstrous machine.

"Grab it!" Rocky cried as the MegaTigerzord came into view.

Kat obeyed and the Super Zeo Megazord grabbed the MegaTigerzord with its good hand, using its damaged hand for support. The Zord launched into the air, reaching as high as possible in a single leap before gravity stopped it. Then it fell back to Earth, using the MegaTigerzord as a pillow as the two machines crashed into the remains of the fish market. The Super Zeo Megazord stood upright, slightly shaky from its experience. The opposing Zord did not move.

"Get ready for the other one," Rocky said, suddenly very serious. The crash had taken a great deal out of him and Kat. The human body even morphed, was not supposed to take that sort of an impact and walk away.

The Shogun Megazord marched forward, ignoring its fellow machine as it stepped over the damaged MegaTigerzord. Its Fire Sabre was drawn and ignited; it swung the weapon with deadly expertise. The Super Zeo Megazord raised its arm in defence and the flaming cut only glanced across its armour. But the opposing Zord intensified the power of its weapon and Kat knew they would only be able to withstand so many blows before the Zord's armour was breached.

A second cut came, and a third. On the fourth attempt the Shogun Megazord seemed to back up.

"What's it doing?" Kat asked.

"I don't know," Rocky confessed, remembering the battles they had had in the massive Zord. "Oh no," he realised suddenly. "Separate the Megazord."

"Why?" Kat asked, sensing her teammate's panic.

"The Shogun Megazord attacks by spinning!" Rocky called.

Sure enough the machine had started to spin, whirling its flaming blade towards it opponent. The Super Zeo Mega Zord split apart as the blade connected, narrowly missing Super Zeo Zord V, but damaging Super Zeo Zord III.

"Reformation impossible," Rocky sighed as they tried to reconnect.

"Look out!" Kat cried as the Shogun Megazord made another swing, one they could not avoid.

"Look out," Tanya warned. "Zeo II Battle Helmet!" The helmet slipped into place as she took her seat at the controls of the Megazord. "Rockets on!"

Now with the power of flight, the Megazord flew into the sky and engaged the Ninja MegaFalconzord in its own territory. The two Zords were equal in power, the Machine Empire's creation barely registering an advantage in speed. The Ranger however had the experience and despite the knowledge Gasket had stolen, the machine was still slowed by its complex programming.

The Red Dragonzord attacked, using its superheated breath to scorch the Zeo Megazord. The flames engulfed the Zord, causing Adam to cry out as the cockpit was superheated. Tanya likewise suffered from the impact as the Red Dragon coiled its way around them.

"We're losing height," she realised as the Red Dragon forced their Zord towards the ground.

""Zeo IV Battle Helmet!" Adam called.

Using the power boost from the helmet, Adam directed the Zord to strain against the serpentine dragon. The Red Dragon remained firmly in place as the Zeo Megazord touched down on the desert floor.

"We're a sitting duck here," Tanya said, looking to where the Ninja MegaFalconzord was powering up its dual fist attack. "We need to break free."

Adam glanced at the Megazord in the air and then at the Red Dragon wrapped firmly around them. He sensed the movement as the grip lightened slightly and he understood what the Red Dragon was programmed to do. Shifting the controls he made the Megazord grab at the flying dragon and held it firmly as the Ninja Zord descended.

"Brace yourself," Adam warned as the Ninja MegaFalconzord approached.

Then there was a collision as the energised fist connected with the metallic body... of the Red Dragon Zord. Explosions ripped through the copy of the Thunderzord and the Zeo Megazord found itself freed as the serpent's body unravelled.

"Zeo V Battle Helmet!" Adam called, returning the Megazord to its default mode. "Zeo Megazord Sabre!"

A quick decisive blow ended the Red Dragon's unfortunate battle. The blade cut just below the head, and although it did not sever the head from the body, it triggered enough fail-safes to disable the machine. ~Gasket really should have checked before he copied.~

With one opponent gone the Megazord turned to face the Ninja MegaFalconzord, swinging its sword quickly in and attempt to seize a quick victory. The other machine was not there though, it had leapt into the air and unleashed a spinning kick. The Zeo Megazord' head snapped around with the impact as both the Rangers inside were thrown from their seats.

A voice crackled over the comm link, barely recognisable with all the other noise.

"Guys, this is Tommy," Red Zeo sent. "We're not going to be able to win fighting separately. Let's bring them together."

As he spoke, Tommy had his Zord reach up and grip Titanus's head. Then, abruptly, the Red Battlezord sat down, jarring its internal workings as it drove the Carrier Zord' lower jaw into his own Zord's head. As Titanus loosened its grip, Tommy did not stay in one place. He directed his Zord over towards the Zeo Megazord, well aware that the overgrown Brachiosaurus would be hot on his heels.

"Mega Battlezord!" he called out, along with Tanya and Adam.

The union was made and in place of two shaken Zords, stood one united machine in excellent working order.

"Fire!" the three Rangers called.

The shoulder cannons pumped as they sent blast after blast at their two opponents. It took a while, but eventually the Machine Empire's creations had enough and collapsed to the ground, where they remained unmoving.

"Warrior Wheel Engage!"

Unable to recreate the Super Zeo Megazord, Rocky had settled for ordering the Warrior Wheel into battle. However, the Shogun Megazord dwarfed the Warrior Wheel and the smaller Zord's attacks had no noticeable effect on it enormous opponent.

"Fire!" Kat called, using her Zords chest blaster to rip into the massive machine.

"Rocky, repairs should be complete," Alpha stated.

"Right," Rocky replied. "Super Zeo Megazord power!"

The Super Zeo Megazord reformed, still lacking most of its right hand. This time though it had the Warrior Wheel to hand. It swung the huge tyre and released it, watching as it impacted on the Shogun Megazord's armour.

"Take it up another notch Rocko," Tommy instructed.

Rocky understood the command and a smile crossed his lips as he saw Kat had understood as well.

"Super Zeo Ultrazord!"

As the various Zords combined, the Shogun Megazord seemed to reconsider. As the combined power of Zeo struck the machine's head though, it was no longer capable of thought as it disassembled and fell to the ground.

"Zordon, emergency all remains to the Power Chamber," Jason instructed, knowing Zordon and Alpha could ensure the machines did not repair themselves. "Billy, are you ready?" he asked as the Ultrazord separated.

"Affirmative," came Billy's reply.

The pyramid abruptly changed course, heading for space and leaving the Zeo Rangers wondering what was going on.

"Those Rangers have almost won!" Gasket announced angrily. "My Zords are superior, how dare those humans destroy them again?"

"Yes sire," Klank managed.

"Stop grovelling Klank and do something about it," Gasket ordered.

"Show him the other files," Orbus squeaked.

"What files?" Gasket demanded, drawing himself up to his full regal height, a move that failed to impress Klank since Gasket always stood at full height.

Klank shuffled nervously. "I found these in one of the sub folders. Zordon's contingency plans in case they ever had a full set of power coins."

"Why did you not show me these before?" Gasket demanded. "Why have you not built them?"

"I did, Sire," Klank protested, gesturing desperately to the production line.

Gasket turned to admire a second set of Zords. There were twelve in total; two Dinozords, two Thunderzords, two Ninjazords, three Shogunzords and three Battleborgs. These were not Zords the Rangers had used before, they were the machines that would have been used, had Zordon been able to create a full team of Rangers when Rita had escaped. While not powerful enough to tear through a battlefield and turn the tide of a fight, they each added to the assembled arsenal and would prove an unexpected problem for the Rangers.

"And this," Klank said, highlighting a revised design for the Dragonzord, "will be our surprise for the Rangers."

"Excellent," Gasket proclaimed. "Once again my brilliance has presented us with a chance of victory. That annoying Red Ranger won't know what hit him when his team's Zords are torn apart by my prize creation. Imagine his face when he's attacked by his original Zord. Don't just stand there Klank, get to work! This time we will send them into the heart of their city, where the Rangers dare not use their Zords."

Klank pushed a button on his arm and activated the advanced portal technology the Machine Empire used for moving over long distances. More accurate than a mere teleport, this method of transportation would deposit the Zords where the Rangers would be forced to notice them; he planned to send them to the center of Little Japan.

A loud warbling disrupted their plans as the alarms sounded.

"What is the meaning of this?" Gasket demanded.

"Unknown craft approaching Sire," Klank practically squeaked. "It's Pyramidas!"

"And why would the Rangers send their Carrier Zord all the way out here?" Gasket asked. "They have enough problems as it is. "This is obviously an illusion or a trick of some sort."

"I'm picking up an energy reading," Sprocket cried excitedly.

"Let me see that," Gasket snapped. His optics analysed the data and he suddenly seemed to change his attitude. "Shoot it down!"

The Cogs obeyed, bringing the Machine Sky Base's vast arsenal to fire on the great pyramid, but Pyramidas had survived worse and easily drifted through the barrage.

"Don't let them come any closer, please..." Gasket begged, realising what the Rangers were up to.

"What's wrong Gasket, is your plan going to fail?" Sprocket asked.

"Yes dear, what is the matter?" Queen Machina.

"Tell me, my love," Archerina added, much to her mother-in-law's displeasure.

"Those Rangers have the Pulse Generator," Gasket told them.

"So you're giving up?" Sprocket asked, sensing an opportunity to seize power as his less active logic center calculated the odds of maintaining control once he had humiliated his brother.

"Yes, you be in charge," Gasket told him. "Then it will be your failure and not mine."

"Ready?" Jason asked as Pyramidas flew closer.

"Affirmative," Billy answered.

Trey pulled a small lever and the top of the giant Zord opened, sucking the contents of that storage bay into space. He pushed another button to seal the area as Billy powered down the Zord's electrical systems.

"Hold tight," he told the two civilian occupants. Jo and Jen were too busy looking out the porthole to pay attention. "Here we go."

The first container made contact with the new factory, exploding as it did so while the Rangers activated the Pulse Generator. The Machine Sky Base ground to a halt as a surge of uncontrollable energy ripped through everything in its path. Although the pulse only affected electronics, on a base filled with machines, it could cause widespread damage. Sparks flew as delicate wiring overloaded, closing down vital systems, causing collisions and accidents throughout the Sky Base.

Gasket and his family barely had time to register the pulse as they shut down. The Cogs around them, with less sophisticated circuitry, exploding. The throne room was filled with smoke as the short-circuiting Cogs ignited fuel that leaked from damaged pipe work.

Then the base stopped spinning and the gravity failed. Pressure vanished suddenly and anything not secured to the ground was promptly sucked into space and away from the vast structure. Only the members of the royal family and their faithful retainers remained, Orbus drifting towards the open space, but held in place by Klank's icy grip.

Mondo had ensured his family were protected from decompression. Their feet contained mechanical spikes that fixed them to the flooring. Archerina had a similar means of anchoring herself. However, they remained still, unable to take advantage of their lucky reprieve.

The factory complex was not so lucky. The bombs the Rangers had loaded had opened the outer shell and with the sudden loss of pressure, the completed machines Gasket had been about to send to Earth were floating through the open hatchway.

"Come on Zordon," Billy whispered, not daring to reactivate Pyramidas just yet.

The Zords glowed and were promptly teleported to the Power Chamber where they could be dealt with later. The other bombs had by now started to explode, causing random damage to the structure. The scaffolding failed to hold as more explosions rocked the base.

"Alas," Billy said. "You overlooked the Oxygen already contained within Pyramidas and the fact an EMP will only damage active circuits."

He nodded to Trey who pulled a switch and reactivated the massive Zord as another explosion rocked the Machine Sky Base, rupturing the fuel lines between the new factory and the old base.

"Computer systems damaged," Trey reported from a console. "Anything they were keeping in those systems that related to Zords is gone."

"The factory is history too, Billy," Jason smiled.

"We did it," Jo cheered.

"Wait," Jen said, watching her screen. "Virus is in place. If they try and retrieve the data they're in for a shock."

"Morphenominal!" Billy exclaimed.

"Let's get back to Earth," Jason said, steering the Zord through the falling, flying and floating debris. As he piloted, he was well aware that even the smallest piece of debris posed a threat should it get through the shields. Golden light filled the darkness as Pyramidas's engines roared to life and the Zord took off for home, leaving the Machine Sky Base a scorched wreck as the fires ran out of fuel and were extinguished.

Some time later the Rangers and their new friends had regrouped back at the Power Chamber, the mood was one of triumph.

"Congratulations Rangers," Zordon said. "Not only have you managed to disable Gasket's plans and incapacitate the Machine Empire, Alpha managed to teleport all the defeated Zords into an unused chamber where they will cause no further harm."

"Does that mean we have more Zords?" Jason asked.

"Unfortunately, there is a high chance that Gasket programmed his machines to destroy regardless of where they were," Zordon said. "For safety reason Alpha and I will need to arrange for the Zords to be broken down and rigorously checked for secondary control systems. I am afraid that the process will damage them beyond repair."

The View Screen opened, showing a chamber filled with damaged Zords, flashing every few seconds as waves of electric were sent into the onboard systems, preventing all computerised systems from starting.

"Well this has been fun..." Jennifer started.

"But we need to go home," Jo finished.

"In that case, I thank you for the aid you have given the Rangers," Zordon rumbled.

"It was an honour," Jo said.

In two beams of white light, they were teleported away.

"And now Rangers, I suggest that you take advantage of this opportunity; I suspect it will take Gasket and Machina's forces time to recover from this turn of events."

"Good idea Zordon," Tommy agreed. "Shall we?"

There was a collective agreement as Rangers and friends teleported away. Without the threat of the Machine Empire, even Billy could afford the downtime; the repairs to the Super Zeo Zords could wait for one day. With luck, it would be a while before they ran into the Royal House of Gadgetry again.

Sure there were small-scale threats out there, but the Rangers could deal with those. There were also tasks that needed to be completed to ensure the security of the Power Chamber; the citadel had been exposed as a weakness. Before they could relax fully, the Rangers would need to help Alpha install security systems and remove any residual computer equipment. The entire system would then need to be examined in case Gasket's operative left anything behind.

Generally speaking though, the Rangers had won.

Space

Metallic fingers flexed as superior circuitry kicked in and the ruler of the Machine Empire was reactivated. He looked at the destruction, at his annoying sibling and his proud mother. He looked at Archerina, her own restoration program already operating. Soon they would be active again and would make those Rangers pay. After they had repaired the damage those Rangers had caused to his father's Sky Base.

No, that was the wrong approach. His mother and brother had cost him this battle. He and Archerina would start again, this time on their own. Let the squirt and his mother try to match him. They would regret it. If revenge was truly a dish best served cold, the Rangers were about to learn how cold Iron could be when exposed to the harsh environment of space.

**End**

Disclaimer: I do not own the Power Rangers; they belong to their respective copyright owners and are used here without permission. No money is being made from this fic.  
Authors Note: This fic represents the final appearance of is an alternate universe from the television show with an alternate time line. This fic takes place after Rangers of Two Worlds.

**Fading Gold**

Earth

The warm sun beat down on the mountain range outside of Angel Grove, warming the four figures who stood nervously next to a piece of bizarre machinery. From a distant three of them were dressed in the same type of uniform, the fourth choosing a black tee shirt and blue jeans. Closer observation would note that three of them looked the same and would have assumed they were triplets. Those in the know were well aware that the bond between these three men was closer than even the bond between brothers. They were Trey of Triforia formerly united as the being known as the Gold Ranger and currently on Earth.

"Ready?" Jason Lee-Scott, current Gold Ranger and one time Red Morphin Ranger of Earth asked.

A bead of sweat ran down his face, a sign of not only the strenuous workout the four men had undertaken, but also his nervousness about what was to come. After a brief discussion they had all agreed that a brief exercise session would allow them to focus on the job in hand and reduce the risk of shock if successful.

He removed his communicator and T-shirt so he was wearing only a small medallion around his neck. That was a gift from Alpha, intended to act as a good luck charm. On the front of the medal was a carving of a dinosaur emerging from a pyramid, a reference to the powers that Jason had held.

"Ready," Trey of Courage added. "We appreciate this Jason. Not many would be willing to help us like this."

Trey of Courage, apparently the spokesman for the Treys on this occasion nodded his consent before removing his black and gold top. He wore a similar medallion with a different inscription. Jason could not quite make out the animal represented; it was hidden from his view or very badly carved.

"That's what friends are for," Jason answered. "The Universe needs the Gold Ranger."

"We are lucky to have a friend like you then," Trey of Heart smiled. "I am ready. Wisdom?"

"If we bounce the golden energy around Aquitar to Triforia and back to Earth, we might be able to remerge permanently," Trey of Wisdom said softly. He had been disappointed that their previous attempts to achieve unity had been short-lived and in retrospect extremely unpleasant. "I am ready."

"Gold Power Staff!" Jason called.

When the current Gold Ranger nodded his consent, the three Treys wrapped their hands around the staff and together the four of them called: "Gold Ranger Power!"

A beam of energy shot from the tip of the Power Staff into the night's sky. A column of gold formed into a spectacular spiral of sparks as it reached the edge of the atmosphere. Then it was gone, pulled by an unseen force as it bounced first off Aquitar and then onto the surface of Triforia. As it travelled the wavelength of the energy changed just as Zordon had predicted to a new frequency, one that would allow Trey to wield the energy without the risk of fracturing his soul again. If Zordon had calculated correctly, then the change of wavelength would go further and reinforce Trey's mental and spiritual effort to remerge. Not only would that allow Trey to resume the role of Gold Ranger, it would end the physical discomfort he had been feeling ever since the division had taken place; he hid it well, but Zordon could sense the Gold Ranger's pain.

Triforians were not supposed to divide their souls in the way Trey had done; the unification of three portions into a single entity was a throwback to evolution, not a weapon or party trick. In fact it was supposedly impossible for the three portions of a Triforian's soul to take physical form; Zordon and Billy speculated this was down to the powers of the Gold Ranger and the effects they had on the Triforian physiology in the same way that they had proven damaging to the human body.

But even with Trey's physiology, there were complications. By dividing Trey was expending three times the life force to sustain his bodies, three times the mental faculties to remain sane and three times the courage to face each day as it came. Such strength of will and power mind was impossible to maintain for long periods without the risk to physical deterioration; Trey had already managed to survive longer than most in his position, partially because his interaction with the Rangers had allowed him to grow comfortable in his separate bodies.

Time was running out though and once the physical decline started, it would be next to impossible to stop. And given his enfeebled state, this was an all-or-nothing, one time only attempt to restore the Gold Ranger powers. It they failed, it was unlikely Trey would survive the shock to make a second attempt. Even if he did, it would take weeks for the planetary alignment to achieve a satisfactory position.

With Mondo yet to return Gasket in command of the Machine Empire, Rita and Zedd were once again threatening to invade, the threat to Earth was growing by the day. And with Billy on Aquitar, the team was seriously lacking in its expertise of things of that nature. Sure, Zordon and Alpha were there, but they tended to give the information from a mentor's viewpoint rather than from a Ranger's, perspective. In short, they couldn't afford to lose Trey.

Inside the building that Zordon had constructed not far from the old Command Center, the Zeo Rangers watched anxiously. The building had been intended to act as the Zord Bay, but they had never found the need for it. So now, apart from a mysterious laboratory that Billy had placed out of bounds, the only use it represented was that of an observation lounge.

"It just reached Triforia," Adam said.

All they could do was wait as the energy beam from the Power Staff bounced off the planet and continued to increase in energy. Adam's eyes darted back and forth from the screen to the data pad in his hand. He hoped the energy would be high enough when it reached Earth or all was lost.

"Incoming!" Rocky cried as he saw the beam approaching like a shooting star.

"There's something up there," Tanya stated.

"What is it?" Tommy asked.

"Rangers, report to the Power Chamber immediately," Zordon boomed, but his voice was lost in the chaos that followed.

There was a commotion outside. Without hesitation they rushed to the friends' aid.

On the ground the Rangers had gathered around their four friends, not noticing what was happening about, or the sudden disappearance that followed once the mysterious figure had finished feeding. Jason was lying in the center of the circle, his body transformed into the Gold Ranger once more. Next to him the three Treys were attempting to understand what had happened.

"The energy bonded with Jason again," Trey of Wisdom said. "He will be able to keep the powers longer than planned."

Trey of Heart was holding his head. He looked up as the consequences of their failure dawned on him. "We cannot repeat this process. Our bodies cannot be merged."

"Heart, you are bleeding," Trey of Courage said.

"It is nothing," Trey of Heart replied.

"But, I confess, while you bleed, I do not," Courage argued pointedly.

Heart looked at Courage and realized what he meant. When separated into three parts a Triforian was still considered a single entity. Knowledge and pain, strength and death were shared; injury to one was inflicted on all. Trey of Courage should have had the same injury as Heart or at least have felt it. But he couldn't because Heart and Wisdom were no longer voices in his head. In fact they were barely whispers. He could feel their concern but little else.

"The energy did not heal us as we had hoped," Heart said.

"I fear not, instead of drawing us together," Wisdom added.

"It has severed the ties between us. We have been permanently divided," they both concluded.

"Then it is true, we are truly alive!" Trey of Courage said as the pieces slotted into place. They were separate living beings, not parts of one being. Trey of Triforia had ceased to exist as he once had, but in his place three new lives had just begun.

The other Rangers gathered round in shock, but their surprise increased when they looked at Jason. He was still in the uniform of the Gold Ranger and glowed brightly as the sun reflected off his armour.

"Guys, I think I'm back."

It was a few weeks later that Jason Lee-Scott walked through the forest to the south of Angel Grove. He had been working out during the day and was now on his way home. The last time he had been in the forest it had been with Tommy, en-route to the Power Chamber to become the Gold Ranger. Now his powers were failing him. He had been warned that holding the Gold Ranger Power was dangerous for any human, but had accepted the risk to help his friends.

Zordon had warned him that Alpha had detected small fluctuations in his life signs when morphed and that it might be necessary to give up the powers. He had not mentioned the pain he felt when morphing. Now the situation was even more urgent. An attempt to remerge Trey of Heart, Trey and Courage and Trey of Wisdom had failed due to some unknown force stealing the energy wave they had used. The residual energy that struck the Golden Power Staff had done little good and had even made matters worse.

Now Trey of Triforia was gone forever, his three component souls damned to be separate. The process could only be used once, and instead of helping the Trey's to become one it had destroyed their unity, perhaps forever. Although they retained a mild ability to sense each other, they no longer thought with one mind; they fought for their own reasons even though those reasons were similar. Most importantly they were starting to develop unique personalities to the extent of picking new names.

Trey of Courage had decided to keep the name Trey. He had always been the dominant personality in their combined form and continued to exert some influence. He had grown headstrong recently and was eager for action.

Trey of Heart had gone in much the opposite direction. After changing his name to Travis, he had sought out his spiritual side. He hoped that by calming his inner conflicts he would understand his dilemma and find a way to reunite with Courage and Wisdom.

Not to be left out, Trey of Wisdom was also seeking a way to reunite. He recognized just how dangerous it was for Jason to keep the Gold Ranger powers much longer. He also knew that if Trey of Courage were to attempt to morph the powers would consume him easily. Wisdom had changed his name to Trent and had locked himself in a private part of the Power Chamber in the hope that he would find a solution.

For a while Jason had been able to continue as Gold Ranger, the small change in frequency had made the Gold Ranger powers slightly less dangerous. Originally intended to restore Trey, it had somehow halted his deterioration. But things could not stay like that for long. The Gold Ranger could feel himself growing weaker with each battle and the need to transfer them was urgent. If Trey could not take the powers soon, the option was to either recruit another Triforian or another human to act as temporary host. Jason didn't like the sound of either option.

Fortunately the Rangers had some good news. Gasket and his faction of the Machine Empire were crippled from the Electro Magnetic Pulse the Rangers had unleashed weeks before; Mondo was still undergoing repair from his defeat by the Super Zeo Megazord. Obviously the Machine Empire was not as resilient as they had thought. Rita and Zedd had tried to take over, but other than demonstrating the fact they were still there, they had accomplished very little.

With the help of Jo and Jennifer Belle, both computer and electronic geniuses, Alpha and Zordon had been able to enhance the Rangers' arsenal, adding the Zords that Gasket had built. During their time helping the Rangers, Jennifer and Rocky had started to develop a relationship, much to Josie's amusement. For her part Jo had struck up a strong friendship with Alpha Five.

"Gold Ranger." The cold mechanical voice belonged to the leader of a group of Cogs. "Surrender and you will remain unharmed. Resist and you will be destroyed."

Jason studied the machines carefully. The basic design was Mondo's, but they looked sleeker than Jason remembered. That meant they were Gasket's. He sighed, knowing that meant that the effects of the Pulse Disruptor had most likely ended although he could not judge whether all of the machines on the Sky Base had been revived. This was probably Gasket's work though; the younger machine preferred lightweight materials. This was a good thing since it took less effort to destroy Gasket's Cogs. Of course he had no intention of fighting them on his own and was already trying to teleport away. When nothing happened, he realized he was being jammed.

As the machines moved towards him, Jason was looking for a way out. During his time as Red Ranger he probably would have tried to stand and fight, but those days were behind him. His headstrong nature had been tempered and he was willing to think before acting. Of course during his time away from the action his skills had also deteriorated not because he hadn't trained, but because without constant monster attacks his regular training regime was less effective. There was just no comparison for physical boost morphing provided.

That was something Jason had noticed upon his return and had discovered the older Rangers felt the same. The Zeo power failed to give the extreme high they had come to expect. The Gold Ranger powers could have even been worse since they were not truly part of the Zeo Crystal. The Gold Ranger drew energy from the Golden Power Staff, and while that energy was very similar to that produced by the Zeo Crystal, it was not the same. Despite the differences though it was close enough to work with the Zeo powers.

By the time the clumsy Cogs had reached him Jason had formulated an escape plan. He waited to make sure they weren't going to surround him and then turned to run. The Cogs spread out in an attempt to intercept, but Jason hadn't moved. At just the right time he sprang into action, striking at the one place they had left vulnerable, the path of their original approach. He had already found a suitable branch to use as a weapon and as he moved he picked it up.

The Cog saw him coming and prepared to block the blow to its head. Fortunately Jason had other plans. When he was close to the Cog, he skidded, using the loose dirt under his feet as lubricant. As he slid past the machine, he jammed the end of the branch into the back of its knee. He ignored the electronic squeal as he scrambled back to his feet and ran.

The other Cogs were in hot pursuit, but Jason was determined to get away. While he ran, his hand was frantically pressing the button on his communicator in the hope that he might find a weakness in the jamming field. He had a head start and hoped to reach open ground where Zordon might notice his predicament.

"Get him you blundering dolts," Gasket called. He had been watching events unfold and had moved to the planet's surface to take command. "I fail to see how they'd get along without us my dear," he told his wife. Both Gasket and Machina had fully recovered from the pulse.

"Shall I intervene, my love?" Archerina asked.

Gasket nodded his consent and Archerina leapt in action. She drew her bow and unleashed a volley of arrows, one of which struck the unmorphed Ranger's leg, tore through the material and snagged him in place.

"You had better surrender human," Gasket said. "You can't fight all of us like that and don't even have a weapon."

Jason eyed the advancing machines, calculated the odds and then relented.

"It's Morphin Time!" Jason cried as the Golden Power Staff appeared in his hand. "Gold Ranger Power!"

The now familiar black and gold spandex formed around him. Jason winced as a flash of pain struck him in his side. He shook the pain off and fell into a defensive stance. He waited for the Cogs to move in close, gripping the Power Staff all the time. As soon as they were all in range Jason started to swing the Power Staff in a circle, striking each Cog as they tried to grab it.

Once they had all fallen, Jason launched himself into the air and drop-kicked the first Cog to try to stand up. A spinning savate kick caught another Cog and he used the tip of the Power Staff to smash another Cog in the chest. Holding the Golden Power Staff in front of him Jason decided it was time to finish the undue workout and get home.

"Time for a Gold Rush!"

A tip of his staff glowed with power as the Gold Ranger charged forward. Suddenly, the built up energy was released inside as he reached the Cogs, destroying all of them. His legs felt strange as the energy faded and he had to battle to stay upright. His hand grabbed a tree trunk and groaned as his Power enhanced strength crushed it.

"Look dear, he can hardly stand, let alone fight," Gasket said smugly as the two machines advanced.

Jason was too weak to fight them. He needed a way out and quickly.

"Golden Flash!" he cried.

The tip of the Golden Power Staff opened for a second and allowed a small ball of light to form. As Gasket and his wife watched it grew larger, sucking in oxygen from the surrounding area. Then it exploded as all the stored energy was converted to light. Jason had used that opportunity to back away as his visor darkened.

The ball of light that overloaded his optic circuits caught Gasket unaware. For a brief moment he was blind; Archerina faired no better. Her hand went to her mechanical eyes as if that would help.

As soon as the ball exploded Jason ran, knowing that with the Gold Ranger powers enhancing his body he could run faster than before. Of course the flash did more than blind his attackers, he hoped. With luck the energy discharge would set off the alarms in the Power Chamber, assuming that his morphing had not already done so. But there in was another problem with the Gold Ranger powers. They were not tied to the Zeo Crystal and therefore could not be monitored by Zordon and Alpha.

An explosion caused Jason to stop and look. Gasket had apparently shaken off his loss of sight and was now blasting the area. Although his aim was less than perfect, the blast did knock Jason off his feet.

"Good try human," Gasket said as he towered over the fallen Ranger. "But not good enough."

His sword struck between the boy's shoulder blades, shorting out his powers and causing the Gold Ranger to howl in pain even as he tried to stand. The sword rose to deliver a second blow to the neck.

"The Golden Power Staff," Gasket said. "Now!"

"Never!" Jason shouted in reply.

The Golden Power Staff faded back into Jason's personal sub-space pocket where only he could access it. If Gasket killed him, it would stop anyone replacing Jason, but at least it would keep the powers from Gasket's clutches.

"I think the Brain Drain might be in order dear," Archerina said.

"I believe you might be correct," Gasket replied.

Jason trembled at the thought of ending up like Tommy, a puppet to be used by these evil monsters. He hoped Zordon knew what was happening. Then he thought no more as a heavy blow to his neck almost caused him to pass out.

"You cannot morph," Gasket told him gleefully. "If you try to do so, I will break your neck."

Jason was stunned for a moment while the Power dulled the fire in his pain receptors. He wished he had not demorphed, since his powers would have offered some sort of protection against Gasket's rage. The machine prince had decided to beat the Power Staff out of Jason even if it killed the boy in the process. A sharp kick caused Jason to hiss as he felt one, possibly two of his ribs break. Accelerated healing would deal with, but only if he survived.

His options were limited. A second Gold Rush was out of the question because if it failed he would be even more helpless and he needed to be morphed in order to accomplish such a feat. He was also in a vulnerable position. On the floor, his strength did him little good. He tried again to teleport, but that didn't work either despite the distance he had travelled. He was stuck.

"All I require is the Golden Power Staff," Gasket said as he hauled the Ranger back to his feet. "Give it to me!"

Gasket's metallic hand connected with Jason's chest and threw him back into the trees. The cracking of timbers as the plant live was pushed away by his flying body. Jason felt each impact and prayed he wouldn't strike his head or back in the wrong place. That would be the end of him.

"You're not helping yourself Jason," Gasket warned as his stomped on the Gold Ranger's hand. His sword appeared in his hand once more as Archerina placed her foot on Jason's knee. "Perhaps when we start removing body parts you'll cooperate."

Something black grunted as it crashed into Gasket. Jason caught a glimpse of it out of the corner of his eye. It spun and kicked at Gasket without fear, at one point successfully blocking a deadly slice from the villain's sword. The figure's black cloak shrouded Gasket's face while he blocked an arrow from Archerina with his gauntlets. A swift backhand knocked the weight off Jason's back as Archerina stumbled.

"Can you stand?" Trey asked.

Jason was in too much pain to talk properly, but his mind recognized the need to move. He stood warily and steadied himself on Trey's shoulder.

"What are you doing here?" he managed.

"The Gold Ranger powers must be protected," Trey stated. In a light tone he added, "So must their avatar,"

If he hadn't been in pain, Jason might have smiled. But he knew they weren't out of danger yet.

"How did you get here?" he asked.

"The anti-teleport field ends at the edge of the forest," Trey answered. "Come on."

With Trey leading the way they ran toward safety, aware of Gasket and Archerina now back in pursuit. A few Cogs had managed to stand by this time and tried to block their path. Luckily Trey had thought to bring a weapon with him and knocked the obstacles from their path. With surprise on his side he had managed to knock Gasket and Archerina about, but Trey was not a fool and despite his longing for action, he had learnt to be cautious.

When Trey dropped like a stone it took those present a while to figure out exactly what had happened. At first Jason thought a Cog had managed to use its eyebeams, but a second shot that just missed his feet and a shout of anger from Gasket told him that was not the case.

"How dare you interfere?" Gasket demanded.

Things had finally been going his way, but now Rita and Zedd had decided to involve themselves. He cursed that he hadn't made the teleportation field block their approach as well. He watched as a second discharge struck the vulnerable Gold Ranger.

"Leave at once!" Gasket commanded, synthesizing the most compelling voice he could manage, which happened to be that of his father.

"Leave?" Rita screeched. "We're just about to claim the Gold Ranger powers for out own. You leave."

To back up his wife's words Zedd unleashed a blast of magic from his staff, which dissipated as soon as it struck Gasket.

"We're immune to magic Zedd, remember?" Archerina mocked.

Zedd did remember. The Machine Empire and Archerina, after some enhancements by Gasket, were made of Iron. Of all the elements Iron was almost unique in its ability to repel magic and with it the power of the Morphin Grid. Of course Zedd was not so stupid that he wouldn't have a backup plan ready.

"Rito, Goldar, what are you waiting for?" the Emperor of Evil asked.

"Uh nothing Ed," Rito replied and the two charged while Zedd fumed silently,

"Come on Zeddy, we need to get that Ranger," Rita said.

Rito and Goldar were incompetent at the best of times, but they made a good distraction. Even if Gasket were a genius by comparison, they were too strong for him to handle on his own. With the two machines facing off the idiot henchmen, Tengas were dispatched to pick off the few remaining Cogs.

Trey by this time, was starting to stir while Jason was back to his feet albeit unsteadily. A second shot from Zedd's staff put him down again as Rita used her staff to bind their hands to their sides.

"Now," Zedd boomed threateningly, "Give me the Golden Power Staff."

The sharp edge of his Zedd staff touched Trey's body, drawing a trace of blood. Jason knew things had taken a turn for the worse.

When the Zeo Rangers arrived it had been easier than they expected to slip through the jamming field using a technique Billy had devised long ago. They soon discovered the reason for their easy entrance was that Rita and Zedd had allowed it. As they entered the wooded area Z-Putties and monsters they thought long defeated, swarmed them.

Of course those monsters they had dealt with during the age of the Thunderzords were easily dispatched since the Zeo powers were stronger than those they had at that time were. The monsters from their time as Ninja Rangers were somewhat more difficult, especially in numbers. This was because as Tommy, Adam and Rocky had discussed one night; the Ninja powers were equal if not stronger than those of the Zeo Crystal were. However, against the Machine Empire's Iron bodies, the Ninja powers were ineffective.

Gasket and Archerina had finally subdued Goldar and Rito after unleashing two of their creations to handle the task. They were now in a direct standoff against Rita and Zedd. For although magic had no effect on the machines, objects affected by magic, such as falling trees could. Likewise it would take little for the machines to shred the other villains' flesh.

"Leave before I really get angry and make it rain," Zedd half-joked and half-threatened. Whether Gasket was rust proof was something he considered finding out, but there were more important matters to deal with first.

Rita and Zedd both knew that the Machine Empire was immune to magic, except that which was forced to conform to the rules of science. Such powers as those found in the Zeo Crystal or Golden Power Staff would give them a means to destroy Mondo and his family once and for all. Then they could wipe out the Rangers, conquer the Earth and take their prize.

"Leave now you arrogant organics," Gasket boomed in his best Mondo voice. "We were here first." He paused for a moment. "Besides, you have the other Zeo Rangers," he pointed out.

Zedd looked around to see the Zeo Rangers caught in an oversized cocoon, which had been enchanted to prevent the use of their weapons. As the trap closed inwards, the Rangers were forced off their feet. When the excess air was all gone, they would be forced to demorph in return for Oxygen.

Jason howled in agony causing all present to look in his direction. His costume flickered for a moment and then disappeared, leaving him vulnerable and holding the Golden Power Staff, which had mysteriously appeared. Next to him Trey was still trying to shake off the effects of the spell, but without the Power he lacked the accelerated healing the others enjoyed.

"Perhaps a compromise is in order," Zedd said.

He kicked Jason hard in the gut and rolled him over with his toe. Another kick rolled him towards his fellow Zeo Rangers.

"Release them," he told Rita.

Rita was about to ask if he had gone mad, when she sensed something she had not felt from him since his arrival on the Moon, something that had been building ever since he had bested the White Ranger in combat. He was confident of victory. A wave of her wand released the Rangers who seemed to be confused and concerned for their two friends.

"Rangers," Zedd said as he hooked his staff through the back of Trey's clothing. "Power down and drop your Zeonisers or I will kill your ally."

"How do we know you'll let him go if we power down?" Tommy asked.

"Let him go?" Zedd asked. "Who said I was going to let him go? Your actions will simply decide whether he lives or becomes Tenga food."

"More than enough power to share," Gasket said to Zedd quietly.

"Or to keep for myself," they both muttered.

"One minute Rangers," Gasket warned.

"Let us go and talk to Zordon," Adam said.

It was a good ploy. If Zedd allowed them even a moment of communication, Zordon could teleport them all including Trey to safety. But Zedd would have none of it.

"Fifty seconds," he reminded them. He raised Trey higher to make his point. "I suggest you don't keep your friend hanging about."

The figure arrived at the edge of the jamming field and had to admit it felt good to be morphed again. The desire to charge headlong into battle and save the day was almost too great to resist, but an inner voice told him not to give in to such instincts. Instead he looked for an alternative.

Against Rita and what he assumed was Zedd he would have a slim chance - a _very_ slim chance - but against the two machines, their names unknown to him, he had no chance. The Zeo Rangers on the other hand were intended to fight the Machine Empire and could probably handle Rita and Zedd as well. If he could free them, they could take things from there.

He used the scanner inside his helmet to take a closer look at what was happening. The man in the cloak had been hoisted into the air and hung from Zedd's staff, tendrils of dark energy running over the course of his body. Obviously this person was more to the Rangers than he had first thought. Their indecision was not the same as when a family member was held captive, or an innocent member of the public. From their concern and Red Zeo's actions it appeared as if he were a close friend.

"Aura Scan!" he ordered, curious.

The helmets of the original Power Rangers of Earth had contained the secret to many capabilities Zordon had revealed when the time was right. By doing so he had ensured that the Rangers kept to their oath never to escalate a battle, even though they showed great restraint in that area. Jetting, Power Scans and night vision were among the standard features Zordon and Alpha had developed during their first few years on Earth. When Tommy had rejoined the team for good, they had updated his suit to include those functions. When Rita and Zedd had ordered the Wizard of Deception to create Tom, the Wizard had used the White Ranger as a template for the Green Clone Ranger powers, giving him those same functions; functions the figure now also possessed, along with many that had been added since. The figure wasn't quite sure how he knew all of that, but he had more important things to do than complain. Though he was curious to know what 'Metallic Armour' was...

The Aura Scan made use of the Power Scan feature to analyse a subject's magical potential and identify those who were capable of using or actively using the Morphin Grid. The figure's scan yielded quick results. The Machine Empire failed to even show up on his scan, appearing as a void; the Putties were just grey anomalies, suggesting a total lack of their own life; Tengas were black and white, the black marking them as evil and the white indicating their lack of power. Rito and Rita both showed up as black and green, something Sam imagined was due to them being related; Goldar was red and black with a hint of grey, and Zedd himself was just plain black. What the colours meant wasn't clear, but they weren't important anyway; it was the Rangers he was interested in.

First he checked the five Zeo Rangers. Red Zeo was red with a white/green outline; Blue Zeo was blue with a red outline. Pink Zeo was pink all over and Yellow Zeo was pure yellow; both girls' aura's matching their signature colours exactly, he noticed. Green Zeo was a surprising mix, green with a half-yellow and half-black outline. Then he checked on the Black Zeo Ranger - no, wait, Gold Ranger he was called, though he looked more like a Black Ranger in the figure's opinion - who flickered between gold with red flares and clear, his costume flickering in time with his aura. All the time the former maintaining an even red edge.

_Now for the hostage._

The scan quickly revealed the hostage was a Ranger of some type. He showed up as clear, but had gold streaks running throughout. Unlike the others he lacked an outer colour, leading the figure to believe that Trey was probably Jason's predecessor.

_Jason? _The figure frowned as a memory belatedly clicked into place. _Huh. Small world_...

Now he knew who everyone was he could see why the Rangers were undecided. On the one hand they couldn't just give up their powers, but to risk a civilian or worse a teammate was something they weren't prepared to do. It was a no win situation and they needed a third alternative. The figure decided to provide it.

The countdown continued without delay and the Rangers were growing more and more desperate. While Trey was a hostage, they couldn't move against Zedd. Any attempt to do so would end in disaster. As the count got lower Tommy steeled himself for what had to be done. The Rangers had given up their powers before and survived, he hoped they could do so again. After all, back then they had a Green Ranger waiting in the wings.

"Kai-yah!"

The noise drew attention from all parties as the Dragon Ranger leapt through the air and landed next to Zedd. With a swift kick he threw Zedd off balance. Zedd moved to intercept this new foe as another cloaked figure leapt through the air and landed next to Trey. A swipe of a small dagger cut through Trey's costume and a sharp quick shove pushed him away, freeing the other Rangers to attack.

Tommy had by now recovered enough to summon the Zeo V Power Sword and take over the battle with Zedd. This caused Zedd to focus on him rather than the third cloaked figure that shoulder blocked his knees.

Looking around, Dragon Ranger ignored Gasket and Machina because his powers would be at best ineffective and at worst could cost him dearly. Instead he sprang back to cut off Goldar as the simian charged at Jason. Dragon Blade in hand, the Green Ranger punched it out with his foe, both fighters attacking with equal ferocity and glee. Their swords clashed as Goldar tried every trick in the book, most of which the Dragon Ranger hadn't realized existed. With a grunt the Green Dragon Ranger was slammed on his back.

"Later Green Ranger," Goldar gloated as his sword descended on its latest target.

"Zeo I Power Disk!" Pink Zeo called.

Her small shield like disk energized and grew until it was a few feet in diameter. Flames licked the edge without affecting Kat, who after drawing it back like a Frisbee, threw it at the gold-plated monkey. Dragon Ranger watched as Kat pummelled Goldar with a wide variety of kicks; Tanya was having a similar confrontation with Rito. Tommy was still locked in combat with Zedd; Rocky switched between Rita and Archerina leaving Gasket for Adam.

But Jason, the hostage and the two-cloaked figures now either side of the latter were still vulnerable to the Tengas, Putties and worse still, Cogs against which Dragon Ranger was helpless.

But Jason wasn't...

Without waiting for the attackers to respond Dragon Ranger moved over to the fallen Gold Ranger, produced his Blade Blaster and fired as quickly as possible. The Putties disintegrated on contact while the Tengas ran off leaving a trail of burnt feathers. As expect he could do little against the Cogs and burnt out his weapon just to convince them to back off. When he reached Jason, Dragon Ranger touched the unstable Ranger. Trey and the two cloaked figures - who Trey had by now realised were Trent and Travis - watched as their mysterious ally muttered something they didn't hear, sending a wave of fresh power into the Gold Ranger's body. Not much, but enough to accomplish what needed to be done.

"It's time for a Gold Rush!" Jason called.

With his powers in a newfound state of hyper-activity, the Gold Ranger tore through anything he didn't recognize as a friend. Goldar moved to tackle him and was rewarded when his sword shattered. Dragon Ranger meanwhile charged across the field and tackled Rita, knocking the surprised witch to the ground and letting Rocky concentrate on Archerina, who quickly found herself having to deal with Kat as well...

With the enemy occupied, Heart and Wisdom kneeled over Trey. There was little they could do for the former Gold Ranger except protect him from further harm. A quick check revealed there was nothing else wrong. At least nothing that Alpha and Zordon couldn't handle. Now they just needed to escape.

Luckily by that time Tommy had repeated his previous success with Zedd and found the source of the jamming field. A quick swipe of the Zeo V Power Sword and the jamming field was gone, just as the villains decided to call it a day.

"Tom?" Tommy asked

The Green Ranger raised his head at the unfamiliar name. He looked at the Red Zeo and shook his head, apparently saying 'no'. He appeared to be trying to say something else, but the Rangers could not hear his voice.

Then, suddenly, the Green Dragon Ranger started to fade away, the Zeo Rangers watching in surprise as he disappeared completely.

"Somehow, I don't think he meant to do that." Rocky remarked.

Power Chamber  
Later

"... And then the next thing I remember is charging at Goldar," Jason concluded.

"What about the Green Ranger?" Kat asked.

"I didn't notice Adam," Jason replied honestly.

After returning from their rescue mission the Rangers had taken the time to shower and change into their spare clothes before meeting in the Command Area. Alpha had taken the opportunity to secure Trey of Courage on a healing bed where his body could repair. Fortunately the former Gold Ranger was relatively unharmed.

Jason had also been forced to submit to a scan. But apart from a broken rib and severe bruising he was unharmed. His powers had now returned to normal and his rejection had ceased for a while at least. Now came the debriefing where he had to explain what had happened, a job made more difficult because he had no recollection of events.

"Not Adam," Kat stated firmly. "I meant the Green Ranger."

Jason glanced at Tommy who shook his head. "It wasn't me man, we couldn't do anything until Zedd let go of Trey."

"So who was he?" Jason asked. "And what does he want?"

"He helped us rescue you," Tanya pointed out.

"I am afraid Rangers that unless the Green Ranger wishes to make himself known to us we have no way of knowing," Zordon said.

"Man I hope he stays," Tommy said. "At least until we know who he is." His unspoken comment was obvious. Tommy missed his clone and Tom was never too far from his thoughts.

"I guess I owe you guys my life," Jason said, addressing the three Trey's. "Thanks for your help."

"You are welcome." Travis replied, speaking for all of them.

"Indeed, I am pleased to see that the bravery of the Lord of Triforia extends beyond the power of the Gold Ranger," Zordon said. "However, the three of you were lucky not to be seriously hurt. In future I hope you will remember you are unprotected in battle."

"Zordon, we have a duty to protect the Gold Ranger powers," Trey of Courage stated. "That is the oath we took when we discovered Jason had retained the powers. We will uphold that oath until that changes."

The conversations continued into the early evening.

**End**

Disclaimer: I do not own the Power Rangers; they belong to their respective copyright owners and are used here without permission. No money is being made from this fic.  
Authors Note: This fic represents the final appearance of is an alternate universe from the television show with an alternate timeline. This fic takes place after Rangers of Two Worlds.

**Restoration of Birthright**

The weeks passed in relative peace and protecting the Earth seemed to take a backseat to having fun. The various villains attacking the planet had backed off for some unknown reason and despite unusual energy reading emanating from Saturn, all was quiet of the earthen front.

The night's sky was calm as Adam leaned back on the bonnet of his car. The still warm engine allowed him to relax. Sometimes as a Ranger he was so busy defending his world that he forgot how beautiful the Universe was. Now he took the opportunity to remind himself about the glory of creation. Little did he know his perfect sky was about to be disrupted.

"So this is my father's latest target," Prince Grommet said as his lone ship moved into the Sol system.

"One can assume so your highness," Garrock, Grommet's assistant, bodyguard and personal pilot replied. "His majesty mentioned his interest in the Third Planet in several updates."

Of course it had been Klank and not Mondo who had forwarded the updates. Writing a report was too low a task for Mondo to spare processing time for. In the same way Grommet rarely read the reports, considering them the work of a servant. Most of the time Klank inserted what he felt should be mentioned and Garrock relayed the parts he felt important to Grommet. Fortunately nothing important had ever been missed and Klank and Garrock had been able to continue playing their own little game of politics behind the scenes.

Grommet was the son of King Mondo and an unknown robot. He was the result of a data transfer that took place behind Machina's back. Fortunately she had trusted Mondo's motives and saved the Royal House of Gadgetry the reputation that so many organic races held. She was a machine, cold and calculating. Jealousy was beyond her capabilities she liked to believe.

However the queen did have a sense of self-preservation and knew her continued existence relied on the succession of her sons. Therefore she had seen to it that although Grommet was technically the second son, Sprocket was the heir. Grommet for his part had been given a succession of administration assignments to protect his father's domain while Sprocket joined in the conquest and cemented his position.

Grommet had not complained about his task because it meant while his father was out conquering worlds, he was able to wield the power of a king. The Machine Empire was large and contained a mixture or organic and inorganic worlds. Grommet's task was to ensure that order was maintained and quotas were met; he truly enjoyed dispensing justice.

His most recent task had been to supervise the repairs following Mondo's defeat at the hands of some fortunate organics. Exactly how such a thing had occurred had never been discussed although Grommet had heard rumours of Gasket appearing not too long afterward. During that repair session he had taken the opportunity to show his father the efficient way in which the empire was being run; King Mondo was proud that his middle son showed the potential to one day be a great ruler or at least his father's secondary processor had revealed.

But just recently the communications from Queen Machina and Prince Sprocket had ceased and a subroutine had been activated deep in Grommet's electronic mind. He was compelled to seek out the ruling figure of the Machine Empire and with his father still undergoing repair that meant his heir. Then he would determine the heir's condition and if necessary assume command of the Machine Empire. And so after leaving his other adviser, Deviot in charge of the Empire, Grommet had left in search of his so-called superior.

Garrock turned to process a report from one of the ship's robot pilots. There was a series of loud beeps and moans as the machine relayed its message. Such primitive units were rarely given voice synthesizers.

"Your highness," Garrock said in his polished English accent. "It would seem the royal family is in orbit around the Moon of the planet labelled Earth. Our advanced reports also suggest that Prince Gasket is somewhere in system."

"Send a drone to interrogate the base's memory circuits," Grommet said. "I would not wish to interfere if this is one of my brother's strategies."

"At once your highness."

There was a pause while the drone was released and approached the base. The pilot reported the information as it was sent back and Garrock interpreted it for his prince.

"Operations ceased six Earth weeks ago following some kind of attack. They have recently resumed, but it's unclear whether the Queen and Prince Sprocket have been revived; it could have just been Gasket."

"They were attacked?" Grommet asked in disbelief. Who would have the gall to attack the great House of Gadgetry?

Garrock reported. "There were Rangers on the planet. Gasket was in charge at the time."

It took Grommet half a second to respond, which for a machine is close to eternity. Machine forces had encountered power Rangers before. Despite only being organic these Rangers were able to considerably slow the conquest of a planet. They inspired armies to fight where logic dictated surrender and even tried frontal assaults although their powers proved ineffective against machine technology.

When King Mondo had returned in pieces, Grommet had made the same inquiries. Could the Rangers have found a weakness to exploit? That was also unlikely. King Mondo had suffered defeats before, but never so severe that he had stopped processing. His memory circuits had shown footage of a machine armed with a large sword slicing him in half, could the Rangers have really built something that powerful?

"How did mere Rangers overcome my father and then disable his family even with machines on their side?" Grommet asked.

"That information is not available," Garrock told him. "The last recorded action was an attempt to steal a weapon using Stealth Cogs."

Stealth Cogs were an improvement on the standard model and were the result of advanced machine technology and research. A catalogue had been compiled of the races encountered by Gasket and of all races within the control of the Machine Empire. Some records merely held data about their size while more complex research detailed appearances, structure and some cultural references. Such data was used by construction droids to build disguises for the Cogs. Stealth Cogs were then programmed to infiltrate worlds and find areas of strategic importance to the Machine Empire. Such information meant valuable resources were not destroyed in the attacks.

To use Stealth Cogs against an established enemy was unusual. Grommet doubted his brother intended to undermine the existing structures. So sabotage was a likely motive. Garrock had mentioned the theft of a weapon, but it seemed inconceivable that the might Gasket would lower himself to using organic weapons, unless the weapon posed a threat. ~That would explain what happened.~

"What is the condition of my father's base?" Grommet asked. ~What kind of weapon could cause such damage?~

"Queen Machina and Prince Sprocket are intact, Your Highness. Their servants and soldiers are also undamaged, and the base has suffered extensive external damage to a recent addition. There is evidence of widespread electrical failure caused by an electromagnetic discharge. A pulse device, your highness."

Yes, that was it. The Rangers had somehow created a pulse device and used it against his family. All the systems had closed down preventing repair and obviously Gasket had been reluctant to offer assistance. Or had Gasket regained operational status and retreated to a new location?

"Send a repair crew to restore my father's wife and son," Grommet ordered. With Machina restored the base would soon be back online.

"Yes your highness," Garrock said.

"Initial reports indicate a repair time of nine Cylerian rotations, Your Highness," Garrock reported.

Nine Cylerian rotations. That was a long time for a machine and would inevitably lead to setbacks in his father's plans, when his father emerged from the production line. Unless of course Grommet decided to step in.

"Have you found Gasket?"

"Negative," Garrock said. "I regret our efforts have been less than successful."

"Maintain the surveillance and prepare our troops to annex the planet on behalf of the Machine Empire."

."With all due respect your highness, we hardly have the resources to conquer a planet."

For a moment Grommet felt the urge to punish Garrock for contradicting him, but only for a moment. Garrock's processor was designed to analyse the raw data Grommet barely looked at while Grommet used information that was relevant. Obviously on some occasions it was advisable to listen to Garrock.

"Perhaps a smaller attack would be advisable," Garrock said.

Grommet considered this. If the Rangers on this planet had given his father a hard time then a small attack would be more likely to survive. If he were to secure fuel and materials then Mondo would be able to take over the invasion.

"" one of the bridge droids transmitted.

"There is an incoming transmission, from Prince Gasket."

"Show me," Grommet ordered. The screen buzzed into life. "Gasket," Grommet acknowledged.

"Grommet, why are you here?" Gasket asked. "You should be administrating some ghastly sector of the empire."

"I have come to find out why the Empire has ceased operations while Father is restored. It was not surprising to find you were involved."

Gasket was not pleased with this turn of events. He had had a chance following his father's shutdown to take control of the empire. But with Grommet in orbit that plan was doomed to failure.

"I order you to leave here at once," Gasket said. He hoped his position as first built son marked him as the ranking member.

"Father stripped you of your place as heir," Grommet pointed out. "And with Machina incapacitated, I appoint myself the logical ruler of the Machine Empire. Stay out of the way."

"You will regret this little brother," Gasket said. "Earth caused Father to malfunction and become erratic. Beware the same fate doesn't befall you."

Grommet had heard enough and gestured for the transmission to be cut. Still his brother's words bothered him and he decided to press ahead quickly, just in case.

"Just how valuable is this planet?" he asked.

"Most of the surface and a high percentage of the atmosphere consists of Hydrogen and Oxygen compounds in liquid, solid and gaseous forms. There is also a high percentage of hydrocarbons beneath the surface. The planet's core is molten providing an opportunity for geothermal energy."

"Father stumbled onto a large scale refuelling station," Grommet mused. "A resource that vast could maintain our forces for eons."

"There is more your highness," Garrock said. "The planet has a strong magnetic field caused by the high quantity of Iron. Some stronger metals are also available."

Iron, the base material used in the construction of the Machine Empire's war machine. Combined with the fuel it would make Mondo unstoppable when he returned.

Something triggered off a small search routine as Grommet tried to calculate the implications of this news. How could there be Rangers on this planet with so much Iron? And how did such a group stand up to, no destroy, King Mondo?

"Prepare an assault force," he told Garrock. "I shall lead them myself of course."

Unlike Gasket and Sprocket, Grommet had been programmed to always follow best. ~You follow best by leading,~ he thought. Grommet's body had been designed to use that strategy. Although bulkier than Gasket and was lighter than Mondo. His body was humanoid in shape, much like a knight except instead of a helmet; he had a single red eye. He had been painted a regal shade of purple with gold trimmings and carried a large harpoon gun on his right arm.

"At once my prince," Garrock responded and left.

Zord Holding Bay, the Power Chamber

Hanging upside down in a tight access port was not Jo Belle's idea of a good time, but it was necessary if they were every going to restore the Zeo Megazord.

Most of its systems were fine, but some of the smaller, delicate and vital circuits had been permanently damaged during a recent fight, so once again Jo and Jennifer Belle had been called in to aid the Rangers.

~That's the trouble with these machines;~ she thought as she stretched to pull a burnt fuse from its socket, ~all the vital stuff is shielded from damage in one of the most inaccessible parts of the machine. Which is fine until it breaks down.~

It was true that the work could have gone a lot faster if the Zords were separated, but unfortunately the damaged areas were those that dealt with merging and disconnection. Any attempt to force the Zords to separate would no doubt destroy its ability to combine forever. So with no real alternative she struggled to reach the parts and fight the growing nausea from being in such an abnormal position.

"Three-b," she said. She placed the terminal of a multimeter against the electrical contact. "Hot."

Outside her sister Jennifer was carefully noting her sister's progress and using the information to flick through thousands of screens of schematics, in search of a solution to the problem they couldn't solve. Of course Jennifer was not in the best condition to help her sister at that point because her mind was on other things, mostly Rocky De Santos her latest obsession. They weren't dating, but he had been keeping her from concentrating, much to her sister's annoyance.

"Check," Jennifer called automatically.

"Four-b," Jo's voice echoed inside the metallic conduit. "Hot."

"Check," was the bland reply.

Jo's eyes narrowed as she started to suspect her sister wasn't doing her job. She grinned as an idea burned its way into her mind.

"Rocky DeSantos," she called innocently. "Cold!"

"Check... Hey!"

That had gotten her attention.

"Sorry sis," Jo chuckled. "Just checking."

Jennifer scowled and then realized that scowling was little use when the person you were annoyed at couldn't see your face. Besides, Jo had a point, but then what did her sister know about romance? The only male Jo had shown interest in was Alpha and even Jennifer knew there was no way you could love a machine. Still the two had become awfully close... ~Stop it!~ She ordered. ~You are not Jo. You do not have to resort to teasing.~

"Whatever," Jennifer said cheerfully. She would get back at Jo later, but for now she was content to think about Rocky some more.

The Power Chamber took up most of the Rangers' headquarters; the repair, maintenance and launch cannon consumed most of the space at the alternate site selected as the Zord Holding Bay. Still despite the cramped condition Alpha had managed to provide private rooms for each Ranger, a private workshop for Billy, which was now occupied by Trey of Wisdom, and a shower area. With the amount of activity required to fight a monster the showers were in use after most battles. The most recent addition had been a small training room, a place where the Rangers could hone their skills using more extreme methods than a punch bag at Ernie's Juice Bar.

"How long has he been in there?" Rocky asked as he joined the silent observer behind the glass screen. From inside the room it was impossible to tell someone was watching due to the mirrored glass, but for safety reasons those outside could see in.

"Almost a day," Travis, formerly Trey of Heart replied.

At one point the three Treys had been difficult to tell apart, but since the incident that had robbed them of their unity for all time the differences in their appearances and mannerisms had become far more noticeable. For one thing Travis seemed more comfortable with his fellow Rangers. He had accepted Jason's offer and had borrowed some clothes so he could join them at the Juice Bar.

Physically Travis also differed from Trent and Trey. He had lost weight in the space of a few weeks as he explored his new world with childlike wonder. His posture was relaxed and unburdened by the stress Trent exhibited or the uneasiness of Trey. Most evident was the gash on his head, still healing from an accident involving furniture from Pyramidas.

"We need to talk to him," Rocky said.

"I've tried," Travis replied. "Trent tried; even Alpha has tried. Trey doesn't want to relax, I think he's still blaming himself for not protecting Jason."

Rocky nodded, but his face was determined. Trey blamed himself. That was obvious, but it didn't help matters. They needed him healthy, not a physical wreck.

"I'm going in," he said at last.

Travis nodded, hoping that Rocky could talk some sense into Trey or at least avoid getting hurt. It seemed odd that when united Trey of Triforia had been the voice of reason among the Zeo Rangers. Now it seemed as if they were imposing on their allies; being a burden was the last thing Travis wanted.

"Ki-yah!" Trey yelled as he drove his fist into the dummy he had set up.

The punching dummy was shaped like a man - that is, if you fed a man until he was so fat half his features disappeared beneath the rolls of flesh and then mounted him on a flexible pole. Not that Trey would want to be treated that way. Nor would he want to be the recipient of some of the blows he was inflicting.

With Pyramidas needed as a Carrier Zord it was not safe for the former Gold Ranger to remain there. Instead he had been offered a chamber inside the Rangers' head quarter, as had Heart and Wisdom.

He watched as the memory material of the dummy returned to its normal state. This was a special dummy designed to withstand the constant abuse needed when Rangers trained. It reacted in the same way that flesh and blood would respond, complete with the sometimes sickening sounds associated with such attacks.

He started off with a few simple punches just to get his blood flowing. He stopped for a moment while the putty like material in the head slowly removed the impression of his fists. He switched to a knife edge blow and stepped in closer for a forearm blow; he followed both moves with a sharp elbow smash. Each time he heard the same satisfying crack, which meant that if he was facing this man in combat, he would already have won.

He danced back, bobbing and weaving; threw a left feint followed closely by a right hook that whipped the head back to an unnatural angle. He stepped in close and planted a kick just below the jaw to be certain. It was a shame that all his problems could not be solved so easily.

Trey wasn't the most proficient Triforian in hand-to-hand combat without his powers, but he was easily in the top three. His sister had always been his equal and he suspected she had held herself back so she didn't embarrass the future king. His instructor Te'ala was also a skilful warrior and could through him around without an effort.

Too bad his skills couldn't help him solve his problems. He swung, kicked, punched and generally beat the dummy to a pulp and it simply reformed. He drove his foot so deep into the dummy's head that if it had been a man it would have been grounded. As it was the pole restrained and then bounced back.

That was how Trey's life seemed to be at that moment. He tried to help, and put everything he could into aiding the Rangers of Earth, but their enemies kept coming back and he was rewarded with the loss of his powers. He threw himself at the problem harder and he lost Heart and Wisdom. It wasn't fair.

His lack of powers had done little to discourage Trey from helping his friends. He had taken the time to retrieve his Triforian Battle Armour; a suit normally reserved for ceremonial duties, and modified it for everyday combat use. The suit was mostly black to fit his status as former Gold Ranger and covered all but his arms and head; a device built into the belt buckle, shielded his identity. His boots, collar and shoulder pads were gold; red plating ran down the side of each leg to a house holster, around the front of the knee and upper thigh, and in a diagonal cross running from each shoulder front and back. On each black glove he wore a wrist activated projectile launcher and had a weapon fitted in a sheath on each boot. He was ready for action; it was a shame that Wisdom and Heart were not equally prepared.

Since their forced separation the three Treys had rapidly grown apart as their own personalities grew more assertive. Courage had always been the natural leader of the three and had been forced to accept that Heart and Wisdom no longer deferred the decision making to him. At the same time they had refused to train, one citing the need to find a way to reverse their condition, the other deciding that fighting was not his calling. Their apparent cowardice had convinced Courage that he had to prove that Trey of Triforia was not a coward.

"What did that dummy ever do to you?" Rocky asked from the doorway. He broke into an open grin. "Or are you Trey of madness?"

Trey stared at his teammate blankly for a moment as he tried to grasp his friend's humour. His friend had obviously heard the workout and stopped by; from the way water ran down his body and formed a puddle on the floor and the badly wrapped towel, Trey assumed he had been unusually noisy that Rocky had heard him in the shower.

"I just need to keep at fighting peak," Courage answered as his foot forced the dummy's head back at an unnatural angle. He noticed the patch of red flesh, showing an injury and asked, "Rough battle?"

Rocky nodded. "Just some Tengas who caught us off guard. Once we morphed, they retreated, but not before they got a few blows in."

Tengas although weaker than the Cogs the Zeo Rangers fought were still capable of causing problems. Their claws could if lucky find their way through the Ranger's uniforms and cause injury. As a rule the Ranger Healing took care of such problems before the battle was over. The battle had obviously ended prematurely.

"I should have been there to help," Trey said after a moment's thought.

"You're starting to sound like Tommy," Rocky pointed out. "There was nothing you could do without your powers."

"I could have helped," Trey protested. "If Heart and Wisdom would listen to me, we could have helped."

Rocky sighed. That was the problem. Courage, Heart and Wisdom were suddenly separate, they lacked the shared mind, but the need for agreement was still there, at least it was for Courage. His failed attempt to help Jason and the injuries he received for that failure had not helped matters.

"Do you really think Travis and Trent stopped caring?" Rocky asked. "Travis has spent the last two hours watching you in case you hurt yourself. Trent has locked himself inside Billy's workshop until he finds a solution; Adam is trying to talk some sense into him. We need you guys to be ready in case we find a way to reunite you."

As he talked Rocky wondered why he had been asked to do this. Tommy was the leader and Jason was the elder member of the team. But they were busy trying to keep Trey stable. He was becoming a cause for concern. Normally Kat and Tanya would deal with that sort of thing, but they were occupied with other tasks and had specified that unless there was a monster attack they could not be disturbed.

"I can take the Gold Ranger powers," Trey stated. "I'm Triforian, so my body won't reject them."

"We don't know that," Rocky told him. "You're not the man you were." He thought for a moment and then remembered something that had worked with Tommy. "You need a vacation."

Hammond Generating Plant, Alaska, USA

Press organizations from around the world had braved the cold to attend the opening of the newest power plant on the planet. In fact it had been operational for months, but the news had been kept secret in case of failure. Even now the government objected to its disclosure given the importance of the experiment for their space program.

A large pipeline had been laid into the planet, allowing heat to surface. The heat was used to melt the ice and produce steam, which in turn operated a vast cooling system to refreeze the moisture. Of course in effect that meant they were operating an overworked freezer next to an electric cooker. But the energy generated by the steam was greater than the energy needed to freeze the water and the excess was for the first time being used to provide domestic supplies. All this meant a contained supply of energy without global warming - the dome also recycled Carbon Dioxide into Oxygen.

Of course the plant represented a massive loss on paper, but as Richard Brandon, one of its primary investors had pointed out, the eventual gains were worth the initial shortfall. If successful there were plans in action to use a similar plant to terraform planets, most notably Mars and one of Jupiter's Moons. Both lifeless rocks had shown evidence of frozen water and in the moon's case, an unfrozen body of salt water beneath the ice. Such a plant would be unmanned and self-powered, eventually creating an environment where scientists could study the planet in detail and perhaps introduce basic plant and bacterial life.

"Ladies and Gentlemen," a man said from the heated podium. "I would like to take this opportunity to welcome you to the official unveiling of this facility. With this technology we believe we have found a clean, renewable and pollution free form of energy. We will hold a question and answer session at the end of this conference, but for now I would like to introduce the architect of this endeavour, Jonathan Hammond."

The white bearded, spectacle wearing man made his way to the podium, his hand firmly holding onto his cane, the amber tip reminding him to check the progress on his other project at a convenient time.

"Thank you all for coming," he said. "As you know, my company has undertaken to create a number of new environments for people to enjoy. But with so much of our world being destroyed in the name of progress, I decided it was time to give something back. This facility not only powers itself, but from today will also facilitate the lighting and heating for the support village."

There was a round of applause and he waited for it to subside. He wouldn't mention that some of those polluters had also invested heavily in his project. There were some things best not revealed.

"I would like to thank my excellent team of scientists, led by Clifford Fairweather and Dean Stewart, without whom this project would never have moved beyond the drawing board."

That was true. Clifford was a remarkable engineer who seemed to specialize in water based projects. Dean had worked for Mr Hammond most of his life and had overseen the building work at the other project. It was a shame that Dean was not the same man Jonathan had once known. Following the loss of his wife in a tragic car accident Dean had lost all his social skills. He was good at what he did, but Jonathan wished he would relax a bit.

"Now without further ado, I proclaim this facility open."

Although Hammond pulled the large lever mark activate, it was purely symbolic. Behind the scenes a dozen or so scientists and technicians pushed buttons, checked gauges and yelled instructions as the podium area was lit with the energy.

The room burst into a loud round of applause and Hammond took a bow before answering the inevitable questions.

"Remind me why I agreed to this," Trey grumbled as Rocky finished setting up the snow mobile.

"You needed to get out and have some fun," Rocky replied. His face grew serious. "Look, my father died when I was six. My older brother took care of the practical stuff, but I still had to take some responsibilities. I have three brothers and three sisters, five of whom are younger. My mother needs me to help her with them; I have school, Karate class and when needed I save the world. The point is I learnt a long time ago that sometimes you need to just have fun."

Trey looked at him blankly, not sure what he should say. In the end he realized the Blue Zeo Ranger was not going to take no for an answer. Besides, if he was to become Gold Ranger he needed to know more about the planet. This seemed a good place to start.

Rocky climbed on his blue snow mobile and pulled his goggles over his eyes; Alpha had allowed him to synthesize the warm clothing in return for getting Trey out of the Power Chamber for a while. The little robot had even found them the vehicles from somewhere. With a sigh Trey clambered onto his own black machine, which clashed with his white jacket.

Rocky started his machine and sped off with Trey in hot pursuit. After piloting Zords it seemed as if the two could drive just about anything. And as they made their way across the snow, Trey was forced to admit, at least to himself, that this was fun. Ahead of him Rocky grinned and gunned the engine to get yet more speed from his machine. He took off across the snow, laughing as he did so.

That was when the ground exploded.

The energy station rocked as bolt after bolt of laser fire ripped the surrounding ice field to shreds. Grommet's gunners were careful not to hit the vital platform, but anything else was considered fair game. One gunner spotted two objects moving across the snow at speed. In a matter of seconds the area was reduced to a watery waste.

"Begin the refuelling process," Grommet ordered.

When they were done, the carnage could begin.

After a few minutes of coughing Trey was finally able to catch his breathe. The snowmobiles were gone, buried under the snow that had quickly filled the hole left by the explosion. He had been caught in the avalanche, but managed to somehow stay near the surface. His first thought after making sure he was intact was to find his companion. He lacked a communicator so his friend was the only means of getting back to the Power Chamber.

At first he saw nothing and feared the worse that Rocky had become trapped under the ice. If that was the case, he could only hope the Blue Zeo Ranger had found an air pocket. Then he noticed the steam rising from the ice field and the ground was a mixture of red and blue. In a geyser of steaming water the Blue Zeo Ranger was propelled into the air, performed a perfect somersault and landed nimbly next to his friend before collapsing. He demorphed a moment later.

Trey examined Rocky carefully. The younger man was obviously exhausted from the effort of breaking free, but more importantly, his clothes were soaked. While the Ranger uniform might have provided some protection against cold and the clothes they had set out in earlier certainly could have aided them, when wet they were a liability. Of course had he remained morphed a few seconds longer, his clothes would have dried.

He checked Rocky's communicator and found the casing had cracked due to extreme temperature. ~Typical.~ Many of their recent battles had involved Rangers being unable to teleport due to either jamming or loss of communication. If Rocky had been able to morph, they could have used his helmet to send a signal.

For now his priority was to keep Rocky from losing too much body heat. He quickly covered his friend with snow, knowing that the blanket would give some insulation. But that would only delay the inevitable. They needed a solution and fast.

The alarm sounded in the Power Chamber, heralding yet another monster attack. Following a procedure the team had gotten down to a fine art; all were summoned to appear immediately. But therein lay the first problem; Rocky was trapped and freezing to death.

"Zordon, what's going on?" Jason asked.

"Where's Rocky?" Adam asked, more concerned about his friend.

"Behold the Viewing Globe," Zordon boomed. "This is Prince Grommet, Gasket and Sprocket's remaining brother. No doubt he has come to discover the Machine Empire ceased transmitting after the pulse device."

"And decided to conquer the planet while he is at it," Tommy said.

"Grommet would never work behind his father's back," Alpha told them. "It's not in his programming."

"Prince Grommet's mother was a slave droid," Zordon explained. "He inherited many of her subroutines."

The screen showed the platform in Alaska where Grommet's forces were poised to make their assault. The prince's ship hung over the region as its complement of robotic soldiers swarmed the drill rig. Grommet, never one to just let his subordinates control a situation. By taking responsibility he could be certain that things went as planned.

"Rocky and Trey are on the ice field," Alpha told them. "You will need to recover them before attacking Grommet."

"Jason, through the Golden Ranger Powers you have a link to Trey; through the shared power of the Red Morphin Ranger you are bonded to Rocky. Both links will enable you to find your friends."

"Can we teleport that far?" Adam asked. Teleportation was unreliable over longer distances.

"I am afraid that the teleportation system will be unreliable," Zordon replied. "However, it is the only means of carrying you to your destination."

"Once there you can transport Trey and Rocky back here," Alpha added.

"Let's do it guys," Tommy said. "It's Morphin Time!"

"Zeo Ranger I - Pink!"

"Zeo Ranger II - Yellow!"

"Zeo Ranger IV - Green!"

"Zeo Ranger V - Red!"

"Golden Power Staff!" Jason called. Nothing happened. "Golden Power Staff - Gold Ranger Power!" still nothing.

For some reason Jason was unable to use his powers at all. His teammates looked on in shock as he tried without success to summon the Power Staff.

"Rangers, you must go on ahead," Zordon said. "Alpha and I will assist Jason."

As the four active Rangers left Zordon looked at the youth before him. Had the rejection really become so bad that the powers simply refused to respond? Of course that really didn't matter; saving Rocky and Trey was far more important.

"Alpha, summon Trent and Travis," Zordon said. "We will need them to pilot Pyramidas."

"Zeo Jets - online!" the four Zeo Rangers called when they appeared. Overhead four planes appeared, creations of Billy no doubt. Zordon had mentioned them in passing when the Rangers had first gained the power of Zeo. After so long they had finally found a use for them. One by one the Rangers were teleported to their jets; streams of data passed before their eyes and was assimilated into their minds. Piloting would now be instinctive.

"Zeo Jet I!" Kat ordered.

She pulled back gently as her jet streaked through the sky. She was used to flight, having used the Crane Ninja Zord on a few occasions. This plane lacked the control of the Crane though. The controls were too sensitive to the slightest movement and while useful when manoeuvrability was required, it made normal flying a bit trickier. Still as she settled into the seat, she was pleased with how comfortable it seemed.

"Zeo Jet II!" Tanya called with just a hint of worry.

In her time as a Ranger Tanya had experienced the least amount flying and rarely had to deal with solo flight. On the brief occasion when she used Super Zeo Zord II, any flight was mostly automatic. Luckily the Power told her what to do and she was soon soaring next to her pink companion. She took the opportunity whilst waiting for Adam and Tommy to acquaint herself with the cockpit layout. Her eyes fell on a control marked 'Z Function', but the glass panel that covered it prevented her from investigating. She wondered what Billy had had in mind when he had placed that control there and why there was an insertion point for a Zeoniser Crystal just above.

"You okay Tanya?" Kat asked.

"Yeah," Tanya replied. "This is amazing."

"Wait until we're really flying," Kat told her.

Adam checked through his checklist for the final time before taking manual control. If they were just using the jets as transport he doubted he would need any of Billy's additional touches, but he checked them just in case. He cranked the power up to maximum with the brake held firmly, freezing the machine in midair. When he was ready, he hit the release and was sent hurtling forward.

"Zeo Jet IV - all lit and active!" he called. "Hurry up, Tommy."

While Adam had been getting the hang of his jet, Zeo Jet V had moved into position. Unlike the other jets, Tommy's used vertical takeoff; like Kat he was at home in the air. His plane hovered overhead.

"Zeo Jet V!" he cried.

Tommy would have preferred to use the Super Zeo Zords or Zeo Zord V with its increased range but understood that the Zeo Jets with their smaller size would attract less attention. ~If Grommet has hostages, we don't want him to over react.~

"Slave navigation to Alpha," he told the others. "Let's go!"

Alpha punched in the course and the four planes took off towards their enemy.

"Pyramidas, Power Up!" Trent, Travis and Jason called.

Although it was possible to pilot this ship unmorphed, Jason lacked the experience to do so. His time as the pilot of the Red Dragon Zord paled in comparison to something so huge. Trent and Travis were also limited because although they were the owners of the golden monstrosity, they lacked any link to their former powers. Together though the three of them had managed to gain access and so far power up the machinery.

"Course set," Travis said.

"Let's go," Trent said.

Jason wondered whether it was because they had once been the same person that allowed Trent and Travis to move so well or whether there was still some mental link between them. He wasn't sure, but hoped it would work to their advantage.

"All civilians are clear," the flight controller said. "Feel free to attack."

The six F-16 pilots altered their course slightly and attacked. At once they were swamped by Grommet's more than adequate fleet of fighters, After battling it out for a few minutes it became clear the machine vehicles were not only faster, but were impervious to the Air force's best firepower. As they exhausted their ammo, the pilots braced themselves for the killing blow. It never arrived.

"This is Red Zeo to US Air force," a voice said. "We'll handle it from here guys."

Four jets flew into range; three F-16s coloured pink, yellow and green and what appeared to be a red Harrier. As the Red Zeo Ranger finished speaking a pulse of energy left the cannon on his left wing and a Quadra fighter exploded from the impact. It had become obvious to Tommy upon arrival they would need the Zeo Jets for more than transport.

Already Grommet's forces had secured a stranglehold on the drilling platform. Several of the Quadra fighters had transformed into their octopus like tank mode and had allowed the Cogs to secure watchtowers with heavy-duty weaponry. More Cogs patrolled the perimeter and were even now searching for weapons to use against the incoming Rangers. Grommet's ship had attached itself to the platform via a set of thick tubes and had already started to leach the energy Grommet desired.

"Divide and conquer guys," Tommy said. "Kat and Tanya do what you can about those Quadra fighters and Cogs. Adam knock out the tower, and I'll handle the big ship."

"Right!" the others confirmed obediently.

"Three, two, one, break!" Adam called as he jerked back on his control stick.

The four jets now released from Alpha's control flew off on their own paths. While Tanya swooped in low to pick off the ground forces, Adam followed her in, drawing fire from the tanks and towers. Kat drew the Quadra fighters away from the fight and then turned back to engage, leaving the way open for Tommy to strike at Grommet.

"Bombs away!" Tanya called, her yellow winged jet swooping just over the heads of her opponents.

A collection of tennis ball sized bombs struck the ice and exploded, throwing snow and ice into the air. As the bombs connected with the ground, the Cogs scattered. This allowed Tanya to switch to cannons and pick off each android independently.

"Break left," Adam told her.

Tanya did as she was told as a grid of green firepower struck one of the tanks. The machine stumbled and then collapsed as the effects of the gravity net took effect. As the machine exploded it took out its nearest neighbours while Adam's Ion Cannon disarmed another machine.

Tanya made a quick turn and flew under her boyfriend to cut the legs out from yet another tank as Adam dealt with one of the towers.

Kat meanwhile drew her opponents on a random course, using her jet's speed to lure them into steep dives they couldn't pull out of. When she had eliminated all but three of her pursuers she slowed so they could catch up. She shifted her jet's shields - superior to those of the other Rangers - to the tail section, thus protecting her from the inevitable blasts.

"Fire Cloud engaged," she said as a warning to any Ranger in her path.

A burst of pink flame roared from her engines and engulfed all of the remaining fighters. She shifted her angle and swooped down to knock out the garrison of Cogs that had suddenly appeared. Her sensors flickered to life and she realized just how wrong they had been.

"Guys, we're in trouble."

Mondo had seen to it that his offspring had shared his ability to gloat and it was a sensation that Grommet enjoyed. The Zeo Rangers, bane of his father's plans to conquer the otherwise defenceless planet had just discovered how powerful the Machine Empire could really be. His father's Cogs and fighters were of course the pinnacle of Machine Empire technology, but Grommet had learnt from the worlds he had administrated that sometimes crude and primitive weapons got the job done more effectively. Where a Cog could strike strategically and fail a high-powered bombardment could quell all resistance.

So it was that he had ordered Garrock to prepare a double surprise for the Rangers. The first was the ice-covered Cogs he had hidden in the snow ready to strike. The second surprise was the mixture of Cog operated machines he had placed on guard around the platform, two and four legged walkers, tanks and sledges. He planned to show the Rangers the might of the Machine Empire and then press the assault to take full control of the planet.

"Move in!" he ordered.

Trey was growing ever more desperate. His efforts to keep Rocky warm had meant that he was becoming colder. He needed to do something before hypothermia set in. If he had his powers, he knew he could have save Rocky. He needed the power of the Gold Ranger more than he had ever realized. The fatigue and anger he had felt recently was not from the separation. It was because he was suffering from withdrawal symptoms. The Gold Ranger powers were addictive and he had felt their loss, but now that mattered little because he really needed them.

"Golden Power Staff!" he called, just as he had several times since the failed transfer.

The cold was getting worse and he was starting to hallucinate, but he was almost certain that the Golden Power Staff had appeared and that he was looking at it gleaming in the daylight. In his mind he could see himself aiming the weapon at his younger friend and unleashing a soft wave of energy; he wondered why Rocky was glowing when this was clearly his mind playing tricks on him. Still he decided that since he knew this was an illusion, he might as well go along with it.

"Gold Ranger Power!"

Even the sensation seemed real as he felt his connection to his power reestablish itself within the pathways time had burnt into place. As the familiar uniform touched his flesh, he wished that it was true, but knew in his mind that it couldn't be. When the heavy shield fell into place on his shoulders and chest he felt invincible and was saddened only by the knowledge there was no way this could be real.

"Pyramidas!" he called with some urgency, knowing the mighty machine would never arrive.

"I've lost control," Travis told his companions as the Gold Ranger's Zord shift onto a new course.

"The call signal has been activated," Trent responded. "Someone has called the Zord."

"Who could do that?" Jason asked.

"Only the Gold Ranger can call Pyramidas when it's under manual control," Trent told him. "Someone must be using the powers."

This was true. When Pyramidas had been built it had been intended to respond to the needs of multiple Ranger teams. However there were occasions when the Gold Ranger needed the Zord for more important matters. At such time his verbal command would override that of the operator. And since the Gold Ranger powers had to be presented to the successor that meant only Jason should be able to call the Zord.

"I'm getting life readings down there," Travis said. "Two energy signatures, one is blue Zeo and the other is..." He stopped and looked at Trent. "You don't think?"

"Impossible," Trent breathed.

"I am coming aboard," a very familiar voice said.

Jason, Trent and Travis exchanged looks. "Trey?"

Even as an illusion Pyramidas looked impressive as it sped through the air. Although by now Trey was starting to hope that perhaps this was not an illusion after all. He didn't feel as strong as he remembered being when in possession of the Gold Ranger powers, but perhaps he was out of practice.

"I am coming aboard," he said as he lifted Rocky onto his shoulder. In a burst of gold light he was gone.

"Trey?" Travis, Trent and Jason said when he arrived.

Answers were cut short as they took the opportunity to revive Rocky. Fortunately Ranger Healing had stopped him from getting frostbite and in some ways it had protected him. His unconscious body had been kept comatose so that heat would flow to the areas that needed to be warm. With the help of the gradual warming process Trey had started Rocky was soon back on his feet although tired. He was just in time for a message from Zordon.

"Rangers you must head back to Angel Grove. Rita and Zedd have taken the opportunity to attack in your absence."

"Zordon, what happened out there?" Jason asked.

"I will try to explain when you all get back. For now you must teleport back here with Rocky, Trent and Travis. Trey will need to help in fighting off Rita's assault."

The Rangers exchanged glances and nodded. "Back to action!"

Despite their initial shock, the Zeo Rangers had made a good recovery. By working in pairs they were able to slowly whittle down Grommet's forces while their smaller size allowed them to dodge some of the heavier weapons that were limited by their bulk and the conditions under foot. Still as their jets started to run low on fuel the Rangers needed to do something fast.

"Zeo locks open, guys," Red Zeo ordered.

The others swiftly obeyed and slotted their Zeoniser Crystals into the waiting slot. The glass panel Tanya had notice earlier retracted and in addition to the button she'd spotted was a row of controls. She was still unsure exactly what Billy had dreamt up, but was certain it was going to be good.

"New data Rangers," Alpha warned.

A series of diagrams flashed before the Rangers' eyes. When they had finished, Tanya knew she had been right. Billy had outdone himself this time. She pushed the button and twisted her crystal at the same time. She felt a brief moment of teleportation and then nothing.

At the push of the button her jet had switched to Jet Zord mode. The jet grew to full Zord size, encasing her cockpit somewhere inside. Special sensors, relays and projectors combined with her helmet's input made her believe that she was in the same place as she had been moments before. Even though she knew it was a Zord the sudden shift in scale did not worry her.

Of course as the Zeo Jets grew to their Zord forms, they became fast and better armed. The Rangers were able to take the offensive to the Machine Empire and were soon taking out some of the larger weapons.

"Grommet's calling his forces back," Adam noted as the walkers abruptly turned away. "He must be planning to use them as cannon fodder if we attack his ship."

As Adam spoke the walkers turned back and started to change. All of Gasket's war machines bonded together to create a large robotic warrior; his ship formed the head.

"What now?" Kat asked.

"Zordon, we need the Zeo Jet Megazord," Tommy called.

"I have dispatched Rocky's Jet Zord on autopilot," Zordon replied.

"Right!" the Rangers responded. "Zeo Jet Megazord online!"

Rocky's Jet Zord was a blue hovercraft that skimmed over the snow and blew and remaining Cogs to pieces. As it neared the Red Jet Zord, which had stopped moving and was hovering in place, its front opened and clamped. The tail section of the Red Jet folded back and allowed the Blue Zord to clamp itself in place. The Yellow and Green Zord moved level with the wings of Tommy's Zord and attached themselves. Both Zords folded and shaped themselves into legs, as the wings of Tommy's Zord were pulled inward. As the almost formed Megazord stood upright the front half of Tommy's Zord swung up and around the back of the Blue Zord to form the head of the Megazord. The Blue Jet Zord was reshaped to form the body as Kat's Jet Zord split along its length and each half-transformed into an arm. The arms bonded to the body as the Rangers were transferred into the cockpit area.

"Online and ready," Adam reported.

"Thrusters to maximum," Kat said.

"Weapons online," Tanya said.

Functions on board the new Zord were split. Kat controlled the Zord's movements whilst in the air, Tanya charged the weapons and shields as needed, Adam controlled the computer functions and Tommy handled the combat moves. Had Rocky been there he would have taken Tommy's place and allowed the Red Ranger to pilot the Red Battlezord. But Rocky was not there and the Red Battlezord was not suited to the climate, so Tommy was forced to take Rocky's place.

"Siek-yah!" Tommy cried as the Zord lunged forwards with a punch.

Onboard his robot Grommet laughed. His war machines had some of the strongest armour in the Universe and when combined together with each unit reinforcing the others, its strength was increased almost one hundredfold.

"That's not good," Adam commented as Grommet's robot caught the Jet Megazord's fist.

"Ion Disrupters, Fire!" Tanya called.

Bolts of high yield energy struck their opponent with the intention of weakening its electrical circuits. But with all the added shielding the weapon was practically useless.

"Incoming!" Kat warned as Grommet's machine punched the Zord, damaging its upper body.

A second blow moved them back as the third jarred the Zord's neck. The Zord spun and if not for Kat's skill at piloting they would have crashed. The two machines danced around on the ice; the Rangers took every opportunity to land a quick punch while Grommet seemed intent on catching them.

"How is he moving so fast?" Adam asked. "Even the best controls couldn't give it those reflexes."

"That's right humans," Grommet's voice said. "I am not in control of this robot. I am this robot!"

A solid fist chipped the Megazord's face and almost knocked it off line.

"We can't take another blow like that," Adam said as he noted where the cracks had formed in the cockpit.

"Right," Tommy agreed, "Tanya, get the Stress Fracture Cannon ready for action. Kat, switch flight control to the rear hover jets, cut the feet thrusters, aim them down and roll us so the Zord is floating on its back."

Grommet moved in, believing he had the Rangers where he wanted them. At the right moment Kat reactivated the thrusters mounted in the feet. The sudden explosion of heat caught Grommet in the chest and he staggered backward. The Rangers quickly righted the Megazord and took the opportunity to land blow after blow against their enemy's burnt body.

"Tommy, I can't find anywhere to use the SFC," Tanya said.

"Aim just in front of the feet," Adam told her, hoping Tommy knew what he was doing.

Tanya swiftly complied and the weapon was fired.

The Stress Fracture Cannon or SFC as it was better known was actually two weapons combined. A low powered energy beam intended to test the surface of an object in search of a fracture or weakness of some sort was mounted atop of a larger cannon. The larger cannon was capable of using the smaller weapon as a guidance lock. When the target was found, the beam fired and a succession of small explosions weakened the structure until it collapsed.

The beam hit the snow and soon found a natural weakness in the structure of the ice underneath. For a few seconds nothing happened and then the ice cracked as the explosions melted it away. Grommet realized too late that he was in danger and crashed through the surface. He groped wildly for something to prevent his inevitable drowning, but the only thing in reach was the Megazord.

"Cut the power!" Tommy instructed as the Zord bounced up and down as Grommet tried continuously to pull himself out of the freezing water.

The machine lurched as Tanya's finger pushed the button and in a blur of emergency teleportation, the Rangers were taken to safety seconds before their Zord plummeted through the ice. On the Viewing Screen the Rangers surveyed the damage. The SFC had succeeded and ended the Machine Empire's plans in the area. But the platform that had been there moments before had vanished as the fracture caused by the Ranger's weapon cracked the ice in a half-mile radius. Despite knowing that human casualties had been avoided, they were sobered by the fact their weapon had caused a great deal of destruction, including its own.

Slightly disheartened despite Zordon's words of comfort, they returned to their homes, agreeing to return to the Power Chamber later in order to fully appreciate the events that had taken place.

_"And so while four of the Rangers battled a monster our sources reveal to be a member of the Machine Empire, the Gold Ranger successfully held back Rita Repulsa's never ending entourage of foot soldiers. Although the Drilling Platform was lost in the battle human casualties were kept to a minimum. This is Cassidy Cornell, Channel Seven News."_

"Congratulations Rangers," Zordon boomed. "By preventing Grommet from taking control of the platform you have halted the Machine Empire's progress."

"I'm just sorry I wasn't there to help," Rocky said.

"Me too, Bro," Jason agreed.

"Don't feel bad guys," Tommy said. "Trey has his powers back and Rocky is recovered."

"Trey, the powers of the Gold Ranger were transferred to you because you needed them," Zordon said. "But the powers have not remained stable and could have just as easily transferred to Trent, Travis or Jason."

"So instead of one Gold Ranger, we have four," Tommy said.

"Ai-yi-yi, there can only be one Gold Ranger," Alpha said. "The powers transfer according to need and will appear weaker until they can be stabilised."

"So not only have we failed to unite, we've split the powers," Trey said, frustration evident. He exchanged looks with Trent and Travis, both of whom nodded in silent agreement. "I think the time has come for us to return to Triforia, Zordon. Maybe we've been looking in the wrong place and instead of trying to physically unite, we should be doing so spiritually. One of the Priests of the Golden Lady might be able to help."

"I regret that you may be right Trey. I have detected that for now they are stable in your possession and will remain so until the need changes. I do not believe they will spread outside of your foursome. When they are presented with a suitable host, they will become permanent."

"Jason, I am afraid that for now you will not be the Gold Ranger. You will discover however, there are some side effects of holding the Power. You are welcome to fulfil Billy's role as an adviser for as long as you wish."

"Thanks Zordon," Jason said.

"Jo has finished the Zeo Zord repairs," Jennifer told them as she entered and put her arm around Rocky. The two girls had been spending their time recently aiding the Rangers after their battles.

"Jo and Jennifer you have been of great help to the Rangers, Alpha and myself," Zordon said. "I trust you will not reveal our secrets."

"You have our word," Jo said on behalf of both of them.

"Then I will transport you back to your parents," Zordon said.

In a flash the girls were gone, Jo to help her parents and Jennifer back home.

"Rangers once again you have proven that together you can overcome any obstacle. The world is very lucky to have you and so am I."

"Thanks Zordon," Tommy said. "We're glad we have you too."

Earth's Orbit

It started with a few flashing LEDs and a faint whine that gradually grew louder, but slowly the Machine Base returned to its fully operational status. King Mondo, ruler of the Royal House of Gadgetry had returned.

**End**

Disclaimer: I do not own the Power Rangers; they belong to their respective copyright owners and are used here without permission. No money is being made from this fic.  
Authors Note: This is an alternate universe from the television show with an alternate timeline. Some parts of this story were originally written by Ellen Brand and featured in her series Personality Conflicts. They are used with permission and I thank Ellen for allowing me to do this. The original names and their characters are the property of either Ellen Brand or Jennifer Bigley. This story also borrows its first scene from Vypra's Revenge.

**Verge of Freedom**

It was a murky night. Thunder rumbled as lightning flashed in the distance. It wasn't raining, but fog rolled across the hallowed ground creating an ocean of thick mist. As another flash of lightning illuminated the sky, it became clear that this was a cemetery, the sign on the gate depicting it as Angel's Rest. Tombstones and gravestones could be seen emerging over the top of the mist, small floating islands in the sea of fog.

Along the wall of the cemetery was an old tree that had been marked for culling in the near future. It was bare, old age having finally caught up with it. Its branches reached upward, making it an ugly sight that somehow seemed all the more fitting in this location. Beneath it, perhaps even aiding in its recent demise was a small headstone. It wasn't fancy and from the state of the grave, nobody had been around to tend the site since the grave had been dug. In another flash of lightning it could be seen that the stone was blank and given its age in comparison with the recent digging, probably stolen from elsewhere in the cemetery.

Another flash of lightning followed almost immediately by a clap of thunder caused the ground to shake. The mist seemed to lift for a moment, revealing the wilted roses that someone had left there in a vain attempt to suggest that somebody had cared. A figure was sitting next to the grave, chanting silently in an ancient language, one that allowed the speaker to negotiate with the darkest aspects of the energy known as magic. As she spoke, she dragged the back of her hand across the ground until the knuckles were caked with dirt and blood. Her hand opened and then closed again as she relished the cool night air against her skin.

"Yes oh Ancient Ones, lend me the knowledge, that I might serve you. Grant me the power to free my lord." She scooped up a handful of dirt and scattered it over the grave. Her hands clenched, fingers tightening as she felt the Power fill her. This was not like the previous times when there had been throngs of eager followers to support her. This time she was alone with the darkness and she found its embrace incredible. Recovered for the moment, she pulled herself off of the ground, panting for breath as she crawled across the grave. Necromancy was such an underrated art, but just as useful as sorcery.

"Oh, there you are my pretty," she whispered, clawing up a strange blue pendant that had been expelled from the grave. "You will be put to much better use in my possession than in the care of some corpse." The woman's face twisted into a look of disgust that should have been impossible given her otherwise fair appearance. Zordon had been a fool not to instruct his students to search the body before burying her.

In truth the pendant was a magical artefact known as the Tear of Truth, concealed to prevent it from falling into the hands of those who would not appreciate its worth. It was a magical compass that would lead a true servant to the resting place of one of the universe's lesser villains, a creature named Trannis.

"I am Hel'ga, loyal servant of Trannis and you... are the key to his release. Who else but one of his servants could understand the possibilities you represent? Together we shall do great things, free my master and join him in a new crusade."

"Yes, pretty one, I grow impatient too," she admitted. "We'll need others to aid us. What's that? Oh, yes my pretty, that would work, but where shall we go? Rita Repulsa... no, this is too much responsibility for a mere witch. Where then, oh yes, perfect! You are so clever, how did anyone fail to notice you before? I will need warriors."

The pendant flashed and less than a beat later, a collection of barely human bodies ascended from the dirt surrounding her. They sat up like the dead rising, though it was unlikely that such hideous creatures ever lived in the first place. Each had long dark ratty hair in a ponytail, with pale faces and empty eyes. Rita's servant, Finster might have considered himself a master when it came to making monsters from clay, but his skills were but a fraction of her ability to make golems such as these from clay or plain mud.

They wore samurai robes that covered the whole length of their bodies and were slightly torn, no doubt damaged when they emerged. Another flash of lightning and they moved. They leapt into the air, coming to rest in a kneeling position in front of her, waiting for her command.

"Yes! Welcome my loyal soldiers of Trannis. I, Hel'ga have restored you from the void to serve him once more."

Morning dawned on Angel Grove, bright and clear. As the sun rose higher, the birds began to sing, breaking the early morning stillness. At one house, however, the silence was split by other sounds.

"Rocky! Arriba! Levantese ahora!" Maria DeSantos called up the stairs.

"Si, Mama," came the answering mumble. "Five more minutes."

"NOW, Rocky," she replied, striding up the stairs and into his room. In answer, Rocky pulled the pillows down farther over his head.

Mrs DeSantos had finally reached the limits of her patience. "Rockford Eduardo DeSantos, get yourself out of that bed this instant, or -" Maria paused, trying to think up an appropriate threat. "Or I will sic Emilia and Miguel on you!"

Rocky eeped, shooting straight up out of the bed. He hit the ground running, beating his fourteen-year old sister Lindsey to the bathroom easily, slamming the door in her face. Maria sighed. Life with eight children was never easy, and today was promising to be more complicated than most.

"Why did I have to get up so early, Mom?" Rocky asked over breakfast. "It's Saturday."

"Rocky, did you forget? I have an early meeting with a client. I need you to get the Wolf Pack here -" she gestured to the children running around them, "dressed and off to their various activities. Lindsey has ballet lessons at nine. You'll have to drive her there, but I can pick her up. Rosa's going over to Parks' house to play with Franklin. They're close enough that she can walk. Just make sure there are no holes in her clothes. Juan has baseball practice at nine thirty. You'll have to drive him, too, but the coach will bring him home. Miguel and Emilia have a doctor's appointment at ten, then you can take them to their playgroup. Alex's Cub Scout troop is going on an all-day trip, so just drop him off at the school around nine forty-five. I know you're going to be in the car a lot, but you don't have to pick any of them up, and then you can go do something with Adam and Tommy, or whoever."

Rocky sighed. Ever since his father died eight years ago, not long after Alejandro, affectionately known as Alex, was born, he had been the one riding herd on the combined DeSantos children. Pedro, his older brother, had been the man of the house, taking care of getting things and people put together, but Rocky had been the one to bandage scraped knees, fix dinner, and generally mother all of the kids.

Now that Pedro was away at college, Rocky himself was in charge of everything. It played havoc with any chance of a social life, but Rocky was used to it. Luckily, it hadn't ever interfered with his duties as a Power Ranger.

After his mother left, Rocky's work began in earnest. Lindsey, the oldest at fourteen, was not a problem. She was dressed in her leotard, with her lunch packed, after about ten minutes. Rosa, his thirteen-year-old tomboy sister, was another matter. She had fallen in love with a pair of jeans that had so many holes in them that they whistled in a high wind. Not until he had folded his arms across his chest and refused to let her out the door unless she changed did she agree to wear another pair.

Juan was also fairly easy to handle. At ten, he was quite capable of dressing himself, so all Rocky had to do was make his lunch. That was easier said than done, though. Juan's favourite sandwich was peanut butter and onions! Holding his nose, Rocky made the sandwich.

Miguel and Emilia, the nine-year-old twins, were a problem. They could dress themselves, but if they weren't watched constantly, they were extremely slow. Rocky's general procedure was to do all the other kids first and come back to those two when he had more time.

Alex was the eight-year-old baby of the family. Putting on clothes wasn't his problem. Picking them out was. He had absolutely no sense of fashion, and often wound up in the most atrocious outfits imaginable. Picking out an outfit, Rocky laid it on Alex's bed and moved on.

Herding them all into the car presented its own challenge, but somehow Rocky managed to get them all to their assigned places. There'd been a tense moment when the nurses had tried to separate them in order to give them shots, but Rocky had managed to convince the doctors of the inadvisability of that. Miguel and Emilia hated to be apart, and would raise the roof with their howls. Finally, after an exhausting morning, Rocky returned home, ready to collapse into an armchair and maybe take a nap before lunch. Unfortunately, that was averted by the telltale beep of his communicator.

"I read you, Zordon. What's up?" Rocky sighed wearily.

"Please teleport to the Power Chamber. There is something I wish to discuss with you."

"I'll be right there. Rocky out." Getting up slowly, he stretched. "Well, at least that doesn't sound like a monster attack. Maybe I'll get that nap after all." Pressing a button on his communicator, he teleported out.

"Okay, Zordon, We're all here," Tommy announced when Rocky arrived.

"So, what's the problem?" Rocky asked.

"Observe," Zordon instructed.

The Rangers obeyed, turning toward the view screen Alpha and Zordon had placed on one wall, close to the tubes that held their old Ranger suits. As they watched, they saw a figure stand from a seated position beside a grave as the picture zeroed in on the grave.

"What's she doing?" Adam asked.

"These images were recorded last night," Zordon told them. "The woman you are witnessing is Hel'ga. She is a powerful enchantress with a preference for Necromancy. She has not been seen for many years, yet she remains a powerful foe and with the object she retrieved from that grave, a terrible threat." The picture changed to show a strange temple in what appeared to be a forested area. "This is the Temple of Night, built on the site of a magical prison, on the planet of Mirinoi. It is the only known doorway to the resting place of the villain known as Trannis. "

"Trannis?" Trey rasped, his face rapidly losing colour. "Trannis is a myth, a warning to the Morphin Masters not to become complacent. He isn't real."

"I am afraid Trey that not only are the legends of Trannis real, his later exploits were also true."

"But he was around before - well before the Machine Empire," Trey protested.

"Indeed, if Trannis was born, it was during the old times before the Morphin Masters and may have been responsible for the destruction of the Guardians. Trannis sought to build an empire of his own based on solely on the fear of his name. To this end he ruthlessly demanded the sacrifice of entire planets to fuel his evil powers. He destroyed the Guardians in that time before the Morphin Masters rose the ashes of the old to begin anew. Even so, the heroes of the day hunted him down mercilessly."

"Trannis was powerful and difficult to defeat, but in the end he could not triumph," Alpha told them. "They fought him on a desolate planet and using a powerful ritual, managed to defeat him. They sealed him in a casket on a planet located inside a solar system he had previously decimated. The legends tell that Trannis's followers tried to release him. In a massive battle that caused the native villains to join forces with the fledgling Morphin Masters to ensure that he never escaped. They villains and heroes fought together, forcing the solar system to close itself off, creating its own small galaxy."

"Trannis tried to escape," Zordon continued, "he was physically unable to leave his prison, but could project his spirit beyond the solar system. Fortunately he was only able reach the planet where the spell's to seal the system and create the Lost Galaxy had been cast; an unsuspecting world named Mirinoi."

"He had not anticipated the planet's mages, who sensing the threat he posed, took advantage of his weakness and sealed Trannis's spirit within the planet," Trey said, still unsure which parts were true and which were falsehoods. "They covered the world with forest and ensured that only within that temple could the spell to reveal the Lost Galaxy be used. To keep the location hidden from any of Trannis's followers that had not been trapped with him, a small fragment of a crystal was placed within a pendant to act as a compass to Mirinoi."

"I believe that the Mirinoi the legends speak of is this planet here," Zordon said, a map indicating a small jungle world. "The natives have stories of a rising darkness that could destroy their world. Over the years they have built a temple on the site where I believe Trannis was trapped, casting rituals to contain the oppressive magic."

"It hasn't worked, has it?" Kat guessed.

"No, although their attempts have slowed the inevitable, it would be impossible to believe they could contain the evil forever. Trannis's presence would have been growing since the day he was trapped and over the years I expect his power has grown. I know that his hatred will only have increased over that time. His imprisonment while justified, was cruel."

"Maybe it would have been more merciful to execute him," Trey mused.

"Perhaps, but that was not a possibility. Trannis is a creature steeped in myth and legend, but if some of the theories about his origin are to be believed, then any hopes that he could be destroyed were totally unfounded." Zordon was silent, thoughtful. "Had there been a way to kill him, they would have taken the opportunity. Trannis has proven that he is capable of escaping his prison. Last time it took many lives to force him back."

"He broke free?" Trey demanded. "How?"

"Although unable to leave the prison, he could still affect the world beyond its walls, his dark energy transformed some of the native species into dark creatures he could use. Doing so he eventually found a way to possess the native humans and used them to facilitate his escape from his tomb. This was a considerable time after he had been placed there and around the time that I had been initiated into a small band of Morphin Rangers similar to yourselves.

Once freed from his prison, Trannis's first act was to possess a willing servant and attempt to destroy the temple. But for all his power he could destroy neither the ancient tomb nor the ground in which it rested. That is perhaps the only reason Mirinoi has survived to this day. In the end he left the temple thinking it would be ignored should anybody dare to look."

The picture appeared of a man with pale skin. It was difficult to decide whether the skin was porcelain white or almost translucent blue. It was certainly wrinkled and seemed to change from one moment to the next. As he moved, his hair was white, his eyes strangely empty and his lips - blackened was the only word Kat would have used to describe them.

"As you can see, once Trannis possessed the volunteer, he quickly changed his host's body to resemble his original form, all the time planning to find the Lost Galaxy and reclaim his physical form," Zordon explained. "Once free, he started to build an army of followers, using Mirinoi's natives as raw material. Those tribes he enslaved toiled to build him the means to leave the planet behind while those who refused him were ruthlessly hunted down.

There were many differences between those who had fought Trannis before and those who had taken their place. The Morphin Masters while never having met him knew the price their ancestors had paid for not dealing with him early. Before he had the opportunity to leave Mirinoi they had started to attack. He never got to complete his stranglehold on Mirinoi and despite leaving a trail of carnage in his wake; he never gained complete control over a single world.

With his strategy in ruins, Trannis hoped to cause as much destruction as possible. He held no respect for those in his path, not caring if the worlds he visited were peaceful farmers allied to the Council or thugs hired by the Alliance. Regardless, he destroyed them all."

Zordon paused. Those days were difficult to think back on. He had lost a number of friends in the battle against Trannis, not as many as he had lost against Rita, but in some ways it was the deaths of the innocent that disturbed him more where Trannis was concerned.

"Trannis's campaign soon threatened all factions regardless of whether they were good or evil. The name of Trannis was associated with death and planets were as likely to surrender when they first spotted him, as they were to fight back. As many of his forces grew careless in their attacks, they ended up killing civilians. His empire of dead worlds grew to the point where at the time it started to challenge those of the Machine Empire and the Alliance. They deemed him as a threat to their superiority and although the Machine Empire refused to work with organics, the Alliance did declare open war on Trannis. For the second time, god and evil combined against a common threat."

"Good and evil working together against a common foe," Adam murmured.

"Yeah, sounds unlikely that any agreement lasted long," Tommy agreed.

"Indeed, the peace between the two sides lasted only a few months after Trannis's eventual defeat, but it was enough. Both sides had a great deal to lose and little to gain through treachery. A task force was assembled of the greatest Morphin Masters each side could offer along with as many wizards, mages and warriors that they could muster. Almost every soldier, Power Ranger, Masked Rider, throwaway monster and henchman that could be found was thrown into the mix. It was a force dedicated to one purpose: the complete annihilation of Trannis and any that obeyed him."

"So what happened?" Rocky asked.

"We lost," Zordon told him matter-of-factly, recalling the terrible assault and Trannis's anger. "At first everything had seemed to go as planned, but while his forces were limited, Trannis never seemed to tire. He just grew angry. When he was cornered on a barren world in a small star system, his anger was unleashed."

"He destroyed the attackers?" Adam guessed.

"Worse. Trannis destroyed the entire solar system. When he was done only a fraction of the task force - myself included - managed to escape. The Morphin Masters who had been leading the assault were lost in the carnage. Few of the more experienced Morphin Masters on the side of the Light and even fewer Dark Morphin Masters survived; I was promoted to the rank of Morphin Master a year or so later not due to any skill on my part, but because the ranks had been decimated to make such a move urgent."

Once again Zordon lapsed into silence, remembering those who had fallen and the horror the survivors felt when Trannis had emerged from the devastated star system, intact.

"Trannis was emerged from nowhere, a simple being who had somehow gained a great deal of power and far more knowledge than he should have possessed. Some say that before he had become such a powerful villain, he had been a salvager of sorts. When he stumbled upon a strange castle floating abandoned one the back of a huge asteroid, he had been transformed into an immortal tool of evil. It was said his spirit could not leave the Mortal Realm unless he wanted to do so. While he could destroy everything in his path, nothing those who stood against him tried would be enough to stop him."

"Then how did they stop him?" Trey asked.

"At first the answer evaded even the greatest of minds. How do you destroy someone who cannot be permanently killed? He could be stopped, sometimes for hours at a time by continuous bombardment of the area. Eventually though the attack would stall and Trannis would emerge, shaken but alive. And each battle more and more warriors fell, leaving fewer challengers to his ever increasing might.

Fortunately there were still some working on the solution away from the battleground. A plan was formulated to drive Trannis back to his prison on Mirinoi, the only place known to have held him despite his powers. Then it would be a matter of ensuring he could not escape again.

"The only way to defeat Trannis was for the opposing armies to work together. Each side chose their greatest warrior, armed with the most potent weapons that existed at that time.

The battle took place on Mirinoi, where the combined armies of the Morphin Masters and the Dark Masters had directed him. By that time all those he had enslaved had either been freed or destroyed; he would receive no aid from those on the surface. The trio met Trannis on the surface and although they fought well, they still lacked the means to overpower him."

"But Trannis did lose," Tommy guessed.

"Correct," Zordon answered. "Somehow Trannis managed to hold on until the last, but he could not fight the inevitable; it was already too late.

Trannis could not be killed since he did not have a physical body, his ability to move from one host to another meant that he could heal himself from even the most grievous blow. It was impossible to deal him a fatal wound. However, when one was injured severely, he became dormant, a state that closely resembled death. For some reason he was unable to transfer his spirit. It was a temporary condition, but one that allowed those that opposed him to return his spirit to its prison, this time using an ancient ritual and a magical artefact. In old times they called it the Crystal of Cherila. To thwart any attempt to cast a counter spell, the Crystal of Cherila was shielded from magic using the Tear of Truth as a key. The small jewel was cast into a piece of jewellery that would also guide anyone who possessed it directly to Trannis.

I believe Hel'ga has already used the powers of the Tear of Truth to bring forth followers who will aid her attempts to free Trannis. Although the piece she holds is undoubtedly the smaller portion, its loss is sufficient to prevent anyone from unleashing its true power.

The other part was kept in the temple. It was called the Crystal of Cherila after the witch who performed the ceremony. Trannis's soul was trapped inside the depths of the temple and the crystal placed as a barrier to preventing him crossing the boundary. Now it seems Hel'ga, one of those called on to perform the ritual has decided to free him.

It took a great deal of magical energy to contain Trannis long enough to complete the ceremony. Twelve of the strongest mages were killed in the effort of preventing him from recovering. Should he ever break free and regenerate his body, I fear that he would be unstoppable."

"Why do I get the impression you didn't tell us all this to make a nice story?" Tanya asked.

"Because you are correct. I believed when Hel'ga disappeared that she intended to unleash Trannis upon the Universe. And now it would seem that Hel'ga has discovered the resting place of Trannis's spirit and the means to restore him."

"Can she do it?" Tanya asked, "Can she free Trannis? "

"Until recently there have been a number who have tried to do so. Trannis's ability to contact his most faithful servants was weakened when his physical body was trapped and practically severed when his soul was trapped inside the temple. Unfortunately his influence has never been limited to those who served him out of loyalty. There have always been some greedy enough to free him just for the reward they imagine he could grant them."

"All that loyalty to a legend," Rocky mused.

"Trannis is more than a legend," Zordon warned. "By today's standard he is considered no worse than Scorpina or Rito Revolto, but during his moments of freedom he committed unspeakable acts and forced his enemies to take actions that were- less than desirable. Do not underestimate the threat he poses just because he is considered a legend."

There was an underlying tremor in Zordon's voice that caused the Rangers to wonder whether he had been one of those victims, or whether he feared something else?

"As I was saying, many have tried to free Trannis, but none have succeeded. So long as Trannis's spirit is trapped, he can never truly be considered gone.

I believe Hel'ga will attempt to use the gem to release Trannis in return for his servitude. I am certain she has found a way to conduct the ceremony to extract Trannis's soul from its prison and host him in this realm at her bequest. Should he disobey I suspect she plans to return him to his prison. However, the drawback of such a ceremony is that it can only be achieved when the stars are in the correct alignment. If the ritual does not commence tonight with the full moon, it will be another ten-thousand years before she can repeat it."

"Tonight, cutting it kind of close, aren't we?" Rocky asked dryly.

"If I had known about it sooner, I would have moved earlier. As it is, I only just found out while reviewing the security feeds from last night. The lucky thing is that we had any warning at all. If we hadn't, Trannis's release might have already been achieved."

"That would be a bad thing, wouldn't it?" Rocky smiled wryly.

"Yes, Rocky, it would. Trannis was a powerful being. Should he be released without any form of restraint other than Hel'ga's say so, the Universe will be in extreme peril. When last he plagued the universe there were sufficient mages and Morphin Masters of both sides to bring him down. I fear that should he be released again, there are not the forces in place to defeat him. He would waste little time in trying to resume his plans, and I am afraid that if his powers are as great as they were before, or they have grown, there will be no one who can stop him."

Tanya raised an eyebrow. "So what you're saying is that we've got to keep Hel'ga from performing this ceremony so that Mr Big doesn't get loose, right?"

"Exactly," Zordon replied, smiling slightly. "The easiest way to do so would be to remove the Crystal of Cherila from the temple and hold it until after the ceremony. Alternatively, shattering the Tear of Truth Hel'ga possesses would effectively end any chance of the ritual being used now or in the future."

"So what are we waiting for?" Tommy asked.

"I am afraid Tommy that this mission is too dangerous for you all to undertake. Should Trannis break free, only Rocky would stand a chance against him. Therefore Rocky, I am afraid that you must do this on your own. You know, of course, that I have some mental powers."

"Well, yeah, we always knew that you were telepathic and telekinetic."

"I also have a small gift of prophecy, it only results in premonitions and vague dreams. These premonitions tell me that you are the only Ranger qualified to make this journey. Perhaps, later, the other Rangers may come to your aid, but for now, you must go alone. Your instincts will guide you to the temple."

Rocky swallowed. In all his life, he had never been alone, had never really wanted to be. Oh, sure, there were times when he had wanted privacy, especially with his younger brothers and sisters around, but he had always been able to go out and have someone to talk to. As he had grown older, he had met Adam and Aisha, and the three of them had been inseparable. After becoming a Power Ranger, he had really never been alone, because Zordon and Alpha were always there for him. Truth be told, loneliness was one of the few things he was afraid of.

His own fear was unimportant, however. What mattered was the responsibility, the job at hand. "All right," he sighed. "I'm ready. Should I morph?"

Zordon shook his head. "No, Rocky. Your Zeo energy signal would only intensify that pattern and act like a beacon, guiding her to you. And while it is possible for you to call on your damaged Morphin powers, the risk is too great. Therefore, only morph if you absolutely must, for when you do, she will be able to find you."

Rocky nodded grimly. "Fine. Prepare to teleport."

"Good luck, man," Tommy, whispered, patting him on the back.

"May the Power protect you," Zordon whispered softly, as the teen dissolved into a crackle of blue light:

Rocky landed in a clearing of a forested area. Turning, he tried to get his bearings. "The temple is - that way," he pointed, surprised at how sure he was. He had never felt this at ease with his powers. Not since the time when he had first been a Ranger. Certainly not since the time he had become a Zeo Ranger.

This was the almost sixth sense that had marked him as one of the protectors of the Earth. His Zeo Ranger powers had overshadowed that bond, but here, on Mirinoi, the sensation was back.

Still, regardless of the reason, he trusted Zordon knew what he was doing. The White Morphin Master had not let him down yet. Shrugging, he set off through the woods; glad he had worn his hiking boots today. "I'd better get moving. By the look of those shadows, it's already noon."

As he crested a rise, he stopped. Suddenly he was certain he was being watched. It was an indistinct pattern, one that did not belong in the natural backdrop. There was no sound or movement to give the lurkers away, suggesting that they were used to moving through the undergrowth. Hunters maybe? But no matter how well they were hidden, he knew they were there. And regardless of the reason for these new feelings, he trusted them to keep him out of trouble. Turning slowly, he sighed. Too late. There behind him stood several young men in clothes of what appeared to be leather, watching him suspiciously and holding spears. Spears that were pointed directly at him.

"Um, hi," he managed. Zordon had informed them that the Powers acted as translators, allowing them to speak with any race they came into contact with. Hoping he was doing the right thing, he launched into the speech Zordon had given them for if they crossed paths with any natives during their travels. "I'm Rocky DeSantos, The Blue Ranger."

That got a response. The leader squinted at him and finally replied, "Under whose authority?"

"Zordon of Eltare," Rocky answered, mentally relaxing. They were on firmer territory now.

"Prove it," demanded the man.

"Um, I can't. I'm not allowed to morph right now. It would be a very bad thing."

The men conferred for a moment, in tones too low for Rocky to hear. Then the leader turned back to him. "We will take you to Jera, our elder. He will know if you speak the truth." The leader motioned with his spear, and Rocky set off in the indicated direction, hoping that the elder would believe him. Skewered on a spear on an alien planet was not how he wanted to end his days.

Soon they came to a village of small, wooden houses. The procession stopped outside a slightly larger house, and one of the spearmen went inside. After a few minutes, he came back out with an older man, who was obviously in charge. His posture was erect, despite his advanced age, and Rocky instantly liked him.

"You say you are a Ranger?" the man asked, raising one eyebrow.

"I am, sir," Rocky replied respectfully.

"Yet you cannot prove it?"

"The only way to prove it would be to morph, and I can't do that. It would attract the attention of parties I don't particularly want the attention of."

Jera chuckled. "Well said, young one. I do sense the Morphin power within you, but it is not the only energy. What other trust do you bear?"

"I'm a Zeo Ranger. My Power Coin was destroyed, and I needed another power fast. Besides, the King Mondo and his Machine Empire were attacking my planet and Morphin Powers don't work too well against him."

Jera shook his head. "While you do bear the energies of a Ranger, I have no way of knowing if you are still active. Even those who have had their powers taken away still bear the stamp of them. If you cannot prove your claim, I can give you no assistance."

Sighing, Rocky hung his head. How on earth was he going to prove that he was a Ranger? He couldn't morph without bringing Hel'ga and whatever assistance she had managed to find down on his head, and that wouldn't be good for the village, either.

Just then, a woman ran up to the elder, on the verge of hysteria. "Jera, Joni has collapsed! I have no idea what's wrong with her! She's just tossing and turning."

Jera looked at his feet sadly. "With no healer in the village, I am afraid we can do nothing for her, Sarinda."

Rocky's head snapped up. "Wait a minute! I'm not exactly a healer, but I might be able to help her!" Turning toward Sarinda, he caught the distraught woman by the shoulders. "What are her symptoms? What is she doing?"

"She's unconscious, she won't wake up. She just mumbles and tosses and turns."

"Fever? Vomiting? Does she have a rash?"

"She has a fever, that's all."

Rocky turned back towards the elder. "Look, among my people, I'm a healer of a sort. Maybe I can help this little girl, but I have to be able to examine her. Will you let me try?"

Jera regarded him for a long moment, and then nodded. "This way." The elder led him to a small house on the outskirts of town. Inside, Rocky found a little girl, approximately the same age as Alex, tossing and turning on a pallet.

"Hey, Joni," he whispered, kneeling by the bed. "You not feeling so good? Well, I'm going to fix you up, okay?" He put his hand on her forehead, and almost immediately drew it back again. "She's burning up! Has she eaten anything today?"

"Not since breakfast," Sarinda replied, wringing her hands.

"Have you kept an eye on her all that time? Sometimes kids eat things they aren't supposed to, especially in a forest."

"Her older brothers were with her all the time. They would have kept her from eating anything."

Rocky nodded. "Yeah, it figures. Her symptoms really aren't consistent with poisoning, anyway. No vomiting, no rash," he lifted one of her eyelids, "and her pupils are constricted. Look, I'm gonna need some ice or cold water, lots of it."

"There is a cold stream nearby," Jera replied.

"Great. Go soak blankets in it, lots of blankets. We have to keep her cool. If her fever gets too high, her brain could be damaged. Plus, I need any herbal remedies you might have to reduce fever." For a minute, no one moved. "Go!" he cried. Instantly, the people were in motion. Turning back to his patient, Rocky began examining her. No obvious wounds, and nothing swollen or hotter than the rest of her body. "No infection," he muttered. "What's wrong with her?"

Suddenly, Joni's eyes opened, and she screamed, loud and long, scratching at the air in front of her as if she were fighting something. Quickly, Rocky grabbed her wrists, pinning them down to the bed.

Joni's scream had brought most of the village running. As they entered, Rocky looked up. "Get those blankets over here, now!" As Joni was packed in the wet blankets, her eyes slipped closed, and she relaxed. Rubbing a hand over his face, Rocky sat back.

"She's not sick. Something is affecting her." Closing his eyes, he began to relax. Rocky's grandmother, on the DeSantos side, had in her day, been one of the best curanderas in her area of Mexico. Of all her grandchildren, only Rocky had the necessary talent to become a curandero, a healer of not only the body, but also the mind and spirit as well. It was her teachings that had helped him adjust to - what had come before his Ranger days,

She had taught him many things, and he had learned them well. Now he sent himself into the trance that allowed him to examine the child on the spiritual plane. As he had suspected, a black shadow had the little girl backed into a corner, and she was almost catatonic with fear. Ignoring the shadow, Rocky crossed to Joni and extended his hand. "Hey, Joni. You all right?" She just looked up at him with wide, frightened eyes.

"Hey, it's okay. I'm a friend. My name's Rocky. I'm here to help you. What say we get out of here? Your mom is really worried about you."

For a long moment, she just stared at him, and then extended her hand. Taking it, he picked her up in his arms and turned to face the shadow.

"She isss mine!" the shadow hissed. "You have no right to her!"

"Joni's a little girl, not a tote bag. She belongs to herself. And she's going home, right, Joni?"

"Yes!" the little girl declared loudly, holding tighter to Rocky as she did so.

"Neither of you will leave this place!" The shadow flowed towards them, threatening to swallow them in its depths.

"Go jump in a lake," Rocky shot back, raising a hand. A beam of light shot out of his hand, pinning the shadow in place. "Come on, Joni. Give me a hand with this guy, okay?"

Nodding, Joni concentrated, and a beam of light shot from her as well. The combined lights were too much for the shadow, and it broke up, dissolving into a dark smoke.

"See, he wasn't so tough," Rocky grinned at the girl in his arms. "Time to go back to the real world, Joni."

She nodded, fading out in his arms. "Thanks," she smiled, just before she disappeared completely.

Opening his eyes, Rocky found himself back in the house, with Joni lying beside him. Slowly, her eyes began to open. "Mommy?" she whimpered.

"Joni!" Sarinda blew past everyone else, nearly knocking Rocky into a wall. Reaching the side of the bed, she scooped the little girl up in her arms and covered her with kisses.

Jera put a hand on Rocky's shoulder. "You have done well, young Ranger. Come, let us go outside." They left Joni and her mother to their celebration and walked out into the street. "What was wrong with the child?"

"Some sort of psychic vampire. It was attacking her spirit. You get a lot of those around here?" Rocky asked.

"No. There were many in older times, back when the Destroyer rose from the temple, but they vanished when the Morphin Masters sealed him back in again. It must have taken a great source of evil to draw one here again, normally they dwell only in the deepest caverns under the planet. Which brings me to my question. Why are you here, Ranger of Earth?"

Rocky sighed. "It's a long story, and if it's all the same to you, I'd rather tell it sitting, without spears pointed at my back. Do you mind telling your friends here to lay off?" Despite the events in the house, when Rocky had emerged, he had instantly found himself at spear-point again.

With a wave of his hand, Jera backed the spear-wielders away. "Do come inside, young Ranger. We can discuss this better in the comfort of my home."

"You can call me Rocky," Rocky told him, following the man inside his house. "We're not big on titles where I come from."

"Very well then, Rocky. What brings you to Mirinoi?"

"A - woman I guess is the best term, named Hel'ga is seeking to release Trannis. I'm here to stop her."

"Hel'ga... I have heard of her before."

"She was one of those who sought to imprison him," Rocky explained.

That was rewarded with some nodding. "And now she seeks to free him for her own ends. She is not the first I am afraid. That Hel'ga would seek to release Trannis is foolish, but no less than I could expect from her sort. Do you truly believe that you can defeat her by yourself?"

"There were - reasons I had to come alone," Rocky answered, wishing he knew what those exact reasons were. "Besides, I hope that I never have to find out. If I can destroy the pendant in her possession or keep the crystal in the temple from her grasp - she needs both to succeed - and keep her from performing the ceremony before the full moon, she loses. She can't perform the same ritual to release Trannis for another ten thousand years."

"You would then return the crystal to its rightful place?" Jera asked shrewdly.

"Absolutely. I have no use for it. I'm not a wizard."

"Then that would be your best option. We know where the crystal is; we have no idea where this Hel'ga can be found. One of my tribe, Maya, will guide you. Maya, come here child!" he called. From another room came a girl just slightly younger than Rocky.

"Yes, Jera?"

"You will guide this young Ranger to the temple, correct?"

She looked him over appraisingly and then nodded. "Of course."

"Now just hold on a second!" Rocky exploded. "I don't think this is going to be dangerous, but I can't be certain! I might make it there before Hel'ga, or I might not! I can't take a civilian along with me!"

"You will never reach the temple without a guide. Maya is quite capable of taking care of herself; she was raised to be a part of the jungle. She will not be a burden to you. She is a Gingaman, one of our tribe's most notable warriors."

"Fine," sighed Rocky, accepting defeat. "Come on, Maya. Let's go."

After walking a long way, the two stopped to rest and get a better view of the lay of the land. Climbing a tree, the two teens perched in its flat top, looking out over the forest. "There," Maya pointed. "In that clearing lays the temple. We should make it before dusk."

"Good," Rocky replied, pointing in another direction. "Cause I think we have company." To the east, a ball of fire was touching down, luckily in a rocky, barren area. It flickered out, but Rocky had a pretty good idea of what it meant. "By the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes," he mumbled, sliding down from the tree.

"What?" Maya asked, following him.

"It's from a play on my planet. It's called Macbeth."

"Funny name."

"It's a long story," Rocky replied. "Let's get moving. Hel'ga and friends have just arrived, and I don't think they're going to be the welcoming committee."

"You say the strangest things," Maya remarked, shaking her head as they headed off into the brush.

The two walked in silence for a while, until Rocky, constitutionally unable to stay silent for long, asked, "So, you know this area pretty well?"

"Every child in my tribe is taught to know the ways of the jungle. It's what keeps us alive. Besides, as a Gingaman, it is my duty to know these things in case I am one of the chosen."

"Gingaman?" Rocky asked.

Maya sighed. "Not all worlds are lucky enough to have a resident Morphin Master who can just give out powers on a whim. Oh yes, we know about Zordon and his actions. We understand why, but that doesn't make it any easier on those planets that were refused their own Ranger teams. Mirinoi had a team once, eight Rangers strong. When they retired, those that survived placed their Quasar Sabers in a sacred stone where they would be ready for their successors. Their descendants are called Gingamen, each sworn to protect this world from danger and each having the potential to draw the swords and become a Ranger. So far nobody has been successful in doing so. My mother is the Companion of the Wolf, and I am her heir."

"Companion of the Wolf?" Rocky asked.

Another sigh. It was becoming clear just how little Rocky and the others knew about Rangers on other worlds. If Maya's response was any indication, this was the sort of thing Zordon should have been teaching them before they picked up a morpher.

"On your world you use machines to fight?" she asked. He nodded. "Are they sentient?"

Sentient? His eyes widened at the suggestion. The Dinozords might have had some sentience before their energy had been transferred to create the Thunderzords. The way he heard Tommy refer to Dragonzord sometimes and Titanus's occasional appearance without being called when they were using the Ninja Zords gave credence to that notion. The Thunderzords had always seemed to be just machines, although from his understanding that's probably all they were. Tigerzord had sometimes seemed alive and Saba was definitely sentient. And the Ninjazords? He remembered when he had first seen the Ape Zord. It had connected with him in a way that the Zeo Zords had not. Billy often spoke of a telepathic link between Rangers and their machines. In the Zeo Zords that link was weaker. In the Thunderzords it had been almost nonexistent until they formed the Megazord.

"I'm not sure," he finally admitted.

She didn't comment on his answer, just nodded. "Not all Zords are sentient, some are just machines. Others are animal spirits given form. The metal gives them a body that matches the Ranger's powers. The Rangers who came to Mirinoi were one of the older teams. Their Galactazords had been around a long time and over time had evolved their appearance to fit in." She chuckled. "Of course, it is still hard to miss a giant lion that towers over the jungle. When they needed to, they could revert to their metal bodies.

Three thousand years ago, Mirinoi became the centre of another great battle. There were many forces and the tales speak of many enemies. Some legends talk of the beastly Abominus and his forces, others talk of the pirate Mutiny and his great monster castle. One thing they all agree upon was that pirate or invader, the Power Rangers and their mighty Galactazords fought them off.

Three of the Rangers were lost in battle, their powers destroyed and their Galactazords slain. The surviving Rangers then descended to the planet and surrendered their powers to restore the damage that had been done to the jungle.

They became part of the tribe, passing on their roles as defenders of Mirinoi. Their Galactazords were transformed into Galactabeasts and released to roam the galaxy if they wished; most of the time they choose to remain in the jungle far from the village. Other artefacts were hidden around the planet until they were needed. It is said that the Gingamen carry the knowledge until it is needed.

One of the Rangers, the yellow one, was the companion of the wolf. As his descendant it will be my duty to care for the wolf one day. I was not due to take the position for another ten years, but my father was killed and I am the next in line."

"Your dad's dead? I'm sorry. Did it just happen?"

"My father has been dead two years," Maya replied sadly. "He was killed in battle with pirates from another solar system. We had no Rangers to protect us, and despite the stories, none of the heirs could draw the Quasar Sabers. We had to launch an all-out war against them. Many brave warriors were killed, including my father. That is why we have no healer in the village."

Rocky put a hand on her shoulder. "I know how you feel. My dad died in a car accident, eight years ago. He was coming home from work, and he hit a slick spot. He wasn't speeding, he hadn't been drinking, it just wasn't fair. Anyway, with Dad gone, my older brother and I had to split the task of being the man of the house."

"I am the heir and it's my responsibility. One day I'll have my try to draw the Quasar Saber."

Rocky nodded. "That's a lot of responsibility. So, what do you do for fun?"

"Fun? This is fun," Maya answered, her tone lightening as she gestured to the forest around them. "There's always something going on. And I have my friends. It's not all-hard work. Jera is a good teacher."

"He seems like a good leader," Rocky commented.

"He's the tribe's elder, not its leader. Our leaders were lost in the war. Jera is the nearest thing we have, but it's not the same."

"No, I guess it's not," Rocky agreed.

"Aw, isn't this sweet?" a woman's voice oozed. At the edge of the clearing stood a woman he recognised as Hel'ga, accompanied by an army of extremely thin humanoid creatures with pale faces and empty, staring eyes. Behind them was what looked like a burly humanoid panther.

"Hel'ga," Rocky almost growled.

"Ah, you know me. We know you too, don't we pretty?" she asked her pendant. "Yes, indeed, you are the Blue Ranger from Earth... Zordon's domain. I watched as you and the others defeated Mondo, you fought well, but he'll be back sooner or later. I won't be vanquished so easily. That's right pretty, if he's here alone then Zordon must have caught onto my plan."

"Is it that obvious?" Rocky asked rhetorically. It was becoming clear that the gem was affecting her somehow.

"It is of no matter," the woman drawled. "Once Trannis is free, all resistance will be futile. I suppose you've come to stop me?"

"I won't allow you to release Trannis," Rocky corrected. "You don't need to die. Surrender and we'll see to it you're treated fairly. I don't want to hurt anyone, but if freeing Trannis is part of your plan, I guess I have to stop you."

"Well said young Ranger," the woman stated. "Trannis is perhaps the only thing you should concern yourself about. In the end, he will be the one to destroy you, at my command."

"Well, that's that settled. It's Morphin Time! Zeo Ranger III - Blue!" In a flash of light, Rocky was transformed into the Blue Ranger. "There, now, that makes us more even, doesn't it? Anyone for a dance?"

Hel'ga's face hardened. "Panthron, Wraiths, attack!"

Her followers swarmed over Blue Ranger, but he beat them back with ease. They were not strong on strategy and relied on their sheer numbers. However, Blue Ranger was used to fighting against superior numbers, and was certainly agile enough to avoid being pinned down. When the last of them hit the ground, he turned towards Panthron, only to see that the cat-man held a writhing Maya tightly by the arms.

"Let her go," Blue Ranger growled, stepping forward.

"No, I don't think so," Hel'ga replied smugly. "I'm calling the shots here, and if you don't want the little wench ripped apart, you'll demorph immediately. Then throw me your morphing tools. Unlike other you've met, I'm not squeamish about killing for the sake of it. In fact, I enjoy a little bloodshed."

With a defeated sigh, Rocky did as he was ordered. As soon as he did so, Panthron shoved Maya at a Wraith that had managed to pick itself up off the ground. Sneering, the cat-man strolled over to where Rocky was standing. With a touch of alarm, Rocky noted that the other stood a few inches taller than he, and definitely topped him on muscle mass. Even so, Rocky was unprepared when Panthron slammed him in the stomach.

Sinking to his knees, Rocky fought to keep from passing out. ~Can't... fight back,~ he thought blearily, through the haze of pain. ~If I do, they'll... hurt Maya.~ All coherent thought temporarily left him when he was pulled to his feet and Panthron began raining blows on his body.

Staggering, Rocky tried to get his hands up between himself and his attacker, but it was hopeless. A backhand caught him across the face, and he tasted the copper of his own blood. Methodically, Panthron pummelled Rocky along the torso, front and back. Finally, Rocky could no longer stand and he fell to the ground. Two swift kicks caught him in the side, and dimly he could hear the sickening snap of ribs breaking.

One of the techniques his grandmother had taught him allowed him to shut down all outside stimuli for a while and retreat into himself. While many people could do this, only those trained in mental disciplines could come back easily. Rocky called on that knowledge now, gratefully trading the pain in his body for the oblivion of his mind. His body went limp and, mercifully, everything went black.

Pain. That was the first thing Rocky's mind picked up on as he slowly came back to life. "Ooggh," he groaned, opening his eyes slowly. "Where am I?"

"We're in the temple," Maya replied, coming to his side. "How do you feel?"

"Pretty good for a guy who's just had the shit beaten out of him," Rocky replied painfully.

"Are you all right?" She still sounded concerned.

"Let me check." Slowly, Rocky ran his hands over his body, testing for breaks. "Well, I've been better, but the ribs seem to have healed all right. I feel like I was trampled by an elephant, but I've had worse. No head injuries. I guess they wanted to avoid brain damage. It's the only thing Ranger powers can't heal. Are you all right?"

"They didn't hurt me. I'm not exactly sure why we're still alive, though."

"I can tell you one thing," Rocky sighed, sitting up slowly. "It ain't out of the kindness of her heart. I doubt she even has one of those."

"I'm scared." The look on Maya's face said it cost her something to admit that. Rocky decided he could do no less.

"Yeah, me too. The Rangers will find us, though. They always do."

"What do you mean, you lost contact with him?" Tommy asked. "I thought you had him under constant watch."

"I did, Tommy. However, when Rocky lost consciousness, I lost the link. That is probably why Hel'ga had her henchman knock Rocky out. With Rocky unconscious, I can no longer track him."

"Well, can't you just pick him up when he wakes up?" the Red Ranger pressed.

"I only wish I could. However, by that time, Hel'ga will have him inside the temple they plan to use for the ceremony, which blocks my scanners and psychic senses. I am afraid that if Rocky does not signal us somehow, perhaps with his communicator, we will be unable to find him."

"Zordon, I still don't understand why we couldn't go with him," Kat sighed.

"I am not quite sure I understand it either, Katherine. I simply know that the rest of you could not accompany Rocky on his trip to the temple."

"Adam, aren't you worried at all?" Tanya asked her boyfriend. Adam shook his head.

"No, I'm not. Rocky is very good at taking care of himself. People think he's stupid, but he's not. He's just - Rocky. He's got a goofy sense of humour, no tact, and not a dishonest bone in his body. Rocky is completely open and direct. That makes people think he's stupid, and boy are they surprised. This Hel'ga will underestimate him, just like everybody else. That's Rocky's greatest asset."

"I hope you're right, Adam," Tanya sighed.

"Me too," Adam confessed. "There's a lot riding on this."

After examining the walls of their prison thoroughly, Rocky finally realized that there was no way out of the dungeon. "We can't escape, and since they took my Zeonisers, we can't fight our way out. Man! I wish the other Rangers were here!" An idea suddenly popped into Rocky's head. "That's it! Maya, come here." The girl scrambled to her feet and crossed the room to where Rocky stood. "This is my communicator. It allows me to call the other Rangers. I can't use it in here, because the walls are too thick. Even if the call got through, they'd never find us. If you could get outside the temple, though, you could call them. You press this button here, and just start talking. Tell them what happened and then stay on the line long enough for them to trace the signal back."

"How do I get out of here, though?"

Rocky grinned. "When they come to take us out of here, I'll cause a ruckus, and you can slip away. With your knowledge of the jungle, you can easily give those guys the slip, right?"

"Yes."

"All right. Be ready; I think we have company." Sure enough, the door swung open and there stood Panthron in the ugly flesh.

"You. Out," he growled.

"Yes, sir," Rocky cracked. No sooner had he and Maya cleared the door than he threw himself at the nearest Wraith. During the fight, Maya slipped around a corner and disappeared.

Rocky fought bravely, but without his powers, he was quickly subdued by the Wraiths. "That was stupid, human," Panthron growled. "What did you hope to - hey! Where's the girl!"

Although he knew he was asking for pain, Rocky couldn't help smirking at the cat-man's confusion. "Gee, weren't you watching her? I was kind of busy." Growling, Panthron slammed Rocky in the stomach.

"If Mistress Hel'ga didn't want you intact, human, I would show you pain like you have never experienced before," he rumbled.

"Pain is relative," Rocky wheezed. "I've been hurt worse than you could ever do to me." His mind ranged back to Jennifer. He had loved her so much, and when she died, he had only known one way to blunt the pain. As a result, he had spent two days dead drunk up at the family cabin before his brother had stormed up there and dried him out forcibly. Since then, he hadn't touched a drop, no matter how badly he hurt. Nothing the cat-man did to him could match that pain.

"Oh, don't be so sure, human. Hel'ga is well versed in the application of pain. Soon, you will experience that first hand."

"Talk is cheap," Rocky growled. "Let's get moving."

"I'm just worried about Rocky," Tommy announced as if nobody had noticed; the Red Ranger had been pacing up and down for the last half an hour. Not noticing, he continued. "We haven't had any word from him in too long."

"Power Rangers, come in. Please, come in! Is anybody out there?" A girl's voice echoed through the Power Chamber. The Rangers leaped to their feet quickly.

"This is the Red Ranger," Tommy replied. "Who are you?"

"My name is Maya. I was assigned to guide Rocky to the Temple of Night. We were captured. I got away, thanks to Rocky. He told me to call you. Please, we need your help."

"Where are you?" Kat asked.

"I'm right outside the temple. Please, hurry. I have no idea what's happening, but I don't like it! Something is wrong here, the planet... is dying."

"Calm down, we'll be right there," Tommy assured her. "Zordon, can you get us there?"

"Yes, Tommy."

"Then... It's Morphin Time!"

"Zeo Ranger I - Pink!"

"Zeo Ranger II - Yellow!"

"Zeo Ranger IV - Green!"

"Zeo Ranger V - Red!"

"Gold Ranger Power!"

"Prepare to teleport," Zordon intoned. "May the Power protect you." The Rangers dissolved into five beams of coloured light and disappeared.

Rattling the chains that bound him to one wall of the temple's main room, Rocky snorted in disgust. "Didn't I see this in a movie once?" he asked no one in particular.

"I know the chains are a trifle melodramatic," Hel'ga told him sweetly, "but they are an essential part of the ceremony, and if we are to succeed in reviving my master, we must follow the ritual as it was written. The chains are an important part of the ceremony. After all, we can't have you getting loose before the ceremony is over, can we? I remember what happened the last time there was a little ceremony and the sacrifice got free."

"You know, I don't understand something. What on earth could you possibly need me for? You've got the crystal; you've got your goons. Why am I still alive?"

Hel'ga laughed coldly. "What, you didn't know? You're an integral part of this ceremony! Or didn't Zordon mention that part? No, I guess it wouldn't have occurred to him. You see my dear little Ranger, before I can free Trannis's spirit I need him to agree to my terms. But in order to do that I need a body for him to possess and perhaps feed upon. I think a Power Ranger, especially a student of one of those Morphin Masters who destroyed my master, prove satisfactory, don't you?"

Rocky raised an eyebrow. "You don't really want me to answer that, do you?"

She looked thoughtful, well as thoughtful as she could look with her face partially concealed by her veil. "Mmm, no." Turning away from him, she crossed to the altar where the crystal sat. While her back was turned, Panthron walked over to Rocky, sneering evilly. Before Rocky could react, Panthron had thumped him in the stomach once again.

"One more for good measure, human," he grinned.

"That's - three I owe you, Panthron," Rocky wheezed, his eyes blazing. "You're going to be - very sorry when I collect."

The cat-man didn't answer, just returned to his place along the wall. In the center of the floor, Hel'ga raised her hands above. "The moon has risen! Bring me the Crystal of Cherila and let the ceremony begin!" She began to chant in an ancient language. It wasn't a counter for the original curse, more a general spell to overpower all magic within the grounds of the temple and whatever lay beneath its grounds, negating the barriers. It was spoken in a language, which gave Rocky chills, even though he couldn't understand it. The atmosphere began to thicken, and he began to sense the presence of an evil that made Mondo and Machina look like spoiled children.

The Crystal of Cherila sat on the altar, its powers unlocked by the pendant. The whole temple seemed to glow with an unholy light, and a cloud of darkness began to rise from the floor where Rocky assumed the entrance to the prison could be found. The sound of thunder rumbled outside, lightning crashing just beyond the entrance.

"Yesss, he comes," Hel'ga announced as the stench of sulphur drifted through the floor.

Rocky didn't pray outside of church very often. Most of the time, he preferred to get along on his own, and not bother God with his problems. Now, however, he dropped to his knees, crossed himself and began to pray in earnest. The sound of his voice repeating the ancient words made an eerie counterpoint to Hel'ga's continued chanting.

The Wraiths knelt at the entrance stone to the pulled the large slab covering the entrance. As the Wraith touched the stone, a void opened beneath it, sucking the undead creature into the void beyond. A second Wraith soon followed and then the third, fourth, fifth... tenth... fifteenth... the line of Wraiths was long, but it was dwindling rapidly when the eighty-sixth creature touched the stone and it finally gave way as the Crystal of Cherila finally released the ancient curses, revealing a passage to the chamber where Trannis's previous host was held.

"Yes, he comes," Hel'ga, repeated. "His spirit reaches out to touch his rescuer."

A Wraith entered and moments later returned, holding something in its arms. It stopped and held its arms out as an offering for Hel'ga.

"No!" she cried, as it was about to step through the passageway. "Do not move." The Wraith obeyed and waited until its passenger started to stir.

All the time this had been going on, the background energy within the room had grown more concentrated. It seemed to spark violently as she once again started chanting. The air felt greasy against Rocky's skin and breathing was growing more difficult as the thunder outside reached a crescendo. Then there was an explosion of light from the crystal that had rested in the temple for thousands of years, untouched. It had been glowing blue for a while, but now its depths were clouded. Black smog drifted across the floor.

"Welcome Trannis!" Hel'ga proclaimed. "Take this vessel, poor as it is, and fill it with your most worthy spirit while we discuss terms."

"Ah Hel'ga," Rocky heard someone say, "always thinking and scheming, but never understanding. Did you think that once you freed my mind that I could not recreate my body? Come, taste your reward."

Rocky recognised the voice. It was familiar to him, but he couldn't place it. Then he realised that it was his voice.

He tried to stop the words as the black mist covered him. But he clearly heard himself say: "You will learn that it is not wise to try negotiating with Trannis. "

Rocky could feel the evil seeping into his body. He had time for one thought ~God help me!~ and then everything went black.

After teleporting, the Rangers found themselves in a strange-forested area. In front of them stood a girl, holding Rocky's communicator and a wooden staff at the ready.

"Maya?" Red Ranger asked.

She relaxed slightly and nodded. "Yes, I am Maya. Thank you for coming so quickly Rangers."

"Where's Rocky?" Green Ranger asked.

"In there," Maya replied, gesturing towards the temple. "I am afraid you may be too late, though. I have heard the sounds of the ceremony beginning."

"Then we'll just have to interrupt it," Yellow Ranger told her.

Maya shivered. "There is something evil in there."

Silently, the Rangers moved out, following Maya. When they reached the front doors of the temple, they were not surprised to see a legion of Wraiths guarding the entrance.

"Hmm, a welcoming committee," Gold Ranger mused. "Time for a Gold Rush!"

The Rangers were in a hurry to help their friend, so Trey had pressed ahead without a strategy. As it happened, he didn't need one. The Wraiths attacked the Gold Ranger, not noticing his friends waiting nearby. What followed was hardly a slaughter, but a few undead foot-soldiers were hardly a match for five Zeo Rangers.

"C'mon! We've got to get inside!" Yellow Ranger cried.

Hurrying through the corridors of the temple, the Rangers spilled into the main room and stopped dead. In the middle of the room stood Rocky, strapping his Zeonisers back onto his wrists. Once they were on, they disappeared again. Then, seeming to sense their presence, he looked up - and they all gasped. Rocky's eyes weren't the familiar warm brown they had been this morning. Now they were red, and glowed with an unholy light. The grin that crossed his face did not belong to rocky either. There was no amusement in this expression, just cruelty.

"So, you've arrived at last. Welcome, Power Rangers," the Rocky-thing greeted them casually. The voice was Rocky's, but the tone held an ice in it that none of them had ever heard. "I am Trannis as you no doubt guessed, Dark Master of the Universe and everything contained therein. That includes you five. Your kind imprisoned me and I hunger for revenge, but since your friend has been so generous as to offer his body for my service, I will show some mercy. Bow down before me, and I will ensure you live."

"In your dreams, pal," Red Ranger shot back coldly.

"What have you done with Rocky?" demanded Green Ranger.

"The young man who this body used to belong to? Oh, he's gone, completely. There was a rather brief struggle for the body, and," Trannis shrugged, pausing for dramatic effect. "He lost."

"No!" Green Ranger cried. There was anger, disbelieve and no small amount of grief in his voice. "You lie!"

Trannis chuckled, a sound eerily like and yet unlike Rocky's. "Frequently, my dear boy, but not at the moment." He studied him intently. "You know, I can read your aura, young one. You are a true friend. I can see that. Yes, you have the potential to be great, truly great and I am in need of a new army since my old one perished. Perhaps, if you bow down, I might allow you to become the first of my new followers. I may even help you unlock your potential. It would be a shame to see it go to waste." He extended a hand, and for a moment, just a moment, Adam found himself drawn to the being that had taken his friend's face. "Yes, you are quite powerful," he mused. "Kneel!"

Deep inside Adam was fighting with all his might. It seemed as if the only thoughts he could act upon were those Trannis allowed. Any other thoughts became clouded and confusing, even painful. That didn't stop him from fighting it. Years of meditation coupled with lessons from different teachers had given him grounding in mental discipline. It was a struggle, but he was able to close out Trannis's voice and regain control.

"Go to Hell!" Adam responded, lashing out with a sharp punch.

Yes, this was his friend, but at the moment, Rocky was not in control and Adam knew that his blue teammate could take a punch to the face. If they really had to stop him, this was only a minute fraction of the force they would need to use.

"Hell?" Trannis replied, wiping the side of his face with the back of his hand. "What do you call thousands of years trapped in a temple if not hell? Oh yes, I've been in Hell my young Ranger, and I'm not going back there. Besides, as much as your spirit impresses me, I've already decided you are unsuitable to serve me. However, you will have the honour of helping me proof a theory. I believe that Rangers can be forced to power down when exposed to too much pain. Now, I shall test that theory. Suffer!"

He gestured and Adam was propelled back into his friends, his uniform flickering as a blue arc of electricity ran the length of his body and then returning as he landed.

"I can see it will take a greater discharge to force the change, but the theory is sound. Perhaps later I will make you my personal guinea pig. For now I have other matters to attend to. All these years with only myself for company. I don't need strong warriors; I need female companionship. How about it ladies?" he asked, leering at Kat and Tanya.

"You must be joking," Yellow Ranger replied hotly.

Pink Ranger just shook her head, not willing to give Trannis any words to use against her.

"It wouldn't take much to change your minds, but this is not the time to discuss such matters." His attention turned to Trey. "What do we have here? You're the Gold Ranger and the current ruler of Triforia. But you're incomplete, flawed! Hel'ga was right not to select you as the host, in its current state your body would never withstand my powers."

"Return Rocky's body and leave this realm while you can," Gold Ranger instructed.

"You're in no position to make threats against me," Trannis warned. "You're not even worth my time. But Tommy is. Think of it, Red Ranger, all the power you've ever wanted. You need never feel helpless again."

"Sorry, but you don't know me very well if you think power will appeal to me," Tommy told him.

"No, it is I who should apologise," Trannis, answered. "I made you feel you had a choice when in fact, you don't get a say," he smiled. He swung his arm upward so his palm was facing the Rangers. A wave of energy shoved the Rangers, forcing them backwards.

"And now Power Rangers," Trannis said, adding with a small sneer, "Zordon's chosen." He stepped toward them, gathering dark energy in his palms. He extended his hands towards them as he took aim. "It's time to die!" His hands started to shine brightly with the same unholy light as his eyes. The Rangers braced themselves for his first strike, knowing there was a good chance they could not survive. Raising his hands above his head, Trannis prepared to release his power. That was when all hell broke loose.

When Trannis entered his body, Rocky had had no time to fight back. His mind had shut down almost immediately due to the shock; this was not a mental attack, something had physically attacked his brain. As a result the consciousness that was Rocky had been shunted to the back of his mind, a prisoner bound within a wall of thought. To him it resembled a black cocoon totally detached from his senses and motor functions.

For the first time in ages, Rocky panicked. He was completely, totally alone, with no contact with the outside world at all. Immediately, the terror of the days immediately following his father's death came rushing back. In the darkness, he could hear the creatures that had haunted his nightmares slithering around. The worst dream hadn't had a monster in it, though. Instead, he had run from place to place, shouting for his mother, his father, anyone - but no one answered. The streets had been empty, devoid of people and he had been completely alone. Total isolation was the one thing that frightened Rocky DeSantos to the edge of madness.

*You're not alone, Rocky,* a voice whispered.

"Who's there?" he cried in alarm, turning ceaselessly. Nothing was there.

*Your friends are always with you.*

Suddenly his own voice came back to him, like words on the wind, repeating something he had said to Tommy once. "He's still our friend, man. No distance - no amount of stars can change that."

Unconsciously, Rocky's hand crept to the cross around his neck, a gift from his father a few days before he died. *Your family is always with you. Your faith is always with you. You are never truly alone.*

Taking a deep breath, Rocky calmed himself. The voice was right. He wasn't alone. Now it was time to stop whining like a frightened child and take control of the situation.

Using techniques his grandmother had taught him, he reached out and cautiously reattached himself to his senses. It was slow going, because he had to make sure that Trannis did not notice him doing it. Finally he managed, however, and could see and hear what was going on.

He heard him say, "Time to die." Raising his hands above his head, Trannis prepared to release his power.

"NOOO!" Rocky screamed. "NOT MY FRIENDS!" With all the strength within him, with all his knowledge of the spirit, and with all his love for his friends, Rocky reached out and pulled Trannis down into the cocoon that surrounded him.

Here, Trannis appeared to be a very pale man in his late twenties, with night-dark hair and eyes. The eyes glowed red at regular intervals. "Fool!" he hissed. "You dare to challenge me?"

"Yeah. You want this body; you're going to have to fight for it. Let's rumble."

Trannis attacked, throwing balls of fire at Rocky. Batting them aside with ease, Rocky returned fire with a hail of blue lances. Trannis's eyes narrowed. "So, you have some skill in fighting at this level. Let's see how you handle this."

A creature began to coalesce out of the darkness. With the head of a dragon, the body of a snake, and slime everywhere, it was a creature out of a nightmare, specifically one of Rocky's. As it came closer to him, Rocky stood firm.

"That nightmare came from being afraid to be alone. I've got the answer to that right here." Colours blazed, and suddenly the other Rangers stood behind him. "My friends are always with me, and we're stronger than anything you can throw at us." Six beams of colour shot from the Rangers, striking the monster and utterly obliterating it. "Now for you," Rocky growled, as his form began to glow with blue light.

"It is too late," Trannis told him. "I've found a new body, and now, I'll take my leave. A shame; you would have made a fine slave; perhaps I shall see you serve as one of my heralds... no, you have defied me too often for that, a Hound then, one of my mindless hunters."

Suddenly the cocoon broke up, leaving Rocky in charge of his body again. Rocky, exhausted by the battle that had raged within him, dropped to his knees, panting.

"Rocky?" Pink Ranger asked hesitantly. The Rangers had seen the light around Trannis's hands flicker out and had heard him arguing with himself, although they had been unable to make out the words. Suddenly his form began to glow blue, and he had collapsed. "Rocky?"

"I was when I got up this morning," Rocky replied weakly, trying to get to his feet. Quickly, Yellow and Gold Rangers were at his side, helping him to stand. "Oh, stop the world, Ma, I wanna get off." Blearily he regarded his friends. "Anybody got any Dramamine?"

That question, more than anything else, convinced the Rangers that Rocky was himself again, and they clustered around him, congratulating him on his victory. Rocky only had one thing on his mind, though.

"We're not finished yet," he told the others. "Let's end this."

"Right!" the four Zeo Rangers responded. "Power down!"

While they returned to their civilian clothing, Gold Ranger had his staff trained on the emerging villain. Trannis looked weary, obviously having been forced into a new host before he was ready was taking a toll on him. Still, it seemed he was now strong enough to survive in his mortal form.

"You won't be allowed to cause any more harm," Rocky announced. "It's time to purge your evil from this place. I call on the power of the Zeo Crystal!"

At his call the complete Zeo Crystal appeared in his hands, crackling with energy as it absorbed the evil in the area.

"Oh no you don't!" Gold Ranger cried, noticing the hand moving toward the Crystal of Cherila. With a swift blow from the Golden Power Staff he shattered the pendant, knocking the Crystal of Cherila aside. It rolled across the floor and lay useless at the base of the pedestal.

The five Rangers placed their left hands on the top of the Zeo Crystal while Rocky held the base with his other hand. As they stepped towards him, Trannis grew nervous and tried to back away.

"You have no place in this universe anymore," Rocky told him. "You're a relic of a dark time and we're gonna send you to a place where you will fit in. Ready guys?"

"Ready!" the others replied.

The Zeo Crystal glowed brightly, blasting Trannis with its full power, purging his evil from the temple. Trannis screamed angrily, charging towards the Rangers in a desperate bid. The energy from the crystal blasted him and he was carried off by the energy wave. When he was gone, the Rangers banished the Zeo Crystal back to its place in the Power Chamber.

"Come on," Rocky told the Rangers, "let's go home. I've had enough of this place to last a lifetime." As they turned towards the door, another voice rang out.

"Not so fast, Power Rangers!" They turned to see Hel'ga glaring at them.

Rocky groaned. "I knew we forgot something."

"You may have banished my servant and robbed me of all I deserve, but I will be avenged. Panthron, Wraiths, attack!"

Tommy looked at his friend. "You wanna do the honours?"

"Sure," Rocky replied. "It's Morphin Time!"

"Zeo Ranger I - Pink!"

"Zeo Ranger II - Yellow!"

"Zeo Ranger III - Blue!"

"Zeo Ranger IV - Green!"

"Zeo Ranger V - Red!"

"Let's kick some butt!" Blue Ranger cried. Splitting up, the Power Rangers took on the horde of Wraiths, punching, kicking, and wisecracking in true Ranger style. In the middle of the melee, Blue Ranger found himself face-to-face with Panthron. "I owe you something, buddy," he growled, kicking the cat-man in the stomach. "That's one!" The two traded a few more blows, and then Blue Ranger punched him in the face and kicked him in the stomach again. "That's two!" Delivering a roundhouse kick to his opponent's face, Blue Ranger launched yet another kick into Panthron's stomach. "And that's three! You're out!" Doing a backflip, Blue Ranger kicked the cat-man in the chin. That was the final blow, causing Panthron to stumble and fall through the entrance to the prison beyond.

Meanwhile, across the room, Hel'ga found herself face to face with the Gold Ranger, who was not happy. "You should have let Trannis remain a legend. Instead you messed with my friend. So now you have to pay the price!"

"Nice speech" Hel'ga replied. "But I will be doing the teaching. Allow me to introduce you to my powers!"

A blur of yellow crossed Trey's line of sight as the Yellow Ranger ducked around him and landed a firm punch to his opponent's face. "Let's not and say we did." Looking up, Hel'ga realized that the Power Rangers surrounded her and her forces had all gone.

"All right, you've got me," she sighed insolently. "But tell me Rangers, what are you going to do now? I know you Power Rangers don't kill in cold blood."

"No. But then, we don't need to," Gold Ranger told her.

Black light shot from the Crystal of Cherila, striking Hel'ga in the back. "You took the crystal," Gold Ranger told her coldly. "And you freed Trannis. When you did so you agreed to take his place. That's why he wasn't concerned about your demands. He knew that once you allowed him to step out of the temple there was no way you could harm him. So, there is only one place you belong."

Hel'ga screamed as the black energy drove her into the temple's depths.

"All power has its price," Rocky mentioned as he watched her struggle. "Looks like you've just discovered that."

There was a bright flash as the Crystal of Cherila went dormant once more.

"Rocky?" Blue Ranger felt someone tugging on his hand and he looked back to see who it was. Maya looked at him questioningly. "Did we win?"

Chuckling, Blue Ranger nodded. "Yeah, Maya, I'd have to say we did."

"So Hel'ga and Panthron were swallowed by the darkness they tried to invoke, and Trannis's was destroyed. The Crystal of Cherila is now useless for the next ten thousand years; we left it in the temple just like I promised. And Maya is back with her tribe," Rocky grinned. "I think one day she will get her wish and become a Ranger. And I'd say that's a wrap."

"Indeed, Rangers," Zordon agreed. "You have all done well, especially you, Rocky. I am very proud of you." Rocky blushed.

"Zordon, there's something I don't understand," Kat asked. "Why did Rocky have to go ahead on his own? And how was he able to fight off Trannis? No offence, Rocky, but you're not exactly a wizard."

"Rocky had to make the journey alone simply because he was the only Ranger who, if captured, could throw off Trannis's control. None of the rest of you could have done it. Adam might have held him at bay for a while, but Tommy would have easily succumbed to his power. While he is not a wizard, Rocky had a number of advantages that Trannis did not. One, Trannis was weakened by the fact that he no longer had a viable body to connect him to his powers. He was only a spirit and that in turn robbed him of much of his magical ability. Two, the battleground was Rocky's mind and body, terrain that Rocky knew much more intimately than Trannis did."

"Homecourt advantage," Adam translated.

"Exactly. Three, Trannis was not expecting a fight. He had assumed that Rocky was not very intelligent, and easily manipulated. His servants had failed to warn him because Hel'ga had simply dismissed Rocky as a sacrifice, nothing more. When Rocky fought back, especially as skilfully as he did, Trannis was caught by surprise.

The fourth reason is perhaps the most important. Trannis was pure evil. Rocky, on the other hand, is almost completely innocent." Rocky blushed even redder. "Rocky, you are direct and open, with little ability or desire to lie or mislead. While you are certainly human, with human failings, there is remarkably little evil in your soul. Without that interior darkness, Trannis could not get an effective grip on your soul.

Most importantly, in many ways, you are still a child. I do not mean this in a derogatory sense, quite the opposite. While you have the mature outlook and responsibility of an adult, you have yet to lose a child's wonder at the world around you or a child's capacity for unquestioning belief. When you went up against Trannis, you trusted your instincts without question. Another person might have doubted their ability, but you did not. Most especially, you never doubted that you would win. You still retain a child's belief that good will always triumph over evil in the end."

Rocky thought about that for a minute. "You know, maybe that's why I get along with kids so well. I still understand how they see the world," he mused. Suddenly he started. "Oh my gosh! My mom must be going nuts about my whereabouts!"

"Actually, she's not. You see, Mirinoi is a great distance from Earth and is in the middle of its winter season. It therefore has a shorter day than Earth. Only seven hours have passed since you left Earth," Zordon told him. "Your mother believes you have been on an all-day hike with your friends, and will be returning home soon after spending the evening at the Youth Center. Adam's father arranged it for you. There should be no problem."

Rocky wiped his brow. "Good. The DeSantos family reunion is tomorrow, at my house, and the last thing I need is for my mom to be mad at me. Hey, do you guys want to come? You're all invited."

The Rangers looked at each other for a moment, then shrugged. "Sure, why not?" Tommy answered for all of them.

Adam grinned. "I'm always up for a DeSantos family party."

Rocky chuckled. "I'll see you all there tomorrow at eleven a.m., okay?" They nodded, and he teleported out.

DeSantos family parties can usually be described in two words: organized chaos. Today was no exception. Even though it was nominally a DeSantos family, the Hernadez clan, Rocky's mother's family, were also present in force. With aunts, uncles, cousins, great-aunts and uncles, second cousins once removed, and relatives for whom there was no real designation, there were upwards of a hundred people, eating, talking, partying and generally having a good time. Over everything, the sounds of Spanish and English mixed, forming a pleasing if unintelligible sound.

Making the rounds of the party, as he usually did, Rocky spied Adam and Tanya. Mama Carmen, Rocky's curandera grandmother, had snagged Adam and was once again trying to get him to become an apprentice curandero. Tanya stood off to one side, waiting patiently. Rocky grinned and shook his head. That had happened every year since he and Adam had met, and every year, Adam listened politely and cleared out as soon as possible. Despite his best friend's undeniable healing talent, he was far too self-effacing to ever admit that he had it.

Moving along, Rocky stopped to talk to Kat and growl at his cousin's-husband's-sister's-son, Rodrigo, who was once again flirting with her. Rodrigo was the worst ladies' man Rocky had ever known, combining Zack's charm with an utter lack of respect for commitment. Luckily David was elsewhere or there could have been problems.

Trey was sitting looking slightly amazed as Tommy and Chelsea chattered away in rapid-fire Spanish to each other and two of his aunts. Rocky stopped, surprised at their command of the language. Looking up, Chelsea caught sight of his expression and correctly interpreted it. "We grew up in Los Angeles. Some of our best friends spoke only Spanish. We learned pretty quickly." Shrugging, Rocky moved on.

He found Trini out in the garage with his cousin Hector, who was busily explaining his latest invention, a device for blocking electronic radio transmissions over a certain area. The two of them were far too absorbed in their discussion to notice him, so he moved on.

His next stop was the soccer game, taking place on the side lawn. David and Skull were right in the thick of it, although the players spent almost as much time arguing over whether it was called "soccer" or "football" as they played. Rocky shook his head. Bilingual families made life very interesting. Kim sat on the sidelines, occasionally yelling at the soccer players to keep the noise down.

"Rocky! Venga aqui!" his mother called from the kitchen.

"Coming!" Rocky headed off to find out what his mother wanted.

Much later, after huge quantities of food had been consumed, Rocky took advantage of the lull in the activities to go find his grandmother. Sitting down next to her, he gave her a large hug and a kiss on the cheek.

"What was that for, zorrito?" she asked, surprised. She had always called him "little fox," ever since he had visited her in New Mexico and come in one night with a desert fox trailing him, neat as you please. It hadn't been domesticated; it wouldn't let anyone near it but Rocky. Even so, it would eat out of his hand and slept outside the window to his room every night. Mama Carmen had declared that the fox liked him because it sensed his kinship with animals. That was when she had decided that he would make a good curandero.

"I just love you, Mama Carmen. And I want to thank you for training me. It's been very important to me."

"When you have a talent, you must use it. Otherwise, it brings you hardship and pain. I try to tell your friend Adam this, but he just sits there nodding and does he listen to a word I say? Ha!"

Rocky smiled. "Adam uses his talents, all of them. It's just he uses them a different way."

"He would make a marvellous curandero," Mama Carmen sighed.

"Yeah, but he'll never admit he can do it. You know that. He heals people in his own way, in his own time."

"Si, you are right, but I will keep trying. It has become a tradition, no?" she chuckled. He laughed with her. "Rocky, you grow so fast. Already you remind me of your father at your age. Not your looks, no. Pedro got all of your father's features, it's true. You inherited so much of his personality. He was just like you, a man and a child all at once."

"I remember," Rocky said softly. There was the time his father had taken them all to the fair, and eaten as many sweets and ridden as many rides as any of the children. He remembered the nature walks they used to take together, and the enthralled tone in his father's voice as he pointed out spider webs covered with dew.

"You miss him, don't you, child?" Mama Carmen asked softly. At Rocky's nod, she continued. "I, too. But as long as we have memories, we are never truly alone. Comprende?"

"Yeah. Thanks, Mama Carmen. I love you."

"Te amo tambien, Rocky. Te amo mucho." Above them, in the gathering dusk, the stars began to come out, one by one, shining like precious memories.

**End of Part**

***  
Spanish words used in this story and their meanings:

Arriba! Levantese ahora!- Up! Get up now!  
Si, Mama.- Yes, mother.  
Venga aqui!- Come here!  
Comprende?- Understand?  
Te amo tambien - I love you too.

Special thanks again to Ellen Brand for allow me to use parts of her stories in my series. This story borrowed the basic storyline, parts of the dialogue and a few scenes from Crystal Blue Persuasion, a part of the Personality Conflicts series.

Disclaimer: I do not own the Power Rangers, they belong to their respective copyright owners and are used here without permission. No money is being made from this fic. Thanks go out to Ellen Brand for allowing me to use parts from Fathers and Sons for this story. Authors Note: This is an alternate universe from the television show with an alternate timeline. In relation to the show, this would take place between the end of Zeo and the start of Turbo.

**Fathers and Sons**

"I'm telling you he's hiding something."

Adam sighed and tried to make himself comfortable. Sometimes he resented his father's detective skill, although it would not take a genius to notice how different things had been recently. In recent months the combined attacks of Rita and Zedd, and the two distinct factions of the Machine Empire had had the Rangers fighting at the most inappropriate times. Their injuries had increased and the signs that they had been fighting were becoming more obvious. Often the Rangers had been forced to fight without morphing and were on the verge of physical exhaustion. That was why Zordon had suggested that they spend the next day - thankfully a non school day - relaxing.

Part of the problem was their powers. The Morphin powers they had used when they were first Rangers had had additional bonuses such as accelerating the body's metabolism to promote better healing and development of muscles so that they were better suited for their powers. The Zeo Crystal was just energy though and did not have these unexpected but extremely welcome side effects. And as their bodies were not healing as quickly as they had before and the high they had felt when morphed was now short lived like a sudden burst of adrenaline, the regular skirmishes were taking their toll on the Rangers as their friends, school and now parents had noticed.

Adam had been unfortunate earlier in the day and had spent a few minutes on the receiving end of a collection of Putties. They had attacked his back and legs mercilessly and left him with severe bruising. Suffice to say it had limited his movement and he had to constantly mask the pain he felt when shuffling about. He had told his parents he had been sparring too hard, but it was obvious from the look on his parents' faces they had not believed him.

He tried to turn over without groaning. His back was still painful and lying on it was all but impossible. At the same time that was the position he preferred to lie in. It was a no win situation.

"I don't know," he could hear his father say. "It could be a gang, or drugs, or something."

That was his dad, suspect the worst and act accordingly. He wondered if he told them whether it would make things easier. His promise to Zordon had ruled that out, which was probably a good thing.

It didn't help that his relationship with his father was a long way from what could be deemed perfect. They rarely talked and when they did it usually developed into a one-sided argument with Mr Park doing most of the talking. It wasn't that Trevor Park was a bad man, far from it. He was a dedicated police officer, a kind and caring husband and a firm-but-fair father. The problem was that Adam had come to realise during his time in Angel Grove that Trevor Park would never approve of his son's membership of a certain team of super heroes.

Not that Detective Park hated the Power Rangers. He like everybody else appreciated their efforts to save the world from those forces, he knew Angel Grove's finest couldn't handle. But at the same time he constantly pointed out how new villains were drawn to where the Rangers happened to be. He thought of them as hot dogging college students who practically invited further attacks with their antics.

In a way Trevor was correct. New villains did seem to favour Angel Grove, but the reason had little to do with its guardians and a lot to do with the collection of Ley Lines that ran beneath the city. The swirling mass of energy drew invaders like a candle attracts moths. And the threat of such attacks had resulted in the Power Rangers. But of course explaining that would be impossible without revealing his secret. The secret that threatened to tear their family apart.

Next day

The day had not gone well as far as Adam Park was concerned. He had spent the early part of his day on the receiving end of a lecture from his father. He wasn't sure exactly _what_ his father was accusing him of; Detective Park didn't seem to know either and had jumped from subject to subject in the hope that his son would react and give something away. All it all it had been both awkward and strangely comical. By the time it was over neither was sure what had been accomplished except that Adam's resentment of Trevor reached an all-time high.

It was late morning that both father and son were forced to leave suddenly; Adam had needed to go to practice while Detective Park had been called to a break in. Trevor made his excuses and left. After complaining bitterly, Adam soon followed.

He had half walked, half ran to the park when he was confronted by Putties. The battle escalated rapidly and Adam had been forced to morph. He hadn't had time to contact Zordon although he did wonder why the Morphin Master had not called in the others. A sharp blade spun towards him, knocking him aside before he could reach the battle.

"I know what you're thinking Adam, but I didn't go to all the trouble of getting you alone just so your friends could interfere," Scorpina told him, blade resting against his neck. "That's what happened last time, remember?" She briefly changed into the disguise she had worn when she had attempted to seduce the then Black Ranger. Adam had only narrowly avoided her clutches, thanks to Aisha. She looked over at oversized Putty almost intelligent Putty, what she had come to think of as Captain Golem and gestured for them to switch opponents. "You'll like him," she confided. "Mistress Repugna made him from Rita's Super Putty."

She leapt into the air again, her blade at the ready, and this time there was nothing to stop it from colliding with Green Zeo's neck. Nothing, except the Zeo Power Hatchets he raised in the nick of time to misdirect the weapon. The two continued to battle, Scorpina pressing her advantage and easily maintaining the upper hand as the sparks flying from Adam's uniform could attest. The two of them grappled as Adam's weapons vanished and he made a lunge for her stinger blade. All the while Captain Golem was attempting to land as many cheap shots as possible.

Finally though Scorpina teleported away from the battle, leaving Adam to struggle with the golem monster.

"Trevor, you'd better take a look at this," Detective Park's partner said.

Trevor sighed as he turned his attention to where Rick Winslow was standing with more excitement than he normally showed during a monster attack. He moved to the window and glanced out. He was surprised by what he saw. A Power Rangers was engaged in a battle with Scorpina and an oversized Putty. At least at first glance it resembled a Putty, but a closer look revealed it was made from darker lumps of thick clay. They were both on the defensive.

Then Scorpina and her accomplice attacked the Green Zeo Ranger and seemed to regain lost ground. Trevor frowned, was that a smile on Scorpina's face. He had his answer moments later as she disappeared, leaving Green Zeo to his fate.

The Putty thing that he later learnt referred to itself as Captain Golem had a good right hand. His punch sent Green Zeo back to the ground with enough force that the ranger's reactive armour had burnt away a section of ground to cushion the landing. Green Zeo stood back up shakily and Trevor was impressed that despite the blow he had taken, he seemed willing to keep fighting. Green Zeo and the Putty grappled, the latter grabbing onto the Green Ranger's arm and holding him while winding up for another punch. Green Zeo was already reacting though, using the Putty's grip as a counter balance as he swung his legs around to deliver a firm kick to the top of its eye socket.

Trevor groaned when the monster recovered from the sharp kick and pitched the Ranger ruthlessly across the park and into the city's streets. The Green Zeo Ranger had not stopped flailing through the air until he had plunged through the side of a delivery van, incinerating the contents for good measure. The driver scrambled out and Trevor was relieved to see he was alive if rather confused about whether collision with a Power Ranger was acceptable on his insurance policy. The collective police force had by now moved to the end of the street and had started clearing civilians. The Ranger couldn't seem to find which way was up as he struggled to shift the burnt remains of a toilet roll from his uniform. Trevor took all this in, but knew how dangerous things had become. The monster was now in highly a populated area of Angel Grove instead of the park.

"I think it's going to kill him," Rick commented as Trevor continued to watch. The monster had grabbed the fallen Ranger and had wrapped its enormous hands around his neck.

"Shit!" Trevor exclaimed, pulling his gun and racing out the door. Captain Golem had given up strangling and was standing on Green Zeo's chest, successfully preventing him from catching his breath. As much as Trevor disliked the Power Rangers, he certainly didn't want to see one die; he would hate to deal with the paperwork associated with such an event. Trevor raised his gun, silently praying that if the monster lacked something that he could hit with his bullet, his shot wouldn't hit the Ranger he was trying to save.

BLAM!

Green Zeo heard a shot, seemingly a hundred miles away, and all at once, he could breathe again. He looked up to see his father in a classic shooter's stance, his gun trained on the mutated Putty.

"Freeze, ugly!" Trevor yelled. "Detective Park, AGPD! You're under arrest for attempted murder! You have the right to remain silent. If you refuse the right to remain silent, anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law!"

If his throat hadn't hurt so much, Adam would have laughed at his father's reading the Miranda warning to a monster. As it was, though, he worried about the monster's reaction. Looking around, he spied Rick Winslow, his father's partner, beating on an invisible barrier that seemed to keep him out of the way.

"Foolish human!" the monster cried, drawing Green Zeo's attention back to it. He noticed the gaping hole where the bullet had wormed its way through, tearing out even more clay for the exit room. Had it bee one of Rita's standard Putty Patrollers, the bullet would have stopped, but this was one had been created using Rita's Super Putty.

The result was a hard exterior and soft center. In this case that had allowed the bullet to cause more damage. "I am above your petty human laws. And when my mistress takes over your pathetic world, those laws will cease to exist!"

At that point Adam realised that he was no longer staring at something that resembled a mutated Putty. Its body had shifted, taking on a stonier appearance and a slightly orange tinge to its pink body. He also decided that if this monster had thrown him around so easily, it would make short work of a human.

"Not if I can help it, Bub!" Adam growled, hurling himself at the monster. The impact knocked the mutant off balance and stopped him in his tracks. With the knowledge that this was indeed a Putty albeit modified by magic, Adam used what he remembered from his early days as a Ranger in battle. First he tried a kick to Captain Golem's chest in the hope that it had been a Z-Putty with the obvious weakness. When that failed, he reverted to swift and frequent blows to encourage the cowardice Billy had once mentioned that all Putties exhibited.

"Zeo Power Punch!" he called with a blow aimed at the head.

A familiar noise left Captain Golem as its skull cracked and fell away. Beneath his helmet Adam's eyes widened as he saw the residual magic that had been waiting for release. The monster reverted to a normal Putty and crumbled, as the spell was unleashed at the Ranger and his unsuspecting rescuer.

"You okay?" Trevor asked as he approached the exhausted Ranger.

"Yes, sir," Green Zeo puffed, getting to his feet.

"Where are your friends?"

"That's a good question." Green Zeo responded. Where were the others and why hadn't Zordon summoned them?

He looked around, wondering why the spell had failed to hurt them. Then they both felt a sudden pull as they were jerked into darkness.

Trevor Park woke up on something soft, for which he gave thanks. Taking stock of himself, he found all body parts more or less intact, and his .38 lying by his side. Beside him, the Green Zeo began to stir.

"Ohhh," the Ranger moaned. "Where's my stomach?"

Trevor chuckled, levering himself into a sitting position. "In about the same place as my lunch, I think. What happened to us?"

Sitting up, Green Zeo performed a quick status check on his body parts. Finding nothing broken, he looked at Trevor. "We've been teleported, sent through some sort of dimensional warp. We could be on another planet, or another dimension. It's not one of Zedd's, though," he added thoughtfully.

"How can you tell?" Trevor asked, looking around him.

"Too much life," Adam replied, also examining their surroundings. They had been dropped into a clearing in an incredibly lush jungle. Around them, they could hear small animals rustling in the underbrush.

"What can we expect to run into here?" Trevor asked, scanning the perimeter of the clearing. The Ranger shrugged.

"Almost anything. Remember, I don't know where we are, and some of these other planets have some very interesting wildlife. Other than that, it's your ordinary jungle. I don't think it's too different from one you'd find on Earth." He looked at his companion and sighed. "Look, I'm sorry I dragged you into this. With your opinion of the Power Rangers, this can't be much fun for you."

"How'd you know about my opinion of the Rangers?" Trevor asked, his eyes narrowing.

"Everybody knows your opinion of the Power Rangers," Adam replied. ~And everything else for that matter!~ he silently added.

Was that bitterness in he heard in the Ranger's voice? Trevor was surprised to think that the thoughts of one man were that important.

"Hmm. Well, I wish I was home eating dinner right now, but I could have been stuck with worse. So could you, for that matter. I'm not completely inexperienced with jungle fighting."

"Vietnam?" Green Zeo asked casually, curious. His father had never mentioned a military career before.

Trevor shook his head. "Too young. Not by much, but too young. No, when I got out of college, I spent a couple years in Delta Force. An antiterrorist unit. They trained us for almost every kind of fighting. I spent a couple years there, got out and went into the Police Academy."

"Well, if you've got that kind of training, I'm glad to have you along, sir."

Trevor's eyes narrowed again. Something about the Ranger's voice was bothering him. And why keep calling him "sir?" Suddenly it clicked. "You can't be more than eighteen!" Trevor cried.

"Close. I'm seventeen."

Trevor's jaw dropped. This kid was Adam's age, and he was fighting monsters? "That's pretty young," Trevor managed. "Are all the Rangers teenagers?"

"Yes. I'm not the oldest, but I'm close. It's not so young, really. We can die for our country at eighteen. Why not for our planet?"

"Eighteen's pretty young to be facing monsters."

The Ranger laughed humourlessly. "Tell that to the kids who go to war. At least for us, the monsters look like monsters. Out there, they can wear anybody's uniform and anybody's face. Even your own."

Trevor was speechless. From the news reports, he'd formed an impression of the Rangers as show-off college-age kids, hotdogging for the cameras. He had not expected a boy Adam's age, with more wisdom than he ought to have. Sighing, he changed the subject. "Come on. We'd better get moving if we want to find out where we are. I say we follow that stream over there."

Green Zeo nodded. "No objections here." Rising, the two slipped silently into the underbrush and were quickly swallowed up.

After hiking through the dense jungle for a few hours, the Green Zeo Ranger suddenly noticed a column of smoke rising above the trees. "Look!" he pointed. "That means people!"

Trevor nodded, his eyes narrowing. "But are they friendly?"

Green Zeo chuckled. "The odds are pretty good. Rangers are respected throughout the galaxy. Unless we've landed on a world totally under some tyrant's thumb, this Spandex suit should get us through without a problem."

He chose not to mention that despite his uniform, he lacked the usual aura some races associated with Rangers and was unsure what anyone would think if they noticed him. He decided to keep that to himself.

Shrugging, Trevor gestured for him to lead the way. After a few more minutes, the two crested a rise and saw a village below. The houses, which seemed to be some sort of woven grass, were burning, causing the smoke that Green Zeo had sighted. Men on horseback were riding around, torching the homes, terrorising the people, and laughing uproariously.

On the ground was a woman who had been tied and forced to watch as the horrific actions continued. Suddenly, the Green Zeo Ranger stood up.

"I can't just stand up here and watch this."

"You're not going to barge in there, are you?" Trevor asked. "We have no idea what's going on."

"I have a responsibility to protect the helpless, and these people seem to fit. You don't have to come, but I could use your help."

"Oh, hell," Trevor sighed, getting to his feet as well. "If you're going to get yourself barbecued, I might as well come along for the ride. What's the plan?"

"Well, you're the stealth expert, so I'll distract them, and you take them out. There are only eight of them."

"Only," Trevor grumbled, but hid himself to wait for Green Zeo's diversion.

Trevor had expected a brush fire, an animal stampede, almost anything. He had not expected the Ranger to walk directly into the middle of the camp and announce his presence. That was exactly what the kid did, however. Making his way down the main drag of the village, he yelled, "Hey!" The riders' heads swung around, their attention fixing on Green Zeo.

Trevor could not understand what the men were saying, but one word that they kept repeating obviously meant "Ranger". The leader silenced them with a wave of his hand. Turning back to Green Zeo, he said something that obviously translated to "What do you want?"

"As a holder of the Black Morphin Power and Green Zeo Power, and as a Ranger/Apprentice to Zordon of Eltare, I hereby order you to leave this place and these people in peace."

The leader's only response was a growl. It was unintelligible to Trevor, but the Ranger seemed to understand it well enough.

"If that's the way you want things, fine. I will make you leave this village, if necessary. I challenge you to honourable combat. One on one, your men don't interfere." The leader seemed to consider this. "Unless you're afraid," the Ranger needled.

The leader's face-hardened. He barked at his men, obviously commanding them to stay back. Then he turned back to the Ranger and dismounted, a twisted leer on his face. The two began to circle each other, looking for openings.

Trevor wasn't worried about the kid; he knew the Green Zeo could take care of himself. It was the seven goons on horseback that held his attention. If the Green Zeo dropped the leader, the seven would attack. If not, the men would return to sacking the village. Either way, he had to take out the leader's back up while they were preoccupied with the fight. Luckily, they had dismounted to watch more easily. He estimated that he could take out three before they spotted him. That left four that he might have to fight hand-to-hand. He could only hope some of the villagers would join in.

Making his move, Trevor sneaked up on the closest goon, quietly pulling him back into the underbrush. A few quick blows, and the man was unconscious before he could make a sound. A couple of handy lengths of vine trussed him up nicely.

Three more fell to similar tactics. Trevor was beginning to get disgusted with his enemies' lack of alertness when one of the last three spotted him and cried an alarm. The three rushed him at once, actually doing him a favour. They were so clumsy and unable to work together that they got in each other's way, making his job easier. He knocked out two, but found the third a much more proficient fighter. Behind him, he could hear villagers cheering, probably for Green Zeo. Finally, in a last desperate strategy, he fell to the ground in a move Adam had taught him, placing a foot into the solar plexus of his charging opponent and flipping him over. The man hit the ground and did not move.

Rising, Trevor saw that Green Zeo had also finished off his opponent, and was now tying the unconscious man up. Several villagers were binding Trevor's sparring partners, and still more were dragging the other four out of the brush. Looking at the eight men's dirt-spattered uniforms, Green Zeo cocked his head.

"Red, white, green, black, blue, purple, yellow, and pink. Oh man." Kneeling, Green Zeo pulled a medallion from around the leader's neck. Faintly, under a few years of dirt and grime, was an engraving of an ape. "They were Rangers," he breathed. "Rogue Rangers. I think I'm going to be sick."

Trevor stooped to untie the prisoner and then knelt near him. "How do you know they were rogues? I mean, the Green Ranger - the other one - wasn't he put under a spell or something? I'm pretty sure I remember that from the news."

"No," the female prisoner said, causing Trevor and his son to look at her. "If they were enspelled, they'd still have their powers. The powers-that-be only strip Rangers of their powers when they've done something awful, broken the rules of their own free will. Gone rogue."

"I don't remember a Purple Ranger," Trevor commented.

"We didn't have one. Purple was the one colour coin we didn't have. I'll explain later. Here comes the headman of the village." Green Zeo stood, brushing grime off his hands. Trevor could no more understand this man than the last one, but it was fairly obvious that he was thanking Green Zeo for coming to their aid. Apparently the woman also understood although she seemed to be having problems from the way she placed her hand against her right ear.

"It was my honour, sir," Green Zeo responded. "I was glad to help."

The man spoke further, and in reply, Green Zeo shook his head. "No thank you, sir. We can't stay, I'm afraid. We're lost, far from the world we live on."

"And just what world would that be?" the woman asked.

Now he had a good chance Adam looked her over. She was dressed in a grey bodysuit, which appeared to have some extra padding. Those areas not coloured white, such as the shoulder pads were dark blue. On the right side of her chest was pinned a silver badge marked IGPF. She had retrieved a black belt complete with a weapon and had strapped it to her waist. Now she was carefully shifting through the pockets of the rogues' leader.

"Earth," Adam replied. "Are you looking for something?"

"Great!" she muttered and followed that with some words that Adam assumed were harsh curses while ignoring his question. "Trapped on a planet with no supplies, a group of restrained rogue Rangers, a pirate ship waiting for them to return, no supplies and only a Ranger from a back water planet for company, and a civilian."

"Look," Green Zeo broke in, beginning to get annoyed. "I may not be seven thousand years old, like some Rangers, and I may not be from the center of galactic society. But I have joined the Zeo Rangers in countless battles against the Machine Empire, a threat which is certainly not child's play!" His declaration, intense but not loud, finally drew her attention. Making sure he kept it, he stepped forward, using his height to emphasise his words. "Now, I don't know anything about these pirates, or anything except that we have to get back to our planet. I assume you're some sort of police officer, other than that..."

She nodded, a slight smile on her face. She waved him over to a chair at a nearby table and the two sat down.

"Inter Galactic Police Force, but you can call me Lieutenant Haim. I like you..." Green Zeo jerked his head to indicate his father and a look of understanding crossed her face. "Ah, the big secrecy thing. Green - Zeo? then. You have backbone. I'm sorry that I was so rude, but you have to realise how embarrassing this is. I'm supposed to be an experience operative, and they took me down like I was a rookie."

She finished her search and emerged with a small device.

"Aha!" she proclaimed. "With this in their possession they could have accessed any prison in the Council's domain. I hope you'll forgive my outburst, you're much younger than any of the Rangers I've dealt with in the past. Rangering isn't exactly for children, or even teenagers, really."

Adam nodded. "Zordon told us once that he chose teenagers because we were old enough to be good fighters and responsible about the use of our powers, and young enough to accept new things easily. Plus, since we weren't adults, our lives would not be as totally disrupted by the need for secrecy. That's the one thing I've never understood, though. The villains all knew who we were, so why did we need to keep our identities secret? None of the other Ranger teams we've met or heard of had to."

"The need for secrecy is unique to your type of world, it's true. You see, Earth is much younger than most of the worlds in the galaxy. As a result, its culture has not developed as far as, say, Eltare's. Exposing the people of Earth to galactic culture all at once might result in disaster. Zordon had himself posted on your world to protect it in case an evil ever threatened that was beyond your people's ability to defend against. The posting of a Ranger team is the only interference from our culture allowed."

Adam nodded again. "That makes sense, thanks. I don't really know that much about the IGPF. What do you do, exactly? What separates you from Rangers?"

"Politics," she answered. "Simply put the powers-that-be don't trust large groups that they don't directly control. The Morphin Masters while certainly dedicated to the light, do not necessarily support the Council. So other groups were formed to limit the influence of the Morphin Masters and the Council passed a whole bunch of decrees stating the separation of powers and situations in which their forces could override the authority of Rangers.

Rangers are basically military in function and are not limited to Council controlled worlds. They defend worlds against invasion and annihilation. Trying to take over the Universe is not actually against the law, so the two sides are allowed to fight to the death. The IGPF is a police force dealing with criminal activities such as piracy, slave driving, smuggling, etc. The IGPF can chase a criminal to any world within the Council's jurisdiction. If we wanted to go outside that area, we would either need the permission of the planet's ruling body or go under cover."

"And the Masked Riders are?" Trevor asked. Adam already knew the answer having met Dex during a trip to Edonoi.

"The third little group. They're not military like Rangers and apart from their home world they don't have a fixed location. In short there are exactly three thousand six hundred Masked Riders at any one time. There can never be more due to magical and technical reasons. Each Masked Rider is given his or her own sector of space to cover and is pretty much charged with maintaining peace, order and justice within those areas. They can fight crime or repel an invasion. They are totally independent from the Council, the Rangers and about a half dozen lesser organisations that would love to say they share the prestige of Morphin Masters and Masked Riders.

Generally speaking though it works like this: Rangers protect, Masked Riders hunt and the IGPF works as a legitimate police force. If either of the groups I mentioned, actually managed to capture an enemy and could find some illegal activity to charge them with, then rather than destroy him you would turn him over to us to be taken to stand trial. Otherwise you'd have to make do with war courts like Zordon used to imprison Rita. In spite of the Council's leadership, there is great deal of cooperation among the three groups. There has to be; the universe is just too big for one group to handle alone."

"Well I guess we should help you restrain these rogues so you can round them up later and then get you somewhere where you can call for backup," Green Zeo suggested. He turned to the tribal chief and asked: "Is there a wizard or Morphin Master around here who might be able to help us?"

The man spoke at great length, at one point bringing a scroll from his hut and showing the Ranger something. When the Ranger nodded, the headman gave a sharp command, and two of the younger men brought out what appeared to be backpacks, stuffed with equipment.

"He says that there is a place of great power, the Maze of Shilratha, to the south of here. It's marked on the map," Lieutenant Haim translated. "Although their shaman senses no evil about it, no one who has entered has ever returned. This could mean that inside is a gateway to somewhere else. Maybe we can use it to get home."

"And the packs?" Trevor asked.

"Repayment for our services," Green Zeo told him. "They contain the food and equipment necessary to reach it. Apparently the maze is several days' walk from here."

"Great," Trevor groaned. "And Eileen - that's my wife - was going to make meatloaf!"

"She makes good meatloaf?"

"The best. You should see my sons put it away. It's the only food that Adam can eat six servings of."

Green Zeo chuckled and turned back to the headman to make their goodbyes. He noticed Lieutenant Haim look from him to his father and guessed she had worked out why he had been so secretive. He shrugged it off. Then, loaded with the packs, an Angel Grove policeman, IGPF officer and Green Zeo Ranger began to hike towards the Maze.

After they had hiked in silence for a while, Trevor finally decided to ask the questions that had been bothering him since they left the village. "What was all that about, the Black Morphin Power? And who or what is a Morphin Master?"

Green Zeo sighed. "The Morphin Grid is an ancient subset of the power that runs throughout the universe on a metaphysical plane. Its power can be good or evil, depending on which "side" of the grid you draw from. The Rangers drew from the light side of the grid through our coins, and used it to morph into our old forms. There never was a Purple Morphin Ranger because we never found the coin. Rita, who uses evil magic, probably draws from the dark side of the grid; Lord Zedd relies on a similar type of magic although I doubt it is really the Morphin Grid."

"And the Machine Empire?"

"They don't draw from the grid at all. As machines, they have no connection with the metaphysical energies of this universe. They are apart from it, and draw their strengths from other things. For this reason, we need the Zeo Power, which does not draw on the Morphin Grid. You know the old Earth legends, which state that magical power can be turned aside by cold iron? Well, that has its base in the fact that Iron alone, of all things on Earth, possesses insulating properties that allow it to deflect Morphin energy. The Zeo Crystal is not magic, strictly speaking. It's a science of energy fields and circuits. That's why we don't need words to morph anymore. We still talk most of the time, simply because it's easier for us to morph if we have words to focus our energy. The words themselves no longer trigger the transformation, though.

"The Morphin Masters are those who have mastered the arts and techniques used in the service of their colour. The different colours symbolise the different disciplines. Blue are scientists, Red are warriors, Yellow are healers, and so on. The Purple Rangers are sort of larcenous, but honourable. My colour, Black, are artists and musicians. I would have been equally at home in Black or Yellow, but certain constraints made me the Black Ranger."

Trevor nodded. "That's what you meant about Black Morphin Power. But if you're a Zeo Ranger now, how do you still hold the Black Power?"

"The powers are not mutually exclusive. It's like studying both kung fu and karate. It's hard and time-consuming, but it can be done. Our Power Coins were destroyed in battle, destroying our ability to morph. The Power is still part of us however, and cannot be taken away by evil. I am still Black Ranger inside, even though I cannot take on the outer form."

"So why do you have two different Ranger colours?"

"The Zeo Powers uses a different colour symbolism than the Morphin Powers. I'm Green under Zeo philosophy and Black under Morphin."

"The way those people looked at you, it was as if you were - oh, what's the word? My younger son, Franklin, loves sword and sorcery novels. There's a special type of warrior - a paladin! They looked at you as if you were a holy knight, a paladin."

Lieutenant Haim chuckled. "In a way, I suppose that's what he is. These people recognise the Power in their lives. To them, it's almost a religion, although that's not quite right. It's a principle, a philosophy, like Tao. It doesn't really have religious connotations. Its defenders are well respected. In return, they defend the weak and helpless, no matter where or who they may be."

Green Zeo nodded and Trevor was somewhat taken aback. He had not realised what a great responsibility being a Ranger was, or how conscious of it they were. He was beginning to suspect that he had sorely misjudged these teenagers.

"Perhaps while we're on our way," Lieutenant Haim said, "you could explain to me why you two are here? Last time I checked Earth was not known for its holiday packages to other worlds."

Adam sighed and started to tell the tale about how he had arrived at the park, the attack and the trap.

"It could have happened to anyone," Lieutenant Haim said as they neared a clearing.

Green Zeo nodded, but then held up a hand and signalled for his companions to get down. Just through the break in the trees were the pirates that had brought the rogue Rangers to the planet.

"We need to stop them from taking off," Lieutenant Haim said. "They got the drop on me last time."

Green Zeo looked at her thoughtfully, then his eyes fell on her weapon.

"How many are there?" he asked.

"Six," she answered. "They set down here to refuel and sent those rogues out to pillage."

Adam nodded and worked out a strategy. "I'll take out the ship," he said, "Detective Park can handle any guards... He can look after himself Lieutenant Haim... and you stun them as they come out."

The others nodded in agreement of his plan while Adam worked on putting it into action. He charged across the ground, using his speed to avoid the shots aimed at him. When he reached the ship he flicked out his Zeo Sword and sliced off the landing skids. A few pot shots grounded the ship without rendering it beyond repair. In the meantime Trevor had subdued some of the resistance and Lieutenant Haim had stunned the captain. When they were tied and a radio had been located, the three parted company.

Lieutenant Haim could wait the few weeks it would take to get a ship, but had told them it would take too long for them to get home from where she was going. Instead Adam and Trevor decided to press on for the maze. As they did Trevor wondered just how much he had to learn about these Rangers.

"Come on," Green Zeo called, breaking into his thoughts. "A few more miles and we'll make camp for the night."

Staring up at the unfamiliar stars above them, Trevor Park sighed. "My wife is going to be having a cow over my whereabouts."

Green Zeo shook his head. "Time passes differently when you travel the dimensions. I think that time in this one is longer than time in ours. On our world, we probably won't be missing more than a day, if that. Besides, the Rangers will tell her what happened to you, and will reassure her that they'll bring you back. She'll be fine."

Trevor sighed. "I hope so. I hope I get to see her again. I've really got a great family - but you don't want to listen to an old man ramble on," he cut himself off.

Green Zeo chuckled. "Old? You're what, forty-five? That's hardly old. Besides, I'd like to hear about your family. You obviously love them very much."

Smiling slightly, Trevor nodded. "Okay, but don't say I didn't warn you. My wife is beautiful, smart, and tough - very tough. She had to be. Her father was the Korean equivalent of a ninja. He taught all of his children martial arts, and some of the things he had picked up from US Marines who were in the area. She's accustomed to taking care of herself, and is deadly with almost any kind of weapon.

"My older boy, Adam, is the quiet, sensitive type. He doesn't let anyone push him around, though. He became interested in martial arts as a young boy, when the other kids picked him on. Now he's even teaching me a few things. Adam's smart, but he's so shy. Sometimes too shy for his own good. He'd known his current girlfriend for months before he asked her out. I don't understand him at all, but I'm very proud of him

"My younger son is Franklin. His nose is always in a fantasy novel of some sort, unless he's taking kung fu from Adam. Franklin - nobody calls him Frank except Adam - he's the most knowledgeable authority on role-playing games in Angel Grove. He's a good kid, but sometimes his head gets stuck in the clouds.

"Anyway, that's my family. So what about you? Is there someone back home who'll miss you? Not to pry or anything."

Green Zeo laughed. "Oh yes. I have a family back home, and of course the Rangers will miss me. Still, we all knew this could happen, and we've all made arrangements to take care of things. If anything happens, my family will know what happened to me."

"Y'know," Trevor smiled, "I'm a very stubborn man. It's hard for me to admit when I'm wrong. I'll admit it now, though. I was wrong about you Rangers. If you were my son, I'd be very proud of you."

"Thank you, sir," Green Zeo replied gravely. "Your respect means a lot to me."

Trevor chuckled, but did not respond. Still, he wasn't very surprised. The kid reminded him a little of Adam, and Adam had always wanted and needed the respect of adults. The Green Zeo didn't seem to be much different. Thinking about this, Trevor lay back on his bedroll and stared up at the brilliant, alien night sky.

Green Zeo and Trevor were standing outside the entrance to the Maze of Shilratha when Green Zeo's communicator toned.

"Hello!" the wristband squawked. "Hello! Green Zeo, do you read me?" Green Zeo couldn't believe it. He had thought he'd never hear Alpha's voice again. Quickly he pressed the "transmit" button.

"Green Zeo here. Man, I'm glad to hear from you."

"Is Detective Park all right? Do you know where you are?" That was Zordon.

"I wish," Green Zeo sighed. "Detective Park is fine. He's even revised his opinion of the Power Rangers. We're the good guys now."

"I apologise for not detecting the attack earlier," Zordon told him.

There was very little to say; it was not often that someone managed to sneak an attack past Zordon's warning system. "Listen, Zordon, do you know anything about the Maze of Shilratha?"

Zordon's familiar voice boomed from the communicator. "Indeed I do. It was a training ground for the wielders of the Morphin power. At its center is the Eye of Shilratha, a gem of great power that will enable you to get home. First, however, you must reach it. This will not be easy, as teleporting in is impossible and the traps were made lethal when the maze was closed."

"Why was it closed, Zordon?" Green Zeo asked.

"Because Shilratha's Rangers were turned to Darkness and stripped of their powers. The Morphin Masters wished to make sure that no evil person could ever access the Eye again."

Green Zeo turned to Trevor. "Are you up to this?" he asked

"Sure thing. This is the most fun I've had in years," Trevor replied sourly. "Let's go." Slowly, the two made their way into the maze, unsure of what they might find.

Tired, Trevor leaned against a wall to catch his breath. "I feel like I'm stuck in 'The Goonies,'" he grumbled. "Collapsing floors, falling rocks, even the occasional, extremely cliché closing-in wall trick! What next?"

"Don't ask," Green Zeo chuckled. "You probably don't want to know." Silently, Green Zeo thanked whatever Powers existing that of all the people to get swept up in this adventure with him, his companion had been his father. Between the two of them, they had had the necessary skills to bypass each trap. Trevor had shot the switch that stopped the walls from closing in, Green Zeo had been able to vault off the collapsing floors before they fell, and they had both spied the trigger stones for the falling rocks. Now, the corridor before them looked clear, but neither of them was foolish enough to trust appearances.

Cautiously, Green Zeo picked up a rock and rolled it down the hallway. Nothing happened. He gingerly took a step forward, then another. Still, nothing appeared. Suddenly Trevor's hand shot out and grabbed the Ranger's shoulder in a vicelike grip.

"Wait. I hear something." Picking up a somewhat larger rock, he dropped it straight down. The weight and pressure caused spikes to shoot up from under the stones. "I heard them setting themselves," Trevor explained. "Come on. I'll set them off and you can shoot them with that pistol thing you carry."

In this manner, Green Zeo and Trevor managed to reach the center of the maze. There, they found the Eye of Shilratha floating in an energy field. "With that, I can power up my communicator enough to teleport us home," Green Zeo whispered. Trevor simply nodded, awestruck by the sight of the gem. The Eye was a hunk of topaz approximately the size of a man's head, glowing with a soft, golden light. As Green Zeo reached for it, there was a crackling noise. The two men whirled to see a woman standing behind them.

"I thought no one could teleport in here!" Trevor cried.

"She's a hologram," responded Green Zeo. "Who are you, what do you want?"

"I want the Eye, of course," replied the woman. "As to who I am, surely you remember me, Green Zeo. You did incinerate me a few months ago."

Adam's eyes widened. This was not good; Mistress Repugna was too powerful to take on alone. ~What is she doing here? Zedd I could understand, but her?~

"You're not going to get it," Trevor growled. "There's no way either of us would let a creep like you at so much power."

"Ah, you're so sweet, but Detective Park, I believe I have something that you'll want to make a trade for."

"What?" Trevor asked, in his deadly "interrogation" voice.

"This." The hologram changed to show a scene of Adam, struggling with a vine creature. He fought bravely, but was soon overwhelmed. "The choice is yours, Detective," her voice continued. "I can release your son, but then you would owe me a special favour. Say that gem for example."

"Adam," Trevor whispered in a pained voice.

Green Zeo looked at his horrified father. Repugna had hatched a truly fiendish plot this time and despite her words, the gem meant nothing. If his father agreed to her terms, he would owe her a favour. Adam didn't like to think what paying that favour would cost them. Trevor had no way of knowing that his son was standing beside him, and according to Zordon's rules, he couldn't be told. She was betting that Trevor's dislike of the Rangers and love for his son would win out over his honour. The frightening thing was that Green Zeo couldn't be sure that the villainess was wrong.

"You can't give her that stone," Green Zeo said quietly.

Furious, Trevor whirled on the younger man. "That's my son! I can't just leave him to become bird bait!"

"Would he want you to give up that stone?"

"Yes! No - I don't know. I only know that if I don't, my son will die."

Green Zeo shook his head. "No, she won't. She isn't holding Adam prisoner. It was an illusion."

"And just how do you know that?"

"Because I'm right here, Dad." Slowly, Green Zeo removed his helmet. Trevor Park gaped as his older son's familiar face stared back at him.

"ADAM? You're a Power Ranger?" Adam nodded. "How long has this been going on?"

Adam laughed. "A while now Dad. Right after we moved to Angel Grove."

"Was a Power Ranger," Repugna corrected. "This was a no win situation. Either I gained the Eye or you found out your precious son was one of the people you hate. And now he's broken Zordon's little rule he's bound to be stripped of the Power."

Trevor shook his head. "I don't hate the Power Rangers. Yesterday that plan might have worked. But I know this Ranger and I know Adam. Besides, I could never hate my son." He turned to Adam and grinned. "Fathers are always the last to know. I wish you hadn't lied to me, but I understand. I'm glad you're all right. Let's go home."

"And you're wrong about me," Adam stated. "Zordon put those rules in place because he was afraid the original Rangers would abuse their powers. He wouldn't strip them from me for breaking a promise, especially when it was for a selfless purpose."

Adam nodded at his father, and the two men laid their hands on the Eye. Forming their wish, they instantly disappeared and were on their way to Earth, and the Power Chamber.

"So how do we do this?" Adam asked as he walked up the path, closely followed by his father.

Detective Park smiled at his son, feeling the weight of the newly fabricated communicator on his arm. It seemed that in the days they had spent on the jungle world, which he now realised had accounted for less than eight hours on Earth, they had taken the time to talk and while there were issues to be resolved, both he and his son were prepared to work on their relationship. After all, as had been asked many times by many men in Trevor's position: what kind of father did not support his son?

"We're late for dinner," he finally answered. He winked playfully. "Just leave your mother to me."

Adam turned the handle and both men entered, neither sure whether they would rather be back on that jungle world facing who knows what. At the smell of supper cooking though both agreed they would rather be on Earth. Despite Mrs Park's annoyance there was definitely no place like home.

** End of Part**

Disclaimer: I do not own the Power Rangers; they belong to their respective copyright owners and are used here without permission. No money is being made from this fic.  
Authors Note: This is an alternate universe from the television show with an alternate time line.

**Accepting the Dark**

"NOOOO!" Tommy cried, sitting bolt upright in bed. His eyes darted around the room, trying to reassure himself that there was no black tide getting ready to close over him. He dropped his sweat-slick face into his hands with an inarticulate moan, just as his family ran in.

"Tommy, what happened," his mother asked, concerned.

"It- it's okay, Mom. Just a nightmare," he managed, smiling sickly at her.

"Tommy, this is the sixth night in a row that you've woken up screaming," his father told him. "This is the last straw. First thing in the morning, I'm making you an appointment to see a psychiatrist."

"Dad!" Tommy wailed. "I'm not crazy!"

"No one said you were, Tommy. Psychiatrists are trained to listen and help with problems, though, and I think you need that. You- we can't go on like this." With that, his parents turned and walked out of the room, leaving him with his sister and brother.

"Scoot over, Tommy," Chelsea ordered her "twin." He obeyed, and she hopped up on the bed to sit next to them. "Okay, spill your guts. What did you dream about?"

"Just your ordinary Angel Grove nightmare," he lied. "Monsters chasing me all over the place."

"Shyea, right," scoffed Teddy. The ten-year-old regarded him with scepticism. "We really believe that."

"Should we tell him?" Chelsea asked.

Teddy nodded. "It's the only way we'll get the truth out of him."

Chelsea turned back to Tommy. "Okay, mi hermano, we know. We know you're a Power Ranger."

"WHAT?" Tommy spluttered. "I mean, what are you talking about. Me, a Power Ranger? Get real."

Rolling his eyes, Teddy shook his head. "Duh, Tommy. Give us credit for some intelligence. You disappear all the time, you wear a weird-looking watch, you have all these unexplained bruises, and your girlfriend has an Australian accent just like the Pink Ranger!" Tommy closed his eyes in pain and Teddy winced. "Ex-girlfriend. Sorry..." he muttered, wishing he hadn't said anything.

Taking up the litany, Chelsea continued. "When we first moved here, you suddenly became very cold, just when the Green Ranger appeared. When he joined the other Rangers, you suddenly had five very good friends. When he left the team, you became very depressed and stopped seeing your friends. Then the White Ranger appeared and you were happy as a clam, radiating energy. Every time one of your friends leaves, a Power Ranger gets taller or shorter, and their voices change. Plus, Green Ranger, White Ranger and Zeo Ranger V all have the same fighting style, your style. Remember, fighting styles are like fingerprints, and I've been trained to recognize them. I know you're a Ranger, and Teddy does too. Tell us what's wrong."

Tommy sighed. Lying was not one of his strengths, at least not while he was in control. When his dark side took over... He shook his head, trying to clear it enough to deal with the immediate problem. "Okay, you got me. Yes, I'm a Power Ranger, but no one's supposed to know about that. Can you two keep that secret?"

"Of course," Chelsea scoffed. "Now, what did you dream about?"

Tommy smiled. "To tell you the truth, I don't remember," he lied. He trusted Chelsea and Teddy implicitly, but he just didn't feel ready to tell anyone about his dream. "You know what Mom says. I've got a brain like a sieve."

"Bull," Teddy said quietly. "Tommy, just because you were adopted and we weren't, doesn't mean that we don't care about you. Please, let us in."

Tommy regarded his little brother with some surprise. He kept forgetting that Teddy was much wiser than his ten years would suggest. It was funny, in a way, how alike Tommy and Teddy were, despite the fact that they were not blood relatives. Both had long dark hair, melted-caramel-coloured puppy dog eyes, and the sharp hawk like features that had every girl in the school trailing after Tommy. Even at ten, Teddy had the promise of height to equal his brother's, and was beginning to develop the fluid muscle tone of a martial artist. Teddy also had the same lopsided smile that melted any female heart it was turned on.

Tommy then turned to look at his sister. She too had the colouring, sharp features, and height that marked her brothers, and David Trueheart, Tommy's brother-by-blood. Unlike them, however, Chelsea wore her hair cropped close in a sensible cut. Like David, she shared Tommy's age and birthday, which is why she and Tommy had always considered themselves twins. Also a martial artist, she was a kung fu student, rather than taking karate like her brothers. As a result of the difference in style, she was more smoothly muscled. Most of her opponents thought that meant that she was not as strong. It was a mistake people only made once.

Tommy smiled. These two might not be his blood relatives, but they were his family all the same. He owed them the truth, but he didn't want to discuss his dream with anyone yet. "Guys, I can't talk about it. Maybe later, okay?"

Teddy grumbled and went back to his own room. Chelsea regarded her "twin" for a second. "Thomas Tyler Oliver, you are the most exasperating person I know. If you won't talk to me, talk to somebody, all right?"

He smiled. "Yes, Mother. Go back to bed, Chelse." Reluctantly, she did as she was told. Tommy flopped back down to the bed. It was going to be a long night.

King Mondo was not a happy machine, but then given that most machines couldn't feel emotion, that hardly seemed important. He had been gone for too long, that much was obvious given the damage that had been inflicted upon his precious Sky Base. Even with the repairs Grommet had instigated, the vast space station was not the same.

"Of all the insolent, foolhardy - how dare he ruin my Sky Base?" he fumed, causing Klank and Orbus to seek shelter elsewhere before the king's vengeance turned on them for helping his son. "Now not only do we have to deal with the Zeo Rangers, we also have a restored Gold Ranger and more Zords than you care to count to contend with." Sprocket squeaked and waddled to hide behind the throne as his father continued to rant. "Why is this planet such a problem to us, why is it every time we come within the grasp of victory, a new obstacle appears? KLANK!"

The metallic butler, mechanic and general dog's body nervously looked around the doorway he had chosen for his escape, hoping that Mondo would continue to rant instead of reacting in a more physical way; it wasn't often that the ruler of the Machine Empire resorted to physical outbursts, but when he did the results were not pleasant. Given that Mondo had only recently returned from the repair works he was bound to be cranky.

"A-aye, yer Majesty?" he asked.

"Get out here, you obsolete lay about. You have work to do." Klank did as he was ordered, coming to stand by his king.

"Klank, I want to know everything that wayward brat Gasket did during his time on my Sky Base." Mondo declared. "And don't leave anything out. I want to know how many of my Cogs he has had contact with, which monsters he accessed and any parts of the factory complex he or that cyber-whore Archerina corrupted. Compile the report and then have everything named in that report sanitized."

"An Queen Machina an wee Prince Sprocket?" Klank asked.

For a long second, it looked as if steam was going to hiss out of Mondo's ears. Then, with a great effort, he seemed to calm himself down. Even so, when he spoke, his voice was the level of a claxon. "You mechanized misfit, how dare you accuse my wife and son of being soiled?"

"Forgive me yer Majesty," Klank managed to stutter.

"When my Sky Base has been cleansed of any trace of Gasket, I shall have my revenge on those Zeo Rangers. No organics destroy my body and get away with it." Mondo's evil, metallic laughter echoed through the Sky Base as Klank rushed to do his master's bidding.

Time passed as Cogs and servants worked with efficiency only seen in Mondo's presence. It took hours but the job was completed, the base had been scrubbed and sterilized of Gasket's incompetent programming.

"And why did Gasket abandon such a plan when it was clearly a success? Had he waited until Tommy was completely under his control for more than a few minutes, he would have succeeded." Mondo had been reviewing Gasket's efforts. One plan had seized his attention and he had had Klank explain.

"I cannae say, sire," Klank managed.

"Of course not you half-witted toaster," Mondo snapped. "Gasket is a prince of the Royal House of Gadgetry and you are an overrated steam iron. Still, Gasket's plan had merit and since he saw fit to abandon it, we will pick it up from where he left off, with Tommy."

"But we dinna huv the wee Ranger," Klank protested.

"Then you will get him!" Mondo thundered.

Klank was too petrified to respond, he could only obey.

On Earth, the Rangers were blissfully unaware of the nefarious happenings in space. The team were enjoying their summer vacation and had arranged activities planned for the morning and the afternoon. Although it should be noted this was more to allow Tommy, Rocky and Adam to escape the curse of the girls' shopping trips than any important activities. Tommy was at the beach, along with Trey. Both boys were keen to exercise, a side effect of using their powers and an instinctive need to practice and hone their skills. Both of them had spent most of the morning sparring and running on the beach, but they planned to continue working until noon and then relaxing during the afternoon. Trent and Travis, both of whom were adapting to their lives as individuals were there as well.

Normally Jason should have joined them, but Jason was not much in the way of company at the moment; the former Gold Ranger was going through what Zordon described as Power withdrawal, a condition Tommy knew from experience. Besides the tiredness and weakness as the body readjusted to life without the ability to morph, there were dangers of mental trauma, something Zordon was careful to monitor. It was reassuring to know that their mentor was keeping an eye on their former teammate.

"Now this I could get used to," Travis sighed, allowing the Sun to him. "No need to worry about being attacked or asked to attend a royal banquet." He paused as if considering. "Which was worse?"

"The banquets," Trent answered thoughtfully. "At least you know a battle will end one way or the other."

Suddenly a strange wind cut through the area, smelling of Cog Oil and burnt toast. In the air before them, a strange gear-shaped portal opened, dropping a fleet of Cogs in front of the teens. The group of friends exchanged looks, quickly calculating the odds.

"Uh oh," Trent and Travis said in unison. Despite being separated, they still thought as one from time to time.

Trey and Tommy found their way to the front, dropping into fighting stances as they did so; they were capable of morphing if things got too bad. The others did likewise, falling in behind their powered friends. Then the Cogs rushed forward, and the battle was joined.

Somehow, even with all the effort the put into defending themselves, luck was against the Rangers and their comrades. The noise of battle had drawn customers from the Beach Club, preventing Tommy and Trey from transforming.

And then the Cogs pressed their advantage, pinning Rangers and Triforians alike to the ground with their sheer numbers.

Tommy groaned as darkness was replaced by piercing light. He rolled slightly, squinting against the glare while trying to get a fix on his surroundings. Next to him something moaned.

"Are you okay?" he asked, as he picked himself up off the floor where the Cogs had dumped him. For the first time he noticed the bracelets attached to each wrist, a clever way of preventing him from morphing. Not that the metal could affect his powers like it did with the Morphin Grid, but the thick iron shackles covered his forearms, effectively blocking the area where his Zeonisers would appear. Transforming is not an option then.

Finally he had a good grasp of his situation. He and his companion had been flung rather unceremoniously into a corner of the throne room, which had then been cut off with an electrified fence controlled from a box on the floor.

His companion groaned again, a good sign since it meant he was at least alive. It stood to reason that Mondo's forces had only bothered grabbing the two active Rangers; the others although informative were unlikely to be of use in the mechanical monarch's plans.

"Here," he said as he offered Trey his hand. He turned as Mondo swaggered up to the force field.

"Well, well what do we have here, two of Zordon's precious Rangers? Welcome to my home, I know one of you should find this place familiar. Isn't that right Tommy?"

"You won't get away with this," Tommy threatened.

Mondo chuckled in response. "Oh but I will. You have a lot of courage Ranger considering your situation. I could have you vaporized on the spot. But then bravery is something I've grown to appreciate in you Rangers. That and your fighting skills." His voice lowered. "You made a fine king, Tommy. I brought you here to give you chance to fulfil your potential; you would be King of the Earth under our guidance of course."

"No dice, Mondo," Tommy retorted. "I'd never work for you."

"Really, Tommy? I believe you've said that before to my son. You worked for him then and you'll work for me now. It certainly beats death."

"We would rather die than live as your servants," Trey stated.

"Would you?" Mondo asked. "How many times have the two of you come close to death, surviving only through force of will? I don't believe you would just give up and die when there's a chance your precious friends might save you."

"I would never hurt my friends," Tommy growled. Only Mondo's advanced audio circuits allowed him to hear the Red Zeo Ranger add: "again."

"The darkness is within you Tommy, I know all about you... You managed to keep that side of you subdued, but now it must be painful to remain in control every waking moment. And what happens when you sleep I wonder? Even I can sense your indecision Tommy, so maybe I should offer you a little help. KLANK!"

The royal retainer trotted into the chamber from whether he had been, possibly behind the door awaiting further instructions. He bowed stiffly. "Aye, yer Majesty?"

"Is the new Mapomatic prepared?"

"Indeed it is, yer Majesty. This wee gadget wull redirect the electrical signals in his brain, caw him into yer puppet."

"I KNOW THAT!" Mondo bellowed. "I do not need a lesson in my own machine from you."

"Yes yer Majesty, sorry yer Majesty. If the Cogs will just escort our subject over here, we can get started."

At those words, the Cogs advanced, unaffected by the fence. Tommy and Trey struggled, not at all eager to cooperate with them. They used anything to hand including the heavy bands around their wrists. Trey used a forearm smash to remove one of the Cog's heads, which he then threw at the box controlling the force field.

"Give it up Ranger. You cannae morph," Klank, said as he approached Trey.

"You are very clever Klank," Trey commented.

"But you forgot something," Tommy added, wrenching a metal arm free from another Cog and using it to beat another.

"It is Morphin Time," Trey dead panned. He held his hand out. "Golden Power Staff!" The staff appeared instantly and he swung it viciously at any Cog that dared to approach. With the fence disrupted the two Rangers had the run of the room. "I do not need Zeonisers to use my powers... Gold Ranger..."

"Seize him!" Klank screeched, his mechanical voice sounding like a failed clutch in an old Vauxhall.

"...Power!"

With his powers activated, Trey was about to offer more resistance, but the Cogs had cut the room in half, separating him from Tommy. Still that disadvantage also allowed him to unleash the full extent of his Gold Ranger powers on those nearest him while the others' metallic bodies shielded the Red Zeo Ranger. Still, he wished he could reach his friend and break the bonds on his wrists. Two against... he wasn't sure how many Cogs were definitely better odds.

"Trey, get out of here!"

Trey looked up and was disappointed to see that Tommy had been subdued. He needed to help his friend, but at the same time he knew that the odds were against him. He knew Tommy would not be killed while Mondo had a chance of using him. That reassured him enough to overcome his reluctance to leave.

In a column of gold he disappeared, heading straight to the Power Chamber to warn Zordon, although he hoped by now Trent and Travis had done so by now.

As the Gold Ranger escaped, two Cogs gripped Tommy's shoulders, pinching so firmly that any movement on his part was excruciating. This forced him to stay in place. A little more pressure and the Red Ranger was certain it would snap his shoulder blades. And then Klank approached, a spider-legged device in his hand, and Tommy felt panic take over. Every instinct told him not to let them attach that machine. He struggled, kicking and thrashing in desperation, hoping that he might connect with a lucky blow. Of course with his shoulder pinned, his actions were to no avail. Klank didn't even notice as he ripped Tommy's shirt open and lined the legs up. Then with a firm thrust, he watched as the leg pierced the boy's skin.

The Cogs let go immediately, which was lucky because as his body shook it was clear that in the Cog's vice grip he would have torn his head from his shoulders. He dropped, twitching uncontrollably as the device disrupted his nervous system. A web of metallic fibres covered the Ranger, some ends piercing the skin and two thicker threads burrowing into the base of his skull.

"And now Red Ranger, it's time for you to remember who your masters really are," Mondo chortled. "I hope it doesn't hurt... too much."

Black and white; that was all there was. No shades of grey, no subtle interpretations. Black and white, good and evil, that was all that mattered. He wanted to be good but knew in his heart he could never make that claim, he had never been pure enough even when he had donned the uniform that represented the power of light and goodness. He hated the thought that he might become evil, but believed it was only a matter of time before he returned to the darkness he had served before. And so he walked a line he didn't believe existed between the light he felt he didn't deserve and the dark he didn't want. And as he walked that line, which grew thinner as he grew more and more uncertain.

His name was Tommy Oliver and at the present time, he was about to lose his mind... permanently. One moment he had been resisting Klank's attempts to insert a nasty looking piece of plug and play into his skin, the next he had been transported somewhere worse.

He had been here before, several times in fact. Whenever he was placed under a spell or other means of control, he would appear in this place. It was a refuge for the real Tommy where he could gather his strength and regain control at the earliest opportunity. It was also a prison, a place where Tommy kept his personal demons contained fearing the results of their freedom. It was a dark place, filled with silence and a sense of death. It was always dark and silent here, a symptom no doubt of the perceived darkness Tommy had placed there.

It was to this place that Tommy was taken mentally as the Mapomatic sifted through the electrical impulses of his mind, analysing and reworking the signals to accomplish its task of creating a model soldier without a will of his own. This was where he would make his last stand in what was left of his mind.

~This isn't good,~ he thought to himself. The landscape around him was changing rapidly as the machine transformed him into a cyborg puppet.~ I can't do this alone. ~

And then he felt it, a sudden breeze chilled him to the bone as it rushed passed him, the sound unmistakably the deranged laughter of a mad man. Footsteps echoed over the landscape as the source of the laughter approached, but not before it was joined by more footsteps. There were at least three sets of footprints, one softer than the others. One set stopped before it got too close, forbidden by Tommy to step too close to his conscious mind.

~Not them,~ he begged the darkness, hoping it would listen and take pity on him. ~Let it be anybody except for them. ~

"We're not going away just because you are too cowardly to turn around," a firm yet terrifyingly familiar voice, his own, stated. "It's time for this to stop. You can't do this to us."

Tommy turned, knowing what he would face and how helpless he was in their presence. They would tear his ego to shreds, crush him psychologically, analyse everything he did, and offer few compliments followed by an overabundance of criticism. And in this place where they had as much say in what happened as he did, there was no way to stop them. In the past their mutual hatred had diverted their attention, but today all were focussed on avoiding Mondo's scheme. Because regardless of what they chose to call themselves, they were all part of the shattered psyche that was Tommy Oliver.

He closed his eyes as they came into view, blinded by their presence, not wanting to face what they represented. In truth they were nothing more than aspects of his personality he either allowed to dominate his every waking moment or tried to suppress to the point where it became a mental effort not to acknowledge it.

"You know those colours don't look right," the voice said. Tommy's eyes snapped open at that remark in time to see the Green Dragon Ranger walking towards him. "Green suits you best Tommy."

"NO!"

Tommy looked down in horror as his clothes morphed into the emerald costume of the Green Ranger. He clawed at the fabric; desperate to rip it away and the memories it conjured. This was the costume he had worn when he was at his weakest, when he had been helpless without Jason or Zordon and the regular top ups he received to renew his failing powers. This was the costume he had worn when Zedd had chosen him as a target and Goldar had gone out of his way to humiliate; memories of his pitiful effort against Robogoat surged through his mind. And then there was the pain he remembered so clearly, of having the Power ripped away not once but twice.

As he tore at it, he felt the tingling he could remember feeling whenever he lost his powers. He looked down, devastated as the costume shimmered and vanished, leaving him defenceless again.

"Stay away from me!" he snapped angrily.

"So we're back to this, are we?" the Dragon Ranger asked.

"What are you talking about?" Tommy asked, genuinely confused.

"Did you forget so easily?" the green aspect of his personality asked. "I'm more than a part of you, I'm everything you used to be before you decided I was too unpleasant and shut me away." He took his helmet off revealing a thin pale face Tommy knew well from having seen it in the mirror every day, but even at his lowest point he never imagined that he looked that bad. The short ponytail hung down his neck, his hair greying slightly at the tips. "Oh please, will you ever get over yourself?" he asked seeing the look of horror on Tommy's face. "Everybody has weaknesses, even you. And everybody has the same choice you had: accept them, do something about them or hide them.

It's a shame that you lacked the courage to face up to me, you could have become a much better person for it. Our flaws and how we handle them make us who we are, Tommy. So you faced weakness and humiliation, so what? That was no reason to abandon everything you believed in, to stop being a team player and a friend. You single-handedly turned every member of your team against you for no better reason than to prove you were not me.

And where did it get you? Two Megazords destroyed, near death at the hands of Lord Zedd, a team where one member would rather sacrifice his powers and another would sooner live in another country than serve under you."

"I am not weak," Tommy said.

"No, you never were," Green Dragon replied. "And had you believed that we would not be having this discussion right now. The Green Ranger powers were weak due to Rita; it was a shame you made yourself weaker by trying to bury all the good things that came from those powers. Perseverance, loyalty, hard work, discipline... the Green Ranger you became once freed, was a noble man. Why did you hide me away?"

"Because the Green Ranger was evil," Tommy said firmly.

"Evil you say, and I thought I was just a pretty face," came a new voice. This one was cocky, had shorter spiked hair and was chewing on a toothpick, which he casually flicked at the emerald Dragon Ranger when he was in range. "And tell me Tommy, what is evil?"

"You know what evil is," Tommy told him. "I won't play this game with you again."

"Oh this is more than a mere game Tommy," both the emerald and dark Green Dragon said in unison. "This is the endgame, the moment of truth where you win or we all lose." Tommy's eyes widened as the dark and light portions of the personality he associated with the Green Ranger - weakness, evil, short hair - merged together. "We have a lot to discuss Tommy. Now, answer the question."

And that's what Tommy spent the next half a minute trying to do. But the more he thought about the question, the harder it became to find the answer.

"Evil is anger, fear, hatred, passion," he said, recalling the things he had heard in films and read in books. The words of a green-eared puppet played over and over in his mind. He added his own: "death."

The unified Dragon Ranger laughed and the sound was not unpleasant. As Tommy watched he realized he could not tell from one moment to the next what the person in front of him would look like. One moment it was Tommy circa his days as the Evil Green Ranger, other times Tommy towards the end of his career, sometimes he was the fully powered Green Ranger and on one occasion Tommy was sure he was looking at a humanoid dragon.

"You've been watching too many Star Wars films Tommy and that is why you are wrong. You are talking about forces and emotions, not evil. Fear, anger, hate and passion are the emotions that make you human, not evil. Fear tests you, it warns you of the dangers ahead. Passion drives you to overcome obstacles and beat the odds; anger when righteous and justified strengthens the resolve. Even hatred cannot be defined as evil. What if you hate evil or the crimes committed by those who aligned with evil, what if that hatred leads to change?

No Tommy, emotion is not evil, it your choices that make you evil. If hatred leads to oppression and murder, it is still the person who commits the crime that is evil. If fear causes someone to act maliciously, his or her actions are evil. Only your actions and reactions can make you evil.

And as for death, death is not evil Tommy, how can it be? Death is natural, unbiased and ultimately unstoppable. In the grand scheme of things all are equal in death. Death cannot be evil; it is just an altered state. It is the actions and motives of others that determine how people die. They can be evil, but death is completely neutral."

"Why are you telling me this?" Tommy asked. "You want me to become you, just as you always do."

"I want you to be yourself," the green gestalt told him. "I am a part of you Tommy, I always will be. I cannot make you become me because you are so much more. But when you deny your dark side, you become someone else. You become him." He pointed towards the source of the third set of footprints, revealing another Tommy; this one dressed in a white T-shirt with loose hair that was longer than it had been during his time as Green Ranger. It was the embodiment of Tommy's time as the White Ranger, dominated by the personality he had developed during his days as the White Tiger Ranger. The less forceful White Falcon persona was there too if you knew where to look.

"And what's so bad about that?" the newcomer asked. "At least I'm strong enough to fight my own battles without needing Jason. And I know I've never allowed my Zord to rampage through the city."

"How about when you were so busy arguing with Kimberly, you lost Saba?" the green clad Tommy asked.

His white clad counterpart scowled at him, unable to think of an adequate answer. Of course he had been under a spell at the time, but to admit that would make him a hypocrite, given just how many times he had taunted the green persona about being susceptible to spells.

"If you'd listened to me more, we could have destroyed Rita and Zedd by now," he said.

"And when would you have stopped your little purge?" was the question.

"When evil was defeated. We could have gone all the way Tommy, destroyed all the threats before they became a threat."

"You know something," the green clad Tommy said.

"There are very few White Power Rangers who draw their powers from dinosaurs. Do you know why? I'll tell you then. It's because those who possess the dinosaur powers are the most headstrong of Rangers and prefer to charge in without considering the consequences. White Rangers seek to purify the environment around them. Combine them together and you would have a walking bloodbath that tries to purify the world of those who might one day do something wrong. Is that what you want to become Tommy?"

"You're grasping at straws," the white persona shot back. His voice had an amused tone. "Tommy is a White Ninja, not a White Dinosaur."

"The point remains, you need the darkness Tommy if only to contrast the light. Because I assure you that too much good is just as dangerous as too much evil. Remember: the road to Hell is paved with good intentions. You are a Green Ranger by nature Tommy, you wore the white because it meant you could return as a Ranger, but that is not your personality. Your personality cannot handle that much light, you are destined to forever walk the line between light and darkness. Fail to realise that and the world will suffer more than if you had stayed Rita's evil Green Ranger."

"You can't deny me Tommy," the white look-alike proclaimed. "If you want to be good, I'm all you need."

"I'm not asking you to exclude him," the green part countered. "But if I can accept that you need the light as well as the darkness, why can't he accept that the opposite is true?"

"I need both," Tommy said. "I need to be complete. I need the light and the darkness, the good and the not-so-good."

"And you said he'd never get it," green smirked before holding out his hand. Just as he had in the real world, the image merged with Tommy in mind and spirit. The white part shook his head and did likewise, fusing the boy known as Tommy together again. Just as the darkness that had been ebbing forward swallowed them.

It was easy to tell that at least one Ranger was in dire peril. It was accompanied by a definite lack of panic in the Power Chamber that could only exist because the occupants were in a state of shock. This time was no different as Zordon had summoned the Rangers only to tell them the fate that had befallen Tommy.

"We still have no idea where Tommy has gone," Alpha commented.

"Can you lock onto their energy patterns and teleport them?" Tanya asked.

"Ai-yi-yi-yi-yi, we cannot detect them," Alpha repeated.

"But we have a way of tracing him," Adam pointed out. "They are linked to the Zeo Crystal."

"Your plan has merit Trey," Zordon interrupted. "However, there is a chance that Mondo could use Tommy's Zeoniser to prevent the Zeo Rangers from attacking."

"Well, if we know where he is we can at least make an attempt," Trent pointed out.

"Teleporting back to the Machine Base would be extremely foolish," Zordon warned.

"We do not have a choice," Trey told him. "Tommy gave up his chance at freedom to buy me an opportunity. If we do not free him, we could have an evil Ranger on our hands. I do not need to tell you what that means."

"I cannot stop you Trey," Zordon conceded, his tone that of disappointment.

"I'm sorry Zordon," Trey answered. "I have to do this."

"We'll come with you," Rocky said, but Trey shook his head.

"We need you to stay here guys," he explained, looking at each of the Rangers in turn. "Someone has to be there if we fail."

The Rangers nodded as Trey, Trent and Travis teleported away.

Three beams of light, one gold and the other two a strange shade of off-white coalesced into three warriors, one the Gold Ranger, the other two were wearing the traditional combat suits of Triforian Special Forces.

"Nothing yet," Trent commented, using a handheld flashlight to illuminate the shadowed corridors.

"Keep alert," Gold Ranger warned. Trent had a tendency to let his mind wander.

"Which way do you think we ought to go?"

"Your guess is as good as mine, I didn't get a good look last time I was here. We need to find a control room. The computer should tell us where they're keeping him."

"Not to interrupt such stimulating conversation," Travis said, sounding bored. He always sounded bored in these matters. "He was observant though. "I think that little blue light means they know we're here.

Trey nodded. "We should move then."

They took off down the hall, looking for a control room or the torture chamber. Either would do for now.

"Look!" Travis exclaimed, pointing to a wall where a modified Cog was interrogating a computer.

"Golden Power Staff!" Trey called quietly. His next act was not so quiet as he swung for the Cog, severing the arm from its body and sending the machine sprawling across the corridor. A second swing destroyed its cranial unit.

"Can you work it," Trent asked Travis while Trey dealt with the Cog. The remainder of the arm was the only means of accessing the console. A careful series of turns and depressions started the screen scrolling through pages of data.

"Found them," Travis proclaimed.

"And they found us!" Trent cried in response. "Trey, we have company!"

He and Travis sank to one, their standard issue weapons drawn and pointed at the oncoming machines.

"Find Tommy, we'll hold them off."

Gold Ranger nodded and took off at a run.

Time was running out.

The Mapomatic was working perfectly, rewriting vast sections of the human's mind. At least it was, until there was a bright flash of green, white and red that in turn caused the machine to malfunction. Tommy stirred, opened his eyes and wished he hadn't. His vision swam and se was unsteady, no doubt due to spending his time having his nerves jolted with high voltage. Blinking to clear his vision he tried to stand. His body ached and he had a number of bad bruises, luckily however he didn't seem to have any broken bones.

With considerable effort he lifted his hand to his chest and wrenched the machine loose, throwing it at a shocked Klank. Mondo stormed forward accompanied by his Cogs. Tommy braced himself for a fight, not that he could do much with his head spinning. Still the claxon that sounded throughout the chamber gave him some hope. The others had come to rescue him.

"The door is locked," Trey reported.

After failing to make progress, they had regrouped and were now working one corridor at a time; Trey taking out any units ahead while Trent and Travis watched their backs.

"We are almost there," Trent noted.

"Okay, when the door opens, we go in full power," Trey instructed as he reached out to the panel that opened the door and pushed it. With a whisper of machinery the door slid upward and the three warriors entered the room carefully.

"Move!" Trey cried as Trent and Travis blasted the Cogs.

Looking up Gold Ranger used a Gold Flash to destroy the few surveillance cameras. As soon as the Cogs were down, Trent and Travis turned their attention to Tommy, while Trey kept the mechanical monarch at bay.

"Are you okay?" Travis asked, cutting the manacles free.

"I am now," answered Tommy, his voice hoarse. He had been through more in the time he had been here than they would ever know. "Zeo Ranger V, Red!"

"I still have you Rangers," Mondo gloated.

Trent didn't respond. "Teleport, now..." They tried but failed.

"I lost you once Gold Ranger. That won't happen again," Mondo boasted.

"All right Mondo, If you want us, here we are, come and get us." Tommy was back in his role as leader.

Mondo laughed, "Cogs... attack!"

Gold Ranger, Red Zeo Ranger and two Triforian heroes opened fire, using their respective weapons to destroy the robotic soldiers. As the Cogs began to close in Trey brought the Golden Power Staff back to the front. "Time for a Gold Rush!"

As Trent and Travis fell back, weapons trained on the doors, Tommy stood to one side - Zeo V Power Sword drawn - he fought off any Cog foolish enough to get too close.

"We can't keep this up for long," Trent noted. It was true, he and Travis only had limited ammunition, Trey's Gold Rush could only last so long and Tommy was already exhausted from his ordeal.

"Aim at the floor," Trey called. "Tommy, use your Zeo Pistol. Mondo, either let us teleport or we'll turn this chamber into a vacuum."

"Silly organics," Mondo mocked. "I'm a machine, I cannot be hurt by vacuum. You humans however..."

He droned on, but Trey was not listening, he was watching Klank's panicked reaction and spotted where the retainer looked.

"There!" he pointed. Three shots rang out, destroying the console that prevented their leaving. "Now, go!"

In four streaks of light they were gone.

A fortnight later Tommy stood alone on the mountain range outside of the Power Chamber, in the spot where years before he had seen the Thunder Zords for the first time. In his hand he held a small golden coin, which he had borrowed for a short time from the safety of its spatial pocket.

At the insistence of Zordon, his friends and members of his family who had been kept awake by nightmares, Tommy had started to seek the services of a psychologist. It had taken time to convince her he was not raving and a trip to the Power Chamber before she believed what he was saying. After that though she had started to help him deal with his issues, leading to this moment.

The time had come, decisions had been put off too long and it was important for him to move on with his life. Moving on though required him to accept certain truths that until now he had denied. It was a case of now or never, he needed to face his fears and move on with his life.

Despite all that had happened, Tommy Oliver still had his doubts about the Green Ranger powers. But he knew in his heart that the only way to conquer his fear of becoming evil the moment he touched the Power, was to face it. He had to let the power of the Green Ranger become a part of him once more.

He reached deep, knowing it was now or never, do or die. In his heart he was petrified and silently he prayed that should anything go wrong, should he be made evil again that his fellow Rangers would kill him before he harmed anybody. But despite his fears he had to do this because so long as that fear had any hold on him, he risked one villain or another using it against him. He was all for denying Rita, Zedd and Mondo any chance to turn him evil again.

"Dragonzord!"

The power was tremendous as for the first time in a long time, Tommy willingly transformed into the Green Ranger. And he felt good. There were no desires to rape and pillage the city, no sense of weakness or vulnerability; it felt right.

Even as he powered down again, knowing this was the last time he would transform using that coin, he felt relief. He would still need to attend his appointments, there were still things he needed to talk about with someone who would not judge him. But this was another step on the road to recovery. He was normal again, well as a Power Ranger with a tendency to become a puppet of the villain of the day could be.

He looked at the coin and then placed it back in its secure place. He didn't need it, he had the Zeo powers. But for the first time in a long while, Tommy Oliver was complete.

** End**

Disclaimer: I do not own the Power Rangers; they belong to their respective copyright owners and are used here without permission. No money is being made from this fic.  
Authors Note: This is an alternate universe from the television show with an alternate timeline. This part marks the end of the current storyline and should be considered as this series version of Good as Gold. Warning character deaths ahead.

**The Day of the Luddites**

Jennifer was in trouble. She had a problem that she couldn't share with her friends. Not only was she worried about how they would react; she was also physically unable to tell them. It had started the day the Rangers had fought against one of the odd villains who drifted into Angel Grove from time to time only to vanish afterwards.

During the confrontation she had been a noncombatant who had been targeted out of cruelty. She had been hit with a curse that was supposed to kill, yet she had survived without injury; later she had discovered that her forearm had been burnt by the spell. It was then that she had discovered a terrifying fact.

Since then she had tried to avoid the Rangers, even her boyfriend Rocky. She was confused and scared, yet unable to ask for the help that she so desperately needed. Recently previously unknown memories, which she was certain were not her own had started to surface. She needed time to think and to come to terms with what she had discovered in a short period of time.

She looked down at her right wrist where the burn was still covered with a simple bandage, knowing there was only one way to discover if she had imagined what lay beneath, and whether her life until now had been a lie. She felt like a normal teenager. Was it possible that she had only been brought to life a few months before?

According to the knowledge she now possessed, Jennifer Belle had died earlier in the year, before she ever learnt the identities of the Power Rangers. She had been a victim of Gasket's attempt to steal the Pulse device. A backup plan in case the attempt failed. The Jen that Rocky and the Zeo Rangers had come to know since that time was a creation of Gasket's, physically and mentally identical with all the memories and emotions Gasket had extracted from the human Jen before disposing of her.

This Jennifer, the android as she had come to refer to herself in the past few minutes, was an example of Gasket's strategic genius at work. She was manufactured from a special alloy that remained semi-liquid when exposed to temperatures above zero Celsius. It had the durability of hardened metals but a relatively low density allowing her the freedom of movement a human would enjoy. Electrodes carried by wires throughout her body fire impulses that caused the liquid metal to move like human body; instead of blood, chemicals were pumped around her body to regulate the heat of the metal and to carry miniature machines to maintain her body functions. Gasket had even given her the means to consume food and water, which merely passed through her system and removed in an organic way.

And then he had used the same miniature machines that inhabited her body to replicate human skin and hair. The most obvious places such as the arms, legs and head were covered with this quality synthetic while the remainder had been allowed to grow artificially. Pigmenting agents had been introduced to give her the skin tone, eye and hair colour of the original.

Finally before being unleashed, Gasket had in a masterstroke hidden from her the knowledge that she was a machine. As far as Jennifer was concerned she was human and really had befriended the Rangers. A trigger in her mind would grant her the true information only when Gasket wished to spring his trap or if she was somehow damaged, which to Gasket meant her true origin had been discovered. Those memories had been restored when the blast had damaged her arm.

Jen was not alive, which was why the attack had failed. But when the energy had hit and the damage had been caused, the girl Rocky had fallen for, had ceased to exist in her eyes. Gasket's programming had tried to take control the moment it had entered her memory, but robot or human, Jen possessed a strong will and was able to fight the alien control. It was a losing battle though and in a few more minutes she knew that the evil programming would erase what remained of her humanity. A few minutes and the core of her programming would be firmly in place, compelling her to betray her friends.

"Jen?"

She turned around, filled with electronically enhanced rage.

"Get away," she warned, laying eyes on Rocky. He had been trying to speak to her all morning, but she was sure she had left him behind at the Juice Bar. "Why did you follow me?"

"I was worried," he told her apologetically. "Your sister asked me to find out what's bothering you, since you managed to scare her when she asked."

Tears were running down her face now as she fought back the urge to harm him.

"Jen, what's wrong?" he asked.

"Please, I don't want to hurt you," she begged.

Rocky just looked confused and took a step towards her.

"Don't," she said firmly. "Don't touch me, Rocky. Just stay away!"

"Jen please, I just want to help," her boyfriend insisted.

"I can't have a boyfriend, I can't love; I'm a machine!" came the reply. "Look!"

She held up her forearm revealing the wiring and circuitry she had become aware of moments before.

"Jennifer's dead," she clarified. "I'm just meant to look like her, think like her and believe that I am her."

"You're a machine?" Rocky asked dumbly, confused by her actions. "How?"

This was the girl he had fallen for in computer class, the one who had unknowingly aided Mondo by designing a program he later used in his Silo monster. She had aided the Rangers several times along with her sister. How could she be a machine?

"Foolish organic," Mondo boomed as he appeared through a Cog portal. "That she fooled you is proof of how superior our technology has become. The girl you knew is dead. My son killed her months ago. This" he gestured to Jennifer "is a machine built to resemble her in every way; an impersonation so perfect, even she believed she was the real Jennifer Belle."

"What do you want Mondo?" Rocky demanded.

"I want to fulfil my son's plan," Mondo answered. "Despite his impertinence and treachery, it is an inspired scheme. Now Jennifer, destroy the Blue Zeo Ranger."

Jennifer's eyes had glazed over, the once warm windows to her soul now cold orbs focussed upon death and carnage. The programming Gasket had implanted now took over from her previous personality, uploading the skills possessed by his Cyber Spy. The command had been given, the methods of exterminating the two humans raced before her eyes.

"No, I won't," she finally answered defiantly. Living as a human had had a strange effect on her. She had evolved without noticing until she the time when she not only imitated Jennifer Belle, she became Jennifer Belle.

"You will obey me," Mondo ordered, knowing that a command from a member of the Royal House of Gadgetry could override any other programming. "Now, summon a weapon and kill him."

This time Jen did obey, summoning a powerful whip that crackled as she flicked it through the air. She turned toward her supposed victim with an unreadable face. In response to a silent command from Mondo, Cogs appeared, preventing Rocky from leaving the area.

"Don't do this Jen," Rocky begged. "This isn't you, you know that." He added quietly: "I love you."

Jennifer didn't hear him though and continued advancing, the whip trailing sparks as she flicked it gently on the ground.

"Snap out of it Jenny," Rocky cried as the droid closed in on him.

The whip sliced through the air, cutting Rocky across the cheek and drawing a small amount of blood. She backhanded him before repeating the motion. Rocky grabbed her leg and she spun around, kicking him in the chin. She looped the whip around his neck, one pull away from ending her boyfriend's life. She came to an abrupt halt when she looked into his eyes.

"What are you waiting for?" Mondo demanded. "Kill him!"

"No!" she shouted defiantly, overcoming her programming. "I won't do it."

"I am Mondo, you will obey," the metal monarch boomed. She remained still, refusing to move. "Fine, I will have Orbus remove this glitch in your programming. Cogs, take her and then dispose of the Ranger."

As their king departed, the Cogs moved in and the fight was on. Jennifer was putting her newly discovered robotic strength to good use by tearing holes in Cog armour and leaving the robotic foot soldiers on the ground. Rocky struggled to keep up, unable to take the time to morph as he was outnumbered.

Eventually though the Cogs gained the upper hand. Jen despite her new strength was unable to attack when her boyfriend's life was threatened. The Cogs forced both the Ranger and his girlfriend to stop while a few of their number grabbed Jennifer by the arms and dragged her through a Cog portal. Then before Rocky could recover, the battle resumed and this time it was very one-sided.

Rocky tried to summon his Zeonisers, but before he could do so the Cogs had pulled his arms apart.

A faint burning sensation across the gash Jennifer had made in his cheek was all that greeted Rocky when he awoke. His eyes squinted open and as they grew used to the light he was relieved to see Alpha moving a medical device over his cheek. He tried to sit up, wincing at the aching muscles at various points across his body.

"Easy Rocky," Tommy warned. "Those Cogs did a really good job. You're lucky we arrived before they could finish the job."

"What happened?" Rocky asked as with the help of Tanya and Adam, who had appeared behind him, he managed to sit up.

"Mondo took Jennifer, and left the Cogs to turn you into a corpse," Tanya answered as Alpha continued to check him for signs of permanent injury.

"Jen!" Rocky started. "She's..." He couldn't bring himself to say that she had turned on him or accept that he had lost her, permanently at least; that she was just a machine, a trick to gain the trust of the Rangers and then deliver them to Gasket. He knew somewhere in his heart that was because he had not fallen in love with the original Jennifer Belle. Certainly there had been an attraction, but they had never gotten to know each other properly until the incident with the Pulse Bomb. Only when he had come to know her had physical attraction turned to love. And the person he loved was the machine that had replaced her, a being that had had no knowledge of what she was before today and who when ordered to kill had refused.

"We know, she's one of Gasket's creations," Adam said quietly. "Zordon showed us."

"I need to get her back," Rocky said, his voice determined.

The others exchanged glances, unsure how they should respond. The idea that their ranks had been infiltrated by one of Gasket's creations had terrified them to the point where even now Jason was busy double-checking every room of the Power Chamber in case Jen had left any surprises. Still it seemed that Rocky had yet to accept what he had learnt and the consequences of such a discovery.

"What?" he asked, irritated by their reluctance.

"Rocky, we don't know for certain which side she'll be on when we rescue her or if there's a chance we can remove Gasket's programming," Adam told him quietly.

"We're not going to leave her there," Tommy added, "but you need to know that if he has done anything to her, she might not be the Jen you knew."

Neither of them suggested that they should abandon her. Jen was their friend and in their eyes had done nothing wrong. She had never asked to be a robot. At the same time though they knew that should Mondo manage to gain control of her as he had almost done before, they would need to decide between their friend and their need to protect innocents.

For Tommy the need to get her out of there was almost overwhelming. He remembered his time as a 'guest' of the Machine Empire and the attempts made to turn him into a mindless slave. He would not allow that to happen to anyone else.

"We need to be cautious," Kat told him. "Just in case. If he knows how much we care about her, he could use her to draw us into a trap."

"I won't give up on her," Rocky whispered.

"Rocky, we're not asking you to," Tommy said firmly. "But we need to do this as a team."

"At least we know where he took her," Adam commented. They gave him a questioning look and he pointed to a monitor. "She's still wearing her communicator. We can't lock on to teleport her out, but the signal is coming from the Sky Base."

The alarm sounded and the Rangers groaned. "What now?" Tanya demanded.

Adam shrugged in return.

The image appeared on the Viewing Screen, relayed by a combination of different satellites within the Earth's orbit. In the Command Center, Zordon had used a crystal ball based Viewing Globe to show the cause of any alerts. In the days of Zeo though magic had been replaced with technology. The Rangers stared at the structure, standing on a field of ice somewhere, no doubt a drilling rig given the shape. A large crane had been positioned, created from four Quadra-fighters that had been wielded together.

"What are they doing?" Adam asked.

"Aw man, they're trying to fish Grommet out of the water," Tommy commented as he saw the battered and corroded frame of the Zeo Jet Megazord lifted from the ice field, Grommet's hand still wrapped around its legs.

"That thing is rusty," Tanya commented.

"It's the high levels of salt in the water," Adam told her.

"They'll be lucky if Grommet is in any better shape," was the reply.

They could see the machines struggling to haul the remains of Prince Grommet into the air, carrying it back to a more hospitable climate. A Cog portal appeared before them and the transport vanished.

Time passed, a few seconds at most and then the alarms sounded again, this time focussing on a steel mill somewhere in Angel Grove.

"Ai-yi-yi, Mondo has transported the Megazord and Grommet to the Sky Base."

"You know, I just had a really, really bad thought," Adam said. "What if Mondo can access Jen's memories? He might learn how to repair the Zords or worse, make her repair Grommet."

"I believe Grommet will prove beyond Jennifer's capabilities," Zordon said. "However, should Mondo learn a way to repair the Megazord or activate the Zeo Jet Zords' individual combat modes, they would pose a terrible threat."

"Just one more reason to get her back," Jason said.

"Alpha and I will begin working on a way to penetrate the Sky Base's shielding," Zordon told them. "In the meantime, I suggest somebody tells the Belles what has happened."

The Rangers nodded and teleported away, trusting their mentor to come up with something.

It was late night when the black clad figure reached the bottom of the mountain, using one of Zordon's satellites to find his exact position in relation to the Power Chamber's lower service point. He approached cautiously, avoiding the camera as it made a sweep of the area and punched in a quick numeric code. He waited for the click and then pushed the door open. He looked around and sneaked inside.

As quietly as he could, he ascended the stairs to the Zordon Storage Bay and the Zord Launch Cannon. It was a long climb and he could have teleported up, but he didn't want to disturb any of Zordon's energy detection devices. He didn't want anyone trying to stop him; this was something he had to do. He reached the console and after using the limited knowledge he had gleaned from watching Adam working, he disconnected the status feed to the Power Chamber's main computer. As quietly as he could, he pressed a couple of buttons preparing the cannon for firing as soon as it emerged from the mountainside. He was so busy, he jumped when he heard a quiet voice from behind him.

"Going somewhere?" Rocky turned around to see Adam leaning against the doorway.

"I didn't think anyone would be here," he admitted.

Adam smiled. "The others haven't known you as long as I have. They've never seen just how far you would go for someone you cared about. I have."

Rocky sighed. "I don't suppose I could persuade you to go back to your home and go to sleep?" he offered weakly.

"Obviously you don't know me very well," was the reply.

Rocky laughed humourlessly. "I think I do, you wouldn't let me go alone any more than I would let Jen stay there longer than I had to."

"I suppose you wouldn't let me call the others?"

"No!" said Rocky, "If you call the others up here Zordon will detect us and you know he wouldn't sanction this."

Adam looked at his communicator and nodded. "Fine, then just the two of us will go."

"Umm Adam, you don't have to..." Rocky looked at Adam's face. There was a look of grim determination and Rocky knew that nothing he said would keep his friend from aiding him. "Fine, help me load the launch protocols."

Adam grinned; they always worked better as a team. He quickly caught onto what Rocky had in mind and after shifting the aim to a less obvious point, he pressed the activation button and waited for the cannon to extend to maximum height.

"What are you planning to use?" he asked, needing to load the appropriate Zord.

"Billy's database called it the Mole," Rocky replied, handing his friend a data pad.

Adam read the details, surprised that Billy had decided to build a machine based upon a mole machine. While three times the size of a convention machine, it was certainly not a Zord.

"Where did he get the idea?" he wondered aloud.

"He didn't," Rocky replied. "Zordon's been in communication with the government for almost four decades. This is some sort of leftover from a failed venture during the sixties; some ex-astronaut tried to design his own range of aircraft. He was declared bankrupt for tax evasion and Zordon claimed some of the equipment and a tropical island that had served as a research area."

"And they just gave it to him?"

"The government was more interested in nuclear warheads than the possibility of long range space travel. Zordon gave them the basics they need to develop safer technology and in return they gave him the things he considered too dangerous for them to handle. And of course, when they discovered a crashed space craft in Oregon ten years ago, he convinced them to hand over the contents in return for more technology. I don't know why he kept some pieces and dumped the rest, but Billy said they were natural Zords."

"And he didn't think maybe that would be unfair?"

Rocky grinned. "Of course he did, but seeing as he came to the same deal with Japan, China and Russia, nobody noticed."

"We'll need to add some sort of propulsion," Adam said. "Although if this doesn't work the first time, we're dead."

"Then let's make sure it works," Rocky urged.

After loading the machine, they boarded and Adam triggered the launch sequence. They were relying on the cannon to launch them beyond the Earth's atmosphere and into space.

"Go!" Adam cried.

"Rangers in SPACE!" Rocky joked as they left the Earth behind, his personality showing through in spite of his concern for Jen.

As the cannon fired, both Alpha and Zordon were alerted.

"Ai-yi-yi, what happened?" Alpha asked as he shuffled over to a console. He pushed a few buttons as Zordon appeared through the dimensional link of his Plasma Tube.

"What has happened Alpha?"

"Somebody has accessed the Zord Launch Cannon and stolen the Mole."

Zordon was silent, piecing together what he knew and trying to deduce the reasoning behind such a theft.

"Alpha, analyse the trajectory of the Mole."

Alpha clicked a few controls while scribbling numbers on a sheet of paper. "They're heading for the Machine Sky Base."

"Very well Alpha, I believe you will find that one of the intruders was Rocky, his feelings for Jennifer have led him to take a foolish risk. The other is no doubt Adam."

Alpha was replaying the camera feeds as Zordon was talking. Sure enough he saw the two Rangers working in the launch area.

"You're right Zordon."

Zordon sighed, not at all happy with this situation. Today had been trying enough without the fear of losing two more humans to the maniacal Mondo and his twisted family.

"Alpha contact the others at once."

The flight had been rapid and the Mole was soon approaching the Sky Base. As they drew near, Adam started the Mole's nosecone drill, ripping its way in like a missile. As it tore into one of the lesser service corridors, a small energy field helped to trap a small atmosphere around the breach.

"Ready?" Adam asked.

His friend nodded. "It's Morphin Time; Zeo Ranger III - Blue!"

"Zeo Ranger IV - Green!"

As soon as the other Rangers, Jason and Josie entered the main room the questions began flowing.

"Have you found a way to get to Jen?"

"Is she okay?"

"Where's Rocky?"

"... And Adam?"

"Rangers please, be quiet." As the Rangers quieted down Zordon continued. "Adam and Rocky have stolen the Mole and used it to attack the fortress. They did so in such a fashion as to break in undetected and without triggering the shields."

"So what do we do?" asked Jason.

"There is nothing we can do until Alpha finds a way to teleport through the shields. I believe Adam and Rocky will need your assistance."

"Why can't we go through the same way they did?" Tommy was practically bouncing on his toes. The others looked at him questioningly and he explained. "We can use one of the Megazords in the same way as they used the Mole."

"What you are suggesting would be too dangerous," Zordon answered. "Mondo will have set his base's weapons to recognise a Zord and fire immediately."

"But Zordon -" started Kat.

"Enough! I will not put the rest of you into this kind of danger unless absolutely necessary. I may have just lost two Rangers and Jennifer, I will not lose more!" Kat jumped back, and the others were all startled at the anger in Zordon's voice. Sighing he looked down at his warriors, his children in every way but name. "We will monitor the two, if they are in serious danger we will use Tommy's suggestion. Alpha, begin working on a way to transfer the power of the Zeo Zords to the Super Zeo Zords. I believe that the increase in power will allow them to breach the shields."

The superheated plating of the Sky Base's inner bulkhead slowly disappeared from view as a green helmeted head peered out, checking both ways before disappearing again. There was a shuffling noise and then two figures emerged, one in green, one in blue.

"Looks clear," said Green Zeo.

"Keep alert," replied Blue Zeo, glancing both ways. "Which way do you think we ought to go?"

"Your guess is as good as mine, if we can find a computer room or something we can probably find out where Jen is."

Blue Zeo nodded. "We'll need to find the docking bay as well if we want a way out."

"Just mind you don't set off any alarms," Green Zeo warned as they started down the corridor. They ran off down the hall, looking for either a prison or a computer.

"There's some sort of communication station ahead," Adam commented as his helmet picked up on various transmissions.

"Hey, I think we've hit the jackpot!" exclaimed Rocky as he saw the computer console mounted to the wall outside the room.

Before he could attempt to access it though, Green Zeo placed a hand on his shoulder, shaking his head, he gestured to a small droid the size of a remote-controlled car. As they watched, more of the little machines whizzed in different directions.

"Service droids," Adam mouthed.

Rocky nodded, realising that if one of the small machines noticed them, they would be caught easily.

"Any ideas?"

Adam nodded and drew his Zeo Pistol. Using a low power setting, he fired at the bulkhead at the end of another corridor. Sure enough as the droids became aware of the damage, they sped off to repair it.

"Good thing there weren't any where we made our entrance or we would have been caught by now."

Rocky silently agreed as the made their way to the computer and accessed the Sky Base's schematics.

"She's in a detention block," Adam said as he looked up the route. "Uh oh." He saw Rocky cock his head questioningly and pointed to a warning light. "The main computer has sounded an alert, too many event flags for it to ignore."

"So we're as good as dead?" Rocky half-asked. His teammate nodded. "Fine, then we don't need to worry about making a noise."

"Good thing too, because we've been found." Green Zeo looked down the hallway to see a platoon of Cogs headed their way. "You find Jen, I'll hold them off." At Rocky's nod Green Zeo pulled his laser pistol and fired at the now charging Cogs. A loud alarm began to sound.

"We are ready Sire," Klank promised.

"Very good Klank, perhaps you are not as useless as I thought," Mondo replied.

Father - is that you? the disembodied voice asked.

"Yes Grommet," Mondo answered. "We have retrieved you from your frozen prison."

...I cannot - detect any hardware father... Grommet stated.

"Your body was damaged beyond repair," Klank explained.

As he spoke, he silently instructed Orbus to reconnect the junior prince's optical sensors. It had taken careful cutting to salvage the prince's cranial unit from the remains of his body. As part of the work to prevent further deterioration of the internal components, a clear tank filled with a mixture of antifreeze and de-ionised water served as his temporary accommodation.

...How... long...?

"Klank and Orbus are already working on a new body for you," Mondo assured his son. "Then we can discuss your new role in the Royal House of Gadgetry, a post that makes greater use of your planning capabilities."

...Thank you... Father...

Klank flicked the switch, powering down the prince's circuits before he could overload.

"I will begin work immediately Sire," he promised.

"There is no rush, you have other duties to fulfil. Grommet will not know how much time has passed." Mondo walked from the room, not seeing the faint glow of his son's eyes narrow behind him. "Now, onto more important issues, has she been prepared?"

"Aye Sire, we just finished the conversion," Klank advised as they walked towards a detention cell.

Mondo snorted and stepped inside, stopping when he saw the room's occupant had indeed been prepared to his specifications. If he had been capable of doing so, Mondo would have smiled.

Jennifer had been stripped of all traces of humanity, a fitting punishment for a droid who had allowed herself to become human. Her skin and hair had been stripped away by a corrosive mixture of boiling Cog Oil and bacteria. Her features once so expressive were now similar to Archerina's, and while retaining the hints of femininity there was no doubt that she was a product of the Royal House of Gadgetry. Even so, the process had not dampened her spirit. She strained angrily against her restraints and the piercing glare she gave Mondo as he entered could be considered loathing if she had still resembled her former self.

"Now perhaps you will remember your place," Mondo practically bellowed as he shuffled into the cell.

Her bonds had vanished when he entered and she wasted no time in attacking him. It was a lazy backhand from Mondo that sent her sprawling back into the wall.

"You will learn some respect," Mondo told her, gesturing to Klank. "If she does not become servile in the next few hours, begin the memory wipe."

Just then the alarm sounded. The cell slammed shut as Mondo and Klank exited, leaving her trapped inside. A small contingent of Cogs stomped into the holding area, but it was the remote for the door that Mondo placed on a table, which caught her eye.

"The way out is so close my little slave," Mondo mocked. "But you won't get out until Klank has finished with you."

"I'll never fight for you Mondo," Jen snarled, hardly recognising her voice.

"Not willingly of course. Do you really believe I don't know that? I have ways of ensuring your obedience. Those foolish Rangers who are on their way to rescue you for example."

"You'll regret this Mondo," Jen whispered. With all traces of humanity gone she was starting to think like a machine. And that in turn meant she had access to options previously hidden from her. "Oh you will regret it," she repeated as her self-repair functions highlighted a new weapon. The alarm continued to sound throughout the fortress.

"She's in detention cell thirteen, low security." Green Zeo stepped away from the computer and joined in the fight, adding his own fire to Blue Zeo's. Rocky had barely made it to the door when the Cogs had moved in. Now they had to fight them off before moving further.

"Great," said Blue Zeo while Adam continued hacking at Cogs left and right with his hatchets. "How do we get there?"

"Follow me." Green Zeo fired a barrage at the remaining Cogs' legs.

Turning he ran the opposite direction down the corridor with Blue Zeo close behind him. They ran up metal grate stairs and down metal-floored hallways for about ten minutes.

"You know," said Green Zeo, "we haven't run into a Cog since we started running. This could be a trap."

"Yeah," replied Blue Zeo, "We always seem to be walking into someone's traps. But we haven't any choice."

"However since we suspect that it is a trap, we can be prepared for it."

The Blue Ranger nodded and slowed as they neared a door. "This is the door to the detention center."

Green Zeo reached out to the panel that opened the door and pushed it. With a whisper of machinery the door slid upward and the two warriors entered the room carefully. There was a main room and about seven Cogs were working on various consoles.

Immediately the two Rangers drew their Zeo Pistols and opened fire on the clueless Cogs. Looking up Green Zeo blasted a few surveillance cameras. As soon as the Cogs were down, Rocky rushed into the hall opposite the entrance, where the cells were.

Green Zeo was about to follow when he heard a voice coming from one of the control panels. "What's goin' on down the'? Someone repurt." It was Klank, Mondo's Scottish accented footman.

"Everything's fine, we're okay, how are you?" Adam winced, "that's not how a Cog would have responded."

"We've had repurt of a disturbance, whut's going on? Have the intruders arrived?"

"No, no... We've uh... had a slight weapons malfunction."

"I'm sending a troop of Cogs," Klank informed him.

"No! There's a reactor leak, very dangerous, give us some time to lock it down."

"Whe are ya'?" Klank was beginning to grow suspicious. "What's your serial number?"

"Eh..." Unable to come up with a satisfactory answer Adam drew his blaster and fired at the communications panel. "Boring conversation anyway. Rocky! We're gonna' have company!" Turning Green Zeo followed his friend down the cell hall.

At the end of the hall Blue Zeo was finishing two Cogs who had been guarding a cell. Adam looked around. There was a small metal table, and sitting on it was a small black device he guessed was a key to the cells.

There was a crash and Adam looked up to see that Rock had smashed open the lock to the cell with his Arm Blades.

"Not stupid, arrogant," Adam corrected as his friend helped Jennifer to her feet, hardly noticing her now purely robotic appearance. "Well, now to get out of here."

Jen looked up, shocked out of her thoughts. "You shouldn't have come, I'm not worth it."

"Of course you're worth it," Rocky assured her. "I love you."

"Rocky, I'm a machine."

"Well nobody's perfect," Rocky quipped, adding quickly: "but you're as close as I want. I fell in love with who you are, not what you are."

"You don't understand," she told him. She really wanted to cry, but Klank had disabled all her human functions. "Gasket built me to destroy the Rangers, it's part of my programming. There's a bomb inside me, set to explode the next time I'm in the Power Chamber."

"Then we won't take you to the Power Chamber," Rocky reasoned.

There was a mechanical sigh. "The Power Chamber will teleport me there. Gasket already found a way to bypass the computer and have it do so without someone activating it."

"We'll find a way," Rocky promised.

"How touching."

An electrical field activated as Mondo spoke, shocking Adam who was stood in the doorway and preventing the Rangers' escape.

"Kill them," he ordered, looking at Jen.

"I won't," she replied, Rocky's words had strengthened her resistance.

"You will obey," Mondo insisted. Jen convulsed as her circuits exploded with pain. "A result of the neural feedback generator Gasket designed. I had Klank install a remote receiver while he removed that ridiculous flesh. Since you want to be human to the point of treason, you can suffer like a human. I believe that given enough pain, you will come to understand who is the king around here and that your function should be absolute obedience."

"Leave her alone, Mondo!" Rocky growled, bringing his Zeo Pistol to firing position.

"Whut d' you think yoor doin' Ranger?" Klank asked.

"Yes Rocky, what are you going to do... without your powers."

The barrier across the door grew brighter and both Rocky and the still stunned Adam were demorphed.

"You didn't think I would allow you to break into my Space Base unless I had a brilliant scheme to neutralise you, did you? My computations and the information downloaded by my virus monster allowed me to download Zordon's schematics for your powers. A jamming field designed to block the energy of the Zeo Crystal protects this entire station. I surmise your bracelets carry some form of backup charge in case of temporary loss, but now that too, has ended."

"Zeo Ranger III - Blue!" Rocky called.

Nothing happened.

"This force field operates on a frequency of three-six-zero-zero hertz," Mondo told the boy. "The exact frequency needed to deactivate your powers."

Rocky had given up trying to morph and was instead trying to protect both Adam and Jen.

"Now all you have to do is wait for your friends to show up, or for my slave to come to her senses and destroy you both. Either way I compute a one-hundred percent chance of victory."

He walked off regally, allowing the Ranger to ponder his fate.

"We have to go, Zordon," Kat insisted when the computer lost contact with Rocky and Adam.

"I agree, Katherine, but I cannot allow you to teleport onto the Space Base," Zordon boomed.

"If Mondo detects you he could scatter the teleportation beam," Alpha explained.

"How about the Mole?" Tanya asked. "Couldn't we use the same idea."

"Mondo would be ready for you this time," Jason answered.

There was a column of white light as Josie teleported into the Power Chamber.

"Have you found her?" she demanded, to which Tommy nodded.

"Mondo has her on his Sky Base, but we can't get to her. He has Adam and Rocky too."

Her anger dissipated when she heard her sister was not the only one in danger.

"Hey, what if we teleport into the Mole?" Tommy asked, looking at Zordon.

"Mondo has not shielded the machine," Zordon agreed. "Although I suspect that the only reason he has not done so, is to draw you into his trap."

The Rangers nodded. It was too easy and machines of Mondo's quality did not make such obvious mistakes without a good reason. Still he was providing them with an opportunity, and the Rangers could not afford to pass up the chance.

"I'm coming with you," Josie said. Tommy appeared to want to argue, but she cut him off quickly. "Look, that's my sister and I'm not waiting here while you attempt to rescue her. I'm going to make sure you succeed. Besides, I have better control of my emotions than you and I know how machines work. Who better than me to tell you what Mondo has planned than I?"

There was silence and then Tommy nodded. "I don't like it, but if Mondo can affect our powers, we need all the help we can get."

"Alpha, prepare some of the Survival Packs," Zordon instructed.

After the Rangers had lost their powers due to Master Vile, Zordon had taken the initiative of preparing a way for them to fight without their powers or more importantly, survive in hostile environments long enough to seek out new powers. The result was a small backpack containing a range of useful gadgets and tools along with protective suits that while not providing protection from broken bones could prevent small cuts.

"I have the teleport booster ready Zordon," Alpha announced.

"Switch that off," Josie told him. "If Mondo planned ahead, he'd have calculated the chance we found some means of boosting the teleport and will be scanning for the frequency."

"Just like he did with Rocky and Adam's powers," Tanya said quietly.

"Ai-yi-yi, she's right!" Alpha realised.

"Now, tell me what we're going to do and I'll tell you how Mondo will have prepared for it. Then you can come up with a way around it."

There were five of them in their party and they all arrived safely aboard the Mole. Jason, Tommy, Tanya and Kat were wearing their backpacks, the boys armed with some old Blade Blasters that Alpha had found, set in blade mode; Tanya and Kat held similar weapons but had decided the blast function suited them better. Josie was not armed since she had never fired such a weapon before, had no combat skills and had proven unable to lift the backpack, let alone wear it. Alpha had given her a small scanner and a pouch filled with bits and pieces. Not enough to make a weapon, but he had assured her the contents would prove useful.

"We've been detected," Tanya said. She was in direct contact with Alpha and Zordon. "Mondo has teleported the Mole to a docking bay."

"Face masks," Tommy ordered as Cogs fired smoke pellets into the large drilling machine.

"Josie?" Kat asked after a while.

"Mondo just ordered all Cogs to take up positions surrounding the Mole, but not to attack."

"See if you can get a schematic of this place," Tommy told her. "Tanya, find out if the Mole is still operational."

Meanwhile Jason had shifted towards the back of the vehicle, where its low base should have been in contact with the floor of the hangar; from the exterior view it had become evident that the hangars were above and below more vital areas of the Machine Base. Tommy and Jason were hoping they had ended up in one of the top bays.

"Hey, we have power" Tanya proclaimed.

They had assumed Mondo would disconnect the vehicle's power source when they had realised he would use it to trap them. Obviously he had not considered that a logical course of attack.

"Okay, program it to run drill through the hangars and take out as many Quadra-fighters as possible," Tommy told her, then wait here for our signal.

"Right," the Yellow Zeo Ranger agreed.

"Jase?"

"Mind your eyes," the former Gold Ranger warned as he flicked a switch on the modified Blade Blaster, causing the blade to become super heated. He plunged the blade into the base of the Mole, quickly cutting away a section to reveal the floor of the hangar. After a quick check around, he started to cut into the floor.

"Remember to angle it," Tanya called back to her friend. "Even Klank would notice a whole in the ceiling."

Jason grunted a response and continued his work.

Meanwhile Kat and Tommy had rigged up a pulley and clamp to lift the heavy decking up. As soon as Jason was through, they did so.

Supported by her ankles, Kat hung down into the corridor and fired at one of the surveillance cameras that were fortunately facing away from her. She was also grateful that her weapon had been adapted to use high frequency energy and not the noisy laser fire they normally possessed.

"We're clear," she told them as she flipped into to the ground and moved to the nearest corner, watching out for patrols.

"Let's go," Tommy whispered as Jason sat on the still warm metal and lowered himself into the corridor below.

Tommy followed and then he and Jason helped Josie down.

"There's a control room up ahead," Josie whispered as Tommy led the way.

"How many Cogs?"

"Four!"

Tommy nodded and made his way to a position where he could almost see in.

"Kat, can you pick off the two immediately beyond the door?"

Kat nodded and fired, frying the machines instantly. Jason and Tommy used the distraction to get close to the doors and as the remaining Cogs moved into range, they slashed them with their blades. After ensuring the cranial links had been severed, they gestured for Josie to move forward.

"I can get us into the computer from here," she announced.

"Good, shut down security between here and the cells."

"She can't," Kat interrupted. "If she does, she'll set off the alarms."

"Okay, find a way to synchronise them so they turn away as we approach and back again as we pass," Jason suggested.

"Can't" Josie told them after typing numerous commands. "Some of the cameras are fixed, others are heat sensing. There's no way to change their programming en mass."

"Okay," Tommy said after thinking for a while. "Are there any recycling centers between here and the cells?"

"You've been watching too many Star Wars films Bro," Jason teased.

"There's one not far from here, comes out two blocks away from the cells you need, but those cells are empty." She continued typing. "No cameras are operating inside the cells."

"So we could break through," Tommy realised. "Okay, Josie stay here and work on the machinery. Jason, you're her guard."

With that said he headed down the corridor with Kat in pursuit. Avoiding the few Cogs patrolling the next corridor, they opened the door to the trash compactor and moved inside. As the door closed, they heard the series of clicks from the stepper motor as it started the compression cycle. Even Mondo recycled to some extent; even machines created waste.

"I hope she times this right," Kat muttered as the walls started to close in and they made their way to the top of the pile. If Josie didn't get this right, Tommy and Kat would be crushed.

They waited as the walls closed in. Two meters ... one and a half ... one metre...

Then they came to an abrupt halt as Josie's programming kicked in.

"Ready?" Tommy asked.

Kat nodded and with his help, climbed onto Tommy's shoulders. Then using the dented walls for grips, she started climbing. Within a couple of minutes she reached the top of the compactor and taking a moment to catch her breath, converted her Blade Blaster to blade mode and drove it into the wall. She attached a small winch to the handle and lower a rope to her boyfriend.

Tommy gripped the rope and let the winch pull him up as Kat found her way into the maintenance shaft. She pulled herself along the shaft to the grill at the end where she could watch the comings and goings.

"Hurry up," she called back, startled when she heard the machinery moving once more.

"Oh no!" Josie cried as the screen went blank.

"What happened?" Jason asked.

"Somebody took notice of the change in routine," she answered. She looked down at her scanner. "We have Cogs incoming!"

Jason moved to the doorway, taking down the first Cog as it approached, severing it across the waist. He switched over to blaster rapidly, using the weapon to shoot out the floor so attackers could only approach from one direction. Then he crouched down and continued to fire, knowing that he could hit his opponents before they could get too close.

There was a crash at the back of the room and he heard Josie cry out a warning. He turned, as Cogs started to pour in from the back of the room. Josie was at his side and he shielded her from the onrushing forces. He blasted one, noting his blaster's battery was running low, converted it to blade mode and chopped another Cog's head off. He turned to stop attackers from the other side as a sharp blow caught him across the back of head. He looked up into the cold metallic face as a sharp boot rendered him unconscious and he was dragged away with Josie being dragged close behind.

Tommy was three quarters of the way up when the walls started moving again. He turned his body as the walls started to squeeze. The room was starting to turn black and there was a loud grating in his head. Then the walls stopped again, a loud hissing as the pressure was released and he continued his assent. He pulled the Blade Blaster from the wall and tossed it to Kat.

"What happened?" he asked.

Kat smiled and pointed to the machinery she had destroyed.

"Aw man, I guess they know we're here," Tommy realised.

Sure enough in the cell he could see the shadows of waiting Cogs.

"Well, no point in being subtle, right?" she asked.

Tommy nodded. "It's Morphin Time!"

"Zeo Ranger I - Pink!"

"Zeo Ranger V - Red!"

When they had discovered the truth about Mondo's ability to jam the Zeo Crystal, Tommy and the others had altered the frequency on their Zeonisers. But to prevent him knowing they had the advantage, the Rangers had decided not to morph until they needed to. Now seemed like a good time.

"Tanya, Plan C!" Kat ordered as the two Rangers burst from the maintenance shaft Zeo Pistols drawn and firing.

"Zeo Power Punch!" Tommy cried as he started punching his way through the metal walls while Kat blasted anything that came too near. Doing things this way was risky because they were outnumbered, but with the element of surprise gone, they had nothing to lose.

"Jason, Josie?" Kat called.

There was no response.

"Tommy, I can't reach them," she told her leader.

"Keep trying," Tommy told her as he impaled a Cog on the end of his Zeo V Power Sword. "We're almost there!"

He broke down the final wall and into the wide control center containing the doorway to Jen, Adam and Rocky's cell. It also contained a semiconscious Jason, a petrified Josie and a contingent of Mondo's Cogs.

"Jase!" Tommy exclaimed at the sight of his friend.

"Tommy, she betrayed us," Jason managed.

Tommy turned to the cell containing Jen, just as his uniform vanished and a laughing Mondo walked in.

"Seize them!" Mondo ordered.

Tommy and Kat ran to where Jason and Josie were being held, hoping to break their friends free. Their reward was Josie knocking them to the ground and walking to stand next to her master.

"Did it never occur to you Rangers, that my son would plant a second agent in case Jen's programming failed? He replaced the entire family. As you can see Josie was not activated by chance and is extremely loyal."

Josie stood proudly beside her master, ripping off the mask of fake flesh to expose her robotic self.

"And now I have all of you." He paused, counting silently. "Where's yellow?"

"She's in the hangar," Josie told him. "You'll find a hole in the bottom of their machine. Send some Cogs in there and you'll have her."

"Josie, how could you? They're our friends!" Jen was confused.

"Friends? Humans are not our friends, you little traitor. I was programmed to betray the Rangers. I can't help it if I enjoyed it."

"And now, I'll give you one more chance," Mondo said to Jennifer as he opened her cell door. "Destroy your enemies."

Jennifer looked at Rocky, then at her sister. She loved them both, but while Rocky was her boyfriend, she was a machine. She had mere seconds to decide where to place her loyalty. She freely gave it to the Earth.

"With pleasure," she said, her voice growing cold. "But first I want to kiss him."

She grabbed Rocky by the neck and pulled him into a hug, kissing him on the cheek as she whispered: "I'm sorry."

Then she lashed out at the nearest Cog, smashing it with her fist before charging her sister. The others took the opportunity and started fighting, Kat and Tommy using their Blade Blasters while Rocky, Adam and Jason fought hand to hand. In the background Jen and Josie were fighting, the two machines that had once been sisters were now bitter enemies.

Josie delivered a strong chop to Jen's chest. Jen responded with a punch to her sister's chin. They traded blows for a while until Jen in a move she had learnt from Rocky, rolled back and threw Josie over her. The momentum carried the machine into a waiting computer bank. Sparks flew as Josie was fried.

Before Jen could recover, she was overcome by pain. She fell to her knees and looked up to see Mondo hovering over her.

"I gave you a chance," he told her. "But you couldn't obey. So now I'll deactivate you and start again."

"Jen!" Rocky cried as Mondo blasted his girlfriend before shuffling out across the room. In an instant Rocky was at her side, cradling her battered form in his arms.

"It's too late," she told him.

"We can fix you," he answered, tears filling his eyes.

"Too late," she repeated, her eyes glowing brightly. "He destr..."

The light dimmed and went out.

"Jen!" Rocky practically howled.

Across the chamber Mondo laughed. "One down and more to go."

Rocky was angry now, but more and more Cogs were flooding into the cellblock. He wanted to destroy the metal monarch with his bare hands, but Jason and Tommy held him back.

"Kill them!" Mondo ordered.

"I wouldn't if I were you," Yellow Zeo said, as the picture of the Mole appeared on the screen as it tore through the hangars.

"You think I care about a few fighter craft?" Mondo laughed. "They can be replaced."

The camera angle widened, now showing Machina and Sprocket on the tip of the drill. "Can they?"

Mondo paused as if considering his options. "Let them go Ranger. I'll lower the forcefield."

Tanya seemed to agree and backed the Mole up, knowing Mondo would not dare to double-cross them now. Sure enough the shield came down and their powers were reactivated.

"Go, quickly!" Tommy shouted at the others as he and Jason grabbed a still struggling Rocky and teleported. Kat followed not far behind, Jen held firmly in her grip.

In the hangar bay Tanya took a final look around, noticing the Cogs as they attempted to gain access through the rear of the Mole. She wasn't having any of it though and after reactivating the drill to cause as much damage as possible, she too teleported away

Power Chamber

The Rangers didn't stop moving once they appeared in the Power Chamber. Alpha had taken Jennifer from Kat and teleported to another chamber; neither he nor Zordon had the heart to tell the Rangers that this was more to do with the threat of the bomb in Jen's body than any hope of reviving her. The others had barely uttered a word, teleporting straight to the Zord holding bays as the alarms sounded.

"Let me see," Jason ordered, his grief pushed to the background as he focussed on this new threat.

The Viewing Screen showed the Jet Megazord fully formed and heading towards the Power Chamber, a move the Rangers had been expecting; they had known that Mondo would not pass up the opportunity to follow up after delivering such a blow. Mondo besides being heartless was also well versed in the art of kicking an opponent when they were down. Even as the Mole tore through his launch bays, he was planning to send all his Quadra-fighters to Earth for one glorious strike.

"Zeo Zords deploy!" Tommy ordered, allowing the machines to move on remote control. Their task was simply to strike as many of Mondo's machines from the air before they caused damage to Angel Grove. "Super Zeo Zord power!"

The arrival of the Zeo Jet Megazord was heralded by hundreds of Cogs suddenly appearing in the desert beneath the Power Chamber. The Rangers' Zords tore down the mountainside, Zordon's protests about escalating the battle falling on deaf ears; as far as the Rangers were concerned, the Machine Empire had escalated the battle to the point where the events of the next few hours were perfectly justified.

The Zords stomped and blasted their way through the legions of Cogs, not even stopping until every Cog had been levelled. Super Zeo Zord I and II fired energy blasts from their chests, turning the rocky ground into a pool of molten metal.

And then they faced their own Zords. If Mondo had expected them to be reluctant to damage their own equipment, he was badly mistaken. The Super Zeo Zords ganged up on the Megazord, striking where they knew the weak spots to be and never ceasing until Super Zeo Zord V's sword sliced through its neck. Rocky used his Zord's arm blades to puncture the chest plates, drawing them downward until they hit the secondary cockpit. As the Rangers withdrew, the Massive machine collapsed, squashing a few straggling Cogs.

But the Rangers and especially Rocky were far from done. They were angry, driven by grief and a desire for justice as they directed their machines towards orbit. In space they their Zords combined to form the Super Zeo Megazord.

Mondo had apparently worked out what the Rangers intended as he recalled his Quadra-fighters to defend the Sky Base, but that didn't stop the Rangers. In fact it only spurred them onwards. The Zord bashed its way into the fortress, ripping through the hull with its might fists and then stomping down the corridors. The Zord was too big and too heavy to fit in a single compartment ad as they moved forward; they destroyed another four compartments in the process.

Mondo turned his base's defences against the behemoth Zord, but until now the Sky Base had never faced a direct assault where the intention was its destruction. The weapons failed to make an impact on the Super Zeo Megazord as it summoned its twin swords and started severing the junctions between the sections of machinery.

"Rangers, whut are you doing?" Klank demanded as the mighty machine summoned its double blades and ripped whole sections apart. It punched, kicked, sliced and blasted its way through girders ad support beams, raining wreckage down upon the Moon. Tommy summoned the Warrior Wheel and they threw it repeatedly against the rapidly diminishing base, for once not caring about the rules of the Power.

"Separate!" Rocky instructed. He was in charge of this; the other didn't have any objection to that.

They obeyed, summoning the Super Power Weapons and attacking in all directions. They tore down the mighty gears and laid waste to the workshops. Blue Zeo's machine ripped into Grommet's life support system, causing the prince's operating system to crash. Then from five angles they blasted the crumbling space base, pummelling it until it broke apart, the remains drifting into orbit around the Moon. They continued to fire until they were certain there was nothing salvageable, failing to notice as Sprocket, Machina and Mondo picked their way through the scattered remains as Klank and Orbus pulled their battered bodies free of the wreckage.

Finally it was over, but the Rangers didn't celebrate, there had been no real victory here. They teleported home.

Angel's Rest  
Month's later

The calm breeze blew the few leaves that had fallen in his path, but he didn't notice. His attention was as it had always been in this place, focussed on his destination and not on anything that might cause a distraction. He looked uncomfortable in the tailored blue suit that seemed too tight or too warm for the normally free spirit trapped within. In his hand he held a bunch of roses he hoped the recipient would appreciate, not that he would know if she liked them or not.

He took a deep breath as he approached, fighting as he always did the urge to flee and deny the truth mark so clearly on the stone cold face. Around him others bore the flowers of their loved ones making the place seem brighter than it would otherwise. Previous time when he had come to visit her he had given in to his urges and fled, leaving her there alone. But not this time. After almost six months it was time to face her.

Jennifer Sarah Belle  
Taken from us  
Missed by Mother, Father  
Beloved Sister

Rest In Peace

The words on the black gravestone didn't say enough in Rocky's opinion. How would people feel if they knew that she had died because she had dared to disobey Mondo? In his mind, Rocky could still see the pained expression as she fell to the floor. There had been no blood or burning, no outwardly physical sign of the pain she had felt. Mondo had stripped away her human appearance and yet she had shown more humanity than anyone he had ever met. And her eyes... The memory was still too strong for him to dwell on them, so he didn't. His fellow Rangers had helped him, but the pain was still a part of him. It didn't get much easier with time.

At first there had been anger. Rocky and his fellow Rangers had destroyed the Machine Empire that day. They had devastated the Machine Sky Base with their Zords and although Mondo had survived and was even now trying to rebuild, his forces were a joke among Galactic Society.

Zordon had been disappointed in them that day although he told them long before he expressed his feelings that he had never been prouder of them. They had done what others had never dreamed of and had triumphed. But it had been a hollow victory.

In hindsight he had done Rita and Zedd a favour when he had almost obliterated Mondo and his family. But Rocky had not been a killer and revenge was not a reason to kill. Even when he discovered that Mondo had survived he had managed to restrain himself from going off and trying again. A few days later Mondo and Machina had tried to counterattack by growing to giant size and marching through Angel Grove. The Rangers had been there and thanks to an old wand of Rita's, which they had managed to find in the Power Chamber's vast storage locker, they had grown to meet both the Machine army and Rita and Zedd's forces in combat. The Rangers had triumphed and just hours later Mondo and his family had been blown up by a booby-trapped present.

And then just like that the crutch he had been using to control his emotions had crumbled. Jennifer had been buried after Zordon and Alpha had confirmed that her memory had been wiped during the power loss. Her sister Josie had still been in the service of the Machine Empire when Rita had blown them up. Her grave was empty. Their parents had returned overseas after the Rangers had ensured they were not machines using a bio magnetic scanner that Alpha had rigged.

It had been a downhill slide from there, a mixture of self-loathing and a need to escape. He had shut his friends out, even Adam. After a few weeks he had stopped even responding to Zordon when Rita or Zedd attacked. The Rangers had managed as a group of four, despite Rita and Zedd's best attempts to take advantage of their loss. Jason had helped out when they needed a Zord, but without a permanent power source he was unsuitable to small-scale battles. Nobody had even suggested Jason take over as Blue Zeo. It was Rocky's post and one they had decided to relieve him of only if he asked or he proved dangerous.

Rocky had turned to drink. It had been unnoticeable at first, but the Rangers had soon realised that something other than grief was causing his strange behaviour. Then his mother had found him drunk and he had received a real wake-up call. Mrs DeSantos had made him promise never to turn to the bottle again and he had given his word. Because he had only been drunk a few times, the habit had been easier to break with the help of these around him. He had been sent to see Lita Kino, the psychologist who had helped Tommy after his experience at the hands of Mondo. She had been there for the rest of the team too.

She had helped him with his feelings and for a time had concentrated purely on getting back on his feet. Surprisingly the hurt did not seem so unbearable.

And now he was back on active duty, facing down Rita and Zedd whenever they attacked, but so far the Machine Empire had not dared to show its face. And with the aid of his friends, Rocky had finally come to terms with his grief. That had been three months ago and even though the memory hurt, it no longer consumed him. Now he had one more hurdle to face.

"Hi Jenny," Rocky said as he pulled the few weeds of the otherwise empty gravestone. "Sorry I haven't been here for a while, things... I'm sorry Jen, I couldn't face this place knowing what happened."

He placed the flowers in the vase and removed the dead ones that had dried up in the sun. Jennifer's parents had placed them there before they had left and they had not been back since.

"I know you can hear me Jennifer," Rocky said. "Somehow I know you're watching over us from a better place. I'm sorry you got caught up in the fight, that Mondo chose to use you as his pawn. I promise it won't happen to anybody else."

Overhead the clouds parted just enough for the sun to reflect off the gravestone and into Rocky's eyes. A feeling of great calm filled him and for the first time since entering the cemetery he felt at ease. He couldn't hear the words but he was certain he could feel their meaning. Rocky had always been sensitive in the ways of the spirit. He was realistic enough to understand he was probably reading too much into a natural event, but he was certain it was Jennifer's way of saying: "I love you."

A tear rolled down his cheek as the sun continued to shine and the breeze dropped. The cemetery was filled with silence as Rocky allowed his emotions to flow. He took his time, telling Jen the things that had happened in his life since he had last seen her, about his friends and his life. Throughout his very one-way conversation, the sun continued to shine on the gravestone. When he was done, he stood and took a final look at the grave.

"I'll come back soon Jennifer, I promise."

As he walked away, he knew that he would be back soon. He owed it to Jennifer to go on with his life. He wouldn't let her down again.

**The End**

Disclaimer: I do not own the Power Rangers, they belong to their respective copyright owners and are used here without permission. No money is being made from this fic. Thanks go out to Ellen Brand for allowing me to use parts from Shadow Dancers and a little from Personality Conflicts for this story.  
Authors Note: This is an alternate universe from the television show with an alternate timeline. In relation to the show, this would take place between the end of Zeo and the start of Turbo.

**Warriors in the Shadows**

On Earth, the teenagers known as the Power Rangers were enjoying a rare moment of Saturday relaxation with their friends. The Rangers, Tommy's adopted sister Chelsea Oliver, the former Gold Ranger Jason Scott, Rocky's girlfriend, Jennifer Collins, and Tommy's brother, David Trueheart, were all in their bathing suits, lying on the sands by the lake, not far from Ernie's Beach Club.

"Mmm," Tommy sighed. "This is the life. No monsters, no alarms, nothing but peace and quiet, right, Jase?" His question was answered by a soft snore. Lifting his head, Tommy realized that his best friend had dozed off in the warm sun. Gesturing to the others not to wake him, Tommy moved down the beach to join his friends, a few paces away from the slumbering Jason.

"Is it me," Chelsea asked worriedly, "or does Jason sleep a lot nowadays?"

Rocky DeSantos, the Blue Ranger, shrugged. "Well, you know, losing the Gold Powers took a lot out of him. He's going to need time to recover."

Chelsea sighed. "I know. It's just so hard for me to see him like this. I remember Jason as this incredibly energetic guy, who could stay up all night without a problem and who could outlast everyone at a party. Now he's so tired and washed out that it's scary."

The current Gold Ranger, Trey of Triforia, put an arm around his girlfriend. "Don't worry about it, Chelse. Jason's tough. He'll be just fine."

"I'm asleep, not dead," Jason groused, never opening his eyes. "Do you think you could keep it down?"

"I think you've slept long enough," Tanya Sloan grinned. The Yellow Ranger shot a mischievous glance at Adam Park, her boyfriend. The Green Ranger nodded his approval and moved into position. Tanya took Jason's ankles while Adam took his shoulders. Lifting him, they threw the bigger boy into the chilly lake.

"Whoof!" Jason spluttered, surging to his feet. "I'm going to get you for that!" Grinning, he swept a huge splash towards the shore, drenching everyone. Katherine Hillard, the Pink Ranger, shrieked and promptly charged into the water to give Jason a ducking. The resulting water war was so fierce that Tanya had to charge into the water to save her friend. Rocky promptly dived in to back up Jason. Tommy was watching from the sand and laughing when his communicator toned.

"Cut it out, you guys. Zordon's calling." Luckily, everyone on the beach knew that the six teens were the Power Rangers. "We read you, Zordon," Tommy sighed as the others gathered around him.

"Rangers, you must teleport to the Power Chamber, Zordon rumbled. "I have just received an incoming transmission from Aquitar, and it appears to be a matter of some importance."

The Rangers regarded each other worriedly. "Chelse, you should head home. Dave, Jen, you'd better come to the Power Chamber with us. We don't want Mondo or Zedd getting any ideas while we're gone, right?" The other three teens nodded, and the whole group teleported out.

When they reached the Power Chamber, the Rangers were somewhat startled to see a very worried Delphine on the viewing globe. "Delphine, what's the matter?" Tommy cried.

The Aquitian sighed. "Rangers of Earth, I am afraid I have some very bad news. Aquitar has been invaded by an evil organization known as The Shadow Empire. Unfortunately, they were able to slip through our sensors completely undetected. We did not even know of their presence until they kidnapped Billy."

"They what!" Jason cried, his jaw plummeting. "When? Is he all right?"

Delphine shook her head. "He was fixing a sensor array on one of the islands in the Nebian Sea when he was attacked by a wave of darkness. It fell on him and apparently carried him off."

"Delphine," Adam asked, "how do you know this? Was somebody with him?"

"No, Adam. You see, when Aquitians are in love, they share a telepathic bond. Billy and Cestria also have this bond, for despite the fact that he is human, he is also a gifted telepath. He simply repressed his ability because it would have been considered freakish by other humans. Cestria experienced everything that Billy felt through that bond, but now the bond seems to have been cut off. Cestria fears the worst; she has gone to her room and will neither eat or sleep."

"Well, we're not going to write him off so easily," Rocky replied grimly. "Do you know where he is?"

"Yes. On Sharia, the largest of our three continents, an inexplicable anomaly has arisen, a castle made entirely of obsidian. We could not sense it until just recently."

"Why were you unable to rescue him?" Trey asked, his eyes narrowed. As Lord of Triforia, he had had first-hand experience with the skill and courage of Aquitian warriors.

"The Shadows have somehow surrounded the castle with a desert, not a very big one, but too dry for any Aquitian to pass."

"But not for a human," Tommy finished, smiling.

"Indeed, but they have also planned for that. An energy-blocking field surrounds the castle. The barrier requires a link to the Morphin Grid, but had been designed to block Ranger powers, Morphin and Zeo."

"But we don't have a link to the Morphin power," Kat protested. "Our Power Coins were destroyed."

Delphine smiled. "Katherine, you may be unable to morph, but you still possess the Morphin energy. Once given, it never leaves your spirit. Unfortunately, your Zeo powers will not pass the barriers around the castle. We are at loose ends, Rangers of Earth. I hope that you can help us." With those words, Delphine signed off.

"Hmm," Tommy mused. "We need someone who has held the Morphin power, but not a Zeo Ranger." In unison, everyone turned to look at Jason.

"No, Rangers," Zordon boomed. "I am afraid that Jason is still simply too weak from his brush with the Gold Ranger powers. He would not survive this encounter."

"Then there's only one answer," Tommy declared. "I'm going."

"No way!" Rocky yelled. "You've got Zeo powers, remember?"

"So I'll give them to someone else."

"Tommy, let me go," Adam broke in. "We can't risk losing you."

Tommy shook his head. "Adam, I'm the leader. This is my responsibility. I chose to take it almost eighteen months ago, when I accepted Zordon's appointing me as White Ranger and leader of the team. Billy may no longer be on Earth, he may no longer wield a power, but he is still my teammate, and I owe it to him to go." He turned to his brother, stripping off his Zeonisers, "David..."

David's mouth fell open. "ME?" he shouted, jumping up. "I wouldn't even know what to do!"

"It's not hard, Dave." Tommy assured him. "You're already a martial artist, and the powers teach you everything you need to know about handling them. Just follow Adam's orders and you'll do fine."

David raised an eyebrow. "Adam's your second-in-command?"

"Yeah, why?"

"No reason. I just always thought it was Rocky."

Rocky snorted. "No thanks. I have enough hassle looking after my sibs." He walked up, forcing David to meet his eyes. "For what it's worth, I think Tommy's right. You can do this."

David nodded, swallowing the lump in his throat. "All right, I'm in. Listen, bro, don't get yourself killed out there, okay? I couldn't handle the responsibility."

Tommy smiled at his brother. "Don't worry, Dave. I'll be fine." He then turned to his sister, who was biting her lip in an effort to keep from crying. "Make my excuses to everyone. I'll be back soon, promise." Then he turned back to Zordon. "All right, Zordon, I'm ready."

"Then prepare to teleport, and good luck, Tommy." As the teleportation system took over, Tommy's form faded into a crackle of white light. Tanya's eyes narrowed. Was it her imagination, or was that white light faintly tinged with green?

Tommy's first sight as he reformed on Aquitar was five very worried Aquitian Rangers. Cestro in particular seemed upset, probably because he was closest to Billy and was very worried about Cestria, his niece. As he looked around, Tommy was mildly surprised to find himself in the Zord Holding Bay. He felt a slight twinge of loss as his eyes took in the sight of the old Shogunzords he remembered from from their Ninja days - straying for a moment on White Shogunzord - the Aquitians' signature Battle Borgs and their equivalent of the Thunderzords, The Sea Zords, the most recent addition to their arsenal and - Tommy remembered - one of Billy's designs.

As his vision cleared completely, he saw a familiar humanoid man in an odd white and black tracksuit. He stood in a corner, watching him in obvious bemusement.

"Tommy!" Delphine cried. "I am glad that you are here. But who then is serving as the Red Zeo Ranger?"

"My twin brother David. We met not too long ago. Adam's leader while I'm away anyway." He turned to the figure. "Dex? What are you doing here?"

"I was taking a respite from hunting down Dregon's forces," Dex told him, grinning slightly. "It is good to see you again, Tommy."

"You two have met?" Aurico asked.

"Back when Zordon's Rangers used the power of Thunder to upgrade their Zords, Tommy and most of his team came to Edenoi after receiving a distress signal." Dex said. "There were some... misunderstandings at first, but we parted as allies."

"You still haven't told me why you're here, Dex." Tommy put in. "I thought only Morphin Energy could get through the barrier."

Dex nodded. "Yes, though I took the liberty of trying for myself. I could not get through the barrier, even with Super Blue. Only pure Morphin Energy will do, my Ecto-accelerator alters it too much, I guess. So instead of trying to save the day, I have been filling the Aquitian Rangers in on what I know about the Shadow Empire, but with that desert in place there's little they can do."

"But I can get through the barrier." Tommy declared "So, let's sit and you brief me about these suckers, okay?" Dex nodded, a slight smile on his face. He waved his friend over to a chair at a nearby table and the two sat down.

"All right. The Shadow Empire is what you would call a criminal organization. They're responsible for many crimes around the galaxy, robberies, assassinations, you name it. Nobody knows exactly what they are. Some people speculate that they're an evolutionary dead end, some theorize that they were created by a wizard's spell gone wrong - or worse yet, gone too right. All anyone can agree on is that they are basically living shadows.

"They have a particularly nasty way of killing people. They reach inside you and absorb your spirit. Not your soul, but the energy that powers your life-force, which makes you live. I believe on your planet, it is called it Ki. Once the spirit is gone, the body is just a lifeless husk. Very nasty; I've heard it hurts like hell.

"They're solid, thank goodness, so they can't ooze through walls. However, they're amorphous, taking any form they want, as long as it's the same size. Not even the Shadows can violate conservation of mass. And, somehow, when they take someone's spirit energy, they can reach inside them. The solidity doesn't seem to matter."

Tommy bit his lip. "Anything else?"

"Yes. They are difficult to kill. Energy bolts do not even faze them. I would suggest a non energy bladed weapon if you're going in there. If worst comes to worst, you can chop the things apart. That should stop them. Do you know how to use a knife?"

He grinned. "Actually, yes. My sister taught me. Her martial arts class covered knives."

Delphine joined them. "Tommy, everything is in readiness for your trip to the castle. It's time to get going."

Tommy stood up. "Thanks for the information, Dex. Now let's see if I listened well enough to keep my skin intact."

"Good luck, my friend." Dex told him. "May the Power protect you."

In the newly formed Sharian desert, a mile or so away from the Castle of Shadows, Tommy Oliver appeared. Unfortunately, this was as close as the Aqutians' teleportation system could drop him without setting off the Shadows' sensors. Sighing, he checked his supplies and began to walk.

Not long afterwards, he came into sight of the castle and stopped, appalled. It was tall and jet-black, with twisted spires everywhere, a complete monument to evil. Staring at the desolation around him, Tommy suddenly remembered a line from the poem "Ozymandias," which he had read in English not long before. "And round the decay of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare, the lone and level sands stretch away." Shivering, he grinned slightly. "Looks like Rocky is rubbing off on me," he muttered. Continuing his walk, he soon found his way to the castle wall, but could find no door. After hunting around for a while, he found a black portal into the stone. Gingerly, he reached out and put his hand into it. The blackness was cold, but yielding. Gathering his courage, he stepped through and found himself inside the castle.

Tommy was surprised to find that the hallway he had entered was well lit with what appeared to be burning torches. "Makes sense," he muttered. "You can't have a shadow without some light to cast it." Stealthily, he crept down the black corridor, noting with some apprehension the dark, warped versions of himself reflected in the polished obsidian walls.

Despite his furtiveness, luck was not with Tommy. Rounding a corner, he came face to face with a sentry. It would be hard to say who was more surprised, Tommy or the Shadow. Tommy recovered first, however, pulling his knife from the sheath on his belt. His adversary was completely jet black, about the size of an orangutan, with a vaguely humanoid body structure. There all similarity to a human being ended, however. The creature's fingers and toes were tipped with extremely sharp talons and its head resembled that of a dragon, with empty pits for eyes, pits that seemed even blacker than the rest of it, if possible. Completing the picture was a long, whip-like, wickedly barbed tail. All in all, the Shadow had taken a form designed almost perfectly for fighting.

Recovering its aplomb, the Shadow launched itself at Tommy, loosing an inhuman screech. Faster than the eye could follow, Tommy struck with the knife, scoring a nasty slash along the thing's ribs. Although the cut was deep and did not disappear, nothing - neither blood nor ichor - leaked out of the wound.

~Damn!~ Tommy thought. ~These things don't bleed! Unfortunately, I do!~

Even as he thought this, the Shadow struck out with its claw-tipped hand, catching Tommy along the thigh. Even as the pain of the strike burned through him, Tommy was conscious of an intense cold beginning to radiate from the wound site.

~The cold of deep space,~ he thought incoherently, ~of shadows that have never known the sun.~

Shaking his head to clear it, he pulled himself back to the battle, but too late. Leaping from the ground, the Shadow struck Tommy in the chest. Its weight bore him crashing down to the flagstone floor. Unable to rise with the Shadow sitting on his chest, Tommy could only watch as the creature reached towards his heart, preparing to drink his spirit. Chittering obscenely to itself, the creature reached out and slipped its hand effortlessly into Tommy's chest. Tommy felt a piercing cold begin to spread through his body. The Shadow laughed triumphantly, began to absorb Tommy's spirit...

And howled. Not a howl of triumph, or ecstasy, but one of pure pain. Lying on the floor, looking up at the creature, Tommy tried to figure out what was happening. Suddenly, there was a bright flash, and the Shadow popped out of existence. Tommy was reminded of the way light bulbs expire. A brilliant burst of light, and then nothing.

Groggily, Tommy shook his head and picked himself up off of the floor. ~What in the world happened?~ he asked himself. Grinning, he answered his own question. ~I think I gave it indigestion.~ Sighing, he moved off along the corridor again. He had a friend to find, and if his recent dinner guest had managed to get off an alarm, he didn't have much time to do it.

Billy slowly swam to consciousness, only to discover that he couldn't move. As he came fully awake, he realized why. He had been completely encased in some kind of crystal. ~Interesting,~ he mused to himself, ~I don't seem to need to breathe. I wonder if this crystal is supplying my bodily needs? A crystalline life-support system.~ He kept his mind occupied with this for quite some time. It was certainly better than dwelling on what the situation was doing to his rampant claustrophobia. It was strange, but ever since he was a child, he had been uncomfortable in tight spaces. The only cramped area that had never made him at least slightly uneasy had been the cockpit of his Zord. ~Of course, in the Zords, you had a definite distraction,~ he thought wryly. ~Monsters were good for keeping your mind off of your fears.~ When the Rangers had brought Jason to the Power Chamber after he had been turned to gold by the Midas Hound, however, he had been so sickened at the thought of being frozen that he had almost been unable to help. His trips to and from Aquitar in those spaceships had been pure torture. ~Billy,~ he asked himself with a mental shake of the head, ~what is a guy who can't stand tight spaces doing on a water world when he can't breathe water?~ Sometimes he wondered about that decision. Love alone wasn't enough to explain it.

Outside the crystal, the Shadows were still running around, chittering at him occasionally. Now and then, one of the larger ones went past. One of those, around the size and general shape of a human, approached him now, and laid a hand on the wall of his prison. "Hello, Billy," it hissed. The Shadow's voice was cold and menacing, the type of sound you might hear if radio static could talk.

~How am I hearing him?~ Billy wondered. ~Does the crystal send vibrations to my ears? Or is it some sort of telepathic communication?~

The Shadow made a low, breathy sound that Billy realized, with some horror, was a laugh. "Something like that. I can hear you very well, at any rate. Oh, but don't expect your Aquitian girlfriend to be able to trace you here. The crystal prevents telepathic contact with anyone not touching it."

*What do you want?* Billy sent defiantly.

"Oh, Billy, you cannot begin to understand your usefulness to us. You are our hostage; with you in our possession, the Aquitian Rangers will not dare attack us. Your brain will also be a very great prize. Once we have absorbed your intellect, we will possess not only your incredible intelligence, but your telepathic skill as well! The Shadows will be able to enter any mind, any place, think through anything! We will reign supreme and sweep all lesser creatures from our path!"

*Oh, yeah, I've heard that one before,* came the sarcastic reply, accompanied by images of Zedd, Rita, and Mondo. The Shadow chuckled.

"You have a sense of humour. Most engaging. It will be most enjoyable when your essence has been absorbed into our beings."

Suddenly, the Shadow's head snapped up. "Oh, now this is interesting. A Morphin energy signature has just entered the castle. It looks as though your Aquitian friends are trying a rescue after all. I'm sure that their spirits will feed our hunger immensely." Suddenly, a howl cut through the castle, the sound of a creature in excruciating pain. "What was that!" the Shadow cried, its black eyes flashing. "That was no Aquitian! That spirit - hmm. Perhaps we can turn such a one to our advantage. Step up the treatment!" it called. "I want this one totally separated as quickly as possible!"

With those instructions ringing in his ears, Billy's consciousness swam back down into darkness. One thought followed him into oblivion: who had come to rescue him?

Some time later, Tommy made his way into the chamber where Billy was being kept. Upon seeing the crystal prison his friend was being kept in, he let out a strangled shout and ran across the room. "Oh, Billy," he sighed, heedless of the Shadows filling the room behind him. "Man, you've got to be spazzing out in there." Tommy had only seen his friend's reaction to confined spaces once or twice, but that was all it took. Billy's claustrophobia was not something to be taken lightly.

"Gee, Tommy, someone might almost think you were worried about me," Billy's voice drawled from behind him. Tommy turned, the hint of malice in the voice tipping him off that it would not be his friend he was facing. Behind him stood what appeared to be Billy, but his normally warm green eyes were ice blue and seemed to glow with an inner light. Plus, Billy's warm and open features were twisted into a mask of malice and disdain.

"Who are you?" Tommy asked suspiciously, staring at the figure before him.

"I'm Billy, just as much as that lump of meat in that crystal over there. I would have thought you'd know all about this sort of thing, Tommy, considering your never-ending troubles of the same sort."

Now Tommy understood what he was looking at. Somehow, the Shadows had distilled all the anger and pain in Billy to create the creature he was facing. Standing before him was Billy's dark side made flesh, and he was big trouble.

"Billy, I know you can hear me. I know you're in there somewhere, so listen to me. I'm here to help you, but I can't do it alone. You're going to have to help me. Billy, do you hear me?"

Shadow Billy's eyes flashed and in three quick strides, he crossed to face Tommy. "Oh, I hear you. The question is, why would I ever do what you say? You've always treated me like a second-class citizen. Well, I'm the one with the power now, and I'm finally going to use it." So saying, he back-fisted Tommy across the face, knocking the other boy to the ground. Raising his hand to his cheek, Tommy was not overly surprised to find a spot of freezing cold. Slowly, he lifted himself to his feet.

"Billy, listen to me. We are friends. I said a lot of things I shouldn't have, things I didn't mean, and things I know now aren't true. I was wrong to say those things, and I admit it. They're not true, Billy. That's why I want you to fight this. Not for me, but for you. Is this really what you want out of life? To be a Shadow?"

Shadow Billy's lip trembled. Sounding far more like Billy usually did, he sighed. "Shadows don't feel fear, Tommy. I'm so tired of being afraid, waiting for some villain to drop his monster of the day on me or my friends. I just want it to end."

"Billy, it's all right to be afraid. It's normal. The trick is not to let your fear control you. You never have. Shadows don't feel fear, true, but they don't feel pleasure, or love, or friendship, either. Are you going to run away from all your feelings just because you don't want to be afraid?"

"SHUT UP!" Shadow Billy cried, lunging at Tommy. Neatly catching the other by his wrists, Tommy swung his assailant around and pinned him against a wall. Ignoring the burning cold in his hands, moving himself so that he could look into Shadow Billy's eyes, he began to speak again.

"I know you're afraid of the dark side of yourself. The evil we're capable of is a scary thing. You're thinking, why not let the Shadows have it? But you can't do that, Billy. You can't separate the good and evil aspects of your personality. I tried to deny the dark side of myself once, and it almost ended up tearing me apart. The same thing will happen to you. 'A house divided against itself cannot stand.' Remember when we learned that in Freshman History?"

"Lincoln," Shadow Billy mumbled. "Abraham Lincoln said that."

"That's right. If you try to divide your spirit into good and evil, you'll collapse. You have to look at your darkness and accept it. Say 'That's what I can become, but I won't. I don't have to be the worst I can.' Look at yourself, Billy. You're not perfect, you're human. But is that really so bad?"

Shadow Billy stared into Tommy's eyes for a long moment, and then began to dissolve. Soon there was nothing left of him. That was when three things happened at once.

Tommy's hands, cold-burned by the contact with Shadow Billy, began to hurt in earnest.

The Shadows, who up until now had ringed the room, began to close in, chittering menacingly.

And the crystal which held Billy prisoner gave a shattering crack, and Billy tumbled free.

Tommy moved back to stand by the unconscious Billy, wondering how on Earth he was going to get them out of this one. He might be immune to the Shadows' spirit-drinking touches, but he very much doubted that the same could be said of Billy. Besides, the things still had very sharp talons and weren't afraid to use them. Desperate, he racked his brains looking for a solution.

Suddenly, things that other people had said to him came back in a rush.

Ninjor - Your animal spirits are a part of you.

Zordon - Ninjor has linked your Power Coins with your human energies.

Delphine - You still possess the Morphin energy. Once given, it never leaves your spirit.

"That's it!" he cried aloud. "The powers are still a part of us! Maybe I can call on mine!" Which left him with the question of which power to call? Only one color, White or Green, had bonded to his spirit and would respond to his call. The way the Shadows were advancing, he'd only get one shot at it. Time to find out which it was.

Closing his eyes, Tommy tuned out all external distractions, reaching inside himself for the energy he knew was there. When he found the core, he allowed it to flow through him. Now all that remained was to call it by name.

"Dragonzord!"

With a deafening reptillan roar, a flash of green light filled the room. When it cleared, Tommy stood garbed all in green. Loose green pants, a green tunic top, green split-toed ninja boots, and a green headband. In his hand was a green-handled katana. Set into the middle of the chest of his uniform was a large golden coin, emblazoned with the symbol of the Panther. Smiling wickedly, Tommy, now the Green Morphin Warrior, turned towards the Shadows and hefted his katana. "Let's rock." The Shadows charged him, and the fight was on.

Billy slowly awoke to the sounds of chittering and "sie-kyuh!" "That must be Tommy," he mumbled, pushing himself off of the floor. "He's the only person I know who says 'sie-kyuh,' instead of 'ki-yah.'" As his vision cleared, Billy looked up to see Tommy clad in a strange green uniform. It somewhat resembled the uniforms that the team had worn as Ninja Rangers, but Tommy's face was completely visible. ~It looks like a Ninjetti uniform,~ Billy thought to himself, having read legends about the warrior race that once protected the Great Power. Even as he rose to his feet, Billy saw Tommy looking back at him.

"Nice of you to wake up," Tommy grinned, slicing through yet another shadow that had leapt at him. The two halves of the creature fell to the ground and disappeared. "I was wondering, do you think you could give me a hand with these guys? I don't think I can hold them off all by myself."

"What am I supposed to do," Billy asked sarcastically. "Beat them over the head with a pocket calculator? I don't have any powers, remember?"

"Yes, you do! Remember how Zordon told us both, the various times we lost our powers, that we would always be Rangers?" Tommy asked, never pausing in his battle.

"Yeah, so?"

"He didn't mean just in an honorary sense. Billy, the Power is still part of us, and we can still morph! All you have to do is reach down inside yourself and call on your power."

Billy thought about this for a long moment, while Tommy hacked and slashed, keeping the Shadows at bay. Then he reached down inside himself, looking for the core of Blue energy inside him. Suddenly, a long, liquid howl burst from Billy's throat. It sounded so frightening and wolf-like that the Shadows backed away in fear. A burst of brilliant sapphire light filled the room, and when it faded, Billy was the Blue Morphin Warrior.

His outfit was different from Tommy's. Billy wore a solid blue bodysuit somewhat like the uniform he had worn as Blue Ranger. His knee-high boots were a darker blue, as was the vest of an almost Kevlar-like material that covered his torso from shoulder to waist. Set into the center of the vest was a golden coin on which was emblazoned the symbol of the wolf. On a belt, he wore a laser pistol, and covering his eyes was a light blue visor.

"Nice outfit," Tommy grinned.

"Shut up and fight," Billy shot back, stifling his own smile. Pulling his pistol out of his belt, he aimed at the press of Shadows homing in on them.

"Um, Billy, I don't think a laser pistol's going to be much good against these guys. They eat laser bolts for breakfast."

"Just watch," Billy smirked. He pulled the trigger and a blue beam of light shot out. Where it touched the Shadows, it produced a zone of absolute zero. Even the Shadows could not survive total molecular stasis. The unlucky ones struck by the beam instantly disintegrated.

"Wow," Tommy managed, suitably impressed.

"What now?" asked Billy. "We fight our way out of here?"

Tommy shook his head. "We blow this place sky high. Find me the power center of this castle. Your visor can do that, can't it?"

Billy nodded, and began scanning. "Out that door!" he pointed.

"Then let's go!"

Billy thought later that even if he lived to be a thousand, he would never forget the two of them making their way down the hall. He shot at everything that moved, unless it was green. Shadow after Shadow was destroyed, but there seemed to be no end to them. Tommy seemed to be everywhere at once, slicing, thrusting, and wearing a berserker's grin. As for the Shadows, they seemed to have no strategy at all, simply attempting to bear the two boys down under the weight of their numbers. Billy realized that the intelligent ones, like the one who had spoken to him earlier, must be keeping well back from the fray, sending what amounted to drones after the two Rangers. Finally, the boys reached a barred door which Billy's visor told them was the computer room. Two quick shots with Billy's pistol, and the door was history. They ran inside, and oddly enough, the Shadows did not follow.

Once in, Tommy and Billy both stopped dead. They couldn't help it. Towering above them was the biggest Shadow they had yet seen, a huge amorphous blot of darkness which twisted and writhed constantly. Billy looked away, nauseated, but Tommy could not tear his eyes from it. It sickened him, but it fascinated him, too.

Yesssss, the thing hissed, in the most awful voice Billy had ever heard. It somehow conjured up images of nails on a chalkboard, screams of pain, and Lord Zedd's mocking laughter. I see you are a mighty warrior, young Shadow. With a horrified start, Billy realized that the thing was addressing Tommy.

"I'm not a Shadow," Tommy replied, but his voice lacked conviction.

Of course you are, my child. Look into your heart. The light in there is equal to the darkness, no more, no less. It has always been thus with those of the Green Morphin Power, and some of those swell our ranks. Come to us. Join with us. I know that you are tired of struggle, tired of fighting. Come to us, and be at peace.

"No..." Tommy shook his head, but more in confusion than in denial. "I have to fight. I - owe it to my friends."

What friends? Those Rangers back on Earth? The girl who deserted you? The inexperienced child with no conception of who you have been? The silent Adam, who watches you with such disdain? Rocky, who could never be smart enough to comprehend what you have experienced? Perhaps you mean Jason, who was quite content as leader of the Rangers - before you came along. Or perhaps - and here the thing's voice began to drip malice - you are referring to the genius behind you, who mistakenly blames you for all the failures in his life. None of these are your friends. They laugh at you, they have no conception of your abilities. They would all be happier without you, and tell yourself the truth, Tommy. Wouldn't you be happier without them?

"No..." By now, Tommy's voice was almost nonexistent, and his eyes were dead and despairing. Billy could see how close he was to crossing over.

"Tommy!" he shouted. "Don't listen to it! It's lying to you. You know Adam respects you, and Rocky's not that stupid. Naive, yes, but not stupid. Tanya already thinks you're one step away from perfection; she didn't need to know you very long for that. And Katherine? You were dating her on the rebound anyway, neither of you deserve that, but she still loves you. Jason, well, Jason might miss being in charge, but he doesn't resent you for that. When Gasket had you, Jason was the one pushing to find you. He could have stepped into your shoes as leader then, but he didn't.

"As for me," and here Billy's voice grew quieter, "I don't blame you for the failures in my life. I don't blame anybody. Time spent in that crystal gave me time to think. I've had bad luck, with women and life in general. You risked your life and spirit to save me. How could I hate you after that? We've been best friends before, and I would hate to see that go. C'mon, Tommy. Fight it."

"I - I -" Tommy looked confused. Sensing that it was losing its prey, the Shadow switched tactics.

What do these friends of yours know of your weariness, of the fear and pain you feel? You are Shadow, always walking the thin line between dark and light. To fall in either direction will cost you yourself. Come to us, and the fighting will stop. No dark, no light, only twilight and eternal shadow. Pulling from the part of Billy's mind that it had absorbed, the Shadow began to quote. "What pleasure can we have to war with evil? Let us alone. Time hurries onward fast. All things are taken from us and become part and parcel of the dreadful past." Come to us, Tommy, and all your pain will cease.

"'Why should we only toil, who are the roof and crown of things.'" Billy whispered, quoting from the same poem. "Tommy, I know you're tired of walking a tightrope, but falling to the Shadows is not a solution. Remember what you said to me? Shadows don't feel pain, but they don't feel anything else, either. Can you live without love?"

You don't have to, the Shadow crooned. Come to us, and we can give you what you really want. A girl stepped out, 5'2", with auburn hair and brown eyes. Tommy gasped. The form the Shadow had chosen was that of Kimberly Hart.

"Tommy?" she asked, mimicking Kim's voice perfectly. "I want you to come with me. I miss you."

"Kimberly," Tommy croaked.

"Yes, Tommy. I'm sorry I hurt you so badly. Can't we kiss and make up?" She smiled, a perfect copy of Kimberly's smile. Billy felt sick. She was Kimberly down to the last detail - except her eyes. They were cold and flat, the eyes of an animal. Would Tommy see? He hoped so, but he couldn't interfere. And distraction now might snap Tommy's tenuous resistance to the Shadow's lure.

Tommy smiled shyly. "I'd like that, Kim," he replied, his voice full of meaning. Smiling again, she crossed towards him, ready to take him in her arms and kiss him into oblivion - literally.

Except when she came within arms' length, Tommy's katana whipped out, cutting her deeply across the chest. Looking into the gaping wound, the two boys could see nothing. No blood, no bone. This Kimberly was definitely not human. Her eyes burning, the Kimberly-thing lost all colour and definition, becoming yet another Shadow.

"You're not Kimberly. Kim would never willingly serve a monster. It's one of the things I love about her," Tommy declared coldly. "You almost had me there, but showing me Kimberly reminded me how much I love my friends and family. I'm not such a coward as to give up when I get tired. Nice try." He turned back to Billy. "Thanks, man."

Billy smiled at his friend. "Hey, no problem. What are friends for?"

Tommy grinned. "Great. Find me that power core and we can blow this pop stand."

Billy swallowed. "Um, Tommy? My readings show that giant shadow is the power core."

Smiling nastily, Tommy cracked his knuckles. "Well, then, Billy, take some of these charges and plant them. I don't think that thing can attack us; if it could have, it wouldn't have wasted any time trying to convert us."

"What about the little ones?" Billy asked nervously, a little frightened by the vengeful expression on Tommy's face.

"Shoot 'em."

What followed was straight out of a nightmare. Billy thought that he was going to be pulled down by a horde of the little Shadows, but somehow he managed to plant all the charges. He signalled to Tommy, who had just finished planting his last one.

"Okay, let's go!" The two boys rushed out of the castle, little Shadows at their heels. Behind them, they could hear the explosions start, ripping through the castle like a kid on Christmas morning. They vaulted out of the portal, only seconds ahead of a huge fireball which fried all of their pursuers. Tommy and Billy lay on the sand for a moment, stunned. Then Billy picked himself up and looked at his friend.

"Well, that was fun, Tommy. But what are we going to do next weekend?" The two boys burst into giggles. They were still laughing when the dry weather pattern that the Shadows had instituted to create their desert broke up. The sudden downpour of rain only made them laugh harder, ecstatic with the knowledge that the fight was finally over. When the Aquitian Rangers teleported in to see what had happened, they found the two Rangers soaked to the skin, laughing uncontrollably in the gentle rain.

Upon their return to the Alien Ranger's headquarters, Cestria ran to Billy and threw herself into his sodden arms. "Billy! You're alive!"

Billy, still in his Morphin Warrior costume, wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly. "Yeah. Thanks to Tommy."

"And I see," Delphine broke in with a smile, "that the two of you have discovered your Morphin Warrior powers. These powers have bonded with you, making you stronger. While you are not so powerful as true Rangers, you should have the ability to defend yourself against most threats."

"Delphine, I don't understand something," Tommy frowned. "Why didn't Zordon tell us about this when we lost our Power Coins?"

"Because, Tommy, the Morphin Warrior powers do not provide you with the strength or durability that you need to fight Zedd's monsters. You see, no Ranger can tap the Morphin Grid without a transformation artefact. The power needed to make a Ranger is simply too strong to be fed into a living being without some sort of filter. Now you are drawing unfiltered Morphin power, and therefore can draw only about half of what your coins would provide. Most users of this power would be lucky to draw a tenth of that."

Tommy nodded. "I see. We couldn't have faced Mondo with our old powers, much less partial strength ones. The Zeo crystal was necessary to be strong enough to fight the Machine Empire. One thing that still puzzles me, though is why that Shadow couldn't absorb my spirit. It reached inside my chest and then went poof!"

"I can answer that," replied Dex, coming to the front of the gathering. "From your outfit, Tommy, it would appear that you are a Green Warrior, right?"

"According to what the Power's telling me." Tommy agreed.

"Well, every power of light must have a shadow. The Green Power is the shadow of the Morphin spectrum. The Green Rangers have all walked the line between dark and light. The Shadows couldn't absorb a shadowed spirit, and it was like you or me biting into an iron file hidden in a loaf of bread."

"I think it was more than the Green Power doing that," Billy interjected, startling them all. "When you integrated your personalities after Mondo tried to turn you into his mind slave, it resulted in a total integration of darkness and light, making you pure shadow."

Chewing on his lower lip, Tommy considered that. "I get it. Thanks, Billy."

Billy smiled. "No problem, man. It's what I'm here for."

Tommy shook his head. "You're here for more than that, Billy. You'll always be a Ranger, and I'll always be proud to have you on my team."

After a few more explanations and a round of goodbyes, Tommy was teleported back to Earth. The desert, he was assured, would soon return to its former rain forest state under Aquitian ecological management.

Some time later, Tommy watched the stars appear, tracing the old, familiar patterns with the ease of long acquaintance. He didn't even look away as another boy slid down the desert slope next to him. "Hey, man," Rocky DeSantos called quietly. "What are you looking for?"

Tommy chuckled. "Nothing, really. Just looking. Rocky, do you ever think about those stars? How they're a part of us? People used to navigate by them, and use them to tell time, did that for hundreds of centuries. They hardly seem to change, so you're seeing what your ancestors saw a hundred or a thousand years ago. Through our stars, we're connected. But Billy's on Aquitar, looking at stars no human has ever seen. I was just thinking how lonely that must be."

"Hmm," Rocky mused, coming to sit by Tommy. "You miss him, don't you?"

"Yeah. I didn't think I would at first. When he left, I figured it'd heal over, like losing Jason, Trini, Zack, and - and Kim. It didn't. It still hurts. I guess - he was my last link to the past, like Lita said. With him gone, I'm sort of adrift. Jason's great, but he's not part of the team, and he seems so distant now. I miss Billy, a lot."

"Did you work things out between you? I mean you two have had your differences."

"Oh, yeah we did. That probably saved our lives. If I hadn't forgiven him, he would have stayed a Shadow, and if he hadn't forgiven me, I would have been one. I never realized how much of a rock Billy was, always. He was calm, he was rational, even when the rest of us were freaking out. I didn't know how much I needed it until he was gone."

Rocky put a comforting hand on his friend's shoulder. "He's still alive man, and he's still our friend. No distance - no amount of stars between us - can change that."

Tommy smiled. "You're right, Rocky. Thanks."

"No problem, amigo. De nada." The two boys fell silent then, staring up at the desert sky for many hours, thinking of friendships lost and found. Above them, the stars shone on.

** End of Part**

Disclaimer: I do not own the Power Rangers; they belong to their respective copyright owners and are used here without permission. No money is being made from this fic.  
Authors Note: This is an alternate universe from the television show with an alternate time line.

**The Birdcage Bandit**

It had been a quiet day, something that should have worried the Rangers. The Rangers had gathered, along with Jason and were enjoying the afternoon spent with friends in a quiet place. Quiet that is until the door flew open and Ernie, the portly yet cheerful owner of the Juice Bar entered, carrying an oversized brown box that threatened to fall over at any moment. The top had already been opened and packing material was spilling out onto the normally clean floors.

"Hey Ernie," Kat greeted as she stepped up to support one corner of the box and guiding it towards one of the tables.

"Let us help you with that," Tommy offered, taking another corner.

Ernie nodded his thanks and ordered the teens a round of drinks on the house as he settled down to open the boxes.

"I think I know what you're missing, Ernie," Rocky joked to the owner of the Juice Bar a few minutes later. "There's supposed to be a bird in one of those!"

Ernie grinned back and put the large brass bird cage, which he had just removed from one of the huge boxes that still seemed to be spilling packing peanuts, onto the counter in front of the group of teenagers. "Very funny, Rocky" Ernie said, "but it's a birthday present for my great-aunt Meryl."

"It certainly looks pretty" Katherine said, as she carefully traced a finger along the swirls and bird designs that had been formed in parts of the metal frame, "and fairly old too, wherever did you find it?"

"I have a friend who was over in Mexico, and he knew I have a weakness for these sort of things," Ernie said, as he himself looked at all the swirls and gesturing to the other boxes and their odd contents. "This is an El Tweeto original, he was a very famous maker of bird cages ages ago, and they are all highly detailed."

"Has your great-aunt got a lot of birds, Ernie?" Adam asked.

"Only a few, but she has a Mexican blue-wing that would really like this" Ernie replied, "I just need to get it polished up".

"Can we help?" Kat asked her, eyes perky. Beside her Adam smiled towards Ernie.

"Sure, that would be great!" Ernie replied, handing the cage to Rocky while he went out back to find the necessary cleaning materials.

"Eep!" squeaked Rocky, and everybody turned to see that the spring on the cage door had snapped back to catch his finger.

The red-tinted image played out, showing Adam, Katherine and Rocky carefully polishing an ornate bird cage, sitting together in a corner of the Juice Bar while their friends were otherwise engaged. A vocal "Hmm" sounded over the image, it belonged to Lord Zedd who was viewing the scene through the visor of his mask while reclining lazily on his throne. His staff lay haphazardly to one side.

"Did you call Lord Zedd?" Finster asked, sticking his large nose around the door before entering, a small vial in his hand. He approached his master, bowed and offered the vial. "It is a small Energiser Potion," he explained.

"Perfect," Zedd sighed once he had drained the contents. "Have you shared this with Rita and those other buffoons?"

Finster nodded.

"Good, in that case tell Goldar to take some Putties bring me that bird cage," he ordered, expanding the vision so Finster could see it.

"At once Lord Zedd," Finster said as he hurried away. "I will recover the Molecular Scrambler for you too."

In a corner of the Juice Bar, the birdcage that Rocky, Adam and Katherine had spent hours on was really starting to gleam. "So, I meant to ask, how did you first trip to Careers Guidance go?" Katherine asked, as she dabbed her cloth once more into the pot of polish.

Tommy and Jason had gone off somewhere, mentioning something about a bet that Tanya had been quick to volunteer as judge.

"Not bad," Adam replied, "though I think it's strange that Rocky, Tommy and I were all told in the initial interview about jobs in the new NASADA complex."

"Yeah" Rocky added, jokingly "It's like there's some sort of government conspiracy to get us recruited"

Adam grinned, leaned in conspiratorially and whispered: "Maybe they've uncovered our secret. Now they want to duplicate the powers to help out on 911 calls."

The teens' laughter carried across the room, down the hallway and into the changing rooms, where it mingled with the sound of warbling from putties.

"Quiet!" Goldar ordered as he emerged along with a collection of Putties. Any attempt at stealth was abandoned as the first human spotted them and screams. Goldar groaned and then shrugged "Let's go!"

"Watch your backs" Katherine called out as the last of the patrons of the Juice Bar ran through the doors, leaving only Katherine, Adam and Rocky to halt Goldar and his company of Putties.

The three teens drew close and assumed a fighting stance. "I don't know what you're up to," Rocky said, pointing at Goldar, "but we're going to put a stop to it anyway!"

Goldar simply grunted, while the putties grouped around him, preparing to strike. "Foolish humans," he replied.

"Putties attack them." Three Putties charged forward, and swung punches towards the teens, who defensively blocked and landed their own blows. Immediately several more Putty Patrollers responded, charging forward.

Katherine dived across a tabletop, and swung around on the far edge to kick up into a Putties chest, sending it flipping backwards, before she hopped off the table.

Reacting with his usual speed, Rocky blocked a Putty's kick, while simultaneously dodging another's punch. Still holding the Putties leg, the Blue Zeo Ranger rolled to the ground, pulling the putty over and causing its back to hit its fellow Putties vulnerable Z spot as it tripped. As the first Putty exploded Rocky swung around to deliver a critical punch to the second.

Meanwhile, Adam sent a heavy kick into a Putty, sending it stumbling backwards, allowing him to launch forward with a jumping sidekick that landed an obliterating blow. As he landed, another Putty tackled him from behind and bought the teen crashing in, and through, one of the Juice Bar's table.

Rocky charged towards Goldar, ducking a swipe from the warrior and straightening up to deliver a quick kick to the ribs. Rocky delivered a chop to Goldar's plated chest, before being forced backwards by a swing of Goldar's fist. From across the room, where Katherine and Adam were still defeating Zedd's putties, a warbled cry carried over, Goldar looked over and saw one of his patrollers waving the birdcage in the air.

Goldar roared with laughter.

"I could destroy you now, Rangers" Goldar growled.

"But Lord Zedd has better plans for you." With that he tapped a fist to his chest and, along with the remaining putties, was enveloped in flames as they teleported away.

Power Chamber

"And then Goldar tapped his chest and they teleported away," Adam explained.

After the attack the three Rangers had contacted Zordon and the other Rangers before teleporting to the Power Chamber and telling their tale. That Goldar had left after stealing the birdcage was both a clue and a warning to be on alert. It had been some time since they had dealt with one of Rita and Zedd's transmogrified monsters.

"This is indeed bad news Rangers," Zordon said. "I dread to think what Lord Zedd might attempt."

"I am afraid Alpha that Lord Zedd is far more powerful than that. I am certain that even weakened he will find a way to accomplish his aims. However, I do not believe that Zedd will be able to create a monster from the bird cage using his magic."

"He's right," Jason said. "I remember Zedd, he usually needed something living to work with."

"Hey that's right," Tommy agreed.

"So then why did he take it?"

"Rita can bring objects to life, so can Zedd," Kat told them. She should know; the transformation she had undergone in recent times had left her feeling more confident, but had also opened up forgotten memories along with her suppressed abilities. The training she had received from the Rangers' allies had helped her.

"Oh ai-yi-yi, why can't anything be simple?" Alpha moaned.

"Ready when you are Lord Zedd," Finster said, holding the empty birdcage to one side.

"Not even Zeddy can mess this up," Rita commented.

"Silence woman," Zedd snapped. "I am more than capable of aiming."

Rita muttered something as Zedd lifted the device, which resembled a heavily modified super shooter and fired.

"I thought you were making a monster," Rita said as she laid eyes of the result. "What do you call this, a Bird Cage Bandit?"

Zedd just laughed.

The alarms in the Power Chamber sounded, alerting the Rangers of a new threat. The Viewing Screen conveniently showed the monster as it made its way through the city of Angel Grove, assaulting the innocent citizens.

"Lord Zedd has unleashed the Bird Cage Bandit on Angel Grove," Zordon boomed. How he knew the monster's name was anybody's guess.

"It's Morphin Time!"

"Zeo Ranger I - Pink!"

"Zeo Ranger II - Yellow!"

"Zeo Ranger III - Blue!"

"Zeo Ranger IV - Green!"

"Zeo Ranger V - Red!"

Alpha pushed a button and the Power Chamber transported them to where the Bird Cage Bandit was rampaging.

"That was not supposed to happen, was it?" Blue Zeo asked as he and his leader recovered from the shock of losing three teammates inside the first minute of a battle. They had arrived ready for battle, but had been caught off guard by their opponent's special power. ~Or maybe it was his goofy accent.~

The Blue and Red Zeo Rangers stood before Zedd's newest monster, a sombrero-adorned creature with a rusty birdcage where its head and torso should have been, and wearing a large curtain of garish fabric along its back and sides. Inside the cage were several small figures, including miniature versions of the Green, Pink and Yellow Zeo Rangers.

"It's over, Bird Cage Bandit!" Red Ranger shouted, pointing straight at the monster, "Release our friends!" That was so Tommy, total confidence even when the most uninformed bystander could tell that the monster had the upper hand.

"No way, senor!" Bandit squawked back, and charged forward, knocking into the two Rangers and causing them to stumble away.

Rocky was first up and leapt towards Bird Cage Bandit, connecting with a powerful punch that sent the monster sprawling. Tommy got to his feet and started swinging punches and kicks, knocking the already troubled monster back to the ground.

The Bird Cage Bandit swung an ill-placed punch, and Tommy jumped back out of the way, clearing it easily. As Tommy and Rocky regrouped, the Bandit rolled backwards and, wobbling, got to its feet.

Without another word, the two Zeo Rangers charged forward. The monster swung its fist towards Tommy. Seeing it coming, the Red Ranger ducked, leaving an opening for Rocky to deliver a dropkick to the Bandit's cage, which knocked the monster backwards. Rocky scrambled over the monster and pulled open the little door in the monsters' side. As he did so several beams of light shot out, and when they landed formed the shapes of the previously trapped Zeo Rangers and members of the public.

"Run!" Pink Ranger shouted to the recently removed citizens, then clenching a fist to her chest added "We'll take care of him from here!"

"Zeo Cannon!" they called, unifying their collective powers as the heavy-duty weapon appeared and they went through the usual loading routine. "Fire!"

"I told you this was a bad idea!" Rita shrieked.

"Silence woman," Zedd snarled, "my monster is more than up to the task; he just needs to grow a bit!"

He lazily tossed a bomb out off the balcony and watched as it was guided to target. Bird Cage Bandit grabbed the metallic bomb and tossed it on the ground, releasing the growth spell in the process.

"We need Zeo Zord power, now!" the Rangers called.

They waited as their mighty battle machines rode and flew into action. But they were not the only ones waiting. When he saw the Rangers preparing to teleport, the monster had activated his new abilities, trapping the five battle machines inside a magical cage. The Zeo Megazord formed, but could not reach beyond the bars and with the Rangers unable to teleport in, it lacked the intellect to find a way around the trap.

"Zordon, we need the Super Zeo Zords instead," Adam called.

"Wait, I have an idea," Tanya said.

Usually strategy fell to the Green and Red Rangers, but that in no way meant Tanya was not smart enough to think of something. Switching to a private channel she told the others her idea.

"Good plan," Tommy agreed.

"Yeah," Rocky agreed. "We'll distract him with the Super Zeo Megazord and Warrior Wheel while Tommy uses the Red Battlezord to break that cage open."

"Rocky!" Kat hissed. "Don't tell everybody."

"Let's do it guys!" Tommy called. "Red Battlezord!"

"Warrior Wheel!" the others cried before teleporting to the Super Zeo Megazord while Tommy transferred to his personal one man-punching machine.

"Oh no you don't amigo!" Bird Cage Bandit announced, extending the cage to capture the Red Battlezord.

The monster and Super Zeo Megazord faced off, the latter seeming to take more of a beating than normal. In a surprising move, the monster threw its sombrero at the large robot and completely engulfed its head.

"See if you like my cuckoo punch, senor!" it said as its fist flew at the Zord on the end of a large spring. Sparks flew as the fist returned to its starting position ready to strike again. "I think I have outsmarted you."

"I think you're wrong," Tanya answered. "Or have you been watching your cage?"

Bird Cage Bandit turned suddenly and was confronted by the fully formed Mega Battlezord. The twin shoulder cannons pumped out bolt after bolt of destructive energy, trashing the cage.

"Disengage!" Tommy ordered.

The Mega Battlezord disassembled as the three Megazords took up a triangle formation and started throwing the Warrior Wheel between them.

"No way José!" the monster wailed, throwing his sombrero over the Warrior Wheel and then blasting both the Super Zeo Megazord and the Red Battlezord.

The Zeo Megazord fell back into its battle stance, as the giant-sized Bird Cage Bandit charged towards them. The Bandit lunged, striking down with a heavy chop and forcing the Megazord to the ground. Inside the Megazord warning lights flashed as the alarms sounded.

The Bandit once again reached to its side and opened the small door. A fastball of light shot out and circled in the air before forming into a giant, fiery bird. As the Zeo Megazord got to its feet, the bird swooped and hit the Megazord in the chest, erupting in sparks.

"Finish it!" Tommy yelled as the Zeo Megazord collapsed.

The other Rangers seemed to agree with his order because mere seconds later their combined blades sliced through the Bird Cage Bandit, cleaving it in half. It exploded, leaving the four battle machines to regain their balance and bask in a moment of victory.

"Here you go, Ernie" Katherine said cheerfully, handing over the sparkling clean birdcage. It had taken all the Rangers, and Alpha's, help to get all the dents and grime off it following the battle, but now it gleamed.

"Wow, good job guys!" Ernie exclaimed, then looked solemn "it's amazing how something can be so beaten up, but still be fixed quickly"

Rocky merely grinned as he said "You have no idea, Ernie". With that all five teens began chuckling.

** End **

Disclaimer: I do not own the Power Rangers. They belong to whomever owns the copyright. Not profit is made from this piece of writing, it is purely a fanwork.

**Freedom**

Pragmia was a small world surrounded by a thick field of dust and asteroids, some so large that outsiders believed they were moons when in fact they were the remnants of the system's other planets, or at least those that had not been obliterated by the explosion that had ripped the system apart. Before that time there had been thirteen worlds circling two suns, but over time even the light from the once vibrant stars had diminished as the first had erupted as a supernova while its twin had somehow managed to survive as an incredibly large and extremely cold Red Giant. As the sole surviving planet, Pragmia bore the scars of the atrocities that had taken place in the distant past, the day that the forces of good and evil, and those who stood somewhere in the middle, had united to stop an unimaginable threat from completing a ritual to gain ultimate power.

It was said that the oldest descendants of the original demons that infested the universe resided in caverns buried deep inside the planet. Here they slumbered, waiting for the day when their underlings defeated the forces of light and they could claim their prize. Of course their plan was flawed since those underlings that had not been destroyed, vanquished or imprisoned, had betrayed their masters. Unable to awaken the sleeping villains had become a source of power for other demons and their spawn, such as Xett and his horde of demons. Some had found a way to steal the power of the beasts below, using alchemy to extract the power from their demonic blood.

But Jarrod had been different. Jarrod had not sought a temporary boost in his powers like many before him. Instead he had over many centuries performed rituals to absorb all the power of the slumbering evil. As his powers had grown, so too had his greed. His last attempt had been to absorb all the remaining power from the caverns, transforming himself into the most powerful villain ever encountered.

His actions had led to a war, his forces versus the combined power of the armies of good and evil. They had attacked at the moment he was at his weakest, a key point during the ceremony where he had to surrender his powers to claim the greater reward. His forces had repelled the invaders at first before being overcome. His plans were ruined and the cost had been high.

His powers had been stripped away, his mind closed down and his body imprisoned on the planet. His most loyal and capable followers were stripped of their powers the moment his consciousness had slipped from their minds, and had been scattered through the universe to live their lives as the dregs of society. His other minions were imprisoned alongside him on the ruined planet, the uncontrolled ritual having devastated the world. And after a ceremony to ensure that he would not escape, he was left there.

Of course the dark forces that feared him were not content to leave him in peace. After the other forces had departed, they had combined their powers to ensure that some power hungry villain would not awaken him.

The centuries passed. The planet was brutalised by countless meteor impacts and seismic shifts, a result of his failed ceremony. The veil of darkness that never seemed to lift from the unfortunate world had left it barren and lifeless. Incredible levels of raw magic manifesting as radiation and particle storms made it impossible for new crops to grow, and even the toughest cockroach would find the harsh atmosphere unbearable. Eventually the planet became just another mystery of the darkness the exact events of its past disappearing from the records.

Still the continued existence of the planet was a mystery. Long ago, when the evil that had destroyed the system had been contained, Pragmia's life expectancy had been a matter of days. Later as the crumbling remains of the other planets had crashed into its surface, scientists had predicted final death within years. Deep within the Dark Zones of Lord Zedd, the Morphin Masters and their allies had been unable to investigate.

By the time of Rita Repulsa's battles with Zordon of Eltare, the planet was surrounded by myths and legends. Some stated that the villain responsible for the planet's current state had been placed there following his capture in the hopes that when the planet was destroyed he too would disappear. At that time the Morphin Masters had been asked to send a team to investigate just what had happened to the planet, but they had been occupied with other things.

Time had passed, the star system had not improved, and the view had been obscured to the point that at one stage experts had agreed that Pragmia had ceased to exist. It had been during the emergence of the Machine Empire in another part of space, that the dust cloud had shifted sufficiently for scientists to catch a glimpse of the lone planet, still intact. They had surmised that whatever force had drawn the ruined planets toward Pragmia had also prevented the planet from collapsing.

And that discovery had led to an urgent request from King Lexian of the dying planet of Edenoi, forcing the spotlight to fall on Pragmia once more. It had been pointed out that if a planet brought to the brink of extinction could survive for so long, there was hope for Lexian and his people. With Lord Zedd forced to seek refuge with Master Vile, the chance had come to try and finally learn the truth.

In the end it had been decided to send a team to survey Pragmia and report on the condition of the planet. If it was discovered that the damaged core was regenerating, the Council's scientists had promised to find ways to expedite the process, perhaps by removing the evil that still poisoned everything around it. And that was why the science vessel Enlightenment was hovering in orbit around the unstable planet while its crew carried out their task. On board were Elder Oddus of the Morphin Council and a team of trainee Power Rangers undergoing their first off-world training mission.

Oddus was one of the few who had researched the planet's history. He was also highly positioned on the Morphin Council, charged with overseeing a section of the Morphin College's training programs, where both masters and apprentices fell within his command. Normally a master of his age and stature did not venture out into a hazardous area; it was his own curiosity that led him to do so now. While Oddus led the mission, Sh'iro was the Red Ranger and their field commander, Lhee acted as the ship's science officer and Sley was their technician. Their pilot, Heerc, was a cocky Purple Ranger and practical joker who had made the journey more difficult by deliberately taking the indirect route, much to Sh'iro's annoyance. Lamia was the mission's medic and telepath; Seva, a veteran Green Ranger, had volunteered to babysit the young crew during their journey; Artha, a purple android that acted as the ship's autopilot, was the final member of the crew.

They had not expected to find anything unusual, believing that the explanation was that the planet had died and that subsequent sensor readings had just picked up on the more compacted rock at the centre of the asteroid field. The theory had been laid to rest when their ship had finally managed to navigate the debris and they had confirmed the planet's integrity for themselves. If that had not been bad enough, when one of the crew had reported an unknown energy emission, an argument had erupted.

"Impossible, you must be reading it wrong. Check it again!" Sh'iro, the Red Ranger instructed.

Sh'iro had very little patience for research. He was a natural Red and his totem was the Tyrannosaurus, which in the minds of those educated in the ways of the Power, marked his as a fine commander, but very hot headed. It was true that Sh'iro even by his own admission would sooner be running an obstacle course than studying theory. For most of the trip he had demonstrated the behaviour exhibited by children during a drive to the seaside. Exactly why the Council had chosen a team of humans to investigate a world where other races would have an easier time surviving was unclear. There was a rumour that one member of the Council had suggested Master Oddus lead the expedition and he in turn had selected those students he felt needed more experience.

"I did," his blue teammate Lhee told him. "There is a faint energy pulse on the planet. It is extremely potent mix of light and dark energy and it is definitely not natural."

"Then there must be a sensor fault," Red Ranger decided, unwilling to concede the possibility that Lhee was right. He had seen the reports on Pragmia and they had specified that the only energy emission that could be detected from orbit was the planet's radiation; any other source would be too weak to register. "Check the alignment."

"I have," Blue Ranger told him patiently, "three times."

Actually he had tried four different search patterns and run several diagnostic tests. In all cases he had received identical results. He had asked his yellow comrade to run similar tests from her console. She too had detected the strange emissions and had calculated that the actual power levels on the surface - for the radiation that overwhelmed their instruments prevented a true reading - would be incredible.

"It must be a mechanical fault then," Sh'iro decided. "I'm surprised anything in this heap of junk works."

"Hey, watch your mouth mate!" Heerc protested. "This ship is a real class act."

"Sh'iro, there is nothing wrong with the readings, nothing wrong with our interpretation and nothing wrong with the ship," Lhee told him. "Just because you want to go home doesn't mean we can ignore it."

"Enough!" Master Oddus snapped. "Sh'iro, there is nothing wrong with the sensors. I know you are on edge, the magical residue that has contaminated this planet intensifies the volatility of the situation, but at least try to keep your aggression in check. A good commander knows that he can trust his team."

"As for you Lhee, you need to remember that not everybody here is capable of your emotional detachment when it comes to this world. Do not believe for a moment that either side won the battle here that day. According to the records, the victors prevented the darkness from unleashing a terrible force that could have destroyed all that opposed it, but nothing could stop the darkness and fear that saturates this world. Sh'iro's greatest asset is his heart and his ability to feel. This planet is filled with emotion; surely you can understand his reason for wanting to get away?"

And Oddus was sure that Sh'iro was not the only person feeling the effects. He himself was having a hard time shaking the feelings Pragmia forced to the surface. His great-grandfather had been a young man at the time of the attack and had only reached the rank of a first grade Morphin Master, a grade that gave him responsibility for three Ranger teams, at the time of the battle for Pragmia. He had seen first hand the fighting and the loss of life; his teams had escaped the battle unscathed, but other Masters and Rangers had fallen in battle that day. Even now he had heard the whispered speculation that the truth about the end of the battle had been covered up. He knew that for the Morphin Masters there to have sided with some of the greatest villains of that time there was more at stake than a single planet. Too many good men had fallen for something as simplistic as commerce. The Morphin Masters at the time had remained very tight lipped about what they were protecting, but any request to drawback, regroup and counter attack was rejected.

"Sorry," Sh'iro and Lhee said.

"That's better," he replied, allowing them a slight smile.

His students were normally well behaved and he attributed the constant bickering between the two as a side effect of their mission. Their companions had been coping as well as could be expected; Heerc who was a newcomer to the team and didn't have the benefit of their training, looked a nervous wreck.

"How are the surveillance probes progressing?" Sh'iro asked.

When they had arrived in orbit they had launched two heavily armoured probes into the atmosphere. One would act as a signal booster while the other would carry out more detailed geological surveys. If the environment had not distorted their communications, it would have been possible to use both probes to carry out the scanning and the task would have finished faster.

"Sensors are picking up major land shifts," Sley, the crew's Yellow Ranger reported. "I'm trying to get a clear pass over the energy source, but something keeps pushing the probe away."

"Hey Lamia, you alright?" Heerc asked, "Because you don't look so hot."

The White Ranger had been quiet since the ship had arrived and had been growing paler since they settled into orbit. Her eyes were glassy and every now and then she winced.

"How can there be so much evil in one place?" the White Ranger asked, not really answering the question.

"It is the scar this world will forever carry, a reminder of how hard those that sought to free their master fought and how low those heroes that died here had to sink in order to prevent the darkness from spreading once more," Oddus told her. "This world was cursed the moment that darkness chose it and even more so when the light tried to provide a fitting punishment. Perhaps you are detecting the foci used for the containment spells."

~Perhaps,~ he thought, ~it was the spells used in the aftermath of the battle to prevent others from coming to free their master that had caused the planets to draw inward.~

"Of course!" he said, louder than he had intended. "The answer was there all along. Those that intended this world to be his prison placed these asteroids as an outer wall. That they endured so long without breaking down… how much power did our ancestors truly wield?"

It seemed unlikely that the Morphin Masters would use such magic in defending the planet and its contents, but there had been others there that day, representatives from the Dark side armies had no such reservations.

"Transfer all telemetry data to my console," Master Oddus ordered. "I need to check our findings before deciding what to do next."

Had it been a mistake to teleport to the surface of a world where it appeared that the Morphin Grid had totally collapsed? Oddus was certain that it had been. Still, this was the only way to track down the disturbance they had detected. If there was something wrong, if the fabled wards were failing to regulate themselves… Pragmia and the debris surrounding would generate an enormous amount of shrapnel should the energy be uncontrollably released.

It had been Heerc that had detected the first signs of an unexpected solar shift, their mere presence seemingly interacting with the containments spells placed there generations earlier. The change while small set the process in motion, altering the gravitational force and forcing the debris field to move. By Lhee's calculations they had six hours left before they would need to leave the star system, a task made more difficult because the path they had used to fly inward was no longer guaranteed to be safe. However the longer they spent on the planet's surface the more he felt that Pragmia would not survive the oncoming storm. Solar flare activity made communication with the ship difficult and it had occurred to Oddus that it could also explain the sudden failure of the Morphin Grid - for while he rarely used the Power to transform, he was always aware of its presence. For now he and his three companions were forced to rely on portable shield generators lest they face having the flesh stripped from their bones.

Protection was of secondary importance. Their first priority was to discover why the star, which had been surprisingly stable since its twin had exploded, had started to react in such a strange manner; the sudden change in gravity was making conditions on the planet even more hazardous. And then there was the matter of how the planet did not show the effects of the super nova. He doubted the dust had shielded it, and certainly not to the extent where there was no damage whatsoever.

Using what little equipment they had brought with them, the four researchers made their way toward the energy signal, hoping that whatever it was had nothing to do with the bizarre cosmic activity.

"I have a bad feeling about this," Lamia said. She wasn't the only one.

Two hours had passed and the solar storms had abated. They had been wandering blindly, constantly veering off course when the route became too dangerous for them. At some points it seemed impossible to move due to sudden increase in gravity, while at other times they were practically floating away.

"Amazing," Lhee commented as the star temporarily relinquished its pull on the lone planet.

Amazing was not the word Oddus would have used; disturbing seemed to be a better term. He worried about how long the planet would survive the extreme conditions? Probably not as long as they had expected.

It had been more luck than skilled navigation that had finally caused them to stumble upon the source of the strange energy. It was amazing that on the surface, battered by the howling winds, acid rain and caustic dust storms, something had survived. Half-buried in the red dust that made up most of the planet's surface, it sat waiting for the day when it was no longer needed. It was a makeshift coffin, a jail cell made of precious metals and exotically carved crystals, a tomb marking the end of an evil that had been on the brink of gaining absolute power. There was nothing extravagant in the design. Every carving was important, every expensive jewel or precious metal essential to the overall design.

Several statues were scattered around the casket, representing the known followers that had tried to release their master only to end up frozen in place.

"Great Hannabar!" Sh'iro exclaimed, "They're…"

"Petrified," Lhee confirmed.

When they had been frozen in place by what ever spells their enemies had used, they had been left vulnerable to the super nova that had followed. Now they were frozen forever, trapped in a layer of previously molten rock.

"They were aware at the moment the planet boiled," Lamia sensed. "They never had a chance."

When they looked closely Oddus and his group were forced to revise their earlier assessment of their surroundings. Some of the rocky out crops that they had been forced to change course to avoid, were on closer inspection revealed to be terrible giants that had been caught in the spells.

The ground beneath their feet shifted, the sudden shift in gravity causing the dry rock to crumble. The last time there had been a solar event of such magnitude had been when the first star had exploded. Then there had been life and plants, and water to appease the angry cosmos. That day the world had been stripped bare and left for dead, the remains of its sister planets having been ripped apart. This time there was no life to sacrifice, nothing to stop the planet from experiencing the full fury of the remaining star's fury as it appeared to spit balls into the asteroid field.

As Oddus and his students took refuge from the debris that rained down around them, a small chunk struck the casket, breaking one of the numerous golden locks. It was a dent, but it disrupted the magical structure of the prison just enough for a wisp of magic to escape.

It wasn't enough for the prisoner to escape, the breach had sealed seconds after the hole had formed. Still the small burst of magic had an effect, breaking the spell on one of the lava covered statues, allowing the creature trapped within to break free.

The planet was pitched into sudden darkness and despite their emergency lights; Sh'iro and his team could not make out what was happening. Lightning flashed, striking one of the statues repeatedly, lighting up the area before pitching it back into darkness. Except now there was something there, filling the void. A glint of silver that was visible through the thick crust.

Despite the total absence of an atmosphere, despite the shear impossibility of such an act, the Rangers and their master could hear an inhuman howl that echoed across the barren world. It was follow followed by the cracking of the solidified rock.

For a while it appeared the walls would contain whatever lay inside, but as the solar bombardment ended, the prisoner won its battle, shattering the rock as a large fist emerged. The hand vanished, only to reappear through a new hole, the process repeating itself until the creature had broken itself free. The occupant rose, sniffing the air, snarling at the Rangers. Its head cocked as it seemed to assess them. Then with a growl the silver armoured warrior crouched like a predator waiting to pounce.

"It looks like a knight," Lhee commented, recognising the armour and the general shape of the creature. He paled as it growled again, its metal covered head swivelling towards them. "I think we should withdraw."

For once Sh'iro did not argue, stepping away from the red eyes that were staring directly at him.

"Run!" Lamia cried, sensing the sudden bloodlust from the beast.

But it was too late for them to escape; they had been spotted by the freed prisoner, who did not seem to have any problem with the dust that sparked dangerously against their shields. He pounced catlike at the Rangers, striking so fast that Lhee was unconscious before Lamia had a chance to realise the attack had started. The White Ranger fell next; a powerful elbow thrust shattered her cheekbone in the process. Sh'iro put up a struggle before succumbing to an opponent who could move easily in the harsh conditions. The Red Ranger's eyes widened at the silver gleam before something hit his throat. He blacked out after that, leaving only Oddus to face down their adversary.

Oddus regarded his opponent cautiously. Three Rangers in less than a minute was impressive for any foe. He was at a serious disadvantage and he knew it. Regardless he threw himself into battle, his strikes woefully ineffective against the stronger warrior who didn't seem to feel pain. He attempted to use the power of the Morphin Grid to no avail; the planet was so polluted by evil that it twisted everything that came in contact with it; light magic was no exception it seemed.

He felt the moment that the armour - for he was not entirely certain that there was something living inside the blue metal - had had enough of toying with him. It too seemed to sense that the moment had come as it decided to finish the confrontation by mercilessly smashing its shield into the ageing master. Oddus recovered from the blow in time to feel the pummel of the sword connect with his head.

The victor stood over its victims, arms raised as it roared its victory to the world. It had felt good to fight again after so much time had passed. It was a creature of living armour, the silver wolf's head on each shoulder marking it as a bodyguard. The shield it carried allowed it to channel a small amount of its master's power. Prolonged stasis had left it disorientated, driven by a need to protect and free its master, but not quite able to decide how to do so.

Leaving those it had defeated, it turned back to some of its fellow captives, breaking their hard baked tombs before approaching the casket, perhaps recognising the elaborate container from its previous battle. First to emerge was a warrior that could have been considered its twin, except his armour was forged from enchanted bronze. More strange looking beasts emerged, shifting form from hunting dogs to dragons to great snapping beasts.

The two armoured brutes had already tried to tear the casket's lid open, and had both failed. That didn't stop them from continuing to claw at the ornate prison. Finally one of them found a chink in the otherwise solid material, not too large, but big enough to use as a lever. As the warriors shattered the locks, the rest of the casket seemed to disintegrate, revealing the occupant.

The figure looked around, taking in his loyal servants and the fallen Rangers; he allowed a cold smile to cross his face as he extended his right hand to the heavens.

"I LIVE!" he cried out in defiance, his voice causing the whole planet to shake. As if on cue the volatile star seemed to still as he sank to his knees. "Impossible, I cannot be this weak!"

Silence reigned. The fallen Rangers and their master looked up as the asteroids surrounding the planet separated, forming a channel of empty space large enough for the entire planet to pass.

Master Oddus's eyes widened as something appeared on the horizon. He had heard the myths, seen the artistic depictions of the Dark Fortress of Klattu-shaar, but the fear that the towering black castle that rested upon the massive floating asteroid inspired was something beyond the abilities of the most skilled artist to convey.

"Yes, behold your doom," he told the nervous Rangers. "They tried to destroy it, but my Dark Fortress has survived, just as I have survived."

He waved his hand and transported himself, his frozen servants and his prisoners to the threshold of the Dark Fortress. There he faltered again, the exertion too much for him after so long without power. As one of his knights helped him to stand, he address the other.

"I can sense them, yes; my most servants live, freed from their prisons by my resurrection. Come to me my most loyal, come home to Klattu-shaar and our war shall begin anew." He spared the Rangers and their master a brief look before allowing another underling to help them. "These invaders reek of purity. Enjoy yourselves with them, but leave them alive. They still had a purpose."

Earth

It was the worst storm for thirty years, a night so dark and gloomy that even Lord Zedd was dissuaded from sending his forces to Earth. Around the globe the weather systems had been in turmoil for the last twenty for hours; combined with any number of bizarre happenings, it was enough to make the citizens of Angel Grove worry.

At first the Rangers had thought that the disturbance was the work of Zedd's magic or some sort of weather altering machine crafted by the Machine Empire, but those theories were quickly dismissed. Earth was according to Zordon, reacting to a strange solar storm in a distant star system, although the Morphin Master had been unable to tell them anything more.

A loud clap of thunder heralded a power cut throughout the city as emergency works raced to repair a downed power line. The lightning that had preceded it had been an odd colour, causing the five teens known as the Power Rangers Zeo to reach for their communicators, fully expecting a call. When after another hour the storm passed, the teens relaxed and settled in for what would be a very short night's sleep.

Albion Asylum was the oldest hospital for the sufferers of mental illness in the galaxy. It had opened shortly before Lord Zedd had turned to evil and over the many thousands of years that had followed, boasted a huge number of success stories. However despite the developments in magical, scientific and psychic approaches to the problem, the asylum housed a single failure, a lost soul that their numerous techniques had failed to help.

Nobody knew where the woman had come from originally. She had been transferred to the facility from an earlier institution and had been placed there after passing through several other hospitals. All they could really say for certain was that she was old. Not that they could tell by looking at her. Her long blonde hair might have been caked in dirt, and her delicate face was unusually pale from being held inside for so long, but she would have passed for thirty on some worlds, not the thousands of years that her medical records suggested. And in those years, since her arrival, she had never spoken a word or shown the slightest interest in her surroundings. Occasionally she would be found chewing the ends of her hair, but never anything that suggested there was some form of intelligence behind her empty blue eyes.

For centuries the staff had cared for her, ensuring that she never lacked for food or other basic needs. She was both their most intriguing patient and their greatest failure. Many promising young healers had been humbled after discovering that for all their knowledge they could not repair whatever trauma had turned her into the mere shell of a person they saw before them.

It was a young healer named Tarq that had been given the chance to test his abilities on the incurable woman. The other healers, nurses and orderlies watched from behind the glass screen as they always did on such occasions, the humiliation of a new member of staff erasing their own failure. As had been the case of previous healers he approached her confidently and attempted talking to her, hoping no doubt to inspire some sign of awareness. Then he had placed his hand to the side of her face just as previous healers had done, seeking some spark of consciousness to nurture. As expected he found nothing.

They could see the moment that he realised the futility of his task. The hope and confidence had been replaced with disappointment as he followed the expected procedures to double check his findings. They watched his expressions change, money exchanging hands at how quickly he sussed that he had been set up.

They did not expect what came next. His eyes widened in shock as he sensed something, a small pulse of energy deep within her mind that had not been there before. It grew at an alarming rate as he tried to withdraw his consciousness. Horror crossed his face as he was thrown carelessly across the room, crashing into the glass screen before sliding onto the floor.

"He lives!"

They were the first words she had ever spoken according to her notes. In fact this was the first time she had demonstrated any conscious motor skills as she stood, head raised and eyes staring at some distant point.

"He lives!" she repeated, her eyes glowing orange. "And so do I."

Outside the healers were scrambling to open the door, some concerned about their colleague, most eager to examine their facility's greatest accomplishment.

"Hello," a wizened healer said as he approached her. "I am Healer Oddburt and you are a patient at Albion Asylum. You've been here a long time I'm afraid, but don't worry, we're going to take good care of you."

She ignored him, still looking beyond the room. While her skin had already regained some of its colour, she now she looked a lot older and slightly deranged.

"Perhaps we should sit down," one of the other healers offered. "This must be quite a shock to you."

"He lives," she said for a third time before she snapped out of her trance and addressed the healers directly. "I must go to him."

"Yes yes, but perhaps we should talk first," one of the healers suggested, nodding to a couple of orderlies to lead her back to her bed. "A great deal of time has passed since you first came here."

Her movements were so smooth that the healers didn't realise what she had done until the two orderlies were lying at their feet, their necks snapped by her sudden and precise application of pressure and leverage.

"Yes, I am a little behind the time," she admitted, her hand snaking out to grip Oddburt in an iron grasp. "Enlighten me!"

As she spoke the tips of her fingers dug into the top of his skull, glowing with green energy as she tore the knowledge from his mind, not caring if doing so caused lasting damage. As she mercilessly raped his consciousness, the orderlies were trying to restrain her. When the bubble of energy erupted around her, they were not in a position to defend themselves.

Finally she released the now trembling healer, discarding his body as she glanced around, daring those still conscious to make a move. They didn't, they had gotten the message that this was not a woman to be messed with. She clicked her fingers, using the little piece of her magic that was not focussed on the mind to change her clothing from the standard blue hospital gown into a more comfortable black dress with silver symbols along the edges and a hood which she pulled over her head to hide her ancient features. It seemed that while dormant her powers had kept her ageless, but once her gifts returned, nothing could stop the effects of her Sight from showing through. Her eyes were still glowing as she concentrated on her left hand, forcing the proof of her loyalty to appear, bubbling through the skin of her palm. Her palm glowed a soft blue, indicating that while her master lived, he was in some way incapacitated.

"Rise!" she commanded, pointing to the fallen staff. Controlling others was a part of her powers, but not one she enjoyed using. Having a personal puppet that would do anything she commanded was all well and good, except for the immense strain it placed on her frail body. Still as bodyguards they would not need too much guidance other than to attack anyone foolish enough to stop her as she made her way to the exit.

Already she could sense a presence, answering her call for assistance. The magnificent asteroid fortress of Klattu-shaar awaited her and now she knew of its location it would only be a short while before she was reunited with the others. And then, united once again they would find the solution to whatever troubled their master and return him to his rightful place.

Far from the asylum, the people of Dagonmir had cause for celebration. The leader of the coven of witches that had plagued their planet for as long as they could remember had been brought to justice. Once she had been found guilty, she had been stripped and secured to a post ready for purification by fire.

It amused her greatly as the ropes cut into her skin that after all this time they still feared her. Oh there was no question that she was evil or that she had once wielded magic. That magic had faded the day her master had been defeated. Once a powerful sorceress, without his presence she was incapable of more than a few simple spells. The people feared her just as their ancestors had feared her because she chose to test her magic.

And now she was going to die, lacking the power to conjure the small amount of water needed to douse the flames. She snarled at the man that held the torch toward her. If she was going to burn she would make sure that they would remember her in their nightmares.

"Cease your snarling Witch!" Squire Truman commanded. "Your days of tormenting our people have ended."

The priest stepped forward, throwing water in the witch's face. He looked giddy with excitement as she scrunched up her face in reaction to the cold liquid. He turned, regarding the Squire and his people as he spoke.

"See how she fears the purity of our water, for evil cannot abide that which is pure. That is why she writhers our crops and pollutes our air with her stench. That is why the fire will drive the evil from her body and we will be free of her darkness."

She wasn't sure what religion he belonged to. He was a firebrand preacher that had turned up one day seeking donations and promising to drive the witch away. So far he had been true to his word.

The flames were growing around her naked body, burning the bottom of her feet. She struggled against her bonds, desperate to escape the fire.

"You see my friends, she fears the fire just as we do," the preacher told his flock. "Listen and soon we will here the sounds of the evil escaping her wicked flesh."

"Or not."

The timing could not have been better. One minute she had been powerless against those that sought to destroy her and the next, she felt her magic return.

"He lives!" He words echoed those of her sister in another part of the galaxy.

She had the satisfaction of watching as the Squire and Priest could only stare with widened eyes as instead of burning, she starting floating. The flames turned black, covering her nudity as she threw her head back, sending her wild black hair flying in all directions.

"He lives," she repeated, eyes burning white as she focussed on her enemies.

The fire moved up her body, along her arms and into her hands. She cupped the black flames as she regarded those that had attempted to stand up to her. A cold smile crossed her face as she tossed the fire towards them.

"Burn!"

It was a beautiful sight for the slightly crazed sorceress as she basked in the smell of burning flesh and the screams of men, women and children alike. She seemed to grow stronger as she felt the lives around her extinguished. This was the power of destruction and she loved it. Eyes sparkling maliciously she laughed as the screams grew louder, spreading across the land. They would not last forever; she had not put any real power behind that fireball.

Suddenly she stopped laughing, ignoring the screams in the background as she remembered why she was in a position to enjoy watching their pain instead of experiencing it herself. Her master had returned; she was certain. And with his return all the gifts that had been taken from his followers as punishment for their loyalty had been restored.

She closed her eyes in contemplation, remembering how she had been back then, back before her magic had been stolen; all three sisters had lost something that night, one her body, the second her mind and the third her magic. She pictured herself as she had been in those days and willed her body to match the image.

When she opened her eyes she was whole again. Her body was young again, her senses renewed. Her hair moved as if in a breeze while her elongated fingernails clicked together as she wiggled them. Her previously naked body was now covered by the skin of a dead animal, although it only offered the least amount of coverage needed; only the essential areas were hidden. Long strips of leather had been carefully wound around her feet and up her legs, stopping mid thigh. She wore a gold bracelet on each wrist and a necklace made from gold and silver. On her left hand she bore the mark of her master, a sign that she had been restored to her previous place as one of his chosen

The skin pulsed slightly as she reached out with her magic. Then it started to burn, alerting her that another of her master's servants was nearby. She looked up and felt an overwhelming sense of joy as the location of Klattu-shaar returned. With a flicker she vanished, magically transporting herself across the vastness of space to be at the side of her master once more.

She was a slave, nothing more. The most successful gladiator in history and she was treated as just another servant. The shackles on her wrists and ankles prevented her from acting without permission except when they were deactivated to allow her to fight. The shock collar around her neck ensured that any thought of rebellion was instantly quashed. She was there to fight for the entertainment of the paying audience. If she lost her fight she would die, but should she triumph she would live to fight another day while her own collected his prize.

It had not always been this way. Once she had been a real warrior, a master of the fighting arts capable of taking out whole armies in the name of her liege lord. That had been truly living; she had given no quarter and expected no mercy from her foes. Her lord's power had sustained her, keeping her ageless and near invincible. She had been unstoppable.

But then the battle had come and her lord had fallen. She had been overwhelmed along with her sisters, but while one had lost her mind and the other had been dumped powerless among into the slums of Dagonmir, she had been taken as a trophy of war, a trophy to be shown off as an example that even the most powerful warriors of evil could fall to the light. And when they had tired of displaying her, they had dumped here into a prison surrounded by the most horrendous killers. She had destroyed them all. That was when the corrupt prison governor had sold her to the arena owners, making her a part of the games. And it was there that she had remained, growing older, slower and weaker, but somehow surviving.

She had made her owners plenty of money during her enslavement, both in bets they had placed on her winning and as a punching bag - for her owners were not above allowing others to beat her while the restraints were active. So long as she survived she continued to make money.

Today her opponent was not what she would consider a challenge. Standing at an impressive seven foot she would allow that the muscles and extra arms made him look imposing, but her 'gift' allowed her to know that he would not take long to defeat. That she had been forbidden to use any weapon besides her claws for the battle suggested her owners were just as confident.

She dived out of the way as the signal to begin was given. Her opponent had moved at the same time, four arms swinging in her direction. She dodged and tried to deliver a kick to the side of her opponent's head. The blow did little than make him angry. She tried again, only to be lifted high over her opponent's head and then dumped hard onto the ground. She instinctively rolled out of the way before the massive fist could connect, landing a foot to the face as she retreated.

Taking advantage of a momentary break, she managed to extend her claws. The ancient weapons were built into what remained of her armour, pieces the victors had never managed to cut away. Over time they had become rusty and their once perfect edge had been ruined by lack of maintenance. Even the mechanism to deploy them and conceal them had broken. Still they were her weapons and she knew how to use them.

Her opponent had somehow summoned four spiked clubs and with a growl had started to charge her again. Her hand flickered in the direction of an incoming club, slicing through with ease. She caught the second on the back of her claws and took an opportunity to swipe at the tendons of her opponent's leg with the other claw.

Around her the crowd was growing angry. Many had bet on her opponent winning and she was costing them money. Then suddenly she felt her restraints activate as the crowd erupted into cheers. Her owner had claimed his winnings that she would last more than a minute and had been paid so that the other spectators could see her defeated.

Her opponent moved in and she could do nothing. Sharpened spikes pierced her skin as he brutalised her with the massive weapons. For the next five minutes she was beaten for the delight of the audience. Her owner showed no signs that he was going to stop the brutal offensive. And when her opponent raised its clubs to deliver the final blow, she saw her owner walk away.

But the blow never connected. One moment she had been on her back, beaten to a pulp and the next she was standing, her claws embedded deep into her opponent. She sneered at him for a moment before pulling the blades free, causing blood to spray from the fatal wounds. As he collapsed she realised that her own wounds had healed and her armour had been repairs. She felt young and powerful, just as she had long ago.

"He LIVES!" she bellowed, turning her attention to the crowd.

Arena security had started towards her the moment the fight had ended. The lead guard was frantically trying to activate her now useless restraints. She couldn't blame him for trying though, she had killed thirty or so guards the last time she had had the opportunity. With a snarl and a promise to be quick, she leapt towards the security team. Her opponent had not been much of a challenge; the security team were not worth a second thought. Her blades cut through them mercilessly as she made her way to the exit. The return of her strength had been accompanied by an instinctive knowledge of where her master was waiting. While she could not travel by magic or thought, she was capable of commandeering a ship. Hours later she was on her way.

A great evil had been freed once more, and though inexplicably weakened, his forces had been renewed. His three most faithful servants had returned to his side and after basking in his evil presence, had been returned to their former glory. Reunited the formidable trio were once again ready to serve his will wherever he wished them to do so. Together they would find a way to help Jarrod regain all that he had lost - for it appeared that despite his initial show of power, their lord was actually quite weak - and then he would lead them in the quest to destroy the Light once and for all.

The journey had begun and when it was all over, Darkness WOULD prevail.

**End of Part**

Disclaimer: I do not own the Power Rangers; they belong to their respective copyright owners and are used here without permission. No money is being made from this fic.  
Authors Note: This is an alternate universe from the television show with an alternate timeline.

**The Forgotten Knight  
**

It seemed odd to Trey, to have been on Earth for such a short time and yet he had been so at home that it had taken time for him to get used to travelling again. Fortunately this was only a test flight to ensure Pyramidas was capable of making the trip back to Triforia. Once around the solar system and back again. He had just passed Saturn and directed the large Zord to take a detour through one of the outer rings. There he had decided to check that the vessel's large sensor array was operating properly, resulting in an almost overwhelming stream of data. For deep space journeys, where normally harmless objects such as dust could prove deadly, such sensor logs were priceless. After spending months on Earth without the need to worry about such things, they suddenly seemed tedious.

Pyramidas was not limited to just optical assessment of the planet; its vast array of detectors allowed it to analyse its surroundings in detail, a useful tool when Trey needed to find fuel during long trips. It was one such detector that drew Trey's attention to an unusual energy reading. It was not a powerful emission, more likely a beacon that had been left on for some reason. Still Trey was curious to discover the source and concerned when the computer suggested it was a distress signal.

He changed course to intercept and once within range, teleported to the surface of what at first glance was just another large rock obscured from Earth by Saturn's rings. Seconds later he was on the surface and had discovered to his surprise that the rock had a breathable atmosphere and some semblance of gravity. Using a handheld scanner to pinpoint the faint signal he followed the transmission to its origin point, which appeared to be a dead end. He knelt down, placing a gleaming hand on the ground below.

~The rock is but a façade,~ he thought. ~There is some sort of containment unit buried within this ground!~ With that, he stepped back and tried to teleport, but unsurprisingly found he could not. Whatever had drawn him there wanted him to explore, not retreat.

"Let me see if I can expose this trickery!" he said forcefully. "Gold Ranger Power!"

It was not the words or the actions that caused the ground began to quiver, and slowly crumbled to minute particles of dust, which floated harmlessly away, revealing the area for what it was. Rather it was the excessive power of his morph, which in turn created a disruptive aura around the area. When the cloud cleared the area where there had been lush fields had vanished, revealing the dull metal surface.

Trey surveyed the newly revealed surface. "This is not a rock, it is a vessel of some kind," he mused. "The atmosphere must have been part of a forcefield and the plants the signal must originate from inside, but there doesn't seem to be an opening. Perhaps it's hidden as part of the defences" With that he started to search for a way in.

"He's alone Zeddy!" Rita crowed.

"Yes," Lord Zedd agreed. "Now is the time to eliminate the meddling Gold Ranger while his friends cannot reach him. Finster, send a monster to destroy him."

"Yes Lord Zedd, at once Lord Zedd," Finster said as he shuffled out of the Chamber of Command.

"Hey Sis, what is that thing anyway?" Rito asked.

"A reminder of the greater victory in the history of evil," Zedd told him. He saw the confusion on his wife's face and moved her telescope slightly. "Look at the symbol woman, surely that three-faced father of yours told you the legends?"

"Is that it?" Rita asked as she studied the vessel.

"Yes!"

"Oh I remember that one," Rito said, "Dad used to tell us about it to stop us having nightmares..."

"Silence you fool!" Zedd bellowed as he hit the skeleton on the back of the head with his staff.

"Do you think someone could be alive in there after all this time?" Rita asked. "If there is then they won't be happy to wake after all this time," she continued.

"Especially if he believes the Gold Ranger is one of its enemies," Zedd mused. "Rita, you despicably evil genius, that is the perfect plan. Goldar, tell Finster to bring the monster here before he sends it."

"At once my lord," Goldar grovelled.

"Even if he escapes Finster's creation, I will ensure that he has to fight the ship's occupant. Perhaps we can direct it to Earth to battle the rest of the Rangers."

It was a fiendish plan, worthy of Lord Zedd and best of all, required very little effort on the parts of the nefarious duo.

"Without the Gold Ranger, Tommy and the others will be weakened," Zedd proclaimed.

"The Power Rangers don't stand a chance," Rita cackled. She peered through the Repulsa-scope.

Trey had spent time examining his surroundings, but before he could find a way in, he found himself under attack. A large bug had descended upon him and only his quick reactions had prevented it from killing him. A blast from the Golden Power Staff was sufficient to destroy it, but in the process Trey was covered with gore. With a snort of disgust he decided to make his own entrance and focussed a tight beam of energy from his Golden Power Staff on the hull. The resulting hole was just large enough for him to slip inside through.

Once inside the ship, he made his way through the darkened corridors, using his scanner to direct him toward the single life sign. He entered the room, recognising it as a modified medical bay. The machines had been damaged at some point and powerful magic had been invoked to duplicate their functions. Many layers of spells had been placed, but so far as he could tell they were not there to heal the occupant of the coffin-like stasis pod, but rather to ensure that he remained in hibernation. Several more pods were scattered through the room. To him there appeared to have been some sort of battle and from the dust, it had happened a long time ago.

He also noticed that some force within the ship was capable of blocking energy from entering or leaving the area. Unfortunately that included Trey's Gold Ranger powers, which had started to flicker when he had entered.

"It would be best," he thought aloud, "if I find what I am looking for and exit immediately. Of course, I do not know what I am looking for, but lets see what I find."

He continued to look around, seeking any evidence of the mysterious occupant's identity. It occurred to him as he did so that he was either a rescuer or an invader depending on whom the ship belonged to. Unwilling to risk freeing something without Zordon's advice, he returned the way he had entered, only to find that the hull had healed over in his absence.

He was trapped, and as his flickering costume revealed, the energy jamming force had extended its influence. When he caught sight of a red flashing light he realised that he had disturbed the enchantments and had awakened the ship's occupant. Not knowing if they were friend or foe, victim or dangerous criminal, he decided to try and reopen the hole he had created earlier.

"Fiend! Murderer!" came a distant cry of outrage that Trey could only assume belonged to the now revived occupant of the stasis pod.

He held the Golden Power Staff at the ready, and began burning another hole in the shell. Slowly it widened, and he could feel his powers weakening. When at last it was wide enough to squeeze through, he started to clamber out. He was halfway through the hole when something struck him in the back, causing him to stumble as something grabbed his leg and tried to drag him back into the crystal.

"Unhand me!" he yelled, reaching for the closing hole. He grabbed it with both hands, and without conscious thought, pulled himself towards its centre. His fingers clamped firmly around the rim, creating a bond few could break. He struggled tried to climb through but couldn't escape the steely grip. Unable to escape, the Gold Ranger turned and faced his antagonist.

The being looked human although Trey knew that appearances meant very little; the Lord of Triforia looked human, but had physiological differences that went beyond first impressions. He was of Asian descent and despite a few scars, he was probably no older than twenty-six in Earth years. Of course depending on his planet of origin that could mean he was anywhere from eighteen to seven thousand years old and that excluded whatever time he had spent in stasis. Most of his clothing was obscured by a dark robe with metal plates at the tops of the shoulders.

His stance marked him as a warrior, ready to attack. In his left hand he held a sheathed sword with the hilt resting on his right hand; it was a beautifully decorated scabbard. However Trey had difficulty recalling a fighting style that required such a starting stance that the first strike would be severely hampered by his footing.

Trey was about to speak when his attacker moved, shifting the sword to rest at his left side while he fished into the pocket of his robe with his right hand and drew out a device resembling a cigarette lighter. Green flame shot from the device, encircling Trey and then changing colour as it reacted to him. The man's demeanour immediately shifted from uncertain to determined.

"Coward, do you lack the courage to fight me face to face? Did you think after murdering my comrades you could just return here and attempt to destroy me? You should have destroyed me while you had the chance, for now there is no escape. Your kind may have slaughtered the others, but I survived and even weakened by slumber I am more than a match for likes of you. It has been a long time and I am eager to continue the hunt!" With that, he released the flame that circled the Gold Ranger and resumed his former stance, sword at the ready.

"We do not have to fight," Trey told him. "I am on your side."

"Your kind will never be on my side," was the harsh response. "My mission is to ensure that your kind is destroyed, demon!"

"I am not a demon, I am the Lord of Triforia," Trey reasoned.

"The magic flame has revealed your nature," he was told. "Your lies cannot help you now."

"It is strange though, I have never met one that tried to avoid fighting once you revealed its nature," a voice interrupted.

For the first time Trey noticed the ring his attacker wore. It looked familiar, something he had seen in one of his history books perhaps. Unfortunately he couldn't remember what it meant and that didn't make his position less dangerous.

"We never met one bold enough to possess one of our comrades or underhanded enough to attack us while we were sleeping, or clever enough to trap me in suspended animation so that a replacement could not be called to take my place," the warrior replied. "Since he insists on attempting to deceive me with that costume instead of revealing his true form, I'll have to use my own armour."

He held his still sheathed sword to his side and raised his ringed finger to the sky, speaking in a foreign tongue as he did so. Although the Gold Ranger powers allowed Trey to understand parts of his speech, the majority was unrecognisable. "Spirits of Justice, guide this soul! God Horn, be my strength!"

The ring glowed and was answered by a pulse of energy from overhead. As Trey looked on, he transformed, although not into a recognisable uniform of a Power Ranger. Instead the thick armour that appeared made him look like some sort of fanged demon. His sword was transformed from a long thin blade into a long thick blade that was the same dark colour as his armour. He looked up at Trey, pulled back slightly, sword gripped firmly in both hands. The tip began to glow as he charged forward.

"The time has come again for your kind to fear my wrath!" he declared. "Know that this is the Great Sword called God Horn, the sword that cut down thousands of your brethren. Remember that and prepare to meet your end."

"Wait!" shouted Trey, as he hastily fell back. "I think you've mistaken me for someone else. I am not a demon, I am the Gold Ranger. Who are you?"

"As if you didn't know," came the reply as the powerful sword was deflected by the Golden Power Staff. "I am Elyan, Avatar of Justice, sworn enemy of the Horde, slayer of Terrors, destroyer of Horrors and the last foe you will ever face."

"Impossible!" Trey was outraged. "The Knights of Justice are a myth. A story told by parents to inspire their children to great deeds. How dare you make such an outrageous claim, do you take me for an idiot?"

Again their weapons clashed and Trey was forced to give ground to his opponent's anger-fuelled volley. It seemed that his attacker was not concerned about the damage he was causing to his own ship, although Trey was very much aware that a wrong move could breach the ancient hull.

"I know not what sort of demon you are for I have never met one who blasphemes the Knights of Justice. You may call yourself a Ranger, but your blood cannot lie. Now, enough talk! Whatever deception you are attempting, your nature is exposed and I will end your vile existence. Final Cut!" He energised the blade and thrust it mercilessly toward the Gold Ranger.

"Golden Flash!" Trey called, using the blinding light as a distraction to slip aside.

He wanted to attack, every instinct he had told him to strike while his opponent was disabled, but his honour wouldn't let him just attack and despite all the evidence to the contrary he couldn't see this so-called Knight of Justice as an enemy. At least not yet.

The knight - for his armour was certain heavier than that of any Ranger that Trey had met before - was not prepared to give up though. He had just awakened from a forced sleep, the deaths of his comrades still fresh in his mind. And since in his mind Trey was responsible for their demise, his determination to destroy the Gold Ranger knew no bounds. Unwilling to harm him, Trey was at a severe disadvantage, and was soon forced to adopt a defensive strategy.

Trey hissed as the large sword tore into his uniform. ~Liar or not, this Elyan has powers that rival those of a Ranger, but who is he and why does he believe that I am his enemy?~ He didn't understand.

Trey had heard of the Knights of Justice, parents of both sides of the war between good and evil told their children the stories of their deeds. To this day Trey remembered the tales of the evil spirits trapped in the core of a dead world. The Knights of Justice had been the ones that had trapped them there. He remembered how his father had once described the Knights of Justice as being noble angels, possessing the purest of souls that chose justice over perfection. They fought the true demons, those that hadn't been weakened by mixing with imperfect mortals; while a normal Ranger team could expect to meet the likes of Lokar once or twice in their careers, the legends of the Knights of Justice were filled with such confrontations. They were not alone, there were other groups that fought just as hard, but the Knights of Justice were considered the poster boys while the others were treated with fear and even outright hatred. Of the millions of those who walked the path of the Power, only a small number were became Knights of Justice, those sworn to the ideal of combating injustice, even if that meant they had to side with the darkness. And although such an alliance rarely happened, their willingness to do so made them an essential part of the balance.

Not that Zedd and Rita had ever needed to worry about meeting a Knight of Justice in combat. Over time their ranks had been filled by less worthy member who sought knighthood for fame and wealth. Fighting injustice had become a much lower priority. Eventually they had disappeared, but nobody was sure why.

But this was not one of those knights that had paraded themselves as mighty champions while hiding behind the deeds of others. This one seemed to come from a time when they ignored their fame and dedicated their efforts to fighting the evil creatures that fed on the negative emotions of living beings and thrived on misery. They were the creatures that had evolved into Oni and Youkai. Some called them the Horde, demonic servants of the Adversary, an ancient evil while others were collectively known as Horrors, the vile spawn of entities that plagued the dreams of man and preyed on the weak while corrupting the strong.

~But why would he think I am a demon?~ Trey wondered. ~Other forces must be at play here!~

This didn't make sense. The Knights of Justice were supposed to be able to know when they were facing a demon, in fact the flame that his opponent had used earlier had been to decide whether he was a foe. For some reason it had decided that he was a pure demon, something that was impossible. One thing was clear: in order to survive he had to make his opponent see sense, and in order to do that he would have to make sure he was made to listen.

"It's Time for a Gold Rush!"

Power flowing he thrust forward, striking the other as hard as possible, counting on his foe's armour to turn a fatal charge into something less dangerous. When the Knight of Justice staggered, he took the advantage and swung his Golden Power Staff like a club. A few more strikes and his opponent was down.

"I do not wish to fight you," he said again as he stood over the injured warrior, "but I will defend myself."

"I am at your mercy demon," Elyan replied. "Finish me if you must but end this charade."

"Power Down!" It was a risky move, but necessary if he wanted to survive. Besides, he had a feeling that he had made the right choice. "I won't fight you anymore. You are being deceived; check your scanner again."

"It would not hurt to make certain," the voice of the ring said. "Check again."

"So be it," Elyan agreed. "But if you are lying to me I will never stop fighting you."

He pulled out the lighter he had used before and ignited the flame. This time the results were very different.

"I - I do not understand."

Trey however now realised the truth, that the monster blood that had covered him earlier had made him appear to be a demon. The entire fight had been little more than a deception by Zedd to take advantage of Elyan's desire for revenge.

"Listen to me; you have been tricked by Lord Zedd! His monster sprayed me with a chemical to make me appear as a demon so you would think that I am your enemy when I am actually a Ranger, an ally in the fight against evil!"

"This cannot be, it must be a deception." He flew towards the Gold Ranger, sword once again ready to strike.

"Enough!" cried Trey, and spread his arms wide. The Knight of Justice was suddenly encased in a glowing ball of golden energy, his inability to understand his enemy preventing him from breaking the spell. "The Gold Ranger powers will defend me in many ways. Right now, they protect you too. Neither of us will harm the other until we have spoken to Zordon."

"Very well, perhaps you do speak the truth. Take me to this Zordon and if I find him to be the sort of man you claim to be, I will listen."

Trey nodded.

Deciding it was safer to travel in Pyramidas than risk the engines of the Eternal Knight's ship exploding, Trey led the other combatant outside. Moments later the golden pyramid took off towards Earth.

Elyan spent nearly a day reviewing the Power Chamber's historical texts before meeting with Zordon. After meeting and recognising the building as being a Command Center - for he had known many Morphin Masters in his time. He had learned of what had happened during his absence, the Power Rangers of Earth and their struggles. He also shared a few stories of the Knights of Justice and their crusade in the name of justice.

There had been some surprise to discover that the Knights of Justice had never participated in the Grid Wars, their activities limited by worried politicians who had feared a public outcry if their heroes were to fall; in the end it seemed their reputation had led them to the point where they were no longer allowed to engage in the fight they had so famously pursued. That was why they had fallen out of sight.

Finally he had turned to face the Gold Ranger. "It appears that I allowed myself to be deceived, Lord Trey." He fumbled for words. He rose from his chair and bent down on one knee. "Forgive me, my friend."

"Of course," smiled the Gold Ranger as he led his companion to where Zordon waited, "even the best of us make mistakes."

"Master Zordon, I thank you for the use of your library," Elyan said as he bowed low in greeting. Although the Morphin Masters and Knights of Justice represented separate organisations, they had the utmost respect for each other.

"I am pleased to see the rumours of your death were exaggerated," Zordon said in return. He had heard about the trap that had killed many of the Eternal Knights. It was that battle and the massive losses that had allowed those that were less worthy to take their place "I am sorry to learn of the deaths of your crewmates although I am certain your followers will delight in your return."

"They're alive? What about Sir Aleb and the others?" Elyan asked eagerly.

"They are alive and well," Zordon told him, "whatever plot necessitated your entrapment failed to materialise. The Order are fewer in number now that those that joined purely to gain have left, but they remain strong, awaiting a new generation of Knights to lead them."

"Wait... followers?" Trey asked, confused.

"Yes Trey, while the Knights of Justice are small in number, there are many who follow their believes. Elyan and his fellow Knights are seen as the leaders of the Akon'ebo Order."

From the conversations that followed Trey was able to learn that although the Knights of Justice were the leaders of the fight against the Horde, they were only a small part of it. Most of the time they either acted alone or with their peers, only calling on the like minded individuals that fought alongside them when the situation was grave enough. The only reason they worked with those without powers at all was because it helped to remind them of who they were fighting for.

Elyan's vessel had been declared missing when one of his crew had been possessed by a Horror and had turned on his comrades. The ship had been in transit at the time with all but a few members of the crew in stasis. Only a few members of the command crew had been awake at the time the Horror had attacked and their vessel had been hijacked; they had been slaughtered before they could awaken the slumbering knight or their comrades. Then the suspension capsules had been destroyed, killing those inside. Elyan had been awakened before the Horror could destroy him, but a powerful spell had prevented him from opening his capsule and fighting back. He had been forced to watch helplessly as the ship's crew had been destroyed before his unit had been reactivated, throwing him back into stasis.

"This plan was beyond the schemes of a mere Horror," Elyan concluded.

"You are correct," Zordon agreed. "Your fellow Knights were severely weakened without your presence and I now fear that with your return, whoever planned on your imprisonment will take new steps to destroy you. You should be cautious and ensure that your power stone is protected."

"I was wearing it at the time of the attack," Elyan told him. "It will need purging when I return."

"Very well," Zordon said after a short pause. "I will contact your headquarters and tell them to expect you. No doubt you will have a great deal to talk about."

"Thank you, Master Zordon."

"My pleasure, Sir Elyan."

"It was an honour to meet you, Trey. I can see that Earth is safe in the care of the Power Rangers. I believe the universe needs all the heroes it can get."

"The honour was mine," Trey replied. "So I guess we have some arrangements to make if you want to get back to your vessel."

Elyan smiled as Zordon and Alpha started to organise the equipment that would be needed for the Eternal Knight's journey.

In his Chamber of Command, Zedd snarled. Once again his plans had gone awry. Still, there was always next time; using the Akon'ebo vessel had been a spur of the moment decision and had been surprisingly amusing to watch. The Gold Ranger had managed to talk his way out of it, but Zedd had almost witnessed the power of the Knight of Justice unleashed against an innocent. He had to admit that had made it worthwhile. And he did, after all, have all eternity while the Rangers could only aggravate him for... he groaned as he remembered Triforians lived a good deal longer than some of his previous enemies.

And on a distant planet, a hidden figure sensed the awakening of Elyan and smiled. The wait was over, the Order had been reduced in numbers and the Knights of Justice had grown less effective without their comrade. Now Elyan was back from the dead and he could push ahead with his timetable. It would be good to see his old friend one last time... before he destroyed him.

** End**


	3. Minion of Darkness 1

Disclaimer: I do not own the Power Rangers; they belong to their respective copyright owners and are used here without permission. No money is being made from this fic. Some lines taken from Transformers the movie.  
Authors Note: This is an alternate universe from the television show with an alternate timeline.

**Blast from the Past**

The Dark Dimension.

He was in pain, begging whatever deity looked down on poor misunderstood monsters to relieve his torment even if doing so meant he would fade from existence. Survival was no longer a priority for him, but escaping the agony was. He was inside the Dark Dimension, a place intended for monsters and villains who had fallen in battle, a place intended solely for the deceased. He wasn't dead, that much was certain; the dead could never feel the pain that ran through his body at that moment.

In his last incarnation his mistress had called him Minion, a name intended to remind him of his place in the grand scheme of things. She had revived him from the point of death and had given him the opportunity to destroy the Rangers. He had beaten Tommy by threatening the White Ranger's innocent friends, but in a rematch he had fallen foul of the Rangers' own trickery and had been condemned to endure an unending period of pain and suffering until he convinced Lord Zedd to lift the curse. Of course that feat was made next to impossible since part of the punishment robbed him of his body, his powers and removed him from the physical world where he could speak with Zedd.

He sighed, recognising the onset of a rest period. It was mercy that ended the torment for a few minutes, there was no such thing as too much suffering so far as the instigators of the curse were concerned. However, a creature driven to madness could not suffer as thoroughly as he could if he remained capable of understanding that he was in pain, so the curse allowed brief periods of rest just before the mind was pushed into the realms of insanity for the victim to recover a little.

As he floated in the void, he remembered the time he had spent in this place. Here he had learnt the secret of existence: that although separate the many universes reached beyond the mortal realm. The realms of Heaven and Hell were united throughout existence allowing the dead from each universe to unite. That in turn revealed another great secret: in each universe there was a version of Lord Zedd, the Machine Empire and a planet named Earth that drew more attention that it deserved, a world where the Power Rangers fought against evil. During some of his more lucid moments, he had been able to use the Dark Dimension to view the various timelines and universes in order to gain a better understanding of the fight between good and evil.

In some dimensions the Power Rangers were servants of evil, in some they were the evil rulers and in some they simply did not exist. The same was true about the villains he had come to know. Once in the Dark Dimension all the different variations merged into a single being.

Being dead, such information should not have worried him and in all honesty, during the periods when the pain ravaged his every fibre, the events on an Earth where Tommy had been replaced by a girl named Celia, did not matter to him. However, he was not dead. The curse that he had been duped into triggering could only affect the living. He had been granted immortality at the price of spending almost every second of it in agony.

It had taken time for him to discover that he still had a link to his physical body. When he had first arrived, the hours of pain had left him too drained to do anything except float aimlessly in the darkness. Months later and his recovery time was faster. It was during one of his rare moments of lucidity that he had first discovered the difference between himself and the other occupants of the Dark Dimension. While they had died powered by evil, he had been holding the powers of a Ranger and as such he had retained his powers even if they were inaccessible inside the Dark Dimension.

"If only I could speak to Lord Zedd, make him understand that the Rangers tricked me," he mumbled. He had already tried speaking to Zedd's counterpart within the Dark Dimension, but that Zedd had no knowledge of whom Minion was and wouldn't acknowledge there was such a thing as an oath on his father's honour.

Something struck his chest, causing him to hiss from the discomfort. And then there was a sharp pull as he felt himself being dragged through the darkness. When the sensation ended, he could feel the change in his environment. The oppressive atmosphere seemed to shift as he shielded his eyes from the intense light that signified that he was no longer inside the Dark Dimension. Although given the metal floor beneath his feet and the strange constellations in the sky above, he was not on Earth either.

He heard something, a word whispered from afar. "Minion..." the name drifted through the Dark Dimension and at he was unsure whether or not he had heard it. "Minion." It was louder this time and he could feel something pushing him backward. In his weakened state he was hurled across the ground.

"What is this?" he asked.

"Minion - Minion - Welcome Minion!"

He was thrown around again. It wasn't the wind that buffeted from all sides, but the solid and overwhelming force of a powerful aura. His instincts told him to run, to hide from the incredible force that could easily destroy him. He had nowhere to go though and after looking around desperately, he still could not find the source of the voice. Then he happened to look up and spotted the large object floating in the heavens above him supported by a metal scaffold the stretched between eight metal worlds all held in place by the gravitational force of the system's sun.

High above him he could just make out the glowing green eyes of a monster. Even as a wire framed construction it was awe inspiring to see the many construction platforms working constantly to install the heavy metal plates that would serve as a skin.

"You like my body then?" something asked. It was a child, a small boy dressed in robes of black and silver. Weak and unthreatening in his hands though he held a glowing ball of energy. Minion knew at once that this boy was an illusion, a physical manifestation of power and undoubtedly connected to the monster hovering in orbit above him. The boy's eyes were the same green as the incomplete machine's, and in the light of the fire that burnt in his hands, the boy appeared to share the creature's horns.

Minion pulled himself back to his feet, finally able to withstand the swirling energy. "Who are you?"

"I have many names Minion. In the ancient texts I am referred to as Dagsyxx, but you can refer to me as master from now. Yes, that will certainly suffice for now."

"What are you?" he demanded. The power of this creature was incredible.

"Here I am more than you could hope to understand. This is my personal domain, a place that shapes itself according to my whims. I brought you here, summoned you from the Dark Dimension so that you might serve as a tool to further my plans. With your aid the God of Evil will once more set the skies alight."

"I am nobody's tool," Minion snapped, "and I go where I wish; nobody summons me!"

Laughter echoed across the plane and it was only then that he realised that what he had thought to be a planet was just an enormous organic factory. It may once have resembled a habitable world, but now it was twisted to servicing the twisted creature's needs.

"Welcome Minion to my little corner of the Astro Plane, far from that pathetic little realm where you belong. This is where I have come to reside since the cursed Power Rangers drove me from their plane. Not as grand as the Dark Dimension I snatched you from, but I am sure you will find it more comfortable. Long ago I was in your position, a not-so-humble servant of evil with a desire to become more than the insignificant creature my superiors believed me to be. I served my master willingly until he was incapacitated, and then I built an empire in my own name.

My empire stretched many galaxies until I was stopped. I became a rival to those that had once looked down on me. But I was defeated and now I am trapped in this place, unable to return to my body and unable to extend my reach beyond this place. But just because I was unable to leave this place did not mean that I haven't searched for a means of escape."

Out of nowhere a table appeared with what at first appeared to be a chessboard. In reality Minion realised that this was not a normal game board. There were far more pieces on the board than would normally be found. Several kings and queens, each with the appropriate number of bishops, knights and rooks, all of varying heights, which he assumed was a sign of their importance to the game. At the very back of each army were two squares where the King and Queen should have been. Around those empty spaces stood two bishops, two knights and two rooks along with eight pawns. Minion noted that they were larger than the other pieces.

"As you can see this represents more than a normal game. You cannot limit such a complex war to just sixteen pieces on each side." He watched as the child touched a badly damaged piece that resembled the body he had seen earlier. It was one of the smaller bishops. "Once I was a pawn. Through loyal service I ascended to a rank more akin to a bishop. One day I shall become even more important." He lifted a piece from the board, a long pillar carved with the faces of the various factions of the Machine Empire, from the place where a rook would normally be found. "As you can see, a valuable piece matched only by the United Alliance of Evil for its strength and number."

Minion noticed that despite his words, the piece that represented the Machine Empire was still one of the smallest.

"See this?" the boy demanded as he pointed to the other end of the board. "The United Alliance of Evil, the most powerful villains bound by mutual purpose, a cooperative that seeks to extend the power of the individuals by preventing the petty infighting between factions. Zedd, Rita, Vile, and many others you have not met; they are easily as powerful as the Machine Empire. And yet compared to some of the pieces they are weak. At least they are useful."

"You on the other hand are a pawn." He pointed to a piece that looked as if it had been melted. "You should have had no purpose once your usefulness had expired. And yet, you defy your fate and continue to exist. The curse you unwittingly invoked has sustained you, transforming you into something more than you have a right to be. But you are still a pawn, there to be used at my will. And I have chosen your new purpose."

"I have no interest in history or the empty boasts of a could-be villain," Minion snapped defiantly. "And I select my own purpose." He was facing someone who could crush him at anytime, yet allowed him to stay alive. He was willing to see how far he could push before his usefulness expired.

"Millions of years and there is a long way to go," Dagsyxx mused as he studied the piece representing himself, while ignoring the defiance in Minion's voice. "Do you think you are the only one who strives to be greater than you are, Minion?" He pointed to the squares where the King and Queen would normally stand. "That is the place where I would wish to stand, commanding the entire army of darkness, yet it is a level I will never reach and a place you have no hope of reaching. That is what unites us Minion, a desire to become more than we are. The difference is that while I have already grown beyond my original role, you will forever remain a pawn."

"I yearn to return to the battlefield, I crave the screams as I extinguish the lives of countless innocents. But I cannot, yet. And that, little pawn, makes you useful. The Earth is the key to my return. On that world or close by there is a body I can use as a body and its defenders are the greatest weapons the opposition possesses. The planet is a beacon of hope that has been shining for so long that few will miss it until it is extinguished. Return to Earth, destroy the ones known as the Power Rangers, and secure for me the means of my return to glory."

"Why should I, What's in it for me?"

Laughter shook the planet as Dagsyxx regarded Minion in the same way a vulture would a rabbit. He could crush Minion at any time and there was nothing that could stop him. Yet Minion for all his intelligence continued to bait him. It was something to be admired or pitied. Minion promised to be useful. The question was whether that usefulness excused his insolence?

"Your bargaining posture is a little dubious," he remarked at last. "You believe you have a choice in the matter other than to obey or be destroyed."

"You need me," Minion pointed out.

There was silence as Dagsyxx considered his options. "Very well, perhaps you should have some incentive." There was the mental impression of the entity clicking his fingers. "You are released from your curse. No longer will the breach of honour torture you." There was another break, another moment where he seemed to be elsewhere. Then a sword appeared in front of Minion, floating in the air. "This is the Sword of Darkness, a powerful weapon allowing you control over the Morphin Grid. This shall be your new weapon."

"And?"

"And nothing. You belong to me Minion, you always have. My property, and I do not need to reward you, I just need to give you commands for you to follow, and punishments if you don't obey! Your attitude amused me for a while, but continued disobedience will not be allowed."

"I am nobody's property!" Minion snarled.

Dagsyxx just laughed at the pathetic attempt at posturing. "Then our discussion and your usefulness is at an end. DIE!"

The pain returned full force as he used the power he had gathered over the ages to rip the insolent creature apart. Minion screamed, his cries and whimpers sufficient for Dagsyxx to delay his destruction for a short time. Dagsyxx enjoyed the power he felt as Minion writhed helplessly on the metal ground.

"Please, spare me?" Minion begged when Dagsyxx removed the pain for a moment. He had been planning to allow Minion one last look at the universe before he was obliterated. The sudden change in attitude though convinced him to think again.

"You are a worm Minion, the lowest of the low. But you are useful, so I will spare your life. Now, take up the sword I have granted you, return to the Earth and destroy the Power Rangers."

There was the sensation of something jerking him by the throat and he was sent hurtling back to the Dark Dimension, this time fully aware of his surroundings.

The place had changed since the last time he had been there. He had changed; he was now more powerful than the so-called villains that turned away as he approached. They would never follow him. The monsters and henchmen though were another matter entirely. They were now loyal to him. With the Sword of Darkness he found that his powers were fully accessible and with it, conquering a small group of powerless underlings had proven easy.

He reached out and a book appeared. The book was an inventory containing the details of every being and artefact that resided within the Dark Dimension and available to him. He smiled as he recognised some of the entries.

A plan began to form in his mind. He was now capable of leaving the Dark Dimension. His chance for revenge was at hand, not just on those who had tricked him, but also against the creature that had tried to turn him into a slave.

He moved the Sword of Darkness through the air, cutting a pattern in the air. When he finished, he was rewarded by a silver glow he slashed forcefully at the air in front of him. The barrier between the Dark Dimension and the Mortal Realm was torn open as he cried: "I command the portal to open!"

Earth.

Sam ran along the metal corridor, determined to escape the monster looming somewhere behind him. In his mind he could hear the voice calling him, trying to trick him into turning around. He did not know what the monster was, only that it wanted him and that was not good.

"THOMAS!" the voice said again, gaining volume as it echoed down the corridor, "WHY DO YOU RUN FROM ME? YOU KNOW I WILL ALWAYS BE WITH YOU."

"No!" Sam shouted over his shoulder. "I am not Thomas, I am Samuel Revilo!"

"COME BACK TO ME THOMAS AND KNOW ME," the voice pleaded. "YOU CANNOT RUN FROM YOUR DESTINY."

"I am Sam!" the youth shouted as he ran round another corner.

He skidded to a halt as the floor in front of him gave way. He had been here before and knew what came next. He would have a choice. He could face the monster now drawing nearer or he could jump into void below. The noise of the monster's footsteps drew nearer, making the decision even more urgent. Without a second thought he jumped into the void.

Falling, the sensation was strange. Before him he could see a group of six figures, each in a different colour fighting another group of creatures who resembled demons. The first group was losing as a black hand closed around them.

A rope appeared in the darkness. Sam remembered this part of the dream; it was the monster giving him the chance to pull himself out of the pit. For a moment he considered it, but decided that an eternal fall must be better than the monster lurking above.

"THOMAS, THEY NEED YOU, I NEED YOU." The voice was growing quieter as Sam fell deeper into the void. "PLEASE THOMAS, ACCEPT WHO YOU ARE AND COME BACK, PLE..."

The monster's words were lost as Sam noticed a set of spikes below him. He braced himself for the impact his mind told him would be coming soon.

"Nooo!"

"SAM?"

"SAM,"

"Samuel REVILO, WAKE UP! This disturbance is unacceptable behaviour."

Sam opened his eyes to find himself surrounded by some of his best friends and a slightly suspicious looking Ms Randall. As he became aware of his surroundings, he noticed he was on the School Bus. His class was off on a day trip as part of a class project.

"Are you all right Mr Revilo?" he heard the teacher ask.

Sam nodded, but did not say anything. The dream had been more real than ever and he still didn't know what it meant. Who was calling him? The Green Power Coin? His creator? Sam didn't know the answer, but knew he needed to say something to satisfy Ms Randall.

"I'm sorry ma'am, it was just a bad dream."

Randall looked a bit sceptical, but then nodded and returned to the front of the bus. Sam had been asleep and sometimes teenagers did have weird dreams. Randall took out her notebook and wrote down a memo for the school nurse to arrange an appointment with Mr Revilo as soon as possible.

The strict teacher was replaced by a very concerned looking Tommy Oliver. "You want to talk about it?" Tommy asked.

Sam sighed, "I'm fine, I just need to get my head together." It wasn't that he disliked Tommy, it was just that he doubted the spell would hold for long if Tommy suspected who he was.

Sam was the clone of Thomas Oliver; powered by the Dragon, he was the Green Power Ranger, and last seen when he had left the Command Center to journey back to Colonial Angel Grove, where he had resumed his normal life after saving the Rangers from the insidious scheme of one Monastra Repugna.

He should have died by now, after two hundred years of hardly ageing he was starting to grow used to the fact that he would live a long time. He just wished he knew why. Regardless of that little mystery, he was not sure how this news would affect the other boy, or the Rangers for that matter.

He had been married and widowed, had had children and watched them grow old and die. He had watched as time had taken its correct course, right up to the point where he went back in time with Tommy.

Rita and Zedd had made a few small changes when they had ordered the Wizard of Deception to create him. Firstly, they had given him a photographic memory so he would not suffer from Tommy's flaw. Secondly Zedd had granted him some control over his appearance; just little things such as hair length and when needed a change of clothes. The Wizard of Deceptions wand, which he had kept after he had aided the Power Rangers against Minion, took care of his other needs.

Not long after returning to the past left he had discovered that he could focus magical powers of his own with or without the wand. ~An after effect from the Wizard of Deception's spell,~ he had thought at the time. Using his powers he had granted himself a new identity and hidden himself from Zordon. He did not want to be part of the battle between good and evil; he only wanted a peaceful life away from Zordon's manipulations.

"You sure?" Tommy asked, unconvinced.

"I'm fine," Sam confirmed, determined not to hold the conversation for any longer than necessary.

His friend nodded and returned to where his girlfriend was waiting. Sam watched them together. Kat was as beautiful as Kimberly had ever been, but he knew Tommy was fooling himself. Kim and Tommy had never really had a future and Kat and Tommy were even less likely to stay together in the long run.

"Rita, do you sense it?" Lord Zedd asked as he desperately scanned the Earth for a disturbance that he had felt not long ago.

"It can't be," Rita whispered as she joined her husband. "The Green Coin is dormant."

"I felt it just now. And we both know what we saw a few weeks back." Zedd insisted as he kept searching for the now hidden Ranger. "Zordon must have found a new avatar for the Dragon Coin."

"Ai-yi-yi-yi-yi, it can't be," Alpha said.

"What is it Alpha?" Zordon asked.

"The computer says somebody just used the Green Power Coin," the small robot reported.

Zordon considered what Alpha said, knowing that it was impossible for anyone to use that coin with the exception of Tommy. He performed a quick check and found the coin was still in the dimensional pocket where the Red Zeo Ranger had placed it. In the back of his mind he felt that this was an important discovery but for some reason he also felt compelled to ignore it. There was of course the story Jason had told them a few weeks ago when he was losing his powers. At the time Zordon had been sure it was a side effect from the power drain and a symptom of stress. Now, he was not so sure. He remembered Tom Oliver had planned to remain in Colonial Angel Grove and he had yet to detect any temporal distortion that would lead him to assume otherwise.

"Alpha, scan the Power Chamber for any abnormal spells that might have caused this problem." In his heart Zordon knew this discovery would prove important. The Green Ranger was about to return and he could sense the balance of power shifting although in whose favour was another question.

~Could Zedd and Rita somehow managed to find a new coin?~ he wondered.

If they had Zordon knew it meant bad news for the Rangers, but might hold the solution to another problem. Since the attack on Jason the Gold Ranger Powers had been restored to Trey. But since Trey was still unable to unify his spirit, the powers were unstable. Jason still had some residue of the power in his system. Zordon knew the energy would soon be exhausted though and then, the team would be lacking a vital member.

~If Rita or Zedd has found a way to link to the Morphin Grid and I can copy it, I can restore Jason to full power,~ Zordon thought as he watched Alpha continuing the search.

Sam cursed under his breath. Somehow his dream had tapped into the Morphin Grid. Normally he would have been able to cover up for his powers, but his discussion with Tommy had cost him valuable time. Now he risked discovery by Zedd, Rita or worse, Zordon. While the two villains would try to take advantage of him they would give up after a few failures. Zordon on the other hand was a manipulative old wizard who didn't know when to give up. If Samuel didn't know better, he would have suspected that Zordon had something to do with his predicament.

The bus continued its journey through the hills outside Angel Grove towards the small town of North Valley where they were going to see the unveiling of some new super computer. ~Haven't they had enough of machines with Mondo and family stomping around?~

He looked over to where Tommy, Jason, Rocky, Kat and Tanya were sitting. For some reason Adam had not joined his friends at the back of the bus and was currently engaged in a discussion with Ms Randall.

Realising there was nothing he could physically do to stop Zordon and Zedd detecting him now that the cat was out of the bag, Sam decided to enjoy the trip. With luck they had only detected the surge in the Morphin Grid and had not been able to focus on the source. As long as it did not happen again he would be all right. Besides, at least he only had to deal with Rita and Zedd since an enraged Blue Ranger had wiped out the Machine Empire. They would be back one day, but in the meantime at least they were out of the picture.

"Why don't we send down a monster to attack the other Rangers?" Goldar asked. "Then when the Green Ranger shows up we can grab him."

"Monkey boy has a point," Rita agreed. "Even if we don't get the Green Ranger we can at least aggravate the Rangers, and maybe eliminate Jason."

Zedd considered his options. All six Rangers were on the bus, away from Zordon and with a lot of witnesses. Better yet Jason had given his powers back to Trey of Triforia, leaving him with only a small link to the Gold Power. If anything would draw the Green Ranger out this would. Zedd considered what to use as a monster. He noticed the old box camera on the seat next to the teacher. Aiming his staff he summoned the Freeze Frame monster.

Adam Park had felt compelled to sit near the front of the bus. Something told him he needed to keep an eye on the road ahead. As the bus turned another corner, he saw why. In the middle of the road stood Goldar and a flock of Tengas. Behind them stood what looked like a giant camera on legs.

The driver applied the brakes and stopped just short of where Goldar was waiting. Before he could shift into reverse, the simian warrior had managed to thrust his sword through the front grill, wrecking the engine.

Tommy meanwhile had made his way to the back of the bus with Jason and had managed to get the emergency exit open. "This way," he suggested to the other students. As they departed, he joined the other Rangers at the front of the bus.

There was a bright flash outside the vehicle and as the Rangers turned they discovered their classmates frozen in place. Although part of him worried in case the effects were permanent another part of him was relieved that the Rangers could morph without being seen.

Jason and Tommy were first off the bus, tackling the nearest Tengas. Kat and Tanya were out next followed closely by Rocky and Adam. Whilst Adam tackled Goldar Rocky squared off against Freeze Frame. Both of the Rangers were able to hold their own for a short time, despite being unmorphed.

As the other four finished the last of the Tengas Rito Revolto decided to join the fun. The Rangers soon found themselves losing as the odds shifted against them.

"It's Morphin Time!" Tommy and Jason called together.

"Zeo Ranger I - Pink," Kat called. Pink spandex formed around her body, padding out where necessary to provide extra protection. On her right hip her Zeo Pistol formed.

"Zeo Ranger II - Yellow," Tanya cried. Her yellow uniform merged from on top and below, bonding to her skin as her weapon appeared at the waist.

"Zeo Ranger III - Blue," Rocky continued, feeling his body mass increase as the power filled him.

"Zeo Ranger IV - Green," Adam prepared himself for the battle ahead as his suit formed. As the morph finished he drew his Zeo Sword and attacked.

"Zeo Ranger V - Red," Tommy did not think about his next move. Out of instinct he launched himself in Goldar's direction, catching the monkey as he was trying to sneak up on Tanya.

Jason took a deep breath and mentally crossed his fingers. The Gold Ranger powers had left a small trace of energy in his body when they had returned to Trey. It was a link forged through need and the chances of Jason being able to call on the full power of the Gold Ranger were slim. Still he hoped he had the strength to transform for a short time. He would not last long in a battle and had agreed to use his powers only in a time of need, Jason felt the situation required the Gold Ranger.

"Gold Ranger Power!"

He found himself dressed in a variation of his normal uniform. The golden shield was there, but instead of the thin composite material he was used to, it was closer to thick foam. He held out his hand expecting to receive the Golden Power Staff, but instead received a broadsword.

He didn't have time to consider the changes to his suit and made a mental note to ask Zordon later. Then he charged at Rito as fast as he could.

Sam crouched under the bus watching the fight between the Rangers and Zedd's forces. He was lucky Freeze Frame's power had been aimed at non-Rangers. Although inactive, Sam's link to the Green Coin had provided him with some protection and he had cast countless protection spells on himself before leaving the house that morning. Casting a spell to make himself invisible had been easy, as had replacing himself with a fake image for anybody watching.

Sam watched as the Pink and Yellow Zeo Rangers finished off the few Tengas that Rita and Zedd had sent as reinforcements. They flipped back to join Blue and Green Zeo battling the monster. Tommy meanwhile was having fun with Goldar. The Red Zeo Ranger had fought the simian monster so many times they knew each other's moves in advance. With a quick punch Tommy sent the monkey to the ground and moved in for the kill.

If Tommy was having fun with Goldar then Jason was enjoying himself even more. The Gold Ranger thrust his sword through the Alien's rib before kicking him away. Jason readied his sword to strike again, but stopped unexpectedly.

Sam watched as the Gold Ranger doubled over, groaning in pain. His uniform began to flicker and Sam felt a wave of sympathy for the fallen Ranger. He had Tommy's memories from his time as Green Ranger and although, unlike Tommy, he was not racked with guilt over his actions during that time, he remembered the feeling of hopelessness whenever the powers had given out. He saw Rito move in for the kill and knew he had to do something, but what?

Although he was linked to the Green Coin, he did not want to morph. He had tried for two hundred years to forget his past, but something had convinced him to return to Angel Grove and play the part of a school student. He had watched Jason and the others as they had grown to become the world's greatest heroes. He had even helped cover for them on one occasion. Now Jason was in trouble and he had to act.

Reaching a decision, Sam summoned his empty morpher; the Power Coin had been given to Tommy after he had defeated Monastra Repugna's monster. Fortunately his plan did not call for a Power Coin, just the raw energy he could summon from the Wizard of Deception's wand. He summoned it with a thought, commanding it to take on the guise of a walking cane and he aimed it at Jason. Once he had mentally located the Gold Ranger's personal morphin grid, he fed the boy enough power to recharge. He smiled as Jason's armour solidified, but frowned when he noticed the other boy had been rendered unconscious.

"Let me introduce you to my Flashgun," Freeze Frame told the four Rangers attacking him.

A transparent cube appeared in Freeze Frame's hand and as he turned it, the cube flashed brightly. With each turn one of the Rangers was frozen in place. Laughing maniacally he produced a length of film and whipped the disabled Rangers. The Rangers' suits sparked as they were thrown backwards by the whip. There was a loud sucking noise as the Rangers were pulled inside Freeze Frame. He pointed his finger and four black and white copies of the Rangers were created.

Tommy leapt through the air, drawing his Zeo V Power Sword as he did so. He pointed the blade down towards the spot where Goldar lay. The simian raised his own sword and knocked the Red Ranger aside. Tommy rolled with the blow and adjusted his stance to land safely. He was upright immediately, his sword at the ready for Goldar's follow-up attack.

But it was not Goldar who attacked. The copies, which Freeze Frame had created, jumped past the armoured monkey and lunged at the Red Ranger, each ready to rip him to pieces. Off to one side Tommy noticed Rito was busy hacking at an unmoving Gold Ranger, the latter glowing with green light. He couldn't make a move to help his friend though because at that moment the copies pounced on him.

Sam knew he couldn't wait any longer. If he did one of the Rangers would die and that was unacceptable. Silently he promised himself it was the last time he would morph. He reached out, allowing the Power to guide him until he found the Green Power Coin and summoned it to his waiting hand. Then he placed the coin inside the morpher and prepared himself.

"Dragonzord!"

A green lightning bolt shot from the sky, striking the copies. The duplicates disappeared as quickly as they had been created. A second bolt struck an unseen figure behind the school bus as he reconnected himself to the full power of the Green Ranger and not the illusion he had created weeks before.

Sam felt the lightning strike him. It wasn't really lightning, just a manifestation of the Power returning to one of its chosen avatars. His green uniform formed around him and a third bolt of lightning forked across the sky, it changed from light green to a darker shade. An advanced Blade Blaster formed at his hip and the familiar Dragon Dagger appeared in his waiting hand. Instinctively Sam concentrated on the dagger and was rewarded when it transformed into a powerful sword. On the hilt was the head of the Dragon, complemented by the inscription of the fleur-de-lis on the blade.

Finally the golden shield, which had protected the Dragon Ranger for many years formed on his shoulders, the Power telling him that it could shift between a compact armour and a thick material that while resistant was extremely flexible. The shield had always possessed such an ability, but Tommy had never had the chance to learn all of its secrets.

The entire transformation had taken less than a second to complete. The Dragon Ranger was back, for the time being.

Goldar and Rito exchanged a worried glance as they saw the first two lightning bolts. Tommy was slowly picking himself up, his legs a little rubbery. They had not seen the third lightning bolt and were looking around for the source of the lightning.

Tommy turned in time to see a green figure leap from the top of the bus, striking Goldar and Rito with a single blow. The figure ignored the Red Zeo Ranger, turning his attention to Freeze Frame. Leaping into the air a second time the Dragon Ranger produced a sword and stabbed the monster through the lens.

In a bright flash of light the four remaining Zeo Rangers were freed of the monster's power. The green figure turned to where the Rangers lay and pointed his sword. The spell preventing Zordon from teleporting them vanished and the six Rangers were removed from danger.

With Tommy and the others safe, Sam attacked again. He connected with a blow to all three monsters, causing them to retreat, leaving the other students frozen in place.

When the Rangers appeared in the Power Chamber, Tommy ripped off his helmet, desperately gasping for breath. When he finally had the strength to look at his mentor he asked the question on everybody's mind.

"Zordon, who was that?"

"I am not sure," Zordon replied. "Alpha and I felt the presence of the Dragon Ranger earlier today, but we have been unable to find him. He disappeared after he rescued you and we have again lost him."

"What if he's not on our side?" Rocky asked, remembering the last time he had been face to face with the Green Ranger.

"If he was against us, he would not have stopped Rito from chopping me up," Jason replied. Now demorphed the Gold Ranger was being checked by Alpha.

"Whoever it is," Tommy said. "We can't just let him fight alone, he will need help and we could use the extra power. Are you with me guys?"

Tanya and Kat had been watching the Viewing Globe to see if the other students had returned to normal. Usually the monster's death would have reversed the effects of any spells they had used. The fact the students and teacher remained frozen meant Freeze Frame was still alive.

"What do we do?" Kat asked.

"Unfortunately Katherine, we will need to wait for Freeze Frame to return. The computer says that is the only way to free them." Zordon silently hoped it would not take too long.

"WELCOME BACK THOMAS," the voice said once again.

Sam realised he was day dreaming. He had already demorphed and appeared near the docks in Angel Grove's Harbour District. Opening his hand he summoned his morpher for the last time. He encased it in a special spell and threw it into the sea, towards the sleeping Dragonzord.

"YOU CANNOT LEAVE ME THAT EASILY," the voice said. "YOU ARE PART OF ME AND I AM PART OF YOU FOREVER."

"No," Sam said to the voice. "I don't know who you are or why you want me, but the Green Ranger is gone."

In his head he could hear a small voice say, "THEN SO IS ALL HOPE."

"How dare you show your faces in here?" Zedd bellowed as Rito, Goldar and Freeze Frame appeared in his throne room. "You were told to destroy either the Green Ranger or the Gold Ranger and you could not even manage that!"

"It wasn't my fault Ed," Rito protested, "Goldar ran first."

"He is lying my Lord," Goldar grovelled as he entered the room.

"Silence!" Zedd commanded. "You are both useless cowards."

Faster than Rito could have imagined Zedd turned and struck him with the tip of his staff. Rito's head fell to the ground and the evil monarch watched as his brother-in-law tried to find it again. "Let that be your final warning, my name is Zedd, not Ed!"

Satisfied that he could continue Zedd turned back to the other two monsters. "Goldar you fool, this wretched planet has corrupted you. Such cowardice will not be tolerated."

Zedd aimed his staff at the grovelling simian, a blast of energy hit the monkey. Goldar appeared to grow larger, his fangs sharper and for a moment Zedd feared he had gone too far. Then he remembered that this was simply a rejuvenation spell, a stream of dark energy to reinvigorate the evil that lurked within Goldar's heart.

"Thank you, Lord Zedd," Goldar said at last. He rose from the floor and bowed to Rita, who until that point had remained in the background. "Lady Rita, how may I serve you?"

"Zeddy, this might be the best thing you have ever done," Rita laughed happily.

Zedd finally turned to Freeze Frame. "You have failed to carry out your mission. Return to the bus and destroy those wretched humans. If we cannot have victory, we will settle for fun. If the Rangers return, kill them all."

Freeze Frame bowed and disappeared from the throne room, leaving Rita with a shocked expression on her face.

"You let him go, just like that?" she asked angrily.

"Yes," Zedd replied. "If he succeeds all the better, if he fails it won't matter. Something has changed Rita, I can feel it. Zordon's power in the Morphin Grid has diminished and we must take advantage. Tell me wicked queen, what do you know of the Dark Dimension?"

The Dark Dimension

The negotiations had been difficult, but he had finally convinced Zedd to blame Rita's mother for the whole oath incident. As a result he had been able to return to the Moon without the need to worry that Zedd would blast him back into oblivion. In return he had given Zedd the ability to temporarily negate the effects of the planet Earth on his henchmen. Long enough perhaps to achieve that one victory to secure the planet.

Sam returned to the school bus and replaced the image he had planted there some time before. He was still unsure why he was bothering to live a lie. He was two-hundred-year-old trying to live like a seventeen-year-old. He had even created a family for himself just in case anyone asked.

But, like anything else made of magic they were not real. Sometimes Sam wondered if he were real or just a poor clone trying to be real. He had no real friends, no real family. Those who were near to being his friends were friends with Sam, not him. It was an illusion he did not want to maintain, but was scared to lose.

He had even changed his appearance so nobody would guess who he was, but that was nothing compared to the effort it had taken to stop say "Siek-yiah" when he attacked.

He looked at himself in the mirror he had summoned with his magic, remembering when his appearance had helped him when fighting during the Second World War. He had worked for Army Intelligence in Germany, where his blond hair and blue eyes had even the most untrusting Nazi convinced he was on their side. He shook his head sadly at how easily one man had been able to turn honest and decent citizens into an army infamous for the worst acts of genocide Earth had known. Even the villains the Rangers fought did not kill due for racial reasons; they simply destroyed anything in their way.

His hair was now shoulder length and he had used his powers to alter the shape and shade of his face so he would not be recognised. Of course if Zordon scanned him, his identity would be revealed. First though Zordon had to detect him. The spell he had cast years prevented Zordon from seriously suggesting that he was still alive.

With a gesture he returned the mirror to the place he summoned it from. Remaining perfectly still Sam waited for either the Rangers to return or Rita and Zedd to send another monster down to finish the job.

"Are you sure about this Zeddy?" Rita asked. Her husband had had some insane plans before, but this was unheard of.

"I am certain Rita," Zedd replied. "Minion was not to blame for that cursed oath, your mother was. Now with the power he has discovered we can summon a force even the Rangers cannot halt."

"Excuse me Lord Zedd," Finster said quickly. "But if the Dark Dimension is where our failed monsters go, how do you expect to find a monster the Rangers cannot defeat?"

"The Dark Dimension contains more than monsters Rita and I never used. All the evil beings who have ever fallen in battle are imprisoned in the Dark Dimension. Once there they are unable to return to their own dimensions. But with Minion's aid I intend to use them to defeat the Rangers."

"Is that what you did to Monkey Boy?" Rita asked.

Zedd snorted. "The Dark Dimension contains a vast amount of dark energy. All I did was use some of that energy to restore Goldar to his former glory. For some reason the Earth is saturated in light magic. Just being near it is enough to affect lesser villains."

"And you?" Rita asked. She noticed he had not moved to defend her from such a slur.

"You spent centuries floating closer and closer to this wretched world, you were bound to be effective when you couldn't fight back. As for me," he said. "This is the fault of your vile love potion. As soon as I became capable of love, the Earth affected me."

There was a brief silence.

"The time has come to change that. We shall all endure the Dark Sleep. Baboo, Squatt, Scorpina, come here!" Zedd's voice boomed throughout the castle. "Finster, come closer. No, don't move Rita."

As his subjects arrived, he held his staff above his head and did something Rita had rarely seen him do; he cast a spell using words instead of his staff. As he spoke magical symbols formed in the air around them. A black mist rose from the stone floor, enveloping all those gathered in the room. Rita, Zedd and all their servants soon collapsed to the ground as they breathed the cloud of pure rejuvenating evil.

Zedd awoke a few hours later and took the opportunity to look himself over. His body was bursting with power. He turned and nodded to Goldar who had kept guard for the time they were out.

Rita awoke next. Her entire appearance had changed. Instead on the ridiculous looking cones on her head and the ugly brown garment she found herself in the tradition costume the witches on her homeworld had used for centuries. Her long grey hair reached down to her waist, her black clothes were covered with various symbols of power, used to attract energy from outside her body. Finally she picked up her wand and discovered it had been recharged by the dark magic to the level it had been before the Grid Wars.

Scorpina had quietly got to her feet and joined Goldar on guard. Her armour had a deadly hint to it that had not been there before.

Squatt awoke feeling better than he had ever felt before. He had a new mission in life, to help crush the forces of good and destroy Zordon of Eltare. It was good to be back.

Baboo had changed physically as well as mentally. His claws had grown into talons, his monocle had developed into an energy weapon and his entire body had developed a metal skin. He no longer looked like a joke, he was a dangerous foe.

Finster was the final henchman to stand. The mist had purged any and all goodness from his soul. Although he looked the same, his desire to make truly evil monsters had grown exponentially.

"We did it!" Rita cried as she understood how much she had changed in a matter of hours.

"And now nobody will stand in our way," Lord Zedd told her.

Finster could not bring himself to look Zedd or Rita in the eye. How could he have failed to notice the positive energy that had bombarded them since they had first arrived on the Moon? ~Perhaps because it had affected us before we escaped the Dumpster.~ His monsters would prove more effective now and he would make amends for his past failures by bringing the Rangers to their knees.

In the Dark Dimension, the portal to the mainstream universe had opened and after convincing Zedd of his intentions, Minion had stepped through. The Sword of Darkness was at his side, a weapon he was certain he would enjoy driving through his opponents' chests.

His body adapted as he entered the physical world. He was in the body of a ninja, his uniform consisting mainly of a black material reinforced by a thick vest over the chest and back. A black mask hid most of his face allowing only the glowing red eyes to be seen. A metal guard protected the forearms and lower legs from attack. Finally, in the center of his chest was a golden coin bearing the image of the Jackal, complemented by a small silver pawn embroidered on his upper arms.

"Lord Zedd, Rita Repulsa," he said, removing his mask to reveal his face to his saviours. "I am in your service once again."

"Zeddy, you are a genius!" Rita cried as she saw how different Minion appeared. Both Rita and Zedd had long believed that the only way to beat a Ranger was with another Ranger. Turning back to the monster she asked, "What is your name?"

"Mistress Repugna and others have dubbed me Minion. That is the name I will keep. I am Minion, servant of Dagsyxx and loyal to the forces of Evil."

He watched the smile form on Rita's facing, satisfied she had been convinced to trust him. For the time being helping Zedd and Rita was exactly what he needed to do. Deciding to see the Rangers for himself, he stretched out his senses, touching the minds of all those holding Power Coins or Zeo Crystals. He sensed the active Rangers. Tommy, Katherine, Rocky, Adam, Tanya and Trey. He also detected two others, Jason and someone who would soon arrive.

"What is your command Lord Zedd?" he asked.

"First Rita and I are going to take a trip to the Dark Galaxy. It is time my queen saw her empire in all its glory. Squatt and Baboo, Goldar and Scorpina, you may accompany us." He turned to Minion. "The Earth is your responsibility while we are away. When Rita and I return, I expect you to be victorious."

"As you wish my Lord," he said.

Rita listened to what her husband said. As much as she hated to leave the Earth she wanted to see her kingdom. Even during their exile Zedd had not offered to take her there. She wondered how he would react when he found out her father had been annexing parts of the Dark Galaxy into his territory.

Minion meanwhile had decided that the time had come to clear the Machine Empire out of the Sol system. Using a remote control he had built from junk he had located in the Lunar Palace, he used a few intact Cogs to shift the Machine Base back to their own territory.

"Finster, you may remain here and help Minion," Zedd instructed as he his staff to increase the power of Freeze Frame for one last battle with the Rangers. Then with his wife and entourage, he teleported away.

Minion watched as Rita and the others left, leaving only Finster and himself. He glanced at his new assistant. "Let's get started."

Sam ran along the metal corridor, determined to escape the monster looming somewhere behind him. In his mind he could hear the voice calling him, trying to trick him into turning around. He did not know what the monster was, only that it wanted him and that was not good.

"THOMAS!" the voice said again, gaining volume as it echoed down the corridor, "WHY DO YOU RUN FROM ME? YOU KNOW I WILL ALWAYS BE WITH YOU."

"No!" Sam shouted over his shoulder. "I am not Thomas, I am Samuel Revilo!"

"COME BACK TO ME THOMAS AND KNOW ME," the voice pleaded. "YOU CANNOT RUN FROM YOUR DESTINY."

"I am Sam!" the seventeen-year-old boy shouted as he ran round another corner.

He skidded to a halt as the floor in front of him gave way. He had been here before and knew what came next: there would be a choice. He could face the monster now drawing nearer or he could jump into void below. The noise of the monster's footsteps drew nearer, making the decision even more urgent. Without a second thought he jumped into the void.

Falling, the sensation was strange. Before him he could see a group of six figures, each in a different colour, fighting another group of creatures who resembled demons. The first group was losing as a black hand closed around them.

A rope appeared in the darkness. Sam remembered this part of the dream; it was the monster giving him the chance to pull himself out of the pit. For a moment he considered it, but decided that an eternal fall must be better than the monster lurking above.

"THOMAS, THEY NEED YOU, I NEED YOU." The voice was growing quieter as Sam fell deeper into the void. "PLEASE THOMAS, ACCEPT WHO YOU ARE AND COME BACK, PLE..."

The monster's words were lost as Sam noticed a set of spikes below him. He braced himself for the impact his mind told him would be coming soon.

"Nooo!"

A green rope appeared next to him, dangling in the air, inviting him to grab hold. In his mind Sam could still hear the voice of the monster chasing after him.

"THOMAS PLEASE DON'T RUN. YOU ARE NEEDED NOW, I AM NEEDED NOW. PLEASE ACCEPT YOUR DESTINY."

A thought started to dawn on Sam. Whoever was talking to him knew he was Tommy's clone. It had to be either Rita or Zedd. The villains must have discovered his identity. The voices had been quiet until he had used his coin to save Jason.

~I will not be evil again,~ Sam thought to himself.

Determined to put an end to the force that was tempting him Sam grabbed the rope. In a flash of green he felt himself teleported to another place, still within his mind.

Freeze Frame reappeared next to the school bus. A quick push sent the vehicle off the road giving him a clear shot at the helpless humans still frozen in place following his Flashgun attack.

"Siek-yiah!"

The Red Zeo Ranger replaced the Zeo V Power Sword in its subspace pocket and launched himself at the monster for a second time. He looked up as his five teammates appeared to back him up.

"Time for team work," Tommy said, gesturing for the Rangers to get into position.

Tommy and Jason produced their swords and ran at their fellow Rangers. Kat and Tanya had crouched down with their hands ready to act as a step for their fellow Rangers. As Tommy and Jason stepped on their hands Kat and Tanya pushed them into the air. Tommy and Jason found themselves landing horizontally on Adam and Rocky, who had stretched their arms upwards to receive their leaders. Tommy and Jason held their swords pointed towards Freeze Frame. Kat and gathering gave them a push to send both the Rangers into the monster.

Tommy's Zeo Power Sword disarmed the monster whilst Jason used his sword to pierce the monster's lens. Freeze Frame fell back, his lens exploding in a shower of sparks.

"Time to get big!" Freeze Frame called as he started to grow

Sam appeared in the old Command Center. He could sense no life within, wherever he was Zordon and Alpha were not nearby to help him. The room was green, surrounded by images taken from his mind. In one corner were the deeds he had done as the Green Ranger. In the other were the deeds he had done since he had been left in Angel Grove in 1795.

The images formed of his wife; Rosalita Hermandez. They had met not long after he had been in Angel Grove, she had been the Spanish daughter of the chief of a nearby colony. Their love had secured peace between the English and Spanish settlers and he had moved to be with her in Los Angeles.

Sam had been happily married to Rosalita. They had had children together and it pained him to see her die. From then on he had kept an eye on all his descendants before the time had come to return to Angel Grove.

A fuzzy image in another corner caught his eye. The image showed the world he had created for himself so he would be accepted. It showed the lives of the people he had invented going about their own daily routines. In a way they were as real as Sam.

"SO, YOU FINALLY DECIDED TO LISTEN DID YOU?" the voice asked.

"I came here to destroy you," Sam shouted angrily. "You are not going to make me evil again."

"I DON'T WANT YOU TO BE EVIL THOMAS, I WANT YOU TO ACCEPT YOUR DESTINY AND RETURN TO ME."

"Show yourself!" Sam snapped.

"VERY WELL," the voice replied.

A green mist filled the room and as it cleared Sam found himself face to face with the Green Ranger.

The Rangers were having a tough time dealing with Freeze Frame. The giant sized monster had survived the Zords' strongest attacks and was still standing. The new Flashgun in his hand had paralysed the Zeo Megazord and Warrior Wheel, leaving only the Super Zeo Megazord and Red Battlezord to fight.

"It's times like this I miss Pyramidas," Jason noted from the Super Zeo Megazord's cockpit. He had taken over from Tommy while the team leader piloted his own Zord.

The monster aimed his lens at the two disabled Zords, pulling them inside and producing two black and white copies. As the monster stepped back, the copies attacked, taking the Rangers by surprise.

"What are you?" Sam asked. "Are you my dark side?"

"Give me a break, you're not Tommy," the Green Ranger replied. "You have never denied your dark side and by accepting it you destroyed its power over you. I am the part of you that you are not willing to accept, the part you must accept. It is your destiny."

"You're the Green Ranger," Sam realised, finally understanding.

He had been denying his power for so long it had finally decided to beg for release. He knew the power would not corrupt him, but it would mean getting involved again.

"No," the voice replied. "You have never denied your powers either. Are you really as dense as the original, I didn't think that was possible? You have refused to use them because you have denied me. You used your power when you needed to and didn't when the Rangers could handle it. You have become responsible since the day you were created, but you still deny me."

Sam was really confused. The Green Ranger was not part of his dark side, nor was it the spirit of his coin. It claimed he had denied it, but he had no idea who it was. Finally the frustration was too great, he turned to where the Green Ranger stood and moved towards the image.

"Who are you?"

In response the Green Ranger lifted his hands to the side of his neck and undid the clasped holding his helmet in place. Carefully he removed the helmet and placed it under his arm. Looking Sam straight in the eye and smiled. "Hello Bro,"

Sam was shocked. He had expected a lot of faces to be under the mask but the one he was faced with was his own. Not the face he had created through magic to trick those he was hiding from. This was the face of Thomas Tyler Oliver, Clone of the Green Ranger.

"Now do you understand?" Thomas asked. "I am you and represent everything you have tried to deny for two hundred years."

Thomas saw the look of horror in Sam's face and understood. The original Tommy had managed to survive his ordeal as the Green Ranger by pushing himself into the role of leader. Whenever Tommy lost his powers the doubts and fears, he had experienced would resurface with a vengeance.

The clone was different; he had accepted his dark side and thus conquered it. What he had not been able to deal with was the fact he was a clone. Everything he believed was based on the values taught to him at a young age by Tommy's parents. He had nothing of his own. His powers, face, friends and even life belonged to Tommy.

"You are wrong," Thomas told him. "You are unique. You have experienced things Tommy will never experience. You have made friends Tommy will never know. You have conquered the most difficult horrors to face: your own fears. You don't need to be Tommy, but you cannot deny the part of you that is Tommy. Accept me and become whole."

Seeing Sam was on the verge of making a decision Thomas made one final plea. "You are Sam. Part of you is Tommy, part of you is the clone, but until you accept both parts you can never be whole."

Sam nodded slowly. The whole reason he had rejected the powers was because people related them to Tommy. Now he knew it didn't matter. It was time to be whole.

Reaching out Sam touched the image of Thomas on the shoulder. In a blur of light the image merged with him and for the first time in a long time he felt real.

The copy of the Zeo Megazord threw the Warrior Wheel into the Red Battlezord for the third time, causing the Battlezord to crash to the ground in a shower of sparks. The Super Zeo Megazord found itself on the receiving end of a blast from the copy Megazord's cannon.

Jason had even tried calling forth Auric the Conqueror in the hope the mystical warrior could help them. Auric had fought well for a short time, but facing two foes had soon caused him to retreat back into his Tiki.

Freeze Frame recalled the copy Zords back into himself, deciding to finish the Rangers personally. Summoning a sword he stood over the fallen Zords and prepared to finish the job he had started only half and hour before.

Sam teleported to the Angel Grove docks and held his hand out towards the spot where the Dragonzord lay sleeping. "Time to wake up old friend."

In his hand appeared the fully charged morpher of the Green Ranger. Sam looked at it for a moment and then teleported to the bus where he had last seen the monster. As he arrived, he saw the Rangers' Megazords being hit by two other Zords. The monster had called his copy Zords and dumped the captured Zords on the ground.

Sam watched as Freeze Frame drew a sword and moved in to finish the job. Without a second thought, Sam pulled out his morpher, no longer worried who knew his identity. "Dragonzord!"

As his green armour finished forming Sam had already drawn his sword. Pointing it at the sky, he concentrated on the sleeping Zord deep beneath the sea. A connection formed between sam and the mighty machine, the power telling him how to call the Zord.

"I need Dinozord power, now!"

In his mind Sam could hear the sound of the Dragon Flute, summoning his old companion to the fight. As the Zord drew near, he leapt into the cockpit, taking control.

"Warrior Wheel is offline, Zeo Megazord and Red Battlezord will take time to restore and the Super Zeo Megazord is out of power," Tanya reported.

"How about forming the Zeo MegaBattlezord or just separating for individual attacks?" Jason asked.

"No good," Adam replied. "We haven't got enough power. I doubt we could even summon Cannon Power and aim the helmet."

"Defender Wheel is operational," Kat told them. "But unless we can get upright it's trapped inside the Phoenix."

A familiar sound filled the air, causing Tommy, Jason, Rocky and Adam to look towards the sky. "Did you hear that?" Adam asked.

"It sounded like..." Jason began.

"It can't be..." Rocky said, wishing it were possible.

"Look!" Tanya called.

"Is that?" Kat asked, looking at Tommy.

"Dragonzord," Tommy said as he watched his first Zord make its way towards them.

Freeze Frame stood over the Red Battlezord, his sword pointed towards the cockpit. One simple thrust and the Red Ranger and his Zord would be history. He listened briefly to the Rangers trying to find a way to fight back. He laughed as he heard one of the Rangers find a solution and in the same breath realise it was impossible. Lifting his sword a bit higher he prepared to thrust.

Then he heard the sound all monsters were able to recognise. It was a call for help, a shout of warning and a greeting to friends. It was the sound of the Dragon Flute. For a moment Freeze Frame shrugged off the fear he had felt. A moment later it was back as he heard the Dragonzord roar, and watched as the Green Ranger jumped into his Zord.

Minion's sharp senses detected the arrival of a new enemy. Rita and Zedd had overlooked the fact that Minion could not use the Repulsascope and he could not produce an eye beam like Zedd to watch the events on Earth. Luckily Minion was a genius, and soon managed to reprogram the Earth's satellites to send pictures back to him.

As expected he saw the Dragonzord active again and about to attack Zedd's latest monster. ~Let them destroy him,~ Minion thought. ~He's served his purpose.~

He turned towards Finster's lab and walked in just in time to hear the monster maker muttering to himself. He stopped to listen, he had learnt from meeting Finster in the Dark Dimension that he could find out how the monster maker was getting on by listening to him talk to himself.

"...and just a bit more padding here and you're done."

"How's the work going Finster?" Minion asked as he walked into the workshop.

"Five down, one to go," Finster replied. "I thought this might do as the alternate form for the sixth one."

"Perfect," Minion said as he looked the monster over. "Finish his normal form and bring them to the throne room. We'll send them tomorrow."

"As you wish," Finster said as Minion left.

It had taken him a while to reacquaint himself with the Zord. Just as his uniform had changed so had the Dragonzord. Its tail drill had been modified, so in addition to the normal spinning attack, two blades could extend to provide an extra edge. Sam looked at the controls and noticed three new controls along with an empty slot where the control stick used to be.

The power told him to insert his sword into the slot. As he did so, the Zord came alive and moved towards the threat.

"Fire!" Sam commanded.

The arm rockets fired, striking the monster and causing it to fly back away from the Rangers. He waited until the monster stood again and the used the new tail blade to smash him across the face before using the drill to smash the lens.

Freeze Frame retaliated, striking the Dragonzord's chest with his sword. Sam pushed the first button on his control board. The arms of the Dragonzord extended outward, hitting Freeze Frame in the chest. The head and neck changed position as the Zord's body dropped forward so it was standing on four legs. The Dragonzord's mouth opened, releasing a fireball at the monster.

Freeze Frame screamed in pain as the fire started to burn him. He turned back towards his attacker and froze.

Sam pressed the second button on his control panel and pulled the control stick back. The Dragonzord reverted to biped form. The Zord's tail inserted into the ground lifting it into the air. The arms and legs were pulled into the body as they had when forming the Battle Dragonzord.

From nearby the lumbering form of Tor, the Shuttle Zord moved into view and converted to stand upright. The top split from the bottom, which had transformed into a pair of legs. The Dragonzord dropped into place on top of the legs to form the body and head, the top part of Tor split in half from top to bottom, both halves transforming and connecting to the body as arms. Finally the Dragonzord's tail transformed to form the lance the Rangers had once used as part of the old Battle Dragonzord combination.

"Turtle Battle Dragonzord, online!" Sam called as the machine powered up.

With a final effort Freeze Frame gave a howl and charged the giant Zord. Lightning struck the lance, feeding power into it. The Zord lifted the lance into the air and drove the point into the charging monster.

As the Rangers watched, Freeze Frame exploded, simultaneously restoring the bus and its passengers to their previous state. As the students woke up, they noticed the four Megazords lying on the floor with the Turtle Battle Dragonzord standing over them. Knowing this was bad for public relations, Sam used his Zord to help the Red Battlezord and Super Zeo Megazord back to their feet, at the same time recharging the remaining Zords with enough energy to teleport back to their holding bay.

Satisfied that the job was finished Sam pulled the sword from the control board, sending his Zords back to their hiding places. He then demorphed and sneaked back to the other students, noticing Tommy and company emerge from the bus where apparently they had been frozen.

"Alright people," Ms Randall said, taking a final look at the wrecked monster in front of them and thankful the Power Rangers had been there to help. "It's time we were back in Angel Grove. The trip will have to wait."

Later in the Power Chamber,

With Alpha's help Adam and the others had finally managed to restore the Zords to fighting condition. The Warrior Wheel would be offline for some time, but the main discussion had been about the Green Ranger.

"Do you have any idea who he is?" Tommy asked Zordon when Rocky, Adam, Kat and Tanya had left.

"I am not sure Tommy," Zordon replied. "I think we can assume he is on our side since the power has accepted him."

Listening to the conversation Jason remembered something he had meant to ask earlier, "Zordon, why did my uniform change?"

"There are three reasons why this had happened," Zordon told him. "First, the Gold Ranger Powers were designed for Trey, you were never their true owner so they kept the form Trey had selected. The power you are using now is based partly on your connection to Trey's power and partly your link to the Morphin Grid. Therefore the Power allowed you to make a few changes so you were comfortable."

"Secondly, your powers are weaker and providing the full Gold Ranger suit would drain them faster. The sword will help you to make up for the lack of defence with a more effective offence."

"Finally, I believe that the Ranger powers are constantly adapting to new situations. These changes you experienced could well be a part of those adaptations."

"Oh," Jason said as he teleported out of the Power Chamber with Tommy.

Once he was sure they were alone, Zordon turned his attention to Alpha. "Have you managed to find the abnormality I detected?"

"No Zordon, I cannot find any readings on the Moon," Alpha replied. "Ai-yi-yi-yi-yi, Rita and Zedd have gone!"

Zordon double-checked Alpha's findings and discovered he was correct. He checked the remains of Machine Empire and found they had also vanished. ~Perhaps Earth is safe again,~ he thought. He doubted this was the case, but it never hurt to hope.

He silently watched as his Rangers went on with their lives, happy they had survived another fight. "Alpha, if you need me, I will be meditating," he said as he teleported away.

Alpha continued to work as the Power Chamber went dark, the little machine happy the Rangers were safe and away from the fighting.

**End**

Disclaimer: I do not own the Power Rangers; they belong to their respective copyright owners and are used here without permission. No money is being made from this fic. Tommy's experiences in this story were inspired after reading Shards of the Mind by Justin Lam.  
Authors Note: This is an alternate universe from the television show with an alternate timeline. In relation to the show, this would take place between the end of Zeo and the start of Turbo. The Machine Empire was not blown to pieces in this story.

**Dark Waters**

The cool breeze caused his robes to shift slightly as he stood alone on the hill. Behind him there was a mature apple tree alive with the buzzing of the bees that nested there. By his foot sat a squirrel, foraging playfully in the day's heat. On his finger rested a small bird, cheerfully singing its little tune without a fear in the world.

His name was Minion and he had a mission: to conquer the planet known as Earth and crush the Power Rangers before Lord Zedd and Rita Repulsa deemed to return from their little excursion. At the moment he was indulging in the old saying know thy enemy as he stood watching the views and imagining how it would be when he destroyed everything.

With a thought his aura flared, the tree withered, the squirrel choked and the little bird was transformed into a pile of ash and bone. He didn't have time for beauty, only vengeance and perhaps his mission.

Rita and Zedd had set him a task and even though he didn't need to obey them, their purposes and his were the same for the moment. The witch and her husband hadn't specified how he was to accomplish his goal, nor for that matter had Dagsyxx, the being who had rescued him from the constant torment of the Dark Dimension only to enslave him, dictated how he was to carry out his mission. That suited him just fine because he was aware that completion of one part of his task would somehow further Dagsyxx's goals, perhaps even grant him the freedom he didn't have right now. Therefore, Minion chose to concentrate on crushing the Power Rangers first.

Crushing the Rangers was a problem. They reminded him of cockroaches, surviving the worst that their enemies could throw at them. Even losing their powers and reverting to children had failed to put an end to their efforts. At that time another team of Rangers, which had disappeared again when the effects of the Orb of Doom were negated, had aided them. While revealing how dangerous his enemies would prove, it also gave him a starting point in his campaign.

And there lay a problem he could deal with. The Rangers had allies, those who would back them up in a time of crisis. And if the Orb of Doom episode proved anything then their allies were just as dangerous to his plans as the Rangers themselves. His mind focussed on two particular sets of allies, two groups who owed the Rangers of Earth a debt of some nature. The Alien Rangers of the planet Aquitar sprang to mind. The Rangers had aided them against the Hydro Contaminators and Billy, the former Blue Ranger, was still on Aquitar. Then there were the people of Triforia, namely Trey, Trent and Travis. While only Trey held the power of the Gold Ranger, there was always the chance that the other two could prove bothersome.

They posed a problem, but Minion had an easy solution. He would wipe them out, pre-emptively. He would crush Triforia and turn Aquitar's waters into a bloodbath. He couldn't do it alone, Dagsyxx had not granted him the ability to be in three places at one. He would need to find outside help, recruit others that he could dispose of when the time came. His mind drifted to those he had seen in the Dark Dimension and a grin cross his face.

In a puff black smoke he was gone. He knew who he could call on to aid him. Who better to teach the Aquitians some respect than a creature they had helped to imprison?

To the casual observer Aquitar was simply a world covered by ocean. There were no islands above the surface and the entire population lived in domes several miles under the sea. As Billy Cranston had discovered during his long stay on the planet, Aquitar was more than just a water world.

True, the planet's population needed regular contact with the pure water to survive and as a result did live under water for most of their lives. However, they had also learnt over many thousands of year's evolution and experience that some tasks were better performed on dry land. Using advanced technology they had managed to force a chunk of the seabed to the surface, where the Aquitians had been able to build a landmass. Several such operations had taken place centuries ago.

However, many on Aquitar had protested against the creation of more islands. As a result a set of floating cities had been created. Shielded from view so as not to spoil the scenery and floating two miles above the water, using pollution-free repulsor lifts, the platforms allowed for the building of machines too delicate to be built in water.

Billy Cranston was lying on one of the smaller islands, his back against the ground; he was watching the stars, trying to find the planet of his birth; Earth. Although he had kept in touch with the other Rangers through the Power Chamber's communication systems Billy still felt left out from time to time. Most recently he had learnt about the return of the Green Dragon Ranger and more importantly, the disappearance of Rita and Zedd. He had spent many hours wondering who the new Ranger was and where he had got his power.

"Billy?" a voice asked.

Billy looked around to find Cestria smiling down at him. It was hard to imagine that a few years ago he had been a geek, picked on by bullies and hiding behind long words. Then he had become a Ranger and had strengthened his bond with his four best friends. They had helped to draw him out, letting him feel like he belonged. Tommy had joined later and although the team had changed Billy had always felt he had a home.

Then the Power Coins and the Command Center had been destroyed and Billy had felt a part of himself disappear with them. Even the new Power Chamber and Zeo Powers were not enough to make him feel part of the team. Too many changes had taken place, especially within Billy. When he had used his device to return to his normal age, he had not counted on continuing to age. As a result his one real chance to become a Ranger had been lost when he was unable to claim the Gold Ranger Powers.

He sighed to himself. He might have lost his chance to be a Ranger, but he had found something greater, Cestria. He had loved her since they had first met. They had spent time together during the battle with the Hydro Contaminators and even more time together while he was undergoing treatment. Together they had made themselves a home and hoped someday to adopt a child for themselves.

"Are you okay?" Cestria asked, the concern evident in her voice.

"Affirmative," Billy replied, grinning at his use of the word after learning to say just 'yes'. "I was just contemplating the identity of the Green Ranger the others were telling me about."

Cestria nodded and joined her lover looking up at the stars. When they had first gotten together, she had felt they would not last. But as the weeks had progressed, she had found herself ever more drawn to him. Then he had asked her to marry him. She had agreed and the ceremony had taken place.

The relationship between an Aquitian female and a human male had raised a few eyebrows especially when it had been revealed he was from Earth, a planet considered barbaric by most standards. Billy had been surprised to discover that Earth was a restricted planet. The only interference allowed was the placement of a Ranger team.

Even so Cestria was proud of the way Billy had conducted himself. He had accepted the fact he had a lot to learn and had maintained an open mind. Their wedding had opened him up even more as it was discovered Billy was a latent telepath. His skills had increased through training to the extent where he could now speak with others and had a sixth sense about danger.

"Do you miss them?" Cestria asked.

"Sometimes," Billy replied. "But my heart is here now, with you."

The two lonely figures were silent as they watched the stars above them, unaware that in the not too distant future their happiness would come to an abrupt end.

The security of the planets within their jurisdiction was something many within the Galactic Council took lightly. The deployment of Ranger teams on many worlds had ensured that early warning had become a convenience as opposed to being a necessity. Aquitar was one of many worlds that were ignored. After the Hydro Contaminators had been forced to sign a peace deal, the world was considered safe from further attacks.

However long before the Council had adopted its negligent stance to planetary defence, Zordon of Eltare, the being assigned to ensure the safety of the Earth had spent a brief period aiding the Aquitians to protect themselves. He had proved to them that security was not something that could be taken lightly. High above the planet he had positioned satellites, three thousand six hundred to be precise. They were supported by similar sensor arrays positioned strategically throughout the star system and interlinked through automated monitoring systems on outlying planets. Combined with the hardware they had positioned inside the Aquitian Command Center, the machinery provided a sensor net that could detect objects approaching from any direction. And when needed they could be used to observe the events on any other planet in the star system.

It was satellite 2681 that first detected up the problem. It accessed its memory subroutines and searched for a comparative event.

It had identified a Category D burst of energy accompanied by a twenty-six-second tear in fabric of space, clear indication that something had entered the solar system at speed in Sector DD24. Unable to detect the source of the energy surge, the satellite sent a routine request to its neighbouring satellites, asking for data confirmation.

Satellites 2680 to 2688 reported no record of such an observation. It ran a second memory check, this time deciding to check with some of the other detectors positioned throughout the solar system. The request came back as negative, not really surprising given the area the outer scanners had to cover and the satellite's logic circuit decided that in light of the lack of evidence, it had been a false reading.

Satellite 2681 removed the alert marker it had been preparing to transmit and instead logged a maintenance request to deal with a suspected misaligned lens. This marker was then transmitted to the Command Center's computer system for possible follow up.

The computer in the Command Center received the report, prioritised it in accordance with its database and scheduled a full system check as soon as it was possible to do so. The actual anomaly was placed in a sub folder of unknown events and ignored when Corcus printed the overnight reports on the printer Billy had acquired from somewhere, and then neatly filed in a cabinet somewhere near the Battle Borgs' Holding Area.

So it was that a tiny object no bigger than an average human landed on Aquitar without resistance and after ensuring there would be no investigation into his arrival, went as planned. Minion was on Aquitar, not to conquer the planet, but to unleash something that would prevent the Aquitians offering assistance to the Earth in the near future.

Allowing his instincts to guide him, Minion teleported to the remote side of Aquitar, a place that had been deemed too deep for colonisation during the time that the Hydro Hog had terrorised the world. It was referred to as the Dark Waters of Aquitar over which the Hydro Hog had claimed ownership. It was the high levels of sodium and other heavy metals though that made the area unpopular. Once it had been one of the deepest oceans on the planet. Now after some strange seismic activity, it was a barren waste.

Well, almost barren. In the center of the miniature desert, in an area once deemed too dark to explore even with flashlights, there appeared to be a pool of water. It had been there for an eternity creating the chemicals that prevented Aquitians from staying there too long. Its still surface reflected the light like a giant mirror giving it an undeserved feeling of calm. But it wasn't a body over water; it was a pool of accumulated darkness, twisted and evil it was prevented from dissipating by a barrier of light magic.

It marked a doorway to another dimension, a one-person prison created generations ago. It held the remains of a warrior who had fallen in battle during a great war. It had taken great sacrifice to seal darkness within, but could not prevent some of the darkness from seeping through to poison the waters.

At the boundary of the desert, Minion stopped. He sighed, preparing himself for the difficulty he had yet to face. The being he had come to find was a legend on Aquitar and elsewhere. He was also well known in the circles of inner society for being stubborn as he was ugly.

And speaking of ugly, he had not forgotten his own good looks or lack there of. He definitely was not the clone he had been before his time in the Dark Dimension. He reached for the top of his hood and pulled, feeling the weight and the closeness pull away, several times the small ringlets, sewn into his entire garb to add weight, caught skin and teased him with its cold strokes. He moved on to undo and remove the rest of his outer garb, as the clothing fell to the floor the clinking of the ringlets could be heard. He was not naked, but compared to the protection he had had just minutes before, he might as well have been.

Minion gave his body the once, critically examining himself for the first time since his release. ~This is not the body of a warrior,~ he thought as he noted how lack of use had lost him some of the tone that Mistress Repugna had helped him achieve. ~A soldier, maybe, but not a warrior and never a conqueror.~ What was it that Dagsyxx had called him, a pawn? That was what he resembled at the moment.

His body was puckered with scars, mementos of the wounds he had inflicted upon his own person while enduring the agony of the curse. As he stared, he reminded himself of how thin he was, not that he kept some of the muscles he had developed, but the muscles weren't as bulky or defined as they had once been. He missed that extra size and strength, though he was grateful that the loss of size had enabled him to maintain some speed and agility.

His head still surprised him, where once he had had hair it was now bald and decorated with even more scars, he couldn't even remember what he was expecting in his face, hidden beneath his mask he hadn't bothered reminding himself for too long.

Then there were the eyes. He never used to have red eyes that glowed. They were an indication of the changes he had endured. They were a taint that marked him as different, symbolised his escape from death and alluded to his new status as a pawn. The latter he could blame on the Rangers. Had they not defeated him, outwitted him twice, he would never have been forced to obey Dagsyxx.

With purpose, Minion approached the pool of water, which seemed to bubble as he reached it, as if issuing a warning that it may hide a hot spring within. But Minion knew his reasons for seeking out this spot and would not be tricked by this display, carefully he placed a finger in the pool and was unsurprised when they got no deeper than the fingernails, he withdrew his finger and watched as the semisolid substance covering the barrier oozed off the end, plopping obscenely when it dropped back.

Beyond he knew he would find the being he sought, the one who would ensure the Aquitians played no part in the upcoming battle. All he had to do was provide an opening, since like all prison doors, it required someone on the outside to open it and to provide a verbal invitation for the occupant to step back into the real universe; the latter was a safety precaution to prevent the prisoner from assaulting some poor fool who unwittingly opened a dangerous criminal's cell door. He looked in, and was almost certain he could feel his quarry watching him, beckoning him to enter.

"Turn it off or I'll leave you here," he said firmly as his clothing replaced itself. At once the presence shifted from his mind. Not that he would have succeeded in controlling Minion anyway since Dagsyxx's mental imprint was already etched into his mind.

"Now," he said, without turning his eyes away from the darkness. "Please, step through."

The effect was immediate. The Wall of Light expanded like a balloon, stretching outwards towards him. Minion remained in place, not afraid of a little light magic although there was considerably more than a little magic. The darkness seeped through the light, forming a skin that touched him and then faded away. Minion raised his head, as the last blurring effects of the wall left his vision. Before him stood the being he had come to find: Navius, the Butcher of Aquitar.

"Come," Minion said when it was clear that the ancient plunderer was aware of his surroundings. "We have a great deal to discuss."

The Aquitian thumbed his communicator and bought it to his lips, "Control, Corcus"

"Corcus, this is Control" A warbling voice responded through the device, "Proceed with your report"

The Aquitian male looked around, considering the scene before him. Morphed the man would be the Black Ranger for this planet, part of a team dedicated to the protection of the planet and preservation of order, but following the recent peace with the Hydro Contaminators, which had left the planet changed forever, the Rangers had been involved in more day to day tasks that didn't require the use of their Ranger powers.

Currently he was standing at the place where Minion had first landed, examining the burnt ground with interest. Cestro would have been intrigued, Corcus was merely cautious. The area around him was plain enough, one of the few landmass areas on the planet, the ground lacking obstruction in all direction and with the exception of the scorching, there was nothing obviously wrong. So why was he worried?

"A little over an hour ago," Corcus began, assuming a level tone to ensure communication "after surveying damage to the habitation complex in sector 7-9-2, Lieutenant Oceas, of the Aquitian Defence Force, who was escorting me on my duties received notification from Control that an unidentified energy signature had entered atmosphere and had been overlooked by myself. Since the projected landing was in this sector, Oceas requested that we, as the nearest unit, go to the location it appeared."

"Whatever landed here is both intact and mobile. The energy signature shows signs of scattering."

"He teleported." That was Cestro, obviously the Ranger serving as liaison for the day.

"Yes, we guessed the same. I have no idea where he went though."

"He's gone off planet Corcus," Cestro told him. "I have two energy signatures leaving from a site on the far side of the planet. One of them matches. See if you can find out what it was up to."

Corcus' search had come up empty handed. However near to where the cave had been, he had discovered a small device that he had taken back to base and waited for Cestro to analyse.

"From what we can figure out," Cestro stated to the assembled crowd of unmorphed Aquitian Rangers and defence staff, "It's some sort of automaton, though its primary function is as a stationary beacon..."

"Or alarm" the human, Billy Cranston, added looking up from the circuit boards he was examining "As soon as Corcus uncovered it it's been sending out some kind of signal on local channels, and though we've cleared it from our frequencies, it's still transmitting"

"Are you able to make out any specific messages?" Aurico asked.

"Not at this time," Billy replied "it appears that the language is either too advanced or too primitive for the translator units"

Billy looked back down at the machine on the table, trying to piece the puzzle together in his head.

The automaton was primarily a cylindrical body measuring about 1.6 metres in length, with a wide array of sophisticated appendages arranged around its cylindrical body, the cap-like head featured a cluster of corroded sensors and equipment. It seemed to be kept in one location for the duration of its service. By wiring in a series of monitors, Billy and Cestro had managed to find that it was receiving a variety of scans - accurate photography, zoom-identified details, magnetic imaging, thermal imagery, computer "virtualisation", and some form of bio-scan that seemed to show power levels.

As Cestro continued to discuss details with his fellow Aquitians, Billy spotted a small glowing panel under a layer of dirt, to his eyes it looked to be barely the size of a bottle cap, curious he moved to dust it off with his finger but as he touched the panel a beam of light shot out. Perhaps now they would get some answers.

On the small moon of the planet known as Miro-7, Navius the Butch of Aquitar and one of the most feared figures in Aquitian legend, listened to what his rescuer had to say. In some ways Minion's words excited him, but he remained calm by reminding himself that villains didn't offer opportunities unless they too had something to gain. He wanted to know why Minion was so keen for him to resume his dominance of Aquitar.

"And what do you gain from this little arrangement?" he asked. "Or do you expect me to believe that this is an act of charity."

Minion snorted. "Of course not. When you destroy the Aquitian Rangers, I will be free to strike at the Earth without the worry of reinforcements."

Navius considered the offer. It was as tempting to say yes as it was to rip Minion's head off and attack this so-called Earth himself. He wasn't a fool, Minion would not have aided him unless he had something greater to gain. Alas the desire to regain his rightful kingdom determined his priorities and he nodded his consent.

"Defeat the Aquitian Rangers and you can have the planet," Minion repeated for the third time.

"And its population?" Navius asked.

"Anything on the planet is yours. You can even take the Power Coins if you wish."

"Very well," Navius said after some thought. "We will go now!"

Aurico, the Red Aquitian Ranger, sat in the command chair of the Aquitian Command Center's Orbital Surveillance Module. As normal it was his turn to watch over the planet's early warning system manned by dedicated Aquitian soldiers. Although the planet was at peace, it had long been accepted that in order price of peace was constant vigilance. And unlike the Council, the population of Aquitar did not take their defence lightly.

As a result and in addition to the satellite network, which had already proven itself incapable of successfully analysing every threat, the Aquitians took turns in monitoring the planet's defences, ensuring that any unusual activity could be investigated early without the need for force. Misunderstandings could be sorted and threats could be dealt with, without costing the lives of innocent beings.

"Sir," Corino called. "We have something on long range scans."

Aurico moved over to where the young Aquitian was sitting. Corino was new to the task of lookout, and as such had a tendency to over react. Fortunately for Aurico the younger officer was also a quick learner and had only needed to be told once. Now he just alerted his superior officer instead of the whole planet.

Aurico walked across to where the junior officer was sitting and took a look at the image on the screen. Something large was heading into Aquitar's system at hyper-speed. Deciding that it might be worth a closer look, Aurico activated the comm link to the nearest patrol craft.

"Captain Salm," he said as the image of the ship's senior officer appeared.

"Ranger Aurico," the captain replied politely.

"We have a large unidentified ship entering the system," Aurico told him. "It's not transmitting any identification. Would you mind taking a look?"

Captain Salm smiled, obviously glad to be doing something. "Certainly Ranger Aurico, we will check."

Aurico waited until the captain deactivated his view screen before sending a telepathic message to the other Rangers.

*Tideus, Delphine, Cestro, Corcus, we might have trouble.*

*On our way,* Delphine replied.

Aurico then activated the emergency system to alert the rest of Aquitar to standby.

Navius had wanted to teleport back to Aquitar, but Minion had insisted that the old tyrant used a ship he had gotten from somewhere. Navius was not thrilled with the prospect since his forces were on Aquitar, awaiting his telepathic command to rise and destroy all that stood in their path.

They were purple creatures covered with scales. Standing on two legs, they had round bodies that lack a separate head. Their green eyes peered out at the height of a human's chest and the mouths filled with row after row of razor sharp teeth. They had tails, long slender lengths of muscle tipped with a spiked end and short arms that ended with clawed fingers. They moved with some difficulty since out of water they felt the full effects of their weight.

"Well," Navius said to nobody in particular, "it appears we have been detected. A ship is approaching from Aquitar."

~This should be interesting,~ Navius thought to himself.

"Unidentified ship, this is Aquitar Defence Craft C79, please state your course and intentions." The message repeated itself several times on a continuous loop over the communications system.

"No answer," he instructed the Hydron. "Let them get closer."

He turned to another of his troops and ordered, "Prepare to fire when we are in range and then switch on the subspace antenna. It's time they learn who we are."

Aquitar Defence Craft C79 was a six-man shuttle designed for high-speed interception. The craft had a rectangular body with a slanting nose at the front. On the bottom of each side it had a ski that housed the engines and provided extra manoeuvrability. As standard for the model the designers had not included weaponry other than a small laser for self-defence.

Captain Salm sat in his command chair, waiting for the unidentified craft to respond. There was something familiar about the way the ship was approaching, but he couldn't place it.

"No response sir," the Communications Officer reported.

"Keep trying," Captain Salm replied. "Helm, take us closer."

The ship continued towards the oncoming vessel. As they got nearer the other ship dropped out of hyper space just short of Aquitar.

"Sir, that ship is announcing itself as belonging to Navius," the Helmsman stated, panic evident in his voice.

"Nonsense, Navius is a myth. Still, better to play it safe. Set a course for the planet!" Salm ordered. He turned to the Communications Officer and said, "Send a message to Aquitar, top priority. We'll deal with this Navius on our terms."

The whole ship rocked as it was hit by a blast of laser fire. A second more powerful shot crippled the shields and the third shot caused the ship to explode.

"Replay" Billy said, his voice crisp and clear. He must have misheard. He begged whatever deity looked down on the Aquitian people that he had misheard. Beeps and whirring followed, which Billy now recognised as the voice recognition confirming and the system preparing to launch its hologram playback.

Since the teen had skimmed the front panel of the machine, it had managed to set-up an internal translation package based on his vocalisations, enabling the machine to recognise the Earthen language and to translate its media accordingly. That media had already been replayed seven times since it's uncovering, every time leading to in depth discussion on suppositions between the Aquitians in the room. To Billy the message was clear: ~This is probably very bad.~ Since then things had been getting worse.

The Aquitian Rangers had been called to a meeting some time ago and Billy had a feeling it was more than a coincidence.

A tinny voice emerged from the machines speakers, "Visitor. Warning. Be advised that by order of the Galactic Council, this site has been designated as restricted under Act Twenty-Thr -"

"Skip," Billy interrupted "Restart at point 12."

A whirring noise followed and from the capped head a green beam was emitted, slowly forming inside was the head of a humanoid. The mouth of the holo-image was already moving, speaking in a different language, before the dub caught up "I am Tscable, Yellow Morphin Master. The area you have entered is the prison zone of Navius, the Butcher of Aquitar. Navius should be considered at all times infinitely dangerous."

At that moment the alarm sounded and Billy groaned. He had hoped it would be a coincidence, but no such luck. Aquitar was under attack.

Aurico and the other Rangers watched the explosion on the monitor. As emergency systems were started, the five Aquitian Rangers together with Billy and Cestria were teleported to a command room where they prepared for battle. Although Cestria was not officially a Ranger, she had been given the task of acting as the Rangers' eyes and ears when they were in combat. Billy on the other hand was a Ranger. Although he could no longer draw on his powers, he had the experience and spirit to fight to defend the planet.

*Planetary Defences have been activated,* Delphine advised the others in the room.

Despite the fact they still had no idea who they were facing, the Rangers had decided to take no chances after witnessing the C79 destroyed. Aquitar had a formidable defensive plan against invaders, and although the defence grid had not been completely repaired since the battle with the Hydro Contaminators, it was still sufficient to see off most attackers.

As the planet's armed forces activated the defence systems the planet's shield was shifted into position. Covering the entire surface of Aquitar, the shield was a defence against bombardment from orbit and the occasional meteor strike. On the planet's surface the floating cities were pulled towards the raised islands to act as cover for the more valuable cities below. On each platform a set of weapon systems were brought online; surface to space missile systems designed to fire on enemy targets.

Finally, the entire population of Aquitar was warned about the possible attack. With the defences in place, the final say in defending the planet was in the hands of the Aquitian Rangers.

*We're getting a signal,* Tideus reported.

The monitor screen came to life revealing a face that the Rangers had hoped never to see. "This is Navius calling the planet Aquitar. By my order you will surrender."

To emphasise the point the planet was hit by a blast from Navius's ship. Despite the shields deflecting the blast, the whole planet shook from the assault.

"You have two hours to surrender," Navius added as the screen went blank.

The Rangers did not surrender of course and two hours later the battle for the planet Aquitar was underway. It was only when the battle had commenced that the Rangers had noticed the gap in their defences. Aquitar was all set to defend from attack from space, but ill prepared to repel the forces Navius called on. The bulk of his warriors had been sleeping in the deepest depths of Aquitar's oceans until he returned. As Navius' ship and his crew of Hydrons had bombarded the shield from above, the rest of his forces moving in to attack from behind.

The Aquitians were fierce warriors and fought back against the invaders. Although they were outnumbered, their weapons cut through line after line of Navius's creatures. The Hydrons were as stupid as they were ugly and no matter how many of their brethren were cut down by the Aquitian warriors, they continued to push forward.

As the fighting continued it became clear to the planet's defenders that swords and spears were more effective against the Hydron army than blaster bolts. The Rangers had morphed and thrown themselves into battle, inspiring their forces to fight harder. Cestria found Billy watching the battle from his own private chambers where he had been shifted when the fighting had moved too close to the Command Center. He had been told not to intervene in the battle unless he was forced to do so.

"What are you doing?" she asked him.

"I am trying to ascertain the method Navius utilised to crack the planet's shielding." The bombardment from above was just as lethal as the forces on the ground. "If I can discover a way to reverse the action, we can restore the defences." He paused long enough to watch the Rangers cut their way through another line of Navius's troops.

"Oh no," Cestria commented. Navius had just summoned a sea monster to breach the walls of the Aquitian cities. The Rangers had summoned their Battleborgs in response.

Only now after spending time getting to know the Rangers did Billy realise just how unsuitable their Battleborgs were for the environment of Aquitar. When he had been told that Ninjor had given the Aquitians their machines, he had assumed it had been because their powers were the same as he and his fellow Earth Rangers had gained from Ninjor. This was true. However, just because the Battleborgs complemented the Rangers didn't mean they were suited to the environment of Aquitar. Underwater they were at a disadvantage.

That was why Cestro and Billy had created the Shark Zords. Delphine piloted the Great White Shark, Aurico the Red Hammerhead, Corcus the Black Bull Shark, Cestro the Blue Shark and Tideus the Seal Shark Zord. Together they merged into the Aquitian Megazord.

"Billy, what's wrong?" Cestria asked. She could sense her lover was uneasy, but not about losing the battle.

"Something is not right," Billy replied. "From what Cestro told me, Navius was an active warrior leader, not a commander who sat in the background. Where is he?"

"Maybe he's waiting for something," Cestria suggested.

Billy nodded and continued to watch the fight.

With teamwork that had been perfected through years of experience and trust the Rangers fought back against Navius's forces. Despite the numbers, the Aquitians had been able to hold back the Hydrons, allowing the Rangers to take on the larger monsters one at a time. Up until this point the line had held and the cities had been easy for them to defend.

Then the odds changed as Navius somehow managed to summon monsters from even deeper depths of the Dark Waters, sending them against the Aquitians. These creatures were larger and more powerful than normal, drawing their strength from the dark side of the planet.

They had just battled down a monstrous squid when the watery hydra had surfaced. From there the Rangers had slowly but surely been driven back by their opponents. Like a true hydra, every time they removed a head, three more grew in its place.

Billy and Cestria watched the battle as it moved backwards and forwards across the planet. The Aquitian Megazord and the Battleborgs were more than a match for the new creatures.

"Billy, there's something wrong with the Zords," Cestria called suddenly.

Billy looked at the screen and swore when he noticed the Yellow Battle Borg had stopped moving. *Tideus,* he called, hoping not to disturb the other Rangers. There was no response. As he watched Billy noticed both Corcus and Cestro had stopped fighting as well. Their Borgs were fighting automatically, but when attacked by multiple heads, they were relatively defenceless.

"*Delphine!*" Billy called, both telepathically and audibly.

The monitor angle changed to show the Rangers under attack from an unseen collection of warriors. They stood on two legs and had four arms, the lower pair armed with pincers. The Rangers' weapons seemed incapable of penetrating the thick shell like armour and under the heavy blows of the newcomers, they eventually succumbed.

"We have to warn the others," Billy told his wife desperately. "Normal weapons won't work. Cestria?"

"Too late Ranger," a voice said.

Billy turned to see one of Navius's monsters standing in the doorway, a knife pressed against Cestria's throat. Determined not to hurt an innocent while attempting to save a Ranger who might already be dead, Billy had no choice but to surrender. He placed a small knife in his pocket as he did so, keeping hold of it for later.

A burst of boiling liquid tore through the Yellow, Black and Blue Battleborgs. With three opponents disabled the hydra turned its attention to the White and Red Battleborgs. The snapping mouths combined with the superheated liquid had the Rangers' machines beaten. Navius's reserves had not only managed to sneak up on the Rangers, they had disabled three of them and were now aiming for Aurico and Delphine. A cheer was heard as the White Ranger collapsed, signalling their victory.

Just before the White Aquitian Ranger fell, she held out her hand. The Power Coins from the other Rangers floated to her wait palm and she used her other hand to place her Coin on the top of the pile. Her eyes closed as she fought the exhaustion as a sixth coin appeared, unmarked but no doubt capable of tapping the Morphin Grid.

"Stop her!" Navius commanded.

It was too late though. Delphine threw the coins into the air and sent them to a new owner as was the custom of her people; the final act of a defeated Ranger. Then she collapsed.

With the Rangers gone, the Battleborgs vanished. Navius returned the hydra to the depths of the oceans, worried in case it chose to attack his own forces in place of its previous prey. As it did so the fight continued as the Aquitian people fought to protect their cities. By now it was clear that this was a losing battle. With the Rangers gone and the defences shattered, the best they could manage was to slow the enemy advance.

*William, it is time to wake up young Wolf.*

Billy opened his eyes as he felt somebody shaking him. Turning over he discovered the ropes he had been tied with were gone. He took the opportunity to look around his cell, hoping to find a way out.

Next to his feet were the ropes he had been tied up with and the knife he had taken the liberty of concealing earlier, when he had surrendered.

He noticed his cell must have been constructed a very long time ago. It was made of stone with a wooden door. Billy knew the Aquitians had put an end to crimes requiring incarceration years ago and assumed the cell may have been built by other inhabitants of the planet.

Billy took the time to study the door. It was locked by means of a key, which from an inspection of the lock was too complicated to copy in the form of a pick. Both the hinges were made of a dull metal embedded in the wooden door. Kneeling down he ran his hand along the bottom of the door and found no obvious gap in the bottom for leverage.

Standing upright he could feel an extra weight in the pockets of his jeans. Deciding to investigate he turned out the contents into his hand. Six golden coins were revealed, five with the symbols of the Aquitian Rangers. That he quickly realised, was a sign of how dire the situation had become; for the Rangers to send him their coins meant they were either defeated or worse. The sixth coin was slightly larger and lacked decoration. He assumed this had been the coin Cestria would have used when she eventually became a Ranger. It lacked the image of a spirit animal right now.

Billy quickly decided that he should escape first and then try to figure why he had the coins and how he had got them. Pulling himself up to the grill in the cell door, he looked out into the corridor. Outside his cell, two of Navius's Hydrons were on guard. He could also see six other cells, each carefully guarded.

*William, you must escape, now!* A familiar voice said.

*Ninjor?* He asked.

*It is I, young Wolf,* the Blue Morphin Master seemed to say.

Billy realised this was not the same form of the communication as he shared with the Aquitian Rangers. Instead of hearing the message in his mind he felt it in every part of his body.

*What about the others,* Billy asked.

*You must help them. That is why you were given their coins. They underestimate you.* Ninjor told him. *Help the Rangers and they will inspire the people of Aquitar to fight on.*

Billy noticed that in his plan Ninjor made no mention that the Aquitian Rangers would succeed.

Billy felt something burning his hand. As he looked down, he noticed the Blue Ranger coin flashing, the image of the Blue Aquitian Ranger fading and a wolf becoming more prominent. Behind the Wolf Billy could just make out the images of a Triceratops, and a Unicorn.

*Morph Billy* Ninjor's voice said, more insistent.

With a mental shrug Billy decided to do what he was told. Placing the other coins in his pocket, he looked at the Wolf Coin. He had seen Cestro call on his power by flipping the coin in the air, but Billy doubted that would work for him. Instead he closed his eyes and mentally placed the coin in his pocket dimension. Then he remembered how he used to morph and imagined himself pulling his morpher from the pocket dimension with the coin in place. As he opened his eyes, he was surprised to find himself holding the morpher with the coin inserted and ready for action.

"It's Morphin Time!" Billy called. "Wolf!"

For a moment Billy was overcome by the sensation of morphing again after such a long time. He opened his eyes to find himself in a costume similar to the one he had worn as Blue Ranger, but with the helmet shaped to resemble a wolf's head. He had expected to find himself in the uniform Cestro had worn as Blue Ranger. He quickly decided the person morphing and not the coins decided the uniform.

Outside his cell he could hear the sound of his guards trying to open the cell door. Drawing his Blade Blaster, he fired three times; the first tow shots striking the hinges and the third hitting the lock. Launching himself into the air Billy drop-kicked the door, knocking down the two Hydrons trying to open the door.

As he picked himself up off the floor, he once again drew his Blade Blaster and fired at the nearest Hydra. As the blast hit the Hydron, it exploded like a water balloon. Laying down a barrage of weapon fire, he made his way down the corridor, unsure which way he should be heading. The fireballs the Hydrons unleashed bounced harmlessly from his armour; unlike the Aquitian Rangers, the rise in temperature the impacts caused were uncomfortable not fatal.

*Turn left,* Ninjor's voice said.

Billy did as he was told, keeping his eyes open for any sign of the Hydras. The power of the Wolf combined with Ninjor's mental prodding gave Billy a keen sense of warning. Anytime one of Navius's soldiers tried to sneak up from behind Billy was able to fire his blaster and destroy them. Not that they proved difficult to defeat. If anything, they seemed to grow weaker with each passing minute.

His journey ended when he reached the control room the Rangers had used as their control center. Inside he could make out some of Navius's troops. Delphine had been tied to a chair, her neck exposed to the Hydron's claws. In front of her Navius was standing, a knife placed against Cestria's neck.

Every fibre of Billy's body wanted to rush in and rescue his friends, but with both their lives on the line he could not guarantee their safety. Instead Billy decided to try another approach.

*Cestria,* he called, hoping she had enough strength to reply. From what he had seen Navius had only provided the two females with enough water to stay alive.

*Billy?* the reply came.

*I'm outside the door,* he sent back.

*Get away,* he heard Cestria call. *They're going to kill us.*

As Billy watched, he saw Navius slap Delphine across the face again. "Worthless Ranger. This planet was mine before that pitiful Council interfered. This is for making me waste my time conquering my own planet."

*Delphine,* Billy called. *Tell him to look behind him.*

Using his Ranger powers to analyse the situation Billy managed to find a shot, which would hopefully free Delphine and Cestria. As Delphine spoke the three villains turned to face him, thus releasing their captives slightly. Billy hoped it was enough. Aiming at the ceiling, he fired a single shot, causing the roof to cave in. As he had hoped Cestria was pushed clear as Navius and his soldiers tried to escape the rubble. Delphine meanwhile had taken her cue from Billy and had managed to strike a Hydron in the face with the chair, causing him to fall over.

Unfortunately he had not counted on the other Hydrons that walked around the corner at that moment and attacked without hesitation. The flames missed their targets, but drew the moisture from the environment, quickly leaving both Delphine and Cestria in a state of severe heat exhaustion and dehydration. Billy attacked, dispatching their attackers before further damage could take place. But now he had the added problem that both Cestria and Delphine were in a critical state. He had to get them away from there as soon as possible, but wherever he went had to have sufficient pure water to restore them to normal health. He had not noticed before, but as Navius had summoned more of his warriors, so the waters of Aquitar had been polluted.

Despite carrying two Aquitians, Billy made good progress towards the nearest cloudbank. His plan was simple: restore Delphine so she could morph and then rescue the others. He froze when he heard a group of Aquitians screaming not far away.

Leaving Delphine and Cestria with the water Billy made his way to the nearest view port. From there he could see the Hydrons moving through the makeshift containment camps, randomly killing the captive population and instilling fear in the others.

He heard a scream from behind. As he turned, he saw a Hydron moving towards the spot where Cestria was lying.

"No!" Billy cried, his rage fuelling him as he leapt towards the shadow. "Power Lance!" he called as he landed.

The Power Lance formed in his hands. Spinning the weapon quickly Billy advanced on the foot-soldier. It reached towards Billy, Cestria groaning uncomfortably as the fireball it held drained the vital moisture from her pores. With an effort Billy channelled his power into the Power Lance. He drove the weapon forward and watched as the Hydron exploded, splashing Cestria with blood.

Billy was at her side in an instant.

"B.. illy," Cestria said as he cradled her head. "So sor.."

After demorphing, Billy fished into his pocket and pulled out Delphine's Power Coin. All the Rangers had accelerated healing, but it was also possible for the White Ranger to heal others. Billy had decided a long time ago that each Ranger had a different skill to bring to the team. He hoped that the White Ranger's power to heal others would allow her to heal herself.

"Delphine, morph," Billy told her as he placed the coin in her hand. He placed the blank coin in Cestria's hand, but his wife was already limp in his arms.

"Aquitar Ranger Power!" Delphine called. By this time she had had enough water to at least try. But when she looked into the eyes of the woman Billy held in his arms, she knew it was too late. "I'm sorry Billy."

As Billy watched and Delphine spoke, Cestria's body glowed white for a second as the healing attempt failed. Then it was still. Apart from cleaning some of the wounds Billy was disappointed to find the healing powers had done little to help, no doubt due to Delphine's own injuries. In desperation Billy tried to revive her with some water, but in his heart he knew that Cestria was gone.

"Don't blame yourself Billy," Delphine said as she placed a hand on her friend's shoulder. "She is free." She paused, not wanting to sound callous but aware that this was not the time for mourning. Her own wound was such that she doubted she would be fighting in the near future. "Billy, we must try to help the others."

Reluctantly, Billy demorphed and placed Cestro's coin with the others and offered them to her. "Find the others, free the prisoners and try to organise a counter attack. I have other things to do." His words were cold and the worried look in Delphine's eyes meant she understood how close this event had come to pushing her Earth friend over the edge. Still, he was pleased to see that she just nodded and made her way into the camp.

Billy felt the Power leave him as he handed Delphine the coins but she refused them. "I cannot morph now Billy. Keep them, pass them to those who can use them." He had known at that moment that Delphine would not survive long. He took the coins back and while he pocketed Cestro's, he kept the blank one for himself, hoping it would be helpful. As it happened, that was enough for him to transform again. On instinct he let loose a wild howl of anger and outrage before gaining control. Now was not the time to grieve the loss of Cestria. When the others were safe, he would have time to for that.

The time had come. It was time for Navius to reveal the reason he was the Butcher of Aquitar. It was time to transform the oceans of Aquitar into a dead sea.

He was seven feet tall although given his stout body it was difficult to tell. His legs and arms were thick limbs of muscle without bone. He had two toes on the front of each foot and one toe around the back of the heel. In addition to two arms that had normal hand on the end, he had four additional arms consisting of tentacles. His skin was composed of black scales. He wore dark green armour on his shins and white armour on his upper body. He had a thick face with yellow eyes and a fat nose. A helmet that would have looked at home on an old Earth diver protected it.

He was carrying a length of chain attached to the end of a large harpoon type weapon. He was dangerous, the greatest killer in Aquitian history and he was free to resume his reign of terror. The Rangers had fought well against his forces, the Beasts of the Dark Waters. But they had yet to understand that he had risen from the darkest depths.

Around him the Hydrons waited for his next command. They wanted blood and he would not disappoint them.

"Go," Navius commanded. "Bring this planet to its knees"

Billy's escape from his cell had damaged the door to Aurico's cell. With all the strength he could muster Aurico struggled out of his cell and freed his fellow Rangers. Although still lacking Delphine they all agreed to try to help Billy. Their Power Coins were gone, but they were still linked to the Ninja Powers.

"Aquitian Ranger Power!" they called together.

The Rangers found themselves clothed in half-powered costumes complete with face masks. Attached to the front of their costumes was a set of shurikens. The Rangers reached out and took a weapon from subspace.

Aurico found himself wielding a powerful broadsword. Moving it through the air he could see the faint red glow on the tip of the blade.

Corcus found himself holding a bow staff. A black cloak was attached to the back of his uniform.

Cestro was holding a small axe. On his left hand a set of steel blades appeared.

Finally, Tideus was armed with a set of Sais. He hooked the weapons into his belt and prepared for hand-to-hand combat.

Together the Rangers made their way out of the cellblock, looking for any indication of which dome they were in. As they rounded the corner, they were confronted by four Hydrons.

Despite their best attempts to fight back, the weakened Rangers were overrun by Navius's forces. Still they fought on, costing their attackers the element of surprise and buying their soldiers time.

Corcus managed to hold out the longest, using a decoy technique to escape his attackers and then strike back. As he drove his staff into the last monster's chest, the monster collapsed to the ground. Corcus turned around in time to see the Navius's harpoon slicing through the air towards him. He ducked, it smashed into the wall behind him and Navius smiled cruelly as he jerked the wall down on top of the Black Ranger.

Billy made his way towards the communication center. As he entered, he was surprised to find it unguarded, although after careful observation he discovered the equipment had been smashed beyond repair. Deciding to improvise Billy opened his subspace pocket and pulled out the toolkit he had designed a while for working on the Zords.

It took him a few seconds to find the equipment he needed: a coil of wire, power cell, and a voice encoder unit and a soldering iron. Carefully opening the main communications console he cleared the wrecked components out of the way, using his Blade Blaster on some of the larger components.

Using the existing wiring at the back of the console, Billy connected the power cell to the antenna on the top of the dome. He then connected the voice encoder to the power cell, using the coil as an amplifier. Now all he had to do was send the message and hope the transmitter dish was pointing the right way. After placing the toolbox back in subspace he was disappointed to find he did not have enough power to send the signal to Earth.

Sighing he demorphed and placed his coin into the coil. As the energy started to flow, he sent his message.

"Help! This is Billy Cranston, former Blue Ranger of Earth now residing on Aquitar calling. Hostile forces have taken control of Aquitar and are killing its population. If anybody receives this message please send help immediately."

Billy was about to send the message again when he heard a noise behind him. He grabbed his coin and rolled out of the way as Navius's harpoon sliced through the communication systems, destroying his makeshift communicator.

"Wolf!" Billy called as he tried to morph again.

*Don't let his weapon touch you young Wolf, * he heard Ninjor say.

Ducking as the sharp weapon moved towards him, Billy summoned his Power Lance and parried the blow. Both Billy and Navius were thrown to the ground as the electricity pushed them away from each other.

"I already killed your friends," Navius said. There was a heavy thump as Aurico's battered body was unceremoniously dumped on the ground. "Don't cry human, now you can join them," the villain mocked.

Billy growled, charging up his Power Lance.

The two enemies battle back and forth, attacking and blocking each other's move. Finally Navius was able to slip past Billy's defences. Using a cutlass blade he slashed Billy across the chest, knocking the Blue Ranger to the ground again. Raising his new sword, Navius moved closer.

Billy waited until the villain was within reach, then jumped to his feet and kicked the behemoth's knee. Before the Navius could react, Billy scissor-kicked his neck, using a sidekick to knock him down.

"Arghhh!" the villain yelled in pain as he unleashed a blast from his eyes.

Billy found himself lifted from the ground, unable to avoid further attacks. In desperation Billy summoned Cestro's sword and threw it at one of the villain's tentacles. As expected, Navius was distracted. Seeing his chance Billy waited until Navius had turned away from him and the eye beams were no longer holding him. He rolled to the ground and split his Power Lance in half.

As Navius finally regained his composure and once again advanced on the Ranger, Billy ran at him, leapt into the air and energised his weapons. Striking with first the left half of the Power Lance, then the right half and finally stabbing both parts into the armoured helmet Billy stepped back as Navius collapsed to the ground.

Billy followed through, allowing his grieve to fuel his anger. The Rangers were gone; he had not missed bodies behind Navius when he had entered. Aurico's corpse had confirmed the identity of the others. Cestria was gone and with her loss, his life on Aquitar was at an end. When this was all over, they would be too busy dealing with the many civilians who were injured or worse dead to care about a lone human.

His efforts were not sufficient though. Even as Navius grew to full height, breaking through the dome and into the open air, Billy recognised that this fight would continue for some time to come. And with the Rangers, the Blue Ranger doubted that the Aquitians were likely to emerge victorious.

Billy rolled as he felt the end of the harpoon hit the ground. With Navius at full height Billy knew he was outmatched. Drawing his Blade Blaster Billy fired, hoping he could cause some damage to the giant monster.

*Billy,* he heard Ninjor's voice say again. *Call on your Zord.*

*The Zords are gone,* Billy replied.

He remembered the two Zords he had operated before Master Vile had manipulated time with the Orb of Doom. The Ninja Zord had been at times the most powerful Zord he had ever controlled and the Blue Shogun Zord had made even that Zord seem weak.

*Call on the Zords Blue Ranger,* Ninjor insisted.

Trusting the Blue Morphin Master, Billy closed his eyes. With Ninjor's spirit guiding him, Billy reached deep into the Blue Ranger powers.

Billy found himself drifting down a corridor towards three blue doors. Behind them he realised were the powers of the Blue Ranger. The first draw was marked by the Triceratops. The second door had the image of the Unicorn on it. The image of the Wolf was on the third door.

Billy considered which door to open and chose the third door. As the door opened, knowledge flowed into his mind, telling him how to operate the Wolf Zord. Placing his hands on his belt Billy teleported back to reality.

"Blue Battle Borg online!" Billy called.

As he watched the might warrior appeared in front of him, now fully recovered from its battle with Navius's monsters. With Billy guiding its moves, the Battle Borg was barely able to hold its own against the villain.

With a quick swipe Navius struck the Battle Borg with the razor tips of his tentacles. The harpoon weapon was still in use, but Navius had kept it attached to the launcher as a blade. It was redundant though as Navius used his other arms to strike the Battle Borg's arm.

"Ninja Wolf Zord, Power Up!" Billy called as the pain from the Battle Borg was transferred back to its operator.

As he leapt into the air, Billy was transported to the cockpit of his Zord. As it accelerated towards the monster, it pounced at the villain, trapping the monster's left arm with its teeth. The Battle Borg meanwhile had produced a larger version of Cestro's old sword and hacked at the other arm.

"Get off!" Navius demanded.

Large bolts of energy erupted from his arms, throwing the Zords to the ground. Inside the Wolf Zord Billy struggled to regain his senses.

"Blue Shogun Zord, now!"

As Billy called the most powerful of the three Zords appeared, armed with a version of the Power Lance. Billy teleported to the Shogun Zord's cockpit and the new Zord battled with Navius, who once again wielded his harpoon.

While Navius was distracted battling the Shogun Zord, the Battle Borg and Ninja Wolf Zord attacked. The Wolf Zord pounced on the monster as he tried to block a blow from the Shogun Zord. The impact knocked the villain off balance. The Battle Borg took the opportunity to jump from the Shogun Zord's shoulders, slicing the villain's harpoon weapon in half.

"Wolf Zords, full power!" Billy called, placing his power coin into the slot in the Shogun Zord's cockpit.

The Battle Borg stood up and ran towards the Shogun Zord, which opened to hold it. As the Battle Borg slipped inside the Shogun Zord closed around it to form a powerful body.

The Shogun Zord began to transform, its body changing from humanoid form into an animal form. The head retracted into the body, the arms transformed into the front legs and the legs transformed into the hind legs.

The Ninja Wolf Zord meanwhile pulled its legs and tail into the body along with the head. The body then transformed into a large wolf head and connected with the neck of the Shogun Zord. A loud growl erupted from the large wolf as it began its final assault on the stunned monster.

As the Zord ran it built up speed. Navius braced himself, expected the Zord to simply run through him. Instead, as the Zord reached its top speed Billy pressed a button on the control board. Claws emerged from each leg and the Zord opened its mouth wide and jumped. The rest of the battle was over with quickly. The Zord struck the powerful monster at full speed, its claws and teeth breaking through the monster's skin, ripping him to pieces. As each claw and tooth penetrated a bolt of blue energy was released as Navius teleported away. Exhausted Billy powered down the Zord and teleported to safety.

Billy awoke to find himself on the small landmass he had rested on the night Aquitar had been invaded. He had somehow demorphed and managed to stay safe. In the distance he could hear the sound of fighting. Navius's defeat had not signalled the end of the battle as he had hoped.

The Rangers were gone, but the planet's military were leading the counter attack and were even now struggling to keep the Hydrons from solidifying their hold on the planet. Even so, the future of Aquitar looked bleak. The planet was a mess and would be for decades to come. The environment had been messed up by whatever poisons Navius had released in the water. Many of the cities had been destroyed, many Aquitians had been killed. The platforms were damaged and would need time to fix, the defences were for the most part gone and until the last of the invaders were driven back, Aquitar was a very vulnerable world.

And to make things worse, Cestria was gone. He had loved her since the day he had met her if not as his true love then something very close. And she had been taken from him without the chance for him to say goodbye.

*Do you really think it is that easy to lose me William Cranston?*

"Cestria?" Billy asked in awe.

He was starting to feel her loss now and was certain this was what was causing him to hear her voice. Then he started to see the image of her in front of him and knew he was going mad.

*This is not an illusion,* Cestria's voice said. As Billy watched, she appeared in front of him. "I shall always be with you."

"I can't go on alone," Billy sobbed.

"You don't need to," Delphine told him as she and the other Aquitian Rangers appeared next to his fallen wife. "We are linked forever through love and the Power. Nothing can separate us, not even death."

Billy smiled as he felt his link to them strengthen. "I love you," he said to Cestria.

"I know," she replied. "But you still have work ahead of you Billy. Aquitar needs help, Ranger help."

Billy nodded. He knew that she wanted him to go to Earth and ask for help. It would not be the first time Aquitar had sought Zordon's age. Billy had no doubt their pleas would not be ignored this time.

He teleported the short distance to the shuttle station. An interplanetary teleport was out of the question, when the Command Center had fallen the teleportation apparatus had been destroyed. That meant that as much as he loathed the idea, he would have to use a shuttle pod.

"Time to go," he said to nobody in particular as he slipped into the launch area. There was the sound of engines warming up as the shuttle launched into the sky.

"Hang on guys," Billy whispered as he looked down at the planet he had called home for months. "I'll be back, I promise." Then he settled back and endured the journey, thoughts of Cestria distracting him from his fear of enclosed places at least for a short time.

Far away from Aquitar, Minion reviewed the events of the last few days. He had not expected Navius to lose; Billy regaining any sort of power had been unthinkable. But in the end he had to admit that things had turned out for the best. Billy was in transit and out of contact with the Rangers. Aquitar would fall before the Blue Ranger could return, Navius was not as gone as Billy thought. His goal had been accomplished regardless of what happened. Be it a short battle or a long war, the Aquitians were now too busy dealing with their own problems to help the Earthlings and Billy could be dealt with when he arrived.

Now it was time to deal with Trey.

**End**

Disclaimer: I do not own the Power Rangers, they belong to their respective copyright owners and are used here without permission. No money is being made from this fic.  
Authors Note: This is an alternate universe from the television show with an alternate timeline.

**Tradition of Treason**

_"I yearn to return to the battlefield, I crave the screams as I extinguish the lives of countless innocents. But I cannot, yet. The Earth is the key to my return. On that world or close by there is the apparatus I can use and its defenders are the greatest weapon the opposition possesses. The planet is a beacon of hope that has been shining for so long that few will miss it until it is extinguished. Go to Earth, secure me the machine I seek and prepare for my chosen's arrival. Then help him to destroy the ones known as the Power Rangers, and pave the way for my return to glory."_

He remembered the conversation although the words had somehow changed. The conversation he preferred to remember had given him the task of destroying the Power Rangers, had contained a promise that he could personally destroy Tommy Oliver and the others that had caused him to agree to Dagsyxx's terms. Although he would admit that the unrelenting pain of having his body torn apart had been a convincing argument.

Now he was faced with a choice, did he obey the orders that echoed through his mind or should he follow the orders that he believed that Dagsyxx should have given him? He wanted the Rangers destroyed and had taken the first step to ensure their destruction; the Aquitar campaign had proven a huge success. Without the Alien Rangers and Gold Ranger as backup, the Rangers could not afford to lose a single battle. He didn't care about Dagsyxx and his desire for a body or anything else for that matter. He was going to destroy the Rangers and then conquer the planet.

And so he decided to commence stage two of his plan: the removal of the Gold Ranger. And so he went to Triforia, a world where technological and spirituality had been combined in an atmosphere of learning and development. The royal family were seen in the same ways as the Egyptians of Earth had once viewed their Pharaohs. They were gods to be worshipped and adored by the population, their word to be obeyed above all others. The Nebka dynasty had reigned over the world for hundreds of thousands of years with one king succeeding another to bring a continuing sense of security and wealth to their people.

And while their beliefs made them appear simplistic, their society was anything but backwards. Art and music were valued, science reaching greater levels of development as their space exploration continued. Their soldiers were as capable with swords and shields as they were with bio-suits and antitank rockets. They were a race that while facing forward had never forgotten the dark past they had left behind.

Time had passed and some parts of the old ways had disappeared, making way for the new. Triforia had evolved, but while some of their superstitions had been left behind, the belief in the Golden Goddess who had bestowed on the people the means to protect themselves and the position of the Royal Family as their greatest protectors.

It was therefore amusing to Minion that his plan involved turning a member of the Royal Family against his own people. He had selected Terr, the black sheep of the family to aid him. Terr would gain power and wealth and in return Triforia would decline to answer any calls for help from its former allies.

Long ago Triforia Prime has sent forth ships to colonise its apparently barren neighbours, founding a great commercial empire between worlds. The Triforian System as the final commonwealth of worlds became known was blessed with a wide variety of animal and plant life. And although the majority of those on Triforia itself were clearly humanoid, on the other worlds it was a very different story.

The system consisted of three central suns around which, five planets orbited. The three primary planets were the same size as Earth and had the same atmosphere and gravity. They were named Triforia, Drallax and Zecht. The two smaller planets of Tralus and Talus were habitable, but had an increased level of gravity.

Triforia itself was the second planet from the suns and home to system's humanoid population. Time had caused them to abandon the religions of old, mindless and constant dedication now watered down to occasional pilgrimage. Science had confirmed the existence of the three intermingled souls that made up each Triforian humanoid, but so far the only recorded case of a manifestation of all three souls was Lord Trey, the current heir to the throne.

Triforia was the system's government and their representative to the Galactic Council. Therefore the King or High Lord of Triforia as some now called him was the ruler of the entire system. The traditional protector of the planet, the King Ranger had been replaced with the being known throughout the quadrant as the Gold Ranger. Seven sacred artefacts used by the King and the heir to ensure peace had been melted down to forge the mighty Golden Power Staff. The pyramid tombs had been moved to a new place where they would remain undisturbed by the planet's development. The exception was the fabled Dark Pyramid, which nobody dared to disturb.

Drallax was a desert world, dry and warm. Apart from a few speculators who mined the planet for precious metals, the planet considered too primitive to visit. The native Dralls were larger that Triforian humans with large hands. They usually lived underground and their bodies were developed for digging. The few creatures that lived on the surface were either scavengers or bandits. It was also the place where Triforians buried their dead, a process that dated back to the times of the pyramids. The dead were placed in caskets and then entombed in pyramids, which in turn teleported, the caskets into the neighbouring planet's core.

The third planet, Zecht, was a world similar to Earth. Instead of the high concentration of Iron in the air, the planet was mostly copper and had resulted in some bizarre life forms. At least six different races lived on the planet each with a separate continent. The blue skinned Ciss were the dominant life form. Next came the green dwarf like Bevins with their four eyes, the orange skinned Ssi-runs, the green skinned Dorrsks and the Quarren. Animal life was abundant and technology had reached its peak. In fact the only reason Triforia was the capital of the System was because the people on Zecht held little interest in politics.

Talus was in a unique orbit that meant it only benefited from the light of all three suns for one month of the year. It was cooler than the other worlds that required weather control to maintain a breeze. Its inhabitants were a highly aggressive and competitive race, which had reached the pinnacle of fighting prowess and then destroyed their weapons. Because their world had three suns, they shared the Triforian Humans' ability to split their souls. Instead of Heart, Mind and Courage, they were able to divide into good and evil. They had mostly green skin with enlarged ears and sharp teeth. They served as both defenders and advisors although it was the advisory role that they preferred.

The final planet in the Triforian System was Tralus. Smaller than the other planets, it was a modern world where nature had taken a back seat to urbanisation. Metal cities towered into the sky where floating platforms provided even more residential areas. Real estate was expensive and only the elite could afford to visit let alone live there. The native Morlos had found a way to produce medicines from the planet's crust, something that brought in a vast amount of money.

It was on Tralus that the Golden Power Staff had been forged from the molten gold within the seven artefacts that symbolised the power of the old kings. The secret chamber hundreds of miles under the surface was filled with precious metal and contained the tools necessary for the production of powerful weapons. It was rumoured but never confirmed that a great Morphin Master had once used the forge's vast resources to create Ranger armour and that it was he who had found the way to recreate the King Ranger into the Gold Ranger of modern times, allowing the wielder to control the wild energy known as magic through the use of a powerful crystal.

The forge had been sealed since that time and it was said that only a member of the royal family could open the vault. And so it was that one of Trey's brother had entered the most restricted zone in the Triforian Star System and had set with the aid of Minion followed a path that would make him king.

Terr had long been the scourge of the Triforian system, following in the beliefs of previous traitors that the regime was too weak to protect itself and that only through enforced rule could loyalty be assured. That the royal line had endured for hundreds of thousands of years made little impression on such people.

Terr had been one of the more successful traitors because he had dabbled in the dark arts of his planet's past. Centuries before he had been sentenced to death and only the refusal of Lord Trey had saved him from that fate. To many that refusal would have been a blessing, to Terr it was a humiliation that he swore to avenge. After serving years in prison, Terr had left Triforia, but recently he had been returned to the planet when they had discovered that he was preying on the populations of other worlds.

Though they could not punish him for acts committed off-world, he was technically under arrest in system. He had endured the unofficial restrictions, claiming that they were a necessity if he was to gain the forgiveness of the people, the same people he planned to use to further his schemes.

The public was concerned about how much time the Gold Ranger was spending on the planet Earth, especially given recent rumours that Trey had become incapable of maintaining the unity of soul that all Triforians cherished. Such a thing was unheard of by many and had been suggested by others as an indication that Trey had been judged unworthy of being the Gold Ranger.

Terr planned to capitalize on the situation and the xenophobia that existed about Earthlings. Many that didn't know any better considered the planet a primitive backwater. Such feelings could be used and Terr was a master at manipulation.

As the fourth born child of a Triforian noble, he was considered by many to be a part of the Royal Family. If left to fate, he would never ascend to the throne or hold the smallest amount of political influence. Of course with the will of the people on his side and the accidental death of the Royal Family, anything could be possible. Providing of course he could devise a suitable accident. Minion had been sure to suggest plenty of unfortunate scenarios.

Earlier that day he had held a meeting with the outlawed Triforian Guardians, a group of warriors selected from the five planets who desired a return to Triforia's past when the religion of the Old Gods had encouraged expansion and aggression against supposed threats. Dressed in black spandex bodysuits covered by a white and gold body shield, white gloves and white boots tipped with gold, they relied not only on the modern weapons of the Triforian military, but the traditional arts of magic.

After a successful meeting where Minion's presence had proved a decisive factor, it was agreed that the Triforian Guardians would support Terr's quest for power in return for control of the Triforian Senate. The Guardians sought control of the minor planets, but that was something they would negotiate later. With the help of the Guardians, some of who were cousins of the Lord of Triforia, the sealed chamber had been opened and those who had witnessed the event had been sacrificed to the Gods.

"I knew it," Terr breathed as he looked into the hidden depths of the chamber. "The legends were true, this forge is the means to create a weapon that will ensure my reign." Ignoring the fighting that followed, he slipped into the chamber and started the next part of his scheme.

Terr worked quickly because he doubted even the Triforian Guardians would understand his next act. Despite its intention to use murder to gain power the Guardians' leadership had some very strange ideas about justice.

The flames licked around the near molten metal, spitting hot ash and burning anything it came into contact with. The heavy hammer connected with the metal flattening the rectangular blob to a six-inch length so he could bend it back on itself to create a crisp fold. Striking it again the forger continued to mould the perfect blade ensuring a small hole was left near the tip of the blade for the special surprise its victim would soon come to appreciate.

Ash flew from the flames striking his hand as he continued to work. It did not matter because soon all the pain would be worthwhile. He continued hammering until the metal had been folded over a thousand times. Then he set about forging a blade worthy of a king.

Hours passed as he worked diligently, constantly checking to ensure the blade maintained its shape. Soon he was holding a four-foot piece of molten metal in his hand and testing the weight and balance of the blade. The burns on his hand would be meaningless if he succeeded. He had seen the future and it was filled with jewels from the Royal Treasury.

His fingers dug into the scar on his face; picking out the pieces of metal still embedded there from the last time he had confronted the King and Queen. The wound was caused when their favourite son had taken his role as heir and protector a bit too seriously.

Still, it was those fragments that would give the sword that special armour piercing quality. Placing the golden metal into the blade he smiled as it merged with the metal and his blood ensuring a poison fit for a royal family.

A thin layer of clay along the edge of the blade and a thicker layer along the back ensured a mixture of hard and soft metal as he plunged it deep into ice cold water. Taking a handle and cross bar he fitted the sword together, careful to ensure the little surprise embedded in the hilt was fully movable.

Like a dancer he moved around testing the blade to ensure it was fully balance. All the time he was careful not to cut himself knowing that the metal would be poisonous to his race especially when mixed with his blood.

With the blade complete he considered his targets. He wanted to kill them, but to do so would raise too many questions. Better to have them placed under house arrest for their own protection and then brutally murdered by terrorists.

A knock on his workshop door forced him to stop examining his sword and assume the role life had chosen for him.

"Yes?"

"Terr, I was told you wished to see me," Volar said. "I must admit I am perplexed as to why you are here. It is hardly the place for such a prominent member of our society, especially during this uprising."

"There's an uprising?" Terr asked in mock surprise. Volar obviously did not recall how he had gotten to this chamber. As a new advisor on Triforia, Volar had no idea of how Terr liked to operate.

"Yes Terr," Volar stated in a condescending tone. "There is indeed. I am surprised you didn't hear the commotion."

"Did you bring the body guards I requested?" Terr asked, changing the subject.

"Yes," came the reply. "Although I think it would be wiser for you to return to Triforia."

"Come inside Volar," Terr said. "And bring the guards with you."

Volar did as he was asked, his eyes widening when he realised exactly where he was. The guards stood at attention, their stun batons ready for action.

"You see Volar, I don't need to worry about being attacked by the Triforian Guardsmen," he watched as Volar's mouth opened at the mention of the group. "I don't need to worry about them because I'm their leader."

Without warning Terr accessed the subspace pocket he had been given when he was a child. Bringing forth the sword he sliced into Volar's skin watching the pained look appear on the retainer's face. Volar howled in pain, holding his shoulder to stop the flow of blood.

"Does it hurt?" Terr asked venomously.

Volar's companions had drawn their sticks ready for a fight. Terr laughed, they were more servants than they were guards, and their weapons were simply for decoration. He parried their blows for a few minutes before increasing the force of his own blows to snap their batons. He stabbed all four of them and watched with pleasure as they collapsed as the poison took affect.

Moving with speed so they would not die until he was ready Terr labelled each of them. Volar was labelled as the king the others as Trey, his mother and two sisters. With a surgical strike he cut across four of the heads laughing as the blood ran over the floor. He then turned to the heir to the throne.

"I always knew it would be down to you and me Trey," he whispered before chopping off the other's head. "I can't wait to do this for real."

Taking a space-signalling device from subspace, he sent a message to his allies on board the defence stations positioned throughout the Triforia system. They in turn activated their weapons systems, guaranteeing an unpleasant time for any unwelcome visitors who chose to make an appearance, at least until the Guardsmen had assembled their vast fleet of stolen and salvaged warships.

Still swinging the sword he walked away leaving the dead bodies of his servants behind. Outside of the chamber he activated the forge's cleaning control. In a matter of minutes any organic material left in the chamber would be reduced to ashes.

"Long live the King!" he chuckled as he set course for his home world.

Despite official protests to the contrary, normally by one of the King's advisors, Triforia was not solely reliant on the Gold Ranger for its defence. The Gold Ranger was the most recognisable Ranger in the system, but there were others. At the time that the Golden Power Staff had been forged, four lesser powers had been crafted. The intention had been that the Gold Ranger would hold the power while the other powered beings would act as his ambassadors within the system.

Officially only the Gold Ranger was recognised as a true Power Ranger. The Silver, White, Black and Purple Rangers had been deputised to assist. Unlike the Gold Ranger powers, these avatars were not tied to the Royal Family. Lord Trey had agreed to aid Zordon of Eltare in time of need, but the four remaining Rangers were expected to remain in system at all times.

Despite his duty to the Earth, Trey had always been there when needed by Triforia. This time was the exception for even though he was on his way; Trey had no idea of what was to come. In his place the Rangers had assembled at the palace to protect their king. They had reluctantly left him when ordered to aid the ordinary people of the planet. So far they had managed without morphing. That was about to change.

"It's Morphin Time!" Zima, the acting leader called. "Black Ranger Power!"

"Purple Ranger Power!" Knell called

"White Ranger Power!" Fulani cried.

"Silver Ranger Power!" Alexia called.

Unlike the Rangers of Earth, the power team of Triforia did not share an appearance. Each wore armour instead of spandex that had been designed at its creation and had never changed. Nor were their uniforms based around colour. That was the reason for the near monochrome appearance of their bodysuits.

"Black!"

"White!"

"Purple!"

"Silver!"

"Triforian Rangers!"

The attackers paused in their attack, awed by the sudden transformation. Despite having heard of Triforia's other Rangers few had ever seen them. Since the Triforian Guardians were mostly from outside the system, it was even less likely they had laid eyes on the new fighters.

When the Rangers charged, the effect was immediate. The Guardians turned tail in fear of what might happen. Those few who were too brave or too stupid to leave soon found that although their powers were not fully utilised like those of the Gold Ranger, the Rangers could pack a mean punch. Soon as the king's troops joined them they were able to push the invaders back.

A sudden calm filled the scene and although they had no idea why, everyone stopped fighting for a moment. A stranger had appeared, his face hidden from their view. Raising his hands above his head, the stranger lifted his arms above his head and summoned his own armour. Shingle like armour covered his body, building a layer of slats each reinforcing the level below. Zima recognised the armour from somewhere, but couldn't place the familiar feeling.

"Now you peasants will meet your end," the creature breathed.

Zima got his first look at the creature's sword as it was driven into his side. Sparks flew as his suit compensated for the increased force of the blow. The suit's absorption system drained the force of the blow releasing it as heat and light. What Zima had recognized as the legendary Sword of Darkness was nothing of the sort. As the stranger's armour formed so the sword changed shape into a blade covered in similar slats.

"Bring it on Rangers," the figure hissed.

Knell was first to attack, driving his powerful body into the stranger. His opponent did not move, simply faded so Knell's own strength carried him forward. When the Ranger was behind him, the stranger swung his sword.

The gash although small in comparison to some blows was sufficient to send a powerful message to the other Rangers. Never had a weapon penetrated the armoured parts of their costumes. The remains of Knell's knee guard clattered on the ground already red with blood.

Fulani and Alexia, normally the most reserved Rangers let out a battle cry and charged. With perfect timing they collided with the figure whilst he was off balance and succeeded in knocking him to the ground. Both stood with weapons drawn warning their opponent not to move. He did and they struck.

"Your weapons cannot hurt me," the black clad stranger told Zima as he hit him in the gut. "And your armour cannot protect you from me. You are dead!"

As the words escaped his lip the stranger exploded into action, slicing Fulani across the chest and watching in satisfaction as she dropped her weapons and demorphed. Blood was gushing from the open wound and she was choking. The stranger's eyes glowed brighter as he drove his sword into her chest and absorbed her life force. Soon all that was left was a dry husk.

"Gleechark!" Alexia shrieked as she vaulted into her enemy determined to avenge Fulani's death. Her foot connected with the stranger's powerful body doing little damage. "Three phase!"

Alexia's body split into three separate forms, tripling her potential to hurt her enemy. To those who were caught unaware the assumption was that she had somehow mastered the ability to split and merge her soul at will. That was far from true. Two of the bodies were simply illusions intended to distract and confuse. The stranger was obviously one of those who knew the secret since he simply laughed as he ignored the duplicates and concentrated only on fighting the real opponent. He blocked her shots and then showed her how sharp his sword was when wielded by an expert.

"A funny thing about that spell, kill the real Alexia and it fades." To prove his point he drove his sword into real Alexia's throat, knowing full well that his revelation was based on nothing but common sense. He watched as she dropped to her knees and the illusions followed suit. All three corpses disappeared leaving only her weapons.

Still laughing, the figure turned to face the remaining Rangers and attacked, aiming for the already injured Knell. The powerful Ranger fought valiantly

"Combine powers!" Zima shouted to Knell. It was said too late as the stranger's next cut severed the other Ranger's head from his shoulders.

The two faced off, warrior to warrior. They exploded into combat both stretching themselves to the limit, but ultimately Zima was hit across the leg. A second blow landed into his ribs. Zima gasped and dropped his sword. He attempted to fight unarmed but was clearly outmatched. A second blow to the ribs punctured his lung.

As unconsciousness threatened to overtake him, Zima knew he had no chance. He looked up at the masked face and noted the eyes glowing brighter than ever. No, they weren't eyes, they were part of the visor intended to look like eyes.

"Who are you?" he asked.

"I am your king and I am the creature that is going to execute you!"

Now aware he was not going to survive, Zima searched desperately for a way to escape. Making the flattest fist he could imagine he jabbed directly for the creature's throat. He felt what should have been the windpipe give way under the pressure he applied.

With a feral growl the stranger tore his mask away revealing his face. Zima's eyes went wide as he recognised his attacker.

"It cannot be you," he protested. "They forgave you, Trey spared your life."

"Yes he did," Terr answered. "And soon I'll make him regret that choice."

"Trey will throw you through the dimensional doorway when he finds out."

The figure grinned, "Your precious Lord Trey is on Earth and has no idea what is happening. By the time he does I will have solidified my hold on the star system."

"You're part of the Triforian Guardians aren't you?" Zima asked trying to find his sword. He had finally recognised the armour.

The figure laughed, a cold laugh without any positive emotion. "I like the name Terr better," he said dropping his disguise and revealing his true face. "And soon I will be king." He walked behind the last Ranger and ignoring Zima's power, snapped his neck.

"Hurry Your Majesty, we must get to the shelter," Terr said his voice filled with concern a few minutes later.

Overhead he could see the battle between the Triforian Guardians and the Royal Guard. The Guardians were winning.

"Father, we must help our people," Trianna protested.

As the oldest sister she had chosen to pursue magic as her future art form. Already she was an accomplished psychic, able to link different parts of the kingdom together with her insight.

"There is no time," Terr replied. He was desperate to get this family to the safety of the Royal Bunker.

Triforia's defence forces had scrambled and were picking off the attackers who attempted to land on the planet. The battle overhead sounded like the attackers were winning.

"Look!" Queen Trania shouted. In the distance they could see the spot where the Rangers had been slaughtered. The remains had been placed on pikes to inspire fear. "We must aid them."

"No Ma'am," Terr said quickly. "Tradition demands that the King and Queen are guarded from harm and not allowed to fight in Triforia's troubles."

"A stupid rule," the King muttered but he knew Terr was correct. He was bound by traditions set down in the history of their world. "I must remember to set some new traditions."

"Even so," Terr smiled. "For the time being you have no choice but to obey your defender. Or shall I call back our forces to make you obey. You could almost say that until I deem the emergency over, I am king."

The King knew Terr had won this round. He had taken a rule created to prevent the loss of a sovereign and used it to gain control of Triforia.

"Cheer up," Terr smiled. "It'll be all over very soon."

Something about Terr's tone concerned the King, but he let it go. Soon they were in the shelter designed to act as war room in times of trouble. As the door slammed shut Trania noticed the sword in Terr's hand.

"Terr, you know you are not allowed to carry a sword," she said. The ruling had followed a drunken brawl in which Terr had killed a man. As punishment her son Trey had proclaimed that Terr could never again carry a sword.

"Oh but I am," Terr replied. "The King is allowed to do anything and I am the King!"

As the words escaped his lips, Terr drove his sword into the King's heart. Trinus's eyes opened wide but no sound escaped his equally wide lips. The King dropped to the floor as Terr advanced on the now hysterical Queen.

"If you three ladies would care to stand still I can make this very painless for you. The King has been brutally murdered and you three are the witnesses. As such you are under arrest and will be secured as prisoners until such time as the traitor is caught and you can testify against him."

Trianna blasted him with her magical powers, tapping the mystical energies around her and directing them at her father's killer.

"Please!" Terr droned with a voice that sounded both bored and annoyed. "Don't do that."

Trianna hit him again, but he simply laughed and slapped her across the face, levelling the sword to her neck.

"Try that again and there will be more than one death today," he warned.

Moments later the door burst open and she was relieved that help had arrived.

"Terr!" Tristan growled.

Tristan was Trey's oldest cousin and was next in line to the throne if should anything happen to his cousins. Behind him stood six of the king's finest guards.

"You disappoint me Cousin," Terr hissed. "I thought you would have killed them by now."

"Always the picky one aren't you Terr?" Tristan asked. While Tristan could count Trey on one side of his family, he was related to Terr through his mother.

He spun on his heel and blasted the guards. They collapsed to the ground as the queen and her daughters realised that he had joined the conspiracy.

"You can't kill them," Tristan said.

"And why not?" Terr asked.

"Because we need them to renounce power once Trey is convicted!" Tristan answered, laughing at the look on the queen's face. She looked devastated.

"Tell our forces to secure the other planets," Terr ordered. "Triforia is mine."

Despite the state of almost martial law and the ban on interplanetary communications and travel, things remained calm of Triforia. Terr had followed Tristan's advice and retained the king's advisors as a symbol of the continuity of state. Of course they had no power and were forced to work at gunpoint, but they were still there. It was now a week since Terr had swept to power and life was returning to normal. The royal guard had been disbanded and replaced by the Triforian Guardians.

Prince Terr's coronation was an event long to be remembered in Triforian history. The nobles had looked for any loophole to remove him from power, but found none. Ferin had even supported the application stating that tradition came first. In truth they realised that any attempt to remove him from power would result in blood shed. They could always proclaim the coronation illegal at a later date.

A long possession had taken place from the palace to the Temple of the Golden Goddess to ask for her blessing. The High Priest had conducted the ceremony flawlessly to the point that several people were waiting for. For Terr it would act to ensure his future commands would not be rejected. For the High Council it was their last chance of salvation.

"Does any person here know of a reason why Prince Terr should not be declared our King and keeper of the Golden Power Staff?"

There was no reply. The positioning of Triforian Guardsmen throughout the crowd had ensured the process was not disrupted.

"Then by the power of the Golden Lady, I pronounce thee King of Triforia," the priest said. "All hail Terr."

"Hold!" one of the courtiers, cried. "Terr cannot be king."

"Explain," Terr said in a menacing tone.

"Terr is a former criminal guilty of treason. Only if he is forgiven by a former monarch or the Lord of Triforia can he be allowed to hold an office of power." The courtier deliberately addressed his comments to the crowd and not Terr. "Since the other members of the Royal Family are under arrest, only Lord Trey himself can appoint Terr as King of Triforia."

At Terr's gesture the man was dragged away for what he told the crowd was further research. Inside though he knew he needed Trey on Triforia. He had heard the heir was on the way, but had no idea where he was.

"Terr! Terr!" was the shout from the crowd.

"Thank you, my people," Terr said. "This matter will be resolved. If Trey is alive, we will find him and bring him here to rule. If he declines, we will convince him to name me as the king. We will grow stronger though, this I promise you."

With that he turned and walked away with Tristan at his side. "Contact Huntrax for me Tristan," he said firmly when he was certain nobody would hear. He would be king, even if he had to destroy the planet to do so.

Terr knew the situation on Triforia would destabilise quickly if Trey was arrested, but he needed to do so to secure his position as king. The Triforian Guardians' elite squadron had crushed the pockets of resistance that had refused to accept Terr's coronation, quickly, but the uncertainty recent event had caused threatened to ignite overt resistance. The entire system had been brought to its knees in honour of Terr and his new heir Tristan only to witness their new master's embarrassment when a loudmouthed courtier had dared to interfere.

In the past, the Triforia Star System had been annexed to a great empire, which later fell when its ruler vanished. Released from tyranny, the Triforian Guardians had tried to seize the reigns of the old power and had steadily conquered world after world. They had even succeeded in taking new worlds that were outside the old empire. In the end though a powerful Galactic Council overthrew them.

Millions of years later, the reputation remained. The creation of the Golden Power Staff and subsequently the Power Rangers had eased the fears of many, but not all. And the descendants of the Triforian Guardians remained as strong as ever behind the scenes.

Even on Triforia itself there were still scars from the past; not all the symbols of the Triforian Guardians were gone. The forge would enable him to make those symbols important again. And the key was the Golden Power Staff and control of Pyramidas. Together with the technology the forge could produce he envisioned a weapon capable of concentrating the power of Triforia's three suns and using them to crush armies. The plan relied upon Pyramidas. When used correctly it commanded a weapon capable of ensuring the Triforian Guardians' continued reign.

Sadly over time and without a suitable leader, the Guardians had lost their knowledge of war. There mighty implements of fear and destruction had been lost, their symbols of oppression transformed into symbols of hope and righteousness.

But Triforia's rulers had failed to completely neutralise the threat of the Triforian Guardians. They assumed that the removal of the Golden Power Staff would be enough. All had forgotten their influence on Triforia, at least outwardly. But Terr had learnt the legends and had felt the pull just as others had before him. He studied everything about the mysterious leader, but couldn't even find his name. However, he had learnt of the enchantments placed on the Golden Power Staff and the monstrous machine named Pyramidas. He had known at that time that he was destined to follow his ancestors' path.

Taking the Golden Power Staff had always been the obstacle, killing the king had been easy in comparison. To start with he had simply dispatched the Varox to kill Trey. But Trey was too stubborn to die and the new friends he made on Earth had protected him and his power. With that failure Terr had tried a different approach. Instead of attacking Trey directly, he had set about reforming the Triforian Guardians. With them serving as a private army, Terr had been able to conquer the entire system, but Trey still eluded him. Now after Minion had told him Trey was en route, he knew the day of reckoning had arrived.

Deep Space

Trey sat in the control deck of Pyramidas feeling alone despite his passengers. He knew it was partially guilt at leaving the Rangers of Earth own their own after so recently regaining his powers; Zordon had suggested it was due to Trey's need to be the Gold Ranger once more. Either way it meant that with his powers restored Trey was required to return to Triforia in the hope that the priests of the old religions could aid him in attaining unity. Besides, he needed his father's approval before continuing on his mission.

Behind him he could sense Travis and Trent deep in conversation as they exchanged view on different matters. One spoke emphatically, pouring his emotion into the debate while the other maintained a steady composure, never allowing himself to be baited by his ally's outbursts. Despite the fact they had once been a single entity, it was growing more evident that they had lost more than physical unity in recent weeks. The differences between Travis, Trent and Trey had become more apparent as they had been forced to spend time together.

If he was truly honest with himself, Trey knew that he was happy to be going home. It had been a long time since he had left to carry out his mission as the Gold Ranger. Travel between Triforia and Earth was slow and in Pyramidas, a machine built more for power than its hyper space capabilities, it took that much longer. He was returning home to take his place as leader of his people. His mother had done an excellent job of running Triforia in his absence and his father was perfect as a symbolic king, but Trey knew he should get back to where he belonged.

He had kept in touch with Ferin and Zared his two most trusted advisors and thus been able to make important decisions away from the High Council. He sighed as he realised that those few times had been the rare occasions where he could make a decision without his advisors using the planet's traditions to overall his authority. If galactic decisions were difficult then Triforian leadership was almost impossible.

It felt strange being in space again after spending so long on Earth. Earth was a planet considered a backwater by the Galactic Council, but the diversity and ability to grow of its people had amazed Trey. True some of their attitudes could be considered barbaric, but compared to some worlds where extreme sexual and skin colour prejudice was the norm, Earth was an example to be followed rather than ignored.

The computer next to Trey's chair beeped alerting him he had a message. Pushing the answer button he was surprised to find the message was in hologram format. Before him appeared Ferin, a rather short man with a long white beard that he thought looked distinguished.

"Lord Trey,

I am sorry to disturb you during your travels, but I am the bearer of grim news. Zared was found murdered in his chambers this morning and we as yet unable to find the culprit. The reason I call is to advise that follow a vote the Council has used its powers as is our tradition..."

There was that word again: tradition. In truth Trey knew the Council invented traditional powers as they went along and hoped Trey would not notice. It was getting so the role of Lord was no longer important to the decision making process. Trey knew if the Council had its way he would simply appear once a year to make a speech on holocam for the people to behave and pay their taxes.

"... to elect a new and worthy member to the High Council. Volar is anxious to work with you to ensure the continued success of our world."

Ferin's face grew more serious as his rehearsed speech ended and he was able to speak his true mind.

"I know this doesn't please you Trey, but the High Council was going to do this whether or not they had your agreement. Volar is a good man and a close ally. I think you will be amazed at the support he will be able to raise for your ideas.

On a side note I must tell you that Terr has returned to the Capital. So far he is obeying the rules of his pardon and we are keeping your family under guard.

Have a good trip Trey, I look forward to your return."

Trey looked at the spot where the hologram had been. Terr was back in the Capital, something he had hoped would never happen. It seemed an eternity ago that Terr had been sentenced and forced to leave the Triforian system only to be dragged back again when his behaviour had proven embarrassing. He had fought Trey's father and almost succeeded in killing him. As a result the King was never the same mentally and Trey had been forced to take over his activities.

A battle had raged between Trey and Terr ending when Trey had used his Golden Power Staff. Even as he stood over his younger opponent Trey knew he could not kill him. He had offered Terr a chance to save himself and his opponent had agreed.

As a result Terr was bound to the Triforia system, a prisoner in his own system and bound to follow the decisions of the High Council in all matters. Trey, knowing the council, had assumed that in itself was sufficient punishment.

"Volar!" Travis snorted. "How anyone could refer to him as a valued ally is beyond me."

"He is a good man even if he is a little set in his ways," Trent answered.

Trey and Travis turned to look at their companion who was doing his level best not to burst out laughing.

Sitting back Trey decided to enjoy his peace while it was still there. When he reached Triforia, he expected to be mobbed by advisors. Had he known that his return would set in motion a chain of events leading to the loss of many of the things he held dear, maybe he would have changed his mind.

Later

"We cannot outrun them," Travis called from the gun well where he was proving himself an ace shot against their pursuers. "We must stand and fight."

When they had emerged just outside of the Triforian system, their ship had been attack by unknown forces. Trey had tried to move them to safety, but Pyramidas's size also counted against it where speed was a requirement. Fortunately Pyramidas came prepared for such contingencies.

"He is correct," Trent confirmed from his position at the top of Pyramidas. "We can use the Vipers."

Vipers were the name given to a form of outdated one-man fighter craft with three wings at the rear. By bouncing a beam of energy off the tip of each wing, they formed an equilateral triangle, which connected to the nose cone gave each fighter a powerful weapon. Normally they would remain in their hangar deep inside Pyramidas, but today they were needed.

"Viper One and Two are online," Trey called over his shoulder. "Do not forget your armour."

Triforian Battle Armour came complete with a magnetic containment field capable of sustaining a pilot for a short time in the vacuum of space.

Trent and Travis nodded and disappeared to launch their ships.

The shields buckled and failed as the continuous blast took its toll. Trey banked his ship hard to the left in the hopes that it would place another side of the mighty pyramid in his enemies' way. But the damage was done. Pyramidas lurched to the side as its hull buckled. Caught in the gravity of a planet the ship entered the atmosphere and appeared to explode.

"Trey!" Travis and Trent called.

They swung their ships in perfect unison and tore into their opponents. They succeeded in tearing first Huntrax's fleet and then her craft to pieces before splitting up. Trent would go on to Triforia and explain the situation. For those who were expecting him he would play the role of Trey of Triforia, while Travis searched the planet below in the vain hope that Pyramidas and its occupant survived.

Triforia

Trent gently guided his Viper onto the landing pad, surprised that his father had allowed such a large contingent of guards to welcome him. He reversed thrust to slow his descent, took his time opening the cockpit and finally clambered out. He was shocked when the guards did not snap to attention until he saw Terr approach. The look on his face turned Trent's stomach. ~Oh Terr, what have you done?~

"Trey," Terr acknowledged. "I hope the second part of your journey was uneventful."

"It was," Trent replied. "Where is my father?"

"Dead," Terr told him. "The Queen and your sisters have been placed in secure custody."

"Who did this?" Trent asked.

Terr leant close and embraced him in a firm bear hug. As he did so Trey could hear the guards move and when Terr released him he found all guns were trained on him.

"I am sorry," Terr said. "I would have had you killed as well, but you have something I need. When you hand over the Golden Power Staff, I will be more than happy to correct that oversight."

"Why?" Trent asked.

"Because I could," Terr whispered as he walked away. "Lord Trey is under arrest. If he attempts to morph, kill him and exterminate three cities. If he complies, destroy two of the smaller settlements on his orders. Your people will learn to hate you Trey, but their fate is still in your hands."

With that Terr turned to make his report and Trey was led away.

Compared to Aquitar, the events on Triforia had gone as planned. Terr's greed had made him a valuable ally for a short time. The usurper would hold Trey indefinitely and Trey's refusal to hand over the Golden Power Staff would prevent Terr from doing more than intimidating a few natives.

He briefly considered advising Terr that he had the wrong Lord, but decided it would be more fun to watch the fireworks when the real Trey arrived. In the meantime he had other matters to attend to. With two major allies removed, it was time to introduce himself to the Rangers.

And far away in a galaxy separated from the Machine Empire by a dimensional membrane, a young boy allowed an angry cry to escape his lips, shaking the hidden galaxy and destroying the service droids that had been nearby. Minion was proving to be unreliable. It was fortunate that his plans did not depend solely upon the disloyal construct.

**End**

Disclaimer: I do not own the Power Rangers, they belong to their respective copyright owners and are used here without permission. No money is being made from this fic.  
Authors Note: This is an alternate universe from the television show with an alternate timeline.

**Strike from the Darkness**

Angel Grove

The plane soared high above the skies of Angel Grove. On the ground below, citizens of the city awaited the arrival of the Angel Grove High School skydiving team. The benefit Jump-a-Thon was being held to preserve the Angel Grove Observatory. It appeared to be a success, as the whole city had turned out for the event.

Inside the plane, Rocky DeSantos whooped loudly. "I can't wait!" he yelled. "This is going to be awesome."

"Easy, Rocky! We know," agreed Katherine Hilliard, Kat to her friends. "It's definitely a new experience."

Tanya Sloan looked out the window. "Forty-five seconds till the drop zone. Are you guys ready?"

The others nodded and continued to make their final checks. For some this type of thing would have been too daunting, but compared to some of the things these youths had done it was easy. They were the Zeo Rangers: sworn defenders of the planet Earth and currently enjoying themselves, taking advantage of the warm weather.

Tanya gestured toward the door of the plane. "Well, lead on, flyboys!" she said to her male teammates.

Rocky shot her a mock glare and pulled open the door. He looked out into the open air and began to feel his resolution shrinking. "Ladies first," he smiled.

"Why thank you, kind sir," Tanya replied. Then as she jumped through the open door she yelled: "Let's do it!" she yelled, jumping out of the plane.

"On your tail!" Adam Park jumped out the door.

"Banzai!" Rocky cried as he jumped out.

"Come on, Tommy," Katherine said. She flashed him a quick thumbs-up. "See you down there!" She dived out of the plane as if she were at a swimming competition.

Tommy looked down at his friends and for a moment felt at home. Here in the air he could imagine himself as protector of the whole city and in a way, he was. In his career as a Ranger Tommy had been fortunate to pilot the Falcon Zord, Phoenix Zord and the Red Super Zeo Zord, all of which came with excellent flight capability.

~Time to show them my stuff,~ he thought as he grabbed his board. Then he paused, frowning. It seemed as though he had played this role before, he just couldn't remember where. He shrugged and threw himself out the door. He'd worry about it later.

Tommy and the others were spinning and flipping before manoeuvring into their positions, forming a circle. They had been practicing since they had learnt about the jump, substituting their Karate classes in order to practice. But despite all the practices, this was the first time they had had a chance to try it for real. They held together long enough to move into position and listened to Adam as he counted down to their next move.

"Break!" ordered Tommy.

The five teens released hands as they broke through the clouds. They pulled their ripcords, and five parachutes burst into the sky, blue, red, green, pink and yellow against the blue sky. They circled in the air a few times and played a quick game of follow-the-leader before they were back on their mark. Then they aimed for the red target bull's-eye below, and heard the announcer's voice as they came lower.

"Here comes our first arrival: Rocky DeSantos from Angel Grove High. Will he make it?"

Rocky made a few brief adjustments to his course and touched down perfectly. "Woohoo!" he exclaimed. The high he felt wasn't quite the same as morphing, but it had his adrenaline pumping.

"Adam Park, coming in now." Adam managed to hook one foot inside the target as he landed. "Another perfect landing! They're two for two! Can they make it three for three?"

Katherine waited for Adam to land before altering her approach. As the announcer spoke she raised her legs, "Here's Katherine Hilliard," and dropped onto the center. "Yes they can, a third perfect landing from the Angel Grove High team! Nice landing!"

"Thanks," Kat giggled.

"Tanya Sloan is next. They're four for four now!"

Tanya cleared out of the way quickly to give Tommy room. She exchanged high fives with Adam and Rocky as the red clad parachutist approached.

"They're really hot today!" the announcer said.

"Yeah!" Tanya agreed.

"Now, it's Tommy Oliver coming in. Hmm, it looks a bit wide but..." Tommy deliberately set down early and relied on momentum to carry him and his board over the line. As he did so the announcer said: "He nails it! Incredible, they are five for five! Amazing, the Angel Grove Observatory will be grateful to its skilled high-schoolers today."

"Way to go, team!" Rocky exclaimed as the five jumpers celebrated.

"Hey guys," Richie said as he approached. "Great work."

The original plan had been for several of the Rangers' friends to join them in the air, but the Rangers had been so busy with other concerns they had been unable to make the arrangements. Still, Richie's absence from the jump didn't stop him and some of Angel Grove's younger students from giving their friends a warm reception when they landed.

"Yeah, you guys were fantastic," a young girl named Tasha giggled, hugging Tanya and Adam.

"You can join us next time," Kat whispered as if reading her mind and making the young girl smile excitedly.

After accepting congratulations from a number of Angel Grove's citizens, as well as the Jump-a-Thon's coordinator, Rocky, Katherine, Adam, Tanya and Tommy decided to call it a day.

"Hey, Ernie's is serving a free dessert with lunch," Adam said, deciding to change the subject.

"LET'S GO!" Shouted Rocky as he took off.

The others laughed and then followed in hot pursuit. They strapped on kneepads and helmets, and put on their roller blades.

Together, they raced through the streets of Angel Grove, taking every possible detour they could to prolong the ride and the fun. They were still pumped up from their victory and the thrill of skydiving, and executed all the stunts they could think of - within reason, of course. Their enjoyment showed when Adam gained momentum and somersaulted through the air. The others jumped high into the air as well, with Rocky managing a back-somersault and a full layout before landing. He would later explain that it was an accident. Out of consideration for others they chose to take the stairs; their trip suddenly turned rough as their blades lacked shock absorbers.

"Shortcut!" Tommy yelled, jumping a concrete ledge into a construction site. The others followed him, each one landing squarely on his or her feet. They rode up out of the construction site and back onto the street, across from Ernie's Juice Bar

Rocky tore through the doorway, eager to find food. Some had referred to him as the human stomach, but that was wrong and a great injustice. True Rocky could clear a refrigerator in less than half an hour, but so could most teens if given the right food and an opportunity. The life of a Power Ranger used up a lot of energy in addition to the increased food demand of the average teen.

"Settle down Rocky. Just because it's a huge party, doesn't mean you have to scream." Tanya admonished.

Tommy smiled. Rocky was the spirit of the team. Some thought him an idiot - usually those who didn't just assume he was simply a walking stomach - but those who knew him understood it was just the way he was. Rocky was an innocent, a young man who enjoyed the love of life that only children can appreciate. He was also very capable, as anyone who had underestimated him in the past could testify.

When they sat at a table, Ernie soon came over and took their order.

"Six hamburgers and ten orders of fries please." Adam said.

Tanya looked at Adam, puzzled, "Ten orders of fries?"

Jason and Tommy chuckled. Rocky tried to look innocent but couldn't stop laughing. When he saw Tanya's face, he sobered long enough for the three men to say in unison: "I'm hungry."

Everyone laughed at that.

"Alpha, have you found anything yet?" Zordon asked.

"Negative Zordon," Alpha replied. "I can find no trace of Rita, Zedd, their servants or the Machine Empire."

"Have you detected any abnormal readings from the Moon?" Zordon asked after a moment's thought.

"No," Alpha answered after a brief check.

Zordon frowned although it was difficult to notice given the severe distortion created by his plasma tube. The Power Chamber's sensors were usually very accurate yet in the last few days they had picked up several unexplained anomalies. Although he was prepared to explain it away as the result of planetary movements, it seemed unnerving that such anomalies would arise at a time when he had lost contact with both Aquitar and Triforia.

Things had been too quiet for too long. When the Machine Empire had been vanquished, somebody should have moved in to replace them, but for some reason they had held off.

"Somebody is using magic Zordon," Alpha said as the computer beeped. "But they are only using it for teleportation."

That was unusual. He would have expected a would-be conqueror to attack immediately. He wondered if it were simply Rita and Zedd planning something. He gave that possibility a few seconds thought and then dismissed it. Zedd had been more powerful than ever when he had left with Rita, but his energy couldn't come close to the primal force the computer had just detected.

It was however, the silence of Aquitar and the disturbing rumours he had heard about Triforia that worried Zordon the most. Some rumours claimed Trey was dead, others that he had been arrested. No word had been given about either Trent or Travis.

Without the Aquitian Rangers or Triforia to provide backup, the Zeo Rangers were truly alone.

Of course they had Auric should the need arise and Jason could provide limited help. Zordon knew from experience there was little he could do except wait and hope the help they had would be enough.

It was morning by the time Alpha and Zordon had finished their very extensive sensor sweep of the Moon, Earth and other planets in the Sol system. What they had detected had left them confused, but a little optimistic: not only had Rita and Zedd vanished, the regular scout ships that had been entering the solar system since Rita's release had ceased. From the limited access he had to the galactic grapevine, Zedd and Rita had been spotted near the Dark Galaxy, Zedd's former domain. Zordon wondered what problem had arisen for Zedd to return there. Alpha seemed to sense Zordon's high spirits because the little robot was humming as he puttered around the various consoles.

The sensor net surrounding the Earth was extremely complicated and required a lot of time to examine. As a result, the scans of Angel Grove and the mountains where the Power Chamber was hidden, were always among the last reports Alpha processed.

Alpha pushed the buttons on the console, which printed the last of the reports. He was eager not to spoil Zordon's mood. "There were unusual readings from Angel Grove Park, which consumed more time than the computer estimated."

Zordon frowned. Something was not right, there been no battles in the park recently. There was nothing there that should have required further investigation. But he could sense a variation in the energy patterns around the park. He was starting to believe that the distortion was a mirror of the disturbance he had felt in the Morphin Grid. It was a warning that something was coming and he needed to be ready. That he was unable to figure out the threat was a sign of how serious things had become.

"Alpha, relay the data to my dimension," Zordon instructed.

"Yes Zordon," Alpha replied.

As the data was fed from the computer Zordon had to reread it several times. There was a definite lack of answers presented in the report, but plenty of energy readings.

Zordon felt very vulnerable. He had known about Rita and Zedd before they had shown up; he had always suspected that Master Vile would appear to find his daughter or to seek the Zeo Crystal. And as for Mondo, Earth was a planet rich in resources and minerals the Machine Empire could use. Earth had been lucky that the Zeo Crystal had been discovered before Mondo arrived or the planet would have been reduced to a mere strip mine.

But this was something different, a power Zordon didn't understand. And he sensed that he was being distracted from seeing an even greater threat beyond it. Not knowing was the worst thing about the situation and something Zordon vowed to change shortly.

"Alpha, begin a new search pattern," he ordered before returning his attention to the report.

He examined his black clothing carefully, noting the way the recently forged coin on his chest plate reflected only a small amount of light. It was a coin manufactured on Triforia, not a true Power Coin. He was certain it would perform its function. His plans had progressed well so far, but he could not pick off all his targets at once or the Rangers would guess his strategy and take steps to protect their remaining allies; he had yet to turn his attention to the former Rangers of Earth or the other heroes of Earth, such as the Masked Rider.

It was important for Minion to defeat the Rangers, to prove himself superior to those that had defeated him twice and more intelligent than the mere human he was based upon. Elaborate and carefully considered plans were his strength and he was already instigating a plan that would guarantee the conquest of Earth and the total humiliation of the Power Rangers that protected it.

He had noted carefully the victories of other villains. Lord Zedd's first assault had been swift and brutal, taking their arsenal before the Rangers could adjust. But Zedd failed to push his advantage. He had relied on the stolen Zords to defeat the Rangers instead of going after them personally and therefore allowed the Rangers to retrieve their equipment and enhance their weapons.

When Rito had first attacked, he had taken advantage of a weakness within the power of Thunder. The Zords were powerful but lacked endurance. When faced with foes that could not be dispatched swiftly, the overload had decimated the Zords and the Command Center. The Rangers had been vulnerable, but Rita and Zedd had failed to act.

The capture of the Pink Power Coin and Falcon Zord had put the Rangers on the defensive. The capture of Ninjor should have crushed their spirits. But instead of going for the kill Zedd had chosen to humiliate the teenagers and as a result lost the Shogun Zords. Improper storage of Ninjor and reliance on Rito led to the release of a valuable ally, and Rita's failure to destroy Kat when she practically surrendered had cost them the Zeo Crystal and Falcon Zord.

Master Vile's victory had been swift, but was marred by an inability to follow up. If the Rangers had been destroyed while they were reduced to children, Earth would have fallen. Still, the plan had been partially successful: the Ninja and Shogun Zords had been removed, Ninjor had been removed from the picture and the Power Coins had been destroyed. The plan had also allowed Rito and Goldar to destroy the Command Center. It was a shame Zordon had planned for such an event, and that Rito and Goldar had dropped the Zeo Crystal while escaping.

Mondo's victories had been very unspectacular. For the most part the Machine Empire relied on the idea that Ranger teams were unable to fight them and brute force to destroy their enemies. Cogs were expendable and didn't require rest. But the Rangers had been able to fight and that had limited Mondo's success.

The closest the Machine Empire came to success was Gasket's plan to use Tommy as a weapon. It had been a sound if overused plan that was doomed to failure. But for a time the Rangers had been vulnerable.

In those cases the Ranger had been beaten and victory was obtainable. The plans were sound and for the most part well-executed. It was the inability to press the advantage that allowed the Rangers to recover. He would not give them such chances. His attacks would be targeted, continuous and devastating. But, he would not make the same mistake as the other. The most important factor of his plan was the need to follow through. He would grind them into the ground, crush them under foot and stomp on anything that remained until he was certain they were gone.

First though he needed to introduce himself, it was only polite to do so. And in order to introduce himself he needed to get the Rangers' attention. And that just needed him to send down some foot soldiers and attack anything that moved. So that was the first hurdle: despite Finster's assurances and best efforts, he lacked foot soldiers, and monsters, and when he considered it, secret weapons. He chose to deal with the foot-soldier problem albeit temporarily, first.

Using the Sword of Darkness he energised some of the clay in the corner of the workshop, using the power of the Morphin Grid to shape it as he needed. They would be the first to fight and he was certain the Rangers would eventually defeat them. It wouldn't matter though since it was a part of his plan.

His new soldiers looked the part. They were hideously ugly with large ears, wrinkled skin and sharp teeth sticking out of their lower lips; they were vicious with and insatiable thirst for combat; and they were stupid; they lacked the intelligence to feel fear. They lacked even the most basic of instincts and their desires were controlled by spells. They retained the darker grey of Rita's Putty Patrol. In their hands they carried primitive yet deadly hand made knives.

He dismissed them to Angel Grove with a small nod before turning his attention to other matters. He had a message that he wanted to send the Rangers, but he needed to deliver it in just the right way. If not presented correctly, they would start to think they had a chance.

"Alpha, summon the Rangers," Zordon ordered as the alarm sounded.

The Viewing Globe showed strange creatures attacking the citizens of Angel Grove in the area of the park where the explosion had occurred. The police had sealed the blackened terrain until they could find out what had happened and if there was any further risk. Detective Park, head of the Angel Grove Homicide Department and Adam's father had been given the assignment of keeping the public away. For some reason he assumed gas leaks had been added to the situations the Homicide Division dealt with.

Not that Angel Grove had many homicides. In fact violent crimes were abnormally low compared to the national average. So officers in the homicide division were required to deal with the public during monster attacks. The so-called Monster Squad of Angel Grove. It was a task Trevor could live without. He hated the Power Rangers because of the disruption they caused and had little time for the reporters for whom the colour clad show offs posed.

He also had little patience for monsters and after shouting a warning had ordered his officers to open fire. The foot soldiers had not noticed the shots and continued to attack anyone foolish enough to go near them. They were heading towards the Youth Center where they could find more victims.

"Zordon, what's wrong?" Tommy asked as the Zeo Rangers and Jason appeared.

"We've got trouble in the park!" Adam said. While Tommy had asked, he had been watching the Viewing Globe. He moved to the computer and tried to find out what they were looking at. "Looks like... someone forgot how to make Putties!"

As he brought the image up on the screen, none of them could stop a sudden shudder at the hideous looking things. From what the Rangers could see, the faces were all individual, some were uglier than others.

"Dad," Adam gasped as he saw his father trying to fight. The things had finally realised he was attacking them and had responded. "I think I'm going to be sick."

"We'll help him" Tanya whispered reassuringly, and Adam squeezed her shoulder as thanks.

Tommy shook his head. "She's right man, he'll be fine. We'll take care of this."

"Call me if you need me," Jason said, reluctant to let his friends go off unaided.

"Sure Bro," Tommy smiled back.

"Rangers, you will need to be extremely careful," Zordon warned. "These creatures are displaying abnormal energy readings."

Everyone nodded, and Tommy glanced at his friends. For a moment, he wondered whether he should ask Jason for help, but then realised they had more to gain by keeping Jason in the background. If he were hurt or killed, Tommy would never forgive himself. He put the thought out of his head. It was time to go to work.

"It's Morphing Time!" Apart from those words to reveal the Zeonisers there was no need to say anymore. The Zeo Crystal used magic, but within its structure the energy was bound to the laws of science. Calling their power helped to focus their minds, it was not a necessity; at that moment the Rangers' minds were firmly set on stopping whatever those creatures were.

In a rush of colour and energy, the six Rangers arrived in the park. The people were shrieking and running around in a blind panic. The creatures attacked just about anything but did not spend very long harassing each of their victims. Fortunately that meant that nobody had been killed so far although there were obviously some broken bones.

The Rangers had barely landed before they were attacked. The creatures had obviously been instructed to attack the Rangers immediately and to press the attack so as to not allow them time to recover. Unfortunately the creatures followed their instructions to the letter and the Rangers were forced to fall back. It was two creatures for each Ranger and after a few blows it became obvious that in spite of their looks, the brutes could fight.

"Divide and conquer," Tommy instructed. It was an old and tested strategy that would probably fail, but it would give the Rangers room to fight. "Siek-yah!"

The others did as Tommy suggested. Kat and Rocky headed off in one direction, drawing their fair share of creatures away while Tanya and Adam double-teamed another group. By switching techniques they were enjoying limited success. That left Tommy to dive into the remainder. He caught one just as it was turning its attention towards some children. A firm punch caught its attention.

The creature seemed to sort of whirl around, turning its head to look at him without a single trace of an expression on its face. Tommy didn't stop his assault though, he had to get the creature away from those kids! Punches and kicks flowed seamlessly from his gloved fists to the monster, and he was obviously making some sort of impression on it, it hadn't looked back at the children once since he'd kicked it the first time.

He got a rather nasty surprise, however, when the thing whipped around faster than he'd ever seen anything move and swiped at him with a knife. He was still shocked when the other one he hadn't been watching managed to strike him from behind. For such ugly things they were strong and their blows were having an effect. Then one of them grabbed his helmet and squeezed. The pain was so intense he couldn't concentrate enough to move. The aura surrounding his suit acted to relieve some pressure to prevent severe damage, but it didn't stop all of it.

While the first one was busy squeezing, the other was taking advantage of the open target on his chest. It drew its knife and lunged.

In another part of the park, Tanya and Adam were fighting off four of the creatures, which had attacked them head on. They didn't have Tommy's problem of being caught, and since there were two of them, they could cover each other's back. If Adam looked like he was in trouble Tanya could help him and vice versa.

"These things are tough!" Tanya groaned, barely managing to wiggle out of the way in time as one tried to bite her. There was little doubt that those ugly teeth could breach her suit. "I think it's time for the big guns, Adam!"

The Green Ranger nodded, backing off a little. "Zeo IV Power Punch!" he cried out, channelling the Zeo energy from his Zord through his body and then into a series of lightning fast punches that hit practically every area of the creatures' bodies in under a minute.

"Zeo II Power Kick!" Tanya echoed the special command, backing off for a moment, then delivering what she'd often termed "the snap kick from hell' to the four stunned opponents. The two of them landed back on their feet a few feet away, side by side and looking to see what effect their special moves had had on the creatures.

For a moment, it didn't seem anything. Then, three turned to dust before their eyes. The fourth remained standing for a moment and then its eyes rolled back and it collapsed. Tanya and Adam both grinned, then looked back at the rest of the park. Tommy was the only one who seemed to need any help, the others were handling themselves just fine.

Or so it looked to the two of them; Kat, and Rocky might have had other ideas. Even fighting together they were unable to keep up with their four attackers. Kat had taken a knock to the side of the head early on, which in turn allowed the creatures to gain the upper hand. Now Kat and Rocky were struggling to regain the momentum.

"This isn't going very well!" Kat shouted to Rocky as the two of them backed towards each other.

"So I see," Rocky nodded, glancing behind him. Something occurred to him as he saw two things: Tanya and Adam taking care of their opponents with their special Zeo moves, and Tommy about to get run through. "Kat, when I give the word, jump hard left. Then - what Adam and Tanya did - we do."

A quick glance over her own shoulder showed the Pink Ranger what he meant, and she nodded. "Ready," she murmured. A heartbeat later, Rocky shouted, and both of them moved, her to the left, him to the right. It was an old trick, and the creatures only seemed to partially fall for it, slamming together, but quickly looking up for their prey almost at the same moment.

That wasn't quite the right thing to do, however, as their questing eyes were met by Kat's Pink Fire Cloud. Just as their companion had a few short feet away, two faded away into nothingness. Kat leaned against a tree for a moment, trying to catch her breath. "Rocky?" she panted.

"Here!" Rocky didn't seem to be much winded, as he waved to her. Zeo Ranger III was still avoiding two of the creatures. He shouted, "Zeo III Spinning Power Punch!"

A moment later, he almost sauntered over to her. "Four down," he said, his eyes flicking behind them. "Come on, let's go help Tommy!"

The Red Ranger was still caught up in the grip of one creature. Tanya and Adam were trying to keep the one with the knife away, but it didn't look as if they were having a great deal of luck.

"We know how to get rid of these things," Kat said firmly. "I don't like doing it with Tommy in there, but I don't think we have any options."

"Then let's do it," Adam nodded as the four of them backed up. One by one they got ready, charging up their special attacks.

"Pink Fire Cloud!"

"Zeo II Power Kick!"

"Zeo III Spinning Power Punch!"

"Zeo IV Power Punch!"

The four attacks landed in almost every area of the creatures' bodies, and every one missed Tommy. As the one gripping him collapsed into dust, Tommy fell to the ground, his head pounding and hardly able to stand up.

"Red Ranger!" Kat rushed over to him, quickly gathering him into her arms. "Are you all right?"

~Stupid question, Hilliard, he almost got the breath squeezed out of him!~

For a moment there was no answer, then a soft voice said, "Are the kids all right?"

The Rangers looked at each other, then up in the tree where the children had taken refuge. "They're fine," Rocky smiled wearily under his helmet. "They're fine."

A growl reminded them there was still one creature to deal with: the one with the knife. Fortunately Tommy saw it coming.

"Zeo V Power Sword!"

The movement was short and brutal. The head barely touched the ground before turning to dust.

"That was too close," he panted.

"And it's not over yet!" Rocky stated as the dusted reformed this time into a single beast.

He had watched as his first attempt at foot soldiers were destroyed. That was no big deal he would make his own troops in time and not rely on such crude constructs. Then the unexpected had happened: the destroyed creatures had reformed into a single being. He smiled as it knocked the Rangers around with no real effort. It didn't have a strategy, it just hit anything that moved and the Rangers were certainly moving.

This was an unexpected end to his first attack. He had expected his soldiers to wear the Rangers down before being destroyed, but obviously they had been stronger than he believed. He doubted this combined beast would survive, but if it wore the Rangers down it would make the effort worthwhile. He frowned as a new Ranger appeared on the scene; obviously the Zeo Rangers were in trouble.

"Dragon Sword!" Sam cried as he vaulted towards the Zeo Rangers. His sword drawn he tried to make his sudden appearance count, but a strong punch sent him flying in the opposite direction.

He had sensed the attack on the Rangers and had come to help, but he quickly discovered that simply showing up didn't always get the job done. The punch had left him winded and unable to defend himself as the other Rangers were forced to cover for him.

But the effect had been enough. He had managed to distract the creature long enough for the Rangers to summon and fire the Zeo Cannon. The blast bounced harmlessly off as the creature started to grow, but struck the ground in beneath it. The ground exploded upwards, preventing the creature from growing fully.

"Fire Two!" Tommy ordered.

The blast was unleashed and the creature was destroyed, much to the Rangers relief.

He watched as his creation was destroyed. It didn't matter too much to him. After all it had not taken any real power to create it. The soldiers had been prototypes and had served their purpose. They had gone on to provide an entertaining battle with the Rangers. Of course they had lost; they were weak no matter how strong they appeared.

Had he been capable of doing so, he would have been smiling. He found it amusing that even now the Rangers were glad their ordeal was over when in fact it had only just begun.

A ball of black energy zoomed through the air, striking each of the Rangers in turn. As they moved to block the next shot, it changed direction and sought out a different target. Sparks flew from the Rangers' uniforms as the blurred figure wove its way between them. Only when it finally stopped did they have the chance to understand what they were facing.

"Who are you?" Tommy asked, Zeo V Power Sword raised and ready to block the next attack, his weight balanced on his right foot so he could attack by pushing off with his left leg.

Minion laughed, it was nice to be forgotten. In the back of his mind though a little voice was asking why he had stopped; why was he giving away his secret so early in the game? He squashed that thought for the time being, his red eyes shifting to blue as he observed his opponents. Aisha was missing, such a shame. Tanya would make a suitable replacement though and he could always get the other girl later.

"How soon we forget, Tommy," he answered. "You don't remember me, but I'm sure you remember this." He pulled the Sword of Darkness into a ready position and was pleased to see both Red Zeo and the Green Ranger take a step back. "The Sword of Darkness, mine to command and just as deadly as ever."

He shifted position, appearing next to Yellow Zeo and cut her down with a swift blow across the back. For Pink Zeo he had a similar attack, which she somehow managed to deflect. She missed the backhand that followed though and the burst of energy that tore into her chest ensured that she went down.

Blue and Green Zeo were moving by now and attacked with sufficient force to make him step back. This was where the Sword of Darkness played its part. The weapon moved of its own accord, seeking out the weak points in the Rangers' defences. The blade caught Green Zeo around the knee, the explosive energy causing more damage than the cut. Green Zeo was thrown back as Minion brought the sword around for a finishing chop.

Blue Zeo was there before Minion could make the killing blow. He tried to use his cumbersome Zeo Arm Blades against the villain and when that failed, he drove his shoulder into the black clad figure. Minion spun backward, his sword at the horizontal so that it shredded through the Ranger's chest protection.

Again Minion wondered why he had stopped short. That blow could have chopped the Ranger in two and yet, apart from some blood, the Blue Zeo Ranger was intact. It was not a problem with the sword or his strength, they were perfect. Something had stopped him for landing a fatal blow; he was being manipulated and he had a good idea of who was influencing him. It didn't stop him from following up though.

Rocky's eyes widened in pain and his Arm Blades were forgotten as both hands moved to cup the open wound in his chest. He didn't even see the sword closing in on him until after he heard the commotion as Adam returned the favour by saving his life. Rocky collapsed backwards just as Adam's injured knee gave way and he stumbled. It didn't matter though, the Green Zeo Ranger had done enough to dissuade Minion who now turned his attention to the two uninjured Rangers.

Red Zeo and Green Ranger attacked together. It was clear that Red Zeo was the superior of the two and that Green Ranger was out of practice. Still while one drew Minion's sword in one direction, the other tried to use the opening to land their blows. Both were surprised when his body flickered and their weapons passed through. He flickered again and the handle of his sword landed firmly under Red Zeo's helmet.

"So they managed to find a new Green Ranger did they?" Minion asked unaware of Sam's history. "Your predecessor didn't last very long and I'll be happy to show you why."

Sam was confused. Who was this predecessor that the villain referred to? He realised that despite all the fighting and boasting, the masked warrior had yet to answer the question and reveal his name. He didn't have time to give it much thought though as the Sword of Darkness once again sparked against the Dragon Shield.

Minion poured a little more energy into his movements, allowing himself to shift easily around the Dragon Ranger. His sword was constantly moving back and forth as he tried to turn the Ranger into a pincushion. Green Ranger surprised him when he unleashed a ball of green energy. While not enough to hurt him, it caused Minion to reconsider this Ranger. ~This one knows more about the powers than Tommy did.~ He returned the favour with a blast of his own, but while Sam had been acting out of desperation, Minion intensified the wave after it had connected with the Green Ranger and poured the darker powers of the Morphin Grid into the shockwave. He could sense that the Green Ranger was still there and respected him for hanging on. Then with another pulse he tried to rip the Dragon Ranger apart.

Red Zeo groaned. The sword had connected painfully with his lower jaw and it had taken valuable time to regain his senses. When he did so he saw that the Green Ranger was on the verge of being destroyed by the dark figure's fury.

"Zeo V Star Blast!"

A burst of red energy emerged from his helmet, striking the tip of the Zeo V Power Sword. When the sword was fully charged, he unleashed the blast. A star-shaped burst connected with the masked villain, ending his attack on the Green Ranger who lay unmoving from the assault.

"Ah Tommy, ever the hero, always there in the nick of time to save the day," Minion mocked.

"Do I know you?" Red Zeo asked.

"We've met before," Minion told him as they circled, swords at the ready. With a flick the Sword of Darkness was in the ready position and he moved in.

Red Zeo backed up as his sword moved to block the aggressive blows. He turned, twisted, blocked and countered, never allowing his assailant to move inside his guard. He dropped into a low leg sweep, which his opponent jumped and then pushed upwards with as much force as he could muster to deliver an uppercut. He had some satisfaction as the villain's head rolled back. That turned to concern as Minion followed through and pushed his body into a somersault. Red Zeo dodged left, narrowly avoiding the sword that had almost ripped through his hip; he used the Zeo V Power Sword to slap his opponent's weapon aside.

Minion was getting annoyed. Three times he had been in a position to make the kill and three times he had failed to follow through. What was going on and why was he fighting with such a strong disadvantage? Still, even if he couldn't destroy the Rangers he could let them know what they were in for.

He unleashed another burst of energy, this time allowing it to strike all of the Rangers at once. He wasn't aiming to destroy them this time, but he waited until they were unable to move before he stopped. There was no reason for them to know about his inability to kill.

"And so the mighty have fallen," he said as he floated a few inches from the ground. "If this is the best the Earth can manage then you would do well to surrender before you get hurt."

"We won't give up," Red Zeo answered.

Minion laughed. "You've already lost Tommy, you just don't know it." He ripped off his mask, revealing the scarred flesh beneath. "You live only because Minion has decided to show you mercy."

He heard the murmurs of disbelief from some of the Rangers as they tried to deny his existence. He should have been dead and didn't confuse them further by agreeing with them. From the Yellow and Pink Zeo Rangers he sensed confusion although he knew Kat recognised him. He wasn't too surprised and knew her friends would explain it later. Green Ranger's reaction was interesting. There was recognition, but instead of disbelief he sensed resignation. He filed that knowledge away for future reference.

"You were destroyed," Rocky protested. "The curse."

"Was irrelevant," Minion answered. He frowned, he hadn't said those words. "There are powers at work here that are beyond human comprehension. Surrender - now!"

"We'll never give up," Yellow Zeo snarled. She brought her Zeo Pistol into play and fired. Her first few shots missed, but the sixth caught his hand and the seventh his knee. He recovered quickly, but the momentum was lost.

"You need time to think," he announced as he vanished, leaving them with his parting words: "Make the right choice."

The Power Chamber

The Rangers had left at long last. It had taken them time to recover from their ordeal. Fortunately the Power Chamber had a small area where they could shower and change. They had taken full advantage of the opportunity and the medical facilities to ease the pain of their bruises. A little time with Alpha though and they were back to normal.

Zordon was busy analysing the data the Zeo Rangers had collected and had confirmed his fears. This Minion was the same monster they had faced months before under the tutelage of Mistress Repugna. The energy readings had changed, there was a new master pulling the strings. Whatever it was that had rescued Minion from that curse had to be powerful and Zordon had the feeling that they would be hearing more from that individual in due time.

Minion was in a bad place, a place of pain that he had not felt since gaining his freedom from the Dark Dimension. He had arrived here instead of the Lunar Palace as he had intended.

"Treachery." He knew the voice to the one who had freed him.

"Why master, why have you brought me here?" He had a very good idea why.

"You have forgotten your place Minion," the voice answered. "You were told: go to Earth and bring me the means to resume my conquest. I told you to prepare the way, my chosen warrior. You have seen fit to spend your time on a personal vendetta."

Red lightning sprang from the boy's hands causing Minion to scream in pain. Dagsyxx continued until he was certain that Minion understood his place.

"I can get to you at anytime Minion," he said, his voice low. "I can pluck you from mid-teleport and bring you here with a thought. I could destroy you without a significant effort." There was a pause as Minion was hit by another wave of lightning. "Your purpose is to prepare the way for those I choose to further my cause and to secure Serpenterra. Do so or I will reconsider allowing you to exist."

"Yes, I will obey," Minion managed. As he finally teleported back to the Lunar Palace Minion's mind was focussed purely upon his master and how if he would have to die for Minion to progress with his plans. There was a problem though, if he disobeyed he would be punished. Unless of course he chose to reinterpret the Dagsyxx's orders; who was to say what preparing the way entailed, who was to say that Serpenterra didn't need a test flight before he sent it to his master?

He would need to be careful, but in the end everything would go as he planned. Minion's plans were too brilliant to go wrong. Besides, the one-time emperor had said himself that he had once been a servant of a greater power, the source of all evil known to the Universe. He was Minion, a future ruler of all he surveyed. How dare a mere servant, even one as powerful as Dagsyxx, tell him what to do?

**End**

Disclaimer: I do not own the Power Rangers, they belong to their respective copyright owners and are used here without permission. No money is being made from this fic.  
Authors Note: This is an alternate universe from the television show with an alternate timeline.

**Fall of the Zords**

Less than a week had passed since Minion had had his first battle with the Rangers and his most recent punishment from Dagsyxx. He had spent the time since then preparing for the next phase of his plan. And as he had worked, sculpting the creatures that would lead to his victory from various materials, he had ranted about his unfair treatment by his self-appointed master. "How dare he dictate terms to Minion?"

Finster shook his head sadly and continued to work on more of his creations. Minion had been asking the question over and over again and although sympathetic, Finster couldn't understand why Minion was so upset; the villain had been less than forthcoming in his answers. From what he had managed to piece together, Dagsyxx had been the one responsible for Minion's return from the dead. He had given Minion a task and had recently punished Minion for following his own agenda.

He wasn't really felling sympathetic toward Minion. This Dagsyxx, clearly a villain of some considerable power was clearly Minion's superior and given his recent actions, expected to be obeyed, just as Zedd expected Finster to follow his commands. If Minion had been powerful enough to destroy this Dagsyxx, he would have done so. Since he was pacing back and forth, cursing the other villain's name, Finster assumed he didn't have that much power.

He had also noticed that Minion had taken to referring to himself in the third person. While at first it amused him, it also highlighted a possible mental problem that in Finster's mind could prove disastrous.

"These creations are no use to Minion at this time," Minion said, eyeing Finster's work critically. "Maybe after Minion defeats them they may prove useful; you do have an eye for the hideous Finster. Minion will be calling on your services later. Perhaps-."

"Hey," Rito shouted as he entered the workshop. "Where have Ed and the others gone?"

Minion grinned and without warning lashed out at Rito; Rita's brother made a perfect target for him to vent his frustration. The back of his hand made contact with Rito's chin resulting in a sickening crack followed by a thrust to the chest with the palm of his hand. Rito's chest shattered as Minion drove his hand into the bone. When it reached the other side, Minion grabbed the mutant's backbone and used it to lift Rito off the ground.

For a moment Minion seemed to enjoy the cries of pain he could hear emanating from Rito. Then he grew tired with the demonstration and threw Rito to the ground.

"Minion will tell you this once and only once," the villain hissed as Rito tried to pick himself off the floor. "If you ever interrupt again, you will be pulled apart, bone by bone." To emphasise his point Minion stomped on Rito's skull. "And his name is Zedd, not Ed!"

Finster watched the display with interest and not a little fear. If he was lucky then Minion would take out all his aggression on Rito. If however attacking Rito made Minion feel too good, the villain might decide to attack him as well. Finster knew Rito could recover, but he doubted he would be able to take that sort of abuse.

"Finster!" Minion shouted.

"Yes Minion?" Finster replied nervously.

For a moment Minion had been tempted to kill the monster maker. ~But that would be a waste of a good mind,~ he thought.

"Take that thing," he said pointing to Rito, "to Lord Zedd. Maybe he can use him on his home world. Tell him Minion will deal with the Rangers himself."

In his mind Finster considered arguing. Rita and Zedd were in charge after all and they had told him to remain. On the hand, if Minion really wanted him out of the way, he could execute him and tell Rita and Zedd some story about Finster betraying them.

"As you wish," Finster said.

As Finster moved over to where Rito was lying, Minion summoned the Sword of Darkness and used it to send the two fools to join their family. Then he turned his attention to more important matters, namely the creation of some more suitable followers.

During the time he had spent pacing back and forth spouting countless obscenities, Minion had been busy crafting the bodies of his new servants. They had been made by encasing a body he had sculpted using a living metal called Validium in an outer skin made from a second metal. Minion had used silver for one and brass for the second model. He pointed the Sword of Darkness at the lifeless creatures and used the power of the Morphin Grid to overlay a series of enchantments that turned the lifeless statues into living creatures.

"You are Silvo," Minion told the silver henchmen, his favoured follower.

Silvo had been forged to resemble of muscular humanoid. He had been gifted with wings, but unlike Goldar's, who could use them to fly, his were not aerodynamic. A levitation spell made it possible for him to use the metal wings as aerofoils. On his left hip he wore a samurai style sword. Although he was programmed to use it sparingly, this was his most potent weapon.

"You are the soldier," Minion told his creation. "You are more than a match for any mere Ranger, and with my foot soldiers to back you up, a one machine army."

Behind Silvo a group of smaller machines had been constructed. They were made from unrefined Validium that allowed them to move and to remain aware of their surroundings while not exhibiting the behaviour patterns of Silvo. They had blank plates over their faces and seamless bodies. Every time they moved their bodies reformed, thus eliminating the need for muscles or motors. Minion decided that the best way to judge the weapons he had provided for his troops was to send them into battle.

"WD Units, you will obey Silvo's commands unless Minion decrees otherwise," he said.

The foot soldiers nodded their understanding; lacking the ability to speak, that was the best they could accomplish. Minion turned his attention to the immobile second henchman. "You are Brasso, bodyguard of Minion and second in command of my army."

Brasso was more streamlined than Silvo. He was slightly taller, definitely thinner and had a differently shaped head. In his hands he held a short staff tipped with a blade on each end. After testing the weight he put it away and returned his attention to Minion.

Finally Minion turned to his last creation. With Finster gone Minion decided he was in need of a monster builder. He had decided to create someone with the combined knowledge of Finster and Klank and the imagination of a human.

The result was a human body with cybernetic implants. Minion had already selected the memories his creation would possess and had implanted all the necessary knowledge. The parts of the brain dealing with emotion had been removed, creating the second most evil mind on the Moon, ever. Finally Minion connected his creation to the castle's computer. The result was a lethal killer who was forever tied to the computer and could never turn against its master.

"Bronzo, I have a special task for you. I want it ready for use as soon as I take away the Rangers' powers."

"Yes master," Bronzo replied.

Bronzo and Minion left the chamber to discuss the newly created henchman's first task.

"Sam, why do you hide from them?" the voice asked.

"I thought I'd heard the last of you," Sam said angrily.

"You know I cannot leave you," the voice replied.

"But, I accepted who I am," Sam protested.

"No," the voice replied. "You accepted you are the clone of Thomas Oliver. You have accepted that you are the Green Ranger. But you have not accepted your true role in the Rangers' lives. The Green Ranger is not destined to remain an outsider who hides when the battle is over. He is a comrade they know they can rely on."

"They don't need me," Sam said. "They have the Green Ranger to back them up and they have Sam as a friend. They don't need me."

"So you have not learnt," the voice said. "You are still scared of being rejected. They will need you soon."

Sam's morpher appeared in front of him. "Morph!" the voice commanded.

Sam did as he was told. "Dragonzord!"

"Good," the voice said. The image of the Green Ranger appeared as it had a few days before. "Hold out your sword, Sam. It is time you witnessed your future."

Sam summoned his sword, noticing the head of the dragon was glowing green and held it out towards the image. The image reached out and grabbed the sword, sending a blast of energy into Sam's body, accompanied by flashes of unwinding events. Sam collapsed to the floor.

"Ow," Sam muttered as the blast caused him to wake from his dream state.

He was in his house in Angel Grove. Downstairs he could hear the family he had created moving about, living their made up lives. Sighing, he decided to get up, all the time remembering the vision he had had just before waking.

Shaking his head, Sam decided to go to the Youth Center. At least there he could keep an eye on things in case he was needed.

Minion sat cross-legged on the floor, his two glowing eyes closed. He had never learnt meditation and seemed incapable of entering a deep trance, despite having studied the theory. Natural telepathy was not something he had inherited from the original. In the end he was forced to use magic to extend his senses. He used his suddenly awakened mind to touch the minds of his enemies.

One by one he felt their presence in the Morphin Grid, some stronger than others. Tommy, the often guilt-ridden leader, so close to losing it and yet able to draw strength from his friends to hold on. Rocky the fun loving goof ball, a deadly adversary and one of the most innocent Rangers. Katherine Hilliard once Rita's pawn against the Rangers; Minion could feel so much good in her he seriously doubted Rita's spell ever had a chance. Tanya Young the most inexperienced Ranger. Minion considered her for a moment. Although she had a strong will, she was the weak link among the Rangers. Finally, Adam Park a warrior with a strong sense of honour and skill.

Every one of them was going to fight to the end, but that did not concern Minion. The end would come for them soon.

Reaching out further Minion searched for the other Rangers who might be able to help them. Trini Kwan and Zachary Taylor, both skilled fighters were in Geneva, unaware of the danger their friends were in. Kimberly Hart was currently training for the Olympics. Minion checked and discovered Angel Grove was a long way from her thoughts. Billy Cranston was beyond his reach having escaped Aquitar, a situation he promised to remedy as soon as possible. Lord Trey of Triforia was somewhere in space. It was difficult since Trey's energy was split between three entities. All the Rangers friends were either unaware of the fate their friends were about to endure, or unable to do anything about it.

That left two minds for Minion to check. The first was Jason Lee-Scott. If anybody could help the Rangers, it was him. Minion sensed the strong body and spirit he had always felt when around the boy. Upon closer inspection he dismissed Jason as a minor threat. True the boy was strong, but his power was almost gone. A brief morph and it would all be over for the former leader of the Rangers.

It was the second mind, which concerned Minion. He knew the Green Dragon Ranger was on Earth, but had no idea who it was. Without that information he could not touch the Ranger's mind. There was something else about that Ranger. A feeling he had had once before, but could not place.

Dismissing the thought as irrelevant he summoned Silvo. "Send a batch of WD Units to Earth, now!"

Silvo bowed low and gestured to the nearest Trooper. A portal opened and the WD Units stepped through.

Minion's attack had shaken the Rangers and their allies. Since the first encounter they had been on their guard, but with the lack of a follow up assault, Zordon had finally decided that they needed to relax for a while.

"Heads up Tommy," Rocky called, throwing the Frisbee towards his friend.

Tommy jumped into the air, spinning as he caught the Frisbee and threw it towards Tanya. "Nice throw," he said as he landed.

Jason sat back against the tree, watching his friends having fun. Normally he would have joined them, but today he was too tired to play. At first they were going to hang out at the Youth Center, but when Rocky turned up with his siblings and their friends in tow it had been decided to go to the park instead. Eventually what had started off as a meeting between seven friends had been transformed into a small party.

"Is this a private party or can anybody join?" Kat asked as she sat next to him.

"Please," Jason replied, indicating a spot.

Kat sat next to her friend. While he continued watching the game of Frisbee she chose to watch Samuel Revilo and David Trueheart sparring. Surprisingly neither was able to gain the upper hand. ~It's like watching David and Tommy,~ she thought. Under his brother's supervision David had improved his skills and was now as good a fighter as any Ranger.

Over the time she had grown to know him Kat had been amazed by how different David was. While Tommy always seemed to have some darkness within him David was filled with light. ~Stop thinking like that,~ she told herself. ~You're meant to be Tommy's girlfriend.~

"David's good," Jason noted, startling her back to reality.

Kat was about to reply when a silver spear struck the tree, just missing her head. As quickly as possible the two teens were on their feet, searching for the source of the spear. Another five spears hit the ground not far from where she was standing.

In the sky over Angel Grove a black masked face appeared, which Tommy easily recognised from their past encounter. In the background were three metal beings. One was silver and the other two were bronze and brass. Tommy's eyes went wide as the image grew larger, revealing the Sword of Darkness in his hand.

"Citizens of Earth, pay attention. I, Minion proclaim myself as your new ruler. Minion expects a quick and efficient surrender. Resistance shall result in termination."

The image faded and Jason once again looked around, trying to spot the source of the spear. He soon found it, fifty metal soldiers had appeared in a circle around the park, cutting off any route that the Rangers might have used to escape.

"We're going to have to fight," Jason said. He had tried his communicator and found the teleport function jammed. "Let's go."

"Right," Kat agreed.

While Tommy, Kat, Adam, Jason, Tanya, Sam and David formed into a circle defending the younger children, Rocky was searching for a way to get the innocents clear.

"When I say now, run," he told Chelsea Oliver.

Tommy's sister nodded her understanding, catching hold of the younger DeSantos children. Next to her Franklin Park and her younger brother Teddy had managed to organise the others so the strongest fighters were on the outside, protecting the younger children.

"Can't you just teleport us out?" Chelsea asked.

For a moment Rocky considered trying again, but decided against it. Now was not the time to rely on the system miraculously working. Instead he whispered back, "Jammed."

Chelsea nodded and watched as the circle of friends moved outwards, drawing their attackers towards them.

"Now!" Rocky shouted as he saw the break in the soldiers.

Chelsea and the others ran as fast as they could. As soon as they were clear of the WD Units they were teleported to the monster shelter.

"You and Sam go next," Tommy told his brother.

"No way," Sam said. "We all go together."

"He's right," David agreed. "You guys are going to need all the help you can get." He waited until Sam had turned away before adding to Tommy, "At least until I can get Sam clear so you can morph."

"Look out, here they come!" Jason shouted.

Zordon and Alpha had been watching the events unfold from the time Minion appeared. Despite Alpha's best attempts he had been unable to teleport David and the human known as Sam to safety.

"Ai-yi-yi-yi-yi, Zordon I can't teleport the Rangers out either," Alpha reported.

"Calm yourself Alpha," Zordon advised. "Tell the Rangers to morph. Minion's forces are too powerful to face without their powers."

Alpha looked at the Viewing Globe, noticing the extra human in the area. "Zordon, there's someone with the Rangers."

"Tell them to morph Alpha," Zordon commanded. "We can limit the damage afterwards. Their lives are more important than any secret." ~Besides,~ Zordon thought to himself, ~David might be able to cover for the Rangers so they can morph without their other friend finding out.~ In his heart Zordon knew it was a long shot, but still worth hoping for.

"Tommy, Zordon says that you are to morph immediately."

Alpha's voice came over the communicator loud and clear. The Rangers and Sam had formed a circle and were trying to keep the attackers at bay. David was inside the circle, protecting an injured Kat from further harm.

"I'll be okay," she assured him. "Accelerated healing is kicking in. But I don't think I'll be able to fight."

David carefully examined her leg. Even though he wasn't a trained doctor, it was obvious that it was broken.

"Take this," Kat whispered, handing David her Zeoniser.

David took the Zeoniser and strapped onto his wrist. Immediately he felt the power telling him what to do. Standing up he joined Tommy and the others.

"We'll explain later," Tommy promised Sam. Morphing in front of a civilian was not something he wanted to do, but with one team-mate down he wanted to get out of there as quickly as possible. "It's Morphin Time!"

"Zeo Ranger I - Pink!"

"Zeo Ranger II - Yellow!"

"Zeo Ranger III - Blue!"

"Zeo Ranger IV - Green!"

"Zeo Ranger V - Red!"

"Gold Ranger Power!" Jason called.

"Dragonzord!"

The Rangers looked round in time to see Sam morph into the Dragon Ranger. As his sword appeared Dragon Ranger let loose a battle cry and tried to hack the nearest WD Unit's head off.

"Well that solves that problem," Gold Ranger said to his leader as they drew their own Power Swords and charged in after him.

"David," Blue Zeo shouted as he joined the fight. "Cover Kat and try to stay under cover."

The acting Pink Zeo Ranger nodded in agreement, drawing his Zeo Laser Pistol just in case. He was glad he did not have to fight, even with powers. He was also relieved because although his uniform was determined by the Power and not by him, unlike Jason, at least the Zeo Crystal had adapted for the fact he was male and removed the skirt.

"Ugh!"

David turned towards the source of the noise and saw two of the machines holding the Gold Ranger while a third machine pummelled him with punches. There was a loud crack and David could see Jason demorphing, his powers exhausted.

"No!" Pink Zeo shouted, summoning the Zeo I Power Shield.

As the three machines turned to face David he threw the disklike shield at them. Sparks flew as it made contact with their metallic bodies before bouncing harmlessly away. The Green Zeo Ranger had used the diversion to attack all three WD Units with his Zeo IV Power Hatchets. Although the attack failed to cause any real damage, it managed to convince the machines to attack him instead of his fallen comrade.

Minion's satellites relayed the battle on the planet to the Lunar Palace. The fight had barely started and already two of the Rangers were out of action with a third untrained Ranger trying to defend them. In addition the Gold Ranger had exhausted his powers and Minion now knew the identity of the Green Dragon Ranger.

Minion then checked on his own troops. So far none of them had fallen in battle despite the Rangers' best efforts. If this kept up he would soon have an easy victory.

"Silvo, tell your soldiers to increase their attack to full power," Minion instructed.

Adam was desperately outnumbered. Even if all the Rangers were available, the odds would have been difficult to beat. With Jason and Kat out of the fight and David looking after them Adam found himself fighting multiple WD Units. He barely ducked as one of the robots fired a weapon at him. He looked at the ground where the object had landed and realised it was a spear, at least as long as his arm.

"Tommy," Green Zeo called to his leader. "Those spears are inside them."

The Red Zeo Ranger nodded, taking his attention off his opponents long enough to nod. That was all the time the WD Unit needed. It moulded its hands into sharp edged blades and slashed at the Red Ranger.

As Adam was distracted seeing his leader fall, he failed to notice the WD Unit sneak up behind him. Before he could react, it punched him to the back of the neck. The Green Zeo Ranger looked up to see the WD Unit preparing to fire another spear, this time at his head.

Yellow Zeo had summoned her Nunchuks and had started to bludgeon the nearest opponent. Then after freeing one end of the weapon she struck out, using the chain to increase the momentum. As the solid club struck, the WD Unit's neck Yellow Zeo drew her Zeo Pistol and fired. The machine fell backwards, stunned by the attack.

As Yellow Zeo prepared for the next target it grabbed her from behind. Tanya found herself deposited on the back of her neck, the Zeo suit absorbing some but not all of the shock. She looked up, unable to move as another WD Unit prepared to hit her.

"Any bright ideas?" Blue Zeo asked.

"Yeah," Dragon Ranger replied from his position at Rocky's back. "Teleport out of here as quickly as possible."

In back-to-back formation they had managed to hold their own against the machines, but were fading fast. Looking around Rocky saw Tanya being driven into the ground.

"Duck!" Blue Zeo shouted.

As the Dragon Ranger moved to obey his blue companion leapt over his back, driving his Zeo Power Axe into the WD Unit's chest. As he pulled away, Dragon Ranger pushed his Blade Blaster into the damaged patch and fired. The WD Unit collapsed as the Blade Blaster's energy ripped through to emerge from all directions, effectively slicing it in half.

"I don't believe it!" Blue Zeo complained as he noticed the WD Unit still moving, despite being cut in half. As he watched the two halves rejoined.

A silver spear struck the Blue Zeo Ranger in the shoulder, allowing more of the metal warriors to fall on him. ~This is bad,~ he thought as his helmet cracked under the constant pounding.

"Enough!" Minion shouted.

Before him was a scene many villains had only ever dreamed of. The Power Rangers were almost all beaten. The only exception was a newcomer, who Minion intended to humiliate before killing.

"Silvo, call back the WD Units," he ordered. "Then go to Angel Grove and destroy the Green Ranger."

Silvo looked at the screen. All the other Rangers had been beaten down, leaving only the Green Ranger facing twenty WD Units. The machines fell on top of the Ranger, punching and kicking him into submission. An evil smile formed on Silvo's metallic lips.

"As you wish master," he said as he left.

Minion couldn't help smiling under his mask. He had known what Silvo was thinking and was pleased his henchmen were intelligent enough to know when they had an advantage. Whether Silvo could use that advantage remained to be seen.

"WD Units, dismissed!" Silvo shouted as he appeared.

As the silver soldiers moved to obey, Silvo stalked the Green Dragon Ranger, grabbing him by the neck and throwing him into the center of the park, away from his friends. As Silvo moved away from the area Zordon was able to lock onto the fallen Rangers and teleport them back to the Power Chamber.

Sam forced himself awake. Silvo's initial assault had injured him more than the WD Units and he could already sense his attacker getting near.

Silvo waited until the Dragon Ranger got back to his feet before kicking him in the stomach and power bombing him into the ground. Lifting the Ranger by the neck, he started to choke the Ranger in unconsciousness.

"Fireball!" Sam shouted.

His hand erupted with green fire, catching Silvo off guard. Instead of dropping the Ranger however, Silvo drove him into the ground. With the Ranger down he continued to pummel him until Silvo could see blood seeping from a hole in the Ranger's armour. Kneeling next to the Ranger, Silvo opened Sam's helmet exposing the boy's face. Drawing his fist back, he awaited Minion's permission to continue.

A portal opened a Minion stepped through. Silvo bowed to his master and taking the hint disappeared.

"ZORDON!" Minion shouted.

Zordon turned his attention Viewing Globe. When Alpha had managed to teleport the Rangers back to the Power Chamber, Alpha had sprung into action. Thanks to the little droid's actions the injured Rangers had all been demorphed and stabilised. Most were suffering from broken bones, although in one case Zordon had had to use his powers to help heal internal damage.

"ZORDON!" the voice boomed a second time. "Minion knows that you can hear, Zordon!"

"I am here Minion," Zordon replied. "What do you want?"

"Your little Power Pukes left something behind," Minion sneered. Reaching down he pulled up the battered Green Dragon Ranger, now bleeding from several wounds. Sam's helmet had been destroyed, placing the armour into standby mode. Minion placed the Sword of Darkness across Sam's neck.

"What do you want Minion?" Zordon asked.

"A simple trade," Minion replied. "You give me the Zeo Crystal and Minion will return this piece of trash."

Zordon thought for a moment. Every part of him wanted to send the Rangers back out to destroy Minion, but he did not have that option. In addition he doubted they would be able to either beat Minion or free their friend. Faced with an impossible choice Zordon did the only thing possible under the circumstances. ~I cannot sacrifice someone just to hold onto a power,~ Zordon thought. ~If I do, then I don't deserve to hold it anymore.~

"Very well Minion," Zordon said. "I will teleport the Zeo Crystal to you. But be warned, if you harm him, you will be destroyed."

"As you wish Zordon," Minion hissed with a mock bow. "As you wish." He picked up the crystal when it appeared. "Now, you shall see that Minion is a creature of honour. Take him back."

In a flash of green the prisoner was gone. Minion allowed himself to smile. While Zordon was busy caring for the injured Green Ranger, he would ensure the Ranger's were even less of a threat. He had taken their powers, now he intended to take their Zords. That would ensure that when Bronzo had finished his work the Rangers wouldn't stand a chance.

Alpha ran the medical scanner over Sam's unconscious form. He had tried several times to monitor the young Ranger, but although Alpha was able to heal some of the wounds, the scanners refused to detect the Green Ranger's presence. To make matters worse, Zordon had been unable to forcibly demorph the Ranger.

"Ai-yi-yi-yi-yi, nothing is working Zordon," Alpha reported.

"Keep trying," Zordon instructed.

"Yes Zordon," Alpha replied, returning to his work.

A small alarm sounded in the Power Chamber causing both Zordon and Alpha to investigate. The control panel, which the Rangers used to control the Zeo Launcher, was operating by itself. Already the Zeo Megazord, Super Zeo Megazord and Warrior Wheel had been loaded for launch.

"Alpha, eject the Zeo Launcher before the Red Battlezord is lost as well!" Zordon boomed. As he spoke, he noticed the other Zords had already been launched.

Alpha pushed the buttons on the console, causing the Zeo Launcher to eject from the Zord Holding Bay and explode near the bottom of the mountain. Zordon realised the Rangers would probably never use those Zords again. ~The Rangers will probably never use the Zeo Crystal again,~ he thought.

"Sam, wake up!"

Sam opened his eyes to find himself hovering over the medical table in the Power Chamber. As he looked down he could see the battered the remains of his body and Alpha desperately trying to help him.

"Am I dead?" Sam asked.

"No," the familiar voice said. "But if Zordon and Alpha cannot heal you, you will be."

"Why are they not healing me then?" Sam asked.

"Because you do not want them too," the voice replied. "They want to help you but cannot do so while you are hiding from them. Only you can save you life, and to do so you will need stop hiding and reveal yourself."

Sam thought about the choice he faced. If he removed the spell that hid him from the Ranger and everybody else then he would survive. But if he did remove the spell he risked losing the people he cared most about and being alone again. For a moment he was tempted to just keep the spell and die, but what then. The Green Powers would be lost and the Rangers would be in even worse shape than they were now.

~I caused Zordon to give up the Zeo Crystal,~ he thought. ~How can I quit before I have made amends?~

"At last you have seen sense," the voice said, once again taking the form of the Green Ranger. The voice changed to resemble someone Sam had come to respect over the years. The image flew into the Plasma Tube causing its inhabitant to smile, "Welcome back, Sam."

"Ah, there you are," Minion said as the three large Zords appeared.

While Zordon and Alpha had been otherwise occupied, Minion had manipulated the energies of the Zeo Crystal, using their link with the Power Chamber's computer system, which had been compromised by Cyber Agent months before. He had ordered all the Zords to launch, but somehow Zordon had managed to prevent the Red Battlezord from being lost. For what he had in mind though, it did not matter.

"Fight me!" Minion commanded, manipulating the machines into switching to autopilot. After teleporting the Zeo Crystal to a safe place Minion prepared himself to destroy the Rangers' prize weapons.

Before any of the three Zords could react, Minion rushed them with his sword. Using the power blade he knocked the Warrior Wheel, attacking in robot-mode, to the ground.

Minion had spent time studying the Zords the Rangers had used since Zordon first recruited them. After watching their battles he had managed to learn the weaknesses of each of the Megazords.

The Dino Megazord had been quick and had been able to take abuse well, but lacked the strength and firepower of the future Zords. The Dragonzord had been more powerful, but lacked any finishing manoeuvres. Ultimately they had been destroyed not through the act of an enemy, but because Zordon had failed to enhance them.

The Thunder Megazord had the raw power, but was unable to survive a sustained attack. The Tigerzord was powerful, but was reliant on the cooperation between Ranger and Saba. In the end it had been their lack of endurance, which had drained them to the point where Rito had been able to defeat them. Minion wondered what would have happened if Zordon had given the Rangers access to the real Thunder powers, instead of allowing them to draw the power through their Dinocoins.

The Ninja Megazord and Ninja MegaFalconzord were the most agile of the Zords, but neither Zord was unable to defend itself against swords. The Shogun Megazord and Shogun MegaFalconzord were powerful and heavily armoured, but lacked the speed to defeat the faster monsters. Together they had made a good set of Zords, complementing each other well. Unfortunately the Ninja Zords' reliance on the Falcon Zord meant that when Zedd had stolen it all the Ninja Zords had been disabled.

Then came his current opponents. It was easy to find the weakness with the Zeo Megazord or the Red Battlezord. Both had been added to the Ranger's arsenal after they had gained their powers. As a result they only drew part of the power from the Zeo Crystal. If Minion had had the opportunity to face the Red Battlezord, he would have simply aimed for the cockpit. The machine was designed for Tommy only and a quick laser bolt through the glass cockpit would have ended the Zord's attack. The Megazord was at least a challenge, but Minion knew all he had to do was ground the Zord and it would be as good as scrap.

The Warrior Wheel was vulnerable when switching between modes. Minion had already damaged it, but now he planned to take advantage of its other weakness. While the Zord was down, he intended to ensure he knocked out the other two Megazords, thus eliminating its finisher. The Warrior Wheel did not have an effective solo assault.

As he was analysing his opponents the Zeo Megazord and Super Zeo Megazord had already moved into attack. The Zeo Megazord had activated its Battle Helmets. Minion had laughed as he was hit by the various assaults; even the Zeo Megazord Sabre had barely scratched him.

"Zeo Cannon!" Minion called, bracing himself as the cannon attached itself to his shoulder.

Minion fired the weapon once, blast a hole in the Zeo Megazord's chest. As the Zord collapsed Minion aimed the cannon again, this time channelling the full power of the Zeo Crystal into the blast and fired. The Megazord exploded, parts of its chest exploding over the ground as it was swiftly teleported back to the Power Chamber.

Twisting around to face the Super Zeo Megazord, Minion fired again. The blast caused some damage but the Super Zeo Megazord had been created to take more than the Zeo Cannon could give. In disgust Minion smashed the Zeo Cannon into the Super Zeo Megazord's head.

Minion had spent a long time studying the Super Zeo Megazord. It had a number of weaknesses, but none Minion could exploit to their full extent. Instead he had looked at the Zord's weapon and had discovered the combined swords generated too much power for even its wielder to use at full power.

He laughed as the Megazord struck him the first time, gesturing for it to try full power. The Zord complied and Minion saw his chance. Grabbing hold of the blade he pushed it back towards the Zord until it made contact with the Megazord's head. Minion continued to push, slicing through the Megazord. Gradually the sword started to cut through the body, emerging at the base of the body.

As the Super Zeo Megazord fell to the ground in two halves, Minion picked up the combined sword and used it to chop away the Zord's arms and legs. Finally he drove the sword into the head of the Megazord. As the Super Zeo Megazord was reduced to the Super Zeo Gems from which it was first formed, the sword disappeared with it.

"Just you and me then," Minion said as the Warrior Wheel got to its feet again, beckoning him to attack with his hand.

Faster than Minion expected the Warrior Wheel launched at him. A series of fists connected with Minion's chin. Minion laughed as he took all the punishment the Zord could dish out.

"My turn," he said.

Minion snap kicked the Warrior Wheel's knee, following up with several punches of his own. Lifting the Zord over his head in military press, Minion jerked his arms back to his sides. He threw the top part of the Warrior Wheel onto the ground in front of him, before dumping the legs on top.

He raised his hands in victory as he watched the remains of the Warrior Wheel disappear. "ZORDON! If I'd known it was going to be this easy I'd have attacked before!"

Reaching out Minion summoned the Zeo Crystal and held it above his head as a sign of victory. For the second time he had taken the powers from the Rangers. This time they would not get them back. Time was now on his side and that was all he needed.

When Tommy awoke Zordon asked him to join David and the others in the main chamber. As he entered the room Tommy was glad to see his team was still alive. The Rangers healing powers had taken care of the worst of their injuries. And with a little help from David and Alpha they had all regained consciousness.

Conspicuous by his absence was Sam. At first Tommy thought maybe the Green Ranger had left. Then, he noticed the blocked off area of the chamber where the medical table was located.

"Zordon, where is Sam?" Jason asked.

"Rangers, I have some bad news for all of you," Zordon said. "When you were teleported here Minion assaulted Sam and used him to gain control of the Zeo Crystal. He has since destroyed all the Zeo Zords with the exception of the Red Battlezord and has damaged the Zeo Crystal so it cannot be used."

"The good news," Zordon continued, "Is that Sam is going to be all right and that we have today gained a powerful and wise ally."

The blocked area of the chamber vanished, revealing Sam in his civilian clothes. By dropping his power he had allowed Zordon to discover his true identity, but at the same time had managed to conquer his fear of discovery.

"Sam Revilo, will you please reveal your true identity to the Rangers?" Zordon asked. If Sam refused then Zordon had no intention to tell them. He hoped that his reaction had helped.

Sam placed his hands over his face and slowly moved them around. As he did so the other Rangers gasped. Sam's face became that of Thomas Oliver when he had first arrived in Angel Grove.

"Hi," Sam said sheepishly, "Remember me?"

For a moment nobody said anything. Most of them were too shocked to say anything; Tanya just didn't understand what was happening. None of the Rangers had ever thought to fill her in on their history and although she knew Tommy had once been the Green Ranger she had never been made aware that he had a clone.

Finally, Tommy spoke. "How can you be here? I left you in 1795."

"More to the point," Adam stated, "I thought two Tommy Olivers in one time would damage the Morphin Grid."

"Look, I can't tell you everything about the time Collective, because I don't know everything," Sam said, returning to his usual look. "I do know I am the clone you left in Colonial Angel Grove, the same guy who helped when Minion took your powers last time. I stayed in the Eighteenth Century and lived there until the present. I don't think the timeline applies anymore."

"Indeed, since Sam has not returned to this time zone, but has instead lived for the last two hundred years the effects on the Morphin Grid no longer apply," Zordon explained.

"What about your disguise?" Rocky asked.

"I retained the magic from the Wizard of Deception's wand," Sam answered. "I am now one with the magic. I am literally the Green Ranger."

"Rangers, I am afraid there is nothing more you can do here," Zordon said. "I suggest you all go and try to get some rest. I have a feeling you will need you strength soon."

As he watched, the Rangers leave Zordon turned to his assistant. "Alpha Five, begin Plan B."

"Yes Zordon," Alpha said, hurrying to complete his task.

While Billy worked Zordon started to plan for what was to come. Minion had in the space of a day managed to hand the Rangers their first defeat. For some reason the new villain had not continued to attack, deciding to retreat. Zordon reached out with his mind, touching each of the Rangers. ~Rest my Rangers,~ he thought, ~I fear the worst is yet to come.~

With trembling hands Minion placed the Zeo Crystal in its new home. The charging sequence would take a matter of days and the latent heat generated would speed up the incubation period. After that he would have a force at his disposal, so destructive that neither the Rangers nor Dagsyxx would stand in his way.

**End**

Disclaimer: I do not own the Power Rangers, they belong to their respective copyright owners and are used here without permission. No money is being made from this fic.  
Authors Note: This is an alternate universe from the television show with an alternate timeline.

**Powerless Rangers**

Lord Zedd was not a happy villain. He had not conquered the Dark Galaxy by trusting his allies or allowing his inferiors to override his orders. He had been enjoying a tour of his personal domain with his wife and their entourage, when the bungling Rito had arrived with Finster in tow. From there his day had taken a turn for the worse.

"What are you two doing here?" he had snarled.

Rito had not been in a condition to answer, his body recovering from severe trauma. Finster had looked decidedly nervous.

"Forgive the intrusion Lord Zedd," the monster maker said after a while. "Minion ordered me to bring Rito here."

Zedd glowed red as he fumed at the audacity of Minion. He had left Finster there to ensure the recreated clone did not have any sudden bursts of independence.

Leaving the Earth before he was done conquering it had always been a risky decision. That was why he and Rita had been quick to return from their forced eviction b the Machine Empire. During their absence anybody could move in and take over.

"Rita, we are leaving," he announced. He turned to the Magistrate, the being he had charged with maintaining the Dark Galaxy in his absence. "Send word to Maxell that I want a meeting of the High Council of the Alliance and send Arcana to Earth with instructions to protect my interests; he is to offer assistance to Minion, unless there are signs of treachery. We will return to Earth after the meeting."

"Of course Lord Zedd," the Magistrate replied. "While you are gone, I will arrange for your army to ready itself."

Zedd nodded. Once he had conquered the Earth, his forces would exit the Dark Galaxy and secure the space between to two parts of his empire. Overnight his domain would increase. But first he needed to take care of that upstart Minion.

"Activating containment field," Tommy said.

The five former Zeo Rangers had gathered above the Power Chamber, in the room that once housed the Command Center. Although most of the Power Chamber was now below ground, Zordon and Billy had rebuilt the upper chamber soon after Gasket's Cyber Agent had infiltrated the computer core. Instead of a command area, Billy had adapted the room to serve as a combination of laboratory and repair bay.

Each Ranger was now seated at a console operating the controls as though they had been doing so their whole lives. On a raised pillar in the center of the room was a platform holding the Super Zeo Gems and their Zeonisers. Zordon had managed to find five golden coins that while not Power Coins were similar enough for to be of use.

Currently the large coins had been arranged below the platform and the Super Zeo Gems were floating above the Zeonisers. As Tommy started the containment field, the coins were pushed closer to the platform, a different coloured beam of energy emerging from each of them. As the beams of light struck the platform above the Zeonisers the Super Zeo Gems had started to glow. Waves of energy bathed the various materials causing them to move frantically.

"Energy structure complete," Adam reported from his position. "Morphing grids activated."

Every Ranger had a morphing grid, a field of energy generated by the Power Morpher or in this case, their Zeonisers. Physical matter was they affixed to the energy field, using the grid layout to aid positioning of uniforms, weapons and other items essential to a Ranger. Creating the energy grid was an important step towards their goal of replacing the Zeo powers.

"Begin Phase Two," Tommy instructed.

Kat started the power induction tools settled to one side of the Zeonisers. With small cameras positioned on the tip of each tool to guide her, Kat was able to manipulate the micro circuitry. By doing so she successfully retuned the devices so that the separate energy waves from the coins and the Super Zeo Gems were received and stored by the Zeoniser Crystals. From there the existing technology could be used to control the morphing sequence and regulate the power flow.

It was a delicate task since the Zeonisers had been set to work solely with the Zeo Crystal. Not only was Kat changing the source of the energy, she was increasing the number of sources. Luckily whatever she did to one Zeoniser was duplicated on the others.

"Phase Two complete," Kat said after what seemed like ages. "Ready for final power up."

"Okay, Rocky you start, Tanya you follow," Tommy said.

Both Rocky and Tanya nodded. Activating their consoles, they began to open the energy feeds for the Zeonisers, testing to ensure they were receiving power from both sources. Then they adjusted to flows to avoid overloading and loaded the template files. The Zeonisers glowed as they increased the power levels.

"Full power, now!" Tommy called.

Tanya and Rocky turned the controls up to maximum, channelling all available power into the morphing tools. This was the most important step, to ensure the devices were capable of dealing with the demands of powering up.

"Damn!" Tommy swore as one of the Zeoniser Crystals fractured, crumbling under the stress of opposing energy flows. "Shut everything down, we'll need to start from scratch."

"That might be a problem," Rocky said. The others followed his gazed to where the coins had fallen.

Tommy felt all his hopes fail when he saw the coins. The intense heat had caused them to distort, which in turn rendered them useless.

"Now what?" Tanya asked.

"Now we go and tell Zordon we've failed," Tommy told her. He bent down and picked up the remains of the coins. "Maybe he can find some more."

He gathered the Super Zeo Gems and gasped as a small shock passed through his body. For a moment the two sources of power were touching each other. Electricity started to arc from the gems to the coins and back again. This had caused Tommy to drop them and when he picked them up the second time he was more careful. Once all the coins were gathered and all the gems had been placed in their container the Rangers teleported away.

"Well?" Minion probed as Bronzo finished the latest of his tests.

"It won't work Lord Minion," the henchman answered. "Serpenterra cannot be powered directly from the Zeo Crystal. Its weapon systems - could be upgraded to use the crystal, but a direct feed for the drive system would be impossible."

"Suggestions?"

"Keep the power source and change the application," Bronzo answered. "Break the link between the Rangers and their powers; the crystal is still powering them even if they are unaware of it. Then find a way to transmit the energy to Serpenterra."

Minion considered the suggestion. During what many on Earth considered the second world war, the opposing sides had used RADAR as a weapon. While one side had used it for its most common application of detecting incoming aeroplanes, the other side had used it as a means of directing their air raids. In the same way the energy of the Zeo Crystal could be wielded directly or indirectly. Master Vile had used it directly when he had plugged it into the Ninja Zords' weapon systems; the Rangers had used it directly to negate the Orb of Doom's energies. Since then the Zeo Rangers had relied on an indirect application, the energy divided into a different wavelength for each Zeoniser.

Minion's plan had been to install the Zeo Crystal in Serpenterra, expecting the mighty machine to have enough power to destroy the Rangers, crush any resistance on Earth and then perhaps destroy the creature known as Dagsyxx; nobody forced Minion to work for them, not even an ancient entity with enough power to squash him like a bug.

Now that Bronzo had revealed that in addition to burning too much fuel to remain a realistic tool, Serpenterra was incapable of handling the energy the crystal could produce; the machine lacked a suitable reactor and failed to store and release energy in a way that would have compensated for its shortcomings.

That meant that he would have to use the crystal indirectly, which meant he would have to break the link between the Rangers and the crystal.

"Find a way to break the Rangers' link with the Zeo Crystal," he instructed.

"It might tak..."

"Devise a method and Minion will secure the means," he promised.

And while Bronzo was occupied with that task, he needed to ensure that the Zeo Rangers were destroyed once and for all. He had been tempted to send his WD Units back to Earth to finish the Rangers, but had dismissed that idea as premature. Despite defeating the Rangers and preventing support from Aquitar and Triforia, Minion had yet to deal with the other defenders of Earth; the Masked Rider, VR Troopers and Beetleborgs were all active in California. New York also had its own protectors.

In addition there were the Earth's armed forces to deal with. Minion had absolute faith in his creations, but did not want a long battle that might convince civilians to take up arms to defend themselves. His plans for Earth required the planet and its people to be taken alive. He planned to use the people of Earth as hosts for the creatures in the Dark Dimension, his own army of evil. He had even entertained the notion of converting the planet into a mobile space station, using the planet's natural magic to power it.

~First things first,~ he thought. Although the Zeo Rangers were powerless, they still posed a minor threat.

"Silvo," he called quietly. "Send a mixture of Tengas, Putties and Cogs back down to Angel Grove. They are to destroy the Power Rangers when they appear."

"Yes master," Silvo said, disappearing to carry out his task.

Tommy and the others arrived in the Power Chamber. Although they were no longer powered, Tommy had thought it best if they could find some sort of disguise to keep their identities secret. Soon al five Rangers were wearing some old spandex-based costumes Alpha had managed to make with the replicators in the Power Chamber. Alpha had also managed to scrounge some old helmets for the Rangers to wear.

"Now all we need are some weapons," Rocky said.

"I have something to help you there as well Rangers," Alpha said. Pressing a button on the console, he teleported the Rangers to a secret vault hidden deep beneath the Power Chamber.

"Oh man," Tommy said as he looked around. "I didn't realise we had such a large collection."

Around the room were all the weapons Billy had ever built but had never connected to the Rangers' powers. Tommy made his way over to the far corner where he discovered the first set of motorcycles Billy had attempted to build for the Might Morphin Power Rangers; there was one set intended for use during the time of the Dino Zords and another set that he assumed were for use when the power of Thunder had been used. Checking the power supply he found all five vehicles were in working order and capable of morphing into powerful weapons. They had obviously been one of Billy's projects during his time in the Power Chamber.

Rock and Adam meanwhile had managed to find some energy rifles. Each gun measured about ten inches and was grey in colour. Adam tested one of the guns and found it was self-aiming.

"Look at this," Rocky said, pointing to the small cartridges Billy had carefully labelled. "Fire, Freeze, Stun bolt, Exploding Shells, Laser and Gel. He didn't just make one gun, he made every type of rifle we'd ever need."

"Check this out," Adam said, pointing to the set of five devices Billy had placed next to them. "It says here these will act as a disruption field against Cogs. That might slow them for a bit."

"Guys!" Tanya shouted from the other side of the room. "I think I've found the heavy artillery."

The other Rangers found Tanya standing in a smaller vault marked 'DANGER'. On her right arm she had attached a Gatling gun. A metal casing surrounded her shoulder continuing as a metal sleeve down her arm. The cannon was mounted on the end and activated by a small trigger. The armour changed colour to blend in with her clothing.

Now armed with the weapons and bikes they had managed to find, and the personal weapons Tommy had discovered, the Rangers left to take on the Cogs, Putties and Tengas that Minion had sent to Earth.

In the Power Chamber Alpha 5 was in danger of burning out his circuitry due to stress. "Ai-yi-yi-yi-yi, they're gone!"

"What are gone?" Zordon asked, taking his attention off the Viewing Globe for a moment.

"Ai-yi-yi-yi-yi!"

"Alpha," Zordon said. He received no response and decided to take desperate action. "Alpha Five, if you do not calm down, I will arrange for Billy to give you a service."

"I'm sorry Zordon," Alpha said when he had finally calmed down. "The Super Zeo Gems and the coins we used in the experiment have vanished."

"Calm yourself," Zordon instructed. "The coins and Super Zeo Gems are fine, I have simply teleported them to my dimension."

"Sorry Zordon, I'm just so nervous. If the Rangers lost the Super Zeo Gems now that they no longer possess the Zeo Crystal..."

"That is indeed a disturbing thought Alpha. Luckily I believe I have found the solution to our earlier problems. Prepare the computer to resume the power up sequence."

"Okay Rangers, divide and conquer," Tommy ordered.

After teleporting to a spot just outside of Angel Grove Park the Rangers had summoned their bikes. Thanks to Billy's design the bikes had adapted for their new users. The vehicles, which the teens had simply named Attack Cycles were now colour coded for each Ranger. The Green, Blue, Pink and Yellow Attack Cycles were all based on a motorbike and sidecar design. The Red Attack Cycle resembled a cross between the Shark Cycles and Zeo Cycles.

"Power them up," Tommy instructed. Flicking the power controls on his bike he crossed his fingers and hoped the portable power cells they had found would last for a while.

"Tommy, they're spreading out," Tanya warned.

Tommy checked his scanners and saw that whilst the Tengas had remained in the park, the Putties were heading towards the Youth Center and the Cogs were spreading out through the rest of the city.

"I'll take care of the birds," Kat said. Before anyone could argue, she had already started to drive off.

"Okay, Rocky and Tanya take the Cogs, Adam and I'll deal with the Putties and then catch you up."

"Right," the other Rangers called as the set off on their mission to protect Angel Grove. Tommy started his weapon systems before taking off after Adam.

Kat angled her Attack Cycle and rammed into the flock of Tengas. As expected most of them flew clear of the bike, but a few tried to slow her and were torn to shreds by the powerful wheels. Turning the bike to make a second pass, Kat realised that she would not be able to make contact with the Tengas since they had remained in the air.

Drawing her hand blaster Kat loaded a Fire Pack, took aim and fired. With the nearest Tenga acting as the target, the blaster adjusted its power level to ensure that as the beam hit the bird it exploded into flames. The odour of burnt feathers filled the air as the Tenga struggle to remain airborne, setting fire to its neighbours as well.

"Get her!" the leader called.

As the Tengas swooped towards her Kat changed the blaster's power pack to Ice. Instead of aiming directly for the birds, she fired at the ground in front of her. As the Tengas landed, they found themselves frozen in place. Kat fired another shot to freeze the birds, then threw a stone at the ice statues. The statues cracked and crumbled into tiny pieces of ice.

"Oh great," Kat said to herself as more Tengas appeared.

Using their increased speed Tommy and Adam made it to the Youth Center before the army of Putties. As they waited Tommy called for Ernie to evacuate everybody from the front of the Youth Center. Ernie did not need to be told twice and soon there were no civilians in the area.

As the Putties drew nearer Adam activated his bike's special features. The connecting bars between the bike and sidecar extended outwards, pushing the sidecar away from the bike. Adam shifted position to sit upright as the sidecar was raised off the ground, the bottom opening and remoulding to extend the sides. Eventually the sidecar was positioned over the bike and rider.

Luckily for Adam the whole conversion process was balanced to ensure the bike did not tip over. When he was certain the sidecar was in the correct position, he pressed the button on his handlebars. The shell of the sidecar dropped onto the bike, locking itself into position. The wheel that had been used to support the sidecar dropped next to the bike's own wheel. With a series of clicks the wheels were joined by an axle and moved outwards to provide extra support for the increased weight.

Finally a set of laser cannons emerged from the machines sides. At the front a triple barrelled rocket launcher appeared. A protective screen covered the newly formed cockpit.

"Let's see them deal with this," Adam said.

"Not bad," Tommy said, taking a moment to admire Billy's handiwork. "Watch this," he told Adam as he activated his own weapons.

Channelling the power of the Morphin Grid, Tommy's bike started its own transformation. The wheels duplicated themselves and extended away from the bike. The headlight transformed into a single cannon. Tommy felt his legs being drawn back behind him as steel panels formed around them. The front windscreen extended to protect Tommy from any forward attack. The wheels started to spin at speeds impossible for an ordinary bike.

With the front wheels spinning forward and the rear wheel spinning in reverse, the bike started to lift off the ground. When it was floating six inches off the ground Tommy flicked a switch and the wheels dropped from vertical to horizontal positions. Miniature thrusters mounted under each of the wheels activated to keep the bike hovering. Finally a set of heavy weapons attached themselves to the bike and a pair of thrusters appeared on the back of the bike.

"Here they come," Adam called.

"Let's get them," Tommy responded.

Together the two Rangers charged the Putties. While Adam drove into the Putties, Tommy used his thrusters to knock the Putties over. Within a few minutes they had managed to get all the Putties into a state where they could no longer stand upright.

"Particle Stream, fire!" Tommy called.

A thick beam of light erupted from the nose cannon. Flicking several buttons Tommy fired his side cannons as well. The Putties in front of him were soon reduced dust.

"Triple Shock!" Adam cried.

The three-barrelled rocket launcher fired, dispersing its shells over a wide area. The Putties decided they had had enough and ran away. Adam turned to see Tommy beating the remaining Putties on foot. He was using a hollow red staff Adam assumed he had found in Billy's vault.

"Siek-yah!" Tommy shouted as he decapitated the last Putty and remounted his bike. "We'd better find the others."

"They're spreading out," Tanya said as she studied the Cogs on her radar. "Rocky, we need to keep them inside their current grid or we won't be able to take them."

"Why don't you take the perimeter and I'll pick them off from inside?" Rocky suggested knowing Tanya had the faster bike.

"Okay, but be careful," Tanya warned. "We don't have our powers to protect us anymore."

"Hey, it's me," Rocky replied with a grin.

"Exactly," Tanya muttered. Out loud she called, "Weapons, now!"

The bike and sidecar separated, the sidecar splitting into parts. The bike's stand lowered to stabilise Tanya as the bike morphed. The rear wheel of the bike detached while at the same time joining with parts of the sidecar to form a rotor blade. The sidecar wheel transformed into a smaller rotor and attached itself to the rear of the bike by means of an extended axle. The larger rotor attached itself to the front of the sidecar. The front, back and sides of sidecar then formed over the bike while the base of the sidecar split in half and formed two skies. When the transformation was finished, Tanya was sitting in a miniature helicopter.

Next a cannon attached itself to each ski and a smaller rifle appeared on the end of each handlebar. The Gatling cannon Tanya had found earlier attached itself to her shoulder ready for action. Starting the rotors, she raced off to prevent the Cogs from spreading out.

Rocky didn't bother activating his weapons. Instead he headed towards the point from which the Cogs were spreading out. As he went, he stopped every so often to place a small device. If his plan worked and Billy had been right he hoped to be able to shut down the Cogs without too much fighting. The idea of being without his powers was scary, but Rocky had vowed to defend his planet and that was an oath he took seriously.

"Weapons mode, now!" Rocky called as he finally caught up with the Cogs.

At his command the bike and sidecar separated. Time seemed to move slowly as Rocky was thrown into the air, his arms and legs spread. The bike and sidecar broke into smaller parts, the three wheels forming a base and locking onto his feet. The armour from the vehicle attached itself to Rocky's body encasing him in a solid shell. A double-barrelled cannon formed on his chest, a pair of rocket launchers attached to each shoulder and a pulse rifle formed on each arm.

Rocky tried his new mode out and discovered it was surprisingly versatile. Apart from his feet he was able to move without restriction from his armour.

With a thought Rocky activated the devices he had placed. The Cogs froze as the devices transmitted a shutdown command. With the Cogs disable Rocky chose his targets and fired. Soon a pile of scrap metal surrounded him.

A small flashing light showed more Cogs moving in from behind. Turning to face the new threat Rocky released a barrage of blasts from his pulse rifles.

"Fire One!" he ordered.

The rocket launcher on his right shoulder locked onto the center of the Cogs. The rocket struck its target, throwing the inoperative Cogs to the ground.

"Time to help Tanya," Rocky said to himself as his wheels carried him towards his fellow Ranger.

"Don't you guys know when to quit?" Kat asked as she blasted another Tenga.

Kat was fighting a losing battle and she knew it. Every time she defeated one Tenga, several more appeared. She pulled the trigger again and sighed as she realised the power pack was empty once again.

"Damn!" she swore, smashing the now useless weapon into the nearest Tenga. Without her powers she knew she could not fight unarmed for too long. "Weapons mode, now!"

Kat felt herself teleported into her sidecar. A glass screen closed over her forming a cockpit. As the screens inside came to life Kat saw the twin cannons emerge from under her sidecar and at the same time small wings spread on either side.

"Launch!" she ordered.

The rocket like craft was launched into the air, allowing Kat to match speed with the Tengas. One by one she targeted the Tengas and one by one the Tengas were reduced to a pile of feathers.

"No!" Minion shouted. "This cannot happen. They are unpowered; how can they be winning?"

He looked down at the battlefield below. Somehow the Rangers had found some new toys. He had no doubt they were Billy's designs. For a brief moment he considered sending some WD Units down to fight, but decided his henchmen could use a workout instead.

"Silvo, Brasso, come here!"

"Yes master?" both servants asked as they bowed before their creator.

"The Rangers have managed to destroy our troops. Go down there, destroy their toys and then finish them!"

"Yes master," the two henchmen said as they headed for Angel Grove.

"We did it!" Rocky said excitedly as the Rangers regrouped in the park.

"Yeah," Tommy said. "Good job guys."

After mopping up the remaining foot soldiers the Rangers had ensured the city was safe before heading back to the source of the disturbance.

"You know if this was Rita and Zedd or Mondo, he would be sending a monster about now," Rocky said.

No sooner had he spoken, then Silvo and Brasso appeared in front of them. "You had to say it didn't you," Tanya muttered.

"This is going to be fun," Brasso proclaimed as he turned his attention to the nearest Ranger. He charged at Tanya, grabbing her helicopter by the skies, preventing her from getting away. While he held the vehicle, Silvo struck it with his fist. Between them they tore the vehicle apart.

"Get away from her!" Rocky shouted. He unleashed the whole power of his weapons, causing Silvo to release Tanya.

Silvo responded by charging at Rocky, lifting him above his head and power slamming him to the ground. From nowhere a silver sword appeared in his hands and he started to try to slice and dice the former Zeo Ranger. He was stopped when Kat slammed her vehicle into his legs.

Brasso meanwhile had managed to cripple Adam by breaking off his front wheel. Tommy tried to use his thrusters to force Brasso to move, but only succeeded in making the henchman mad. Twisting around Brasso threw Tommy to the ground. His bike lost power as Brasso drove his foot into the side.

"Regroup," Tommy called.

The Rangers abandoned their weapon systems and gathered a short distance away. Tanya handed her blaster to Kat as the Gatling cannon once again appeared on her arm.

"Fire!" Tommy ordered.

The weapons were powerful, but had been designed to work with powered Rangers; not humans dressed to look like Rangers. As a result the only effect the blasters had on Silvo and Brasso was to make them laugh.

"You want fire?" Silvo asked. "Try this."

Lasers shot from Brasso's eyes, hitting the ground where the Rangers were standing. He watched with satisfaction as the Rangers were thrown into the air.

Tommy landed hard, rolling to reduce the impact. His first instinct was to get back to his feet, but instead he took a moment to find out where he was in relation to the others. Rocky and Adam were lying next to each other barely moving. Kat and Tanya were some distance away, neither attracting the henchmen's attention.

"Now we finish this," Tommy heard Silvo say. He looked up in time to see the edge of Silvo's sword pointed at his neck.

"Time to die little powerless Ranger," Silvo sneered.

Without further conversation both henchmen raised their swords and prepared to carry out an old-fashioned execution. Tommy looked up as he saw the henchmen about to sacrifice him. The blow never landed though as Silvo and Brasso stumbled forward as something struck the backs of their necks. For a moment they forgot about Tommy and turned to face the Ranger who had dared to strike them. In a flash of green the Green Ranger's Power Sword connected with them a second time. Sam wielded his weapon with skills developed over years of training.

Going low he used the hilt to strike Brasso in the face before swivelling to kick Silvo in the chest. "Fireball!" he called.

An orb of green fire exploded from his hands, striking both henchmen at close range. Silvo and Brasso decided they had had enough and retreated back to the Moon, leaving Sam to deal with the injured Rangers.

A few minutes later the Rangers were back in the Power Chamber. Zordon and Alpha had retrieved the remains of their weapon systems and vehicles, but the majority was beyond repair.

"At least we beat them off for now," Rocky said.

"Until the next time," Tommy pointed out. He turned to look at his rescuer. "Thanks," he said.

"Rangers, once again you have proven why I was correct in selecting you. You have fought without your powers and defeated Minion's forces. In addition, I have some good news for you."

The Rangers were all ears.

"Forgive us master," Silvo said as he and Brasso kneeled before Minion. "We have failed you."

"Indeed, you have performed at less than optimal capacity. However, the intervention of the Green Ranger was an inconvenient and unforeseen occurrence. Under the circumstances, Minion forgives you."

~What am I saying?~ Minion wondered. ~I am not Billy. I am Minion, soon to be ruler of the Universe. I AM IN CONTROL.~

Finally certain he was back to normal Minion returned to henchmen.

Bronzo had found a way to break the link between the Zeo Crystal and the Zeonisers. It would take a great deal of energy to accomplish such a task. Luckily the Earth provided for his needs; the planet was crisscrossed by lines of the extra-dimensional energy that could sometimes be recognised as magic. On any other planet these lines would have bled into reality, but the Earth was also blessed with an overabundance of Iron, a material that could block magic. As such, the Earth was lacking in extra-universal energy except for places where two or more lines of energy crossed, creating a nexus point. These points were known to contain vast amounts of energy, energy he could use for his own purposes.

But where to strike? California was an obvious target since it housed several nexus points and the Angel Grove nexus, a very special point of energy. Angel Grove was unique because its nexus point was crossed by the lines of energy that led to all other points of power in California. In effect Angel Grove was more of a central hub in a vast network of energy conduits. Mariner Bay in the southern part of the state and Blue Bay Harbour were slightly smaller but each held a link to the Realm of Hell. Reefside, Charterville, Urbana City, Crossworld City, Leewood, and even the small town of North Valley were just some of the major focal points in the area. There were other less defined areas such as Sunny Dale that made California an attractive target. Unfortunately with so many points of natural energy gathered in such a small area, heroes had a way of emerging when least expected. Minion did not wish to exert more magic than he had to for this task, so for now California was out of the running.

The same could be said for other sites within the United States. New York, Carolina and Washington State along with Indiana, Idaho, Ohio and Seattle were all potential locations for his plans. In fact the United States as a whole was just a list of possible targets. Unfortunately they were all too close to the Power Rangers for his tastes. Somewhere overseas would serve him better.

Possible countries flickered through his mind. He was no expert on the lines of natural energy that crisscrossed the Earth. He didn't know all of the nexus points although he had studied those in America to assist his invasion plans. He used Zordon's satellites to zero in on sites in Africa, Egypt, France, China and Japan. He chose Stone Henge in England because of the monument's history as a place of ceremony. Other sites would follow once he decided where to attack.

"Minion has another task for you two on Earth," he said. He pointed to the target and simply added, "Go!"

With his henchmen out of the way Minion took the time to reassess his position. The Rangers were defeated, he was sure of that. And despite their best efforts they had only succeeded in defeating a mixture of second-rate foot soldiers and causing his henchmen to retreat. With Silvo and Brasso in the process of securing him a position on Earth he would soon be able to energise Serpenterra. And then, Minion knew it was a question of time.

~Next time, I'll send down some monsters and trash that city.~ His eyes glowed brightly as he considered all the things he intended to do to those Rangers before he killed them.

For once the entire Youth Center was silent. Throughout the world people had tuned into their local news. Tommy and the Rangers watched as Cassidy Cornell delivered her report.

_"And this is the scene from Angel Grove just hours ago. The world owes a great debt to Angel Grove's heroes, one we can never repay. This is Cassi..." _

The news report was over cut by another broadcast. The two pictures merged with each other to be replaced by a black masked figure. "This world belongs to Minion now. Surrender or the planet shall die at Minion's hand."

~This guy is bad,~ Tommy thought. ~I just hope we're up to the task.~

~So do I Tommy,~ Zordon thought, picking up on Tommy's thoughts. ~So do I.~

**End**

Disclaimer: I do not own the Power Rangers, they belong to their respective copyright owners and are used here without permission. No money is being made from this fic.  
Authors Note: This is an alternate universe from the television show with an alternate timeline.

**The Power Rangers Fight Back**

They arrived together, the dark machine and the silver haired wizard. One called himself Arcana and claimed to be a powerful spell weaver in the service of Lord Zedd, sent on his behalf to ensure that Minion did not claim Earth for himself. The other was a large machine sent by an incomplete Mondo to ensure his interests were protected.

Both had been instructed to render assistance in conquering the Earth, both viewed the other with contempt. For now they had the same purpose and Minion though annoyed by their presence was convinced not to destroy them on the spot.

Arcana with his knowledge of magic would prove useful for some of his project; the Machine Empire's contribution was even more valuable. Minion bid them welcome and allowed them to remain as observers. He intended to prove to them and through them their masters that the situation was under control and that Minion was in charge.

"Alpha, are you ready to continue?" Zordon asked.

"Yes Zordon," Alpha replied. "Ai-yi-yi-yi-yi, this is so exciting."

Zordon merely nodded and began the complicated task he knew would help the Rangers in the future. Slowly, system-by-system the Power Chamber shutdown, leaving only the monster alarm activated. Zordon considered switching that off as well, knowing what he proposed would require a vast amount of power. The fact Minion was still on the offensive made him leave the system on just in case.

"Alpha, teleport now," Zordon instructed. Alpha did so, pressing the 'ENGAGE' button on the console before he left. Zordon's tube dimmed and then disappeared, leaving only the computer to carry out its new function.

"Hi-YAH!" Jason cried out, kicking the bag as hard as he could.

Adam was lifted off his feet with the force the one time Gold Ranger applied. ~I'd hate to be the punch bag,~ he thought, adjusting his stance to cushion the continuous impacts. As he allowed his friend to work off his frustration, he glanced around the room, taking note of how his fellow Rangers were performing. Tanya was practicing martial arts with Rocky. He smiled, his best friend was a much better teacher than he gave himself credit for and Tanya's aptitude improved with each session. Kat was stretching over by the balance beams.

Jason stopped his workout and sighed. Tommy was doing it again. He sat on a stool in front of the bar, staring into oblivion. He had been like that almost all the time, waiting for Minion to strike again, worrying about whether or not their powers would be up to the task of stopping him.

After their most recent battle where they had proven capable of stopping Tengas, Putties and Cogs only to have their machines destroyed by Silvo and Brasso, the Rangers had thrown themselves into a full time training regime. Their parents had noticed and complained about their failure to return home over the last week. Rocky especially was having a hard time with his mother, without him to help her, she had been forced to deal with the other children alone. They were ready as they could be, should Minion or his WD Units show up again.

Looking at Tommy, Jason imagined this must have been what it was like for soldiers who had suffered shell shock. Minion and his forces had proven that the Rangers did not have the means to battle them. Minion had taken the Zeo Crystal with ease and had delighted as he had destroyed the Zeo Zords. The Rangers still had their powers for some reason, but they dare not use them in case it was a trick by Minion.

It was like everything the Rangers had ever faced until now paled in comparison even though in his heart Jason knew that Minion was no worse than Rita, Zedd or Mondo. The difference was that Minion had managed to string his victories together, making them seem more impressive than they actually were.

The last attack had been three days ago, it seemed much longer. It seemed odd, the Rangers had thought that the villain would have pushed the advantage, but Minion had just backed off as if waiting for them to recover. ~Or perhaps allow us to fret about when the next attack will come.~

And so they practiced, unsure of when the next attack would come, unable to overcome the advantage their foe wielded with such expertise. Never, before had the Rangers pushed themselves so hard, trying desperately to strengthen themselves as much as they could in the time they had left. They had to resign themselves to the knowledge there would be no further improvement though, they could only train and wait for the next attack.

White light once again filled the inside on the mountain, not only the Power Chamber, but deep into its core. Above the chamber the light filled the remains of the Command Center, which Billy had taken the opportunity to redesign after Cyber Agent's intrusion. Everything vanished, removed by magic as the entire mountain was moved into another dimension. Inside the other dimension the mountain was reformatted, hollowed out by Zordon's power.

Seconds later it was returned to its previous location outside Angel Grove. Now completely restructured throughout, the important and most vulnerable areas of the Rangers' operation center spaced within the mined areas. For Zordon and Alpha this was the second change in less than a year. A new view screen took pride of place, surrounded by smaller screens that allowed him to monitor multiple events. New rooms were added to extend the simple arsenal, workshop, Zord Bay, Gymnasium and Simudeck Zordon had created during a previous build. For the first time the full facilities of the medical room were activated, just in case the Rangers were injured in their future battles.

The Power Chamber itself had been elevated to a point just below the citadel, allowing the Rangers access from outside. Zordon had removed the old costumes that symbolised the old Morphin Rangers. In their place were a series of coloured tubes.

"Alpha, summon the Rangers and teleport them to the briefing room."

Alpha did as Zordon commanded, working his way around the new consoles. There were eleven workstations in all. Each was coloured to allow different Rangers access. To make things easier for Alpha, Zordon had given the little android a new method of programming the computers. He could now interface directly using the transmitter in his cranial unit.

"They're on their way Zordon," Alpha said as he teleported to the new briefing room with Zordon.

In seven beams of light, the five former Zeo Rangers, the current Green Ranger and Jason, himself a former Gold Ranger, appeared in the Briefing Room. They found themselves sat behind a big table equipped with computers, monitors and hologram display units. At the end of the table was an empty tube. Zordon smiled as his face appeared.

"Welcome Rangers to Power Mountain," Zordon said. "Alpha and I decided it was time to update the Power Chamber and at the same time provide an area where we can discuss the recent events. As you know, Minion has been successful where Rita, Zedd, Vile, Mondo and Prince all failed. He has stolen the Zeo Crystal and rendered the Zords useless."

"I don't understand why he hasn't finished us," Tommy said. "He has access to foot soldiers that were able to beat us and a henchman who would have destroyed Sam had he wanted to. Yet he sends Tengas and Putties after us."

"Then to make it worse he retreats again and again," Adam added.

"I cannot pretend to understand Minion's tactics," Zordon admitted.

"Then maybe we should concentrate on something we can understand," Tommy replied. "Like how we're supposed to fight him without our powers."

"Silvo and Brasso destroyed the Battle Bikes," Kat pointed out.

"Alpha and I have been working on this problem," Zordon assured them. "In the past the Rangers of Earth have used the power of the Morphin Grid and the power of the Zeo Crystal. Now in our time of need we must unify the remnants of your previous powers to create new powers. Behold, the Gem Coin transformers."

"You've got to be kidding me," Tanya commented as the schematics appeared along with the list of artefacts they intended to use to power the Rangers.

"Not at all," Zordon assured her. "When Minion captured the Zeo Crystal, he overlooked the existing connection between the crystal and your powers. Since he has yet to sever the link, we have been able to store some of the energy for future use. Unfortunately should Minion decide to use the crystal, he will disrupt the connection. We do not have enough energy yet to maintain your powers for long periods."

"The computer and the Power Chamber's generators will play the most important part in this task," Alpha explained. "Zordon has activated the secret chamber where we created the White Ranger."

"Alpha has already connected your Zeoniser Crystals to the Power Chamber's generators. It is my hope we can continue to draw energy for some time before Minion discovers and breaks the link." As he spoke, the Rangers were shown images of a complex device on top of the generator. "We will be using as many sources of energy as possible," Zordon explained, "the Power Crystals used to empower the Dino Zords, the Super Zeo Gems and the residual energies from the Zeo Battle Helmets have been connected. But it will not be enough."

Tommy nodded, remembering the occasions when Zordon would boost his failing powers. The energy would not last for long without a constant and renewable source. Science would not be able to keep up with the task. They needed magic.

"How about the Sword of Light?" Adam asked.

"And the Sword of Power," Jason added.

"Indeed, these and many other sources of Morphin and Zeo energy will be combined. Together they will power the Gem Coin transformers," Zordon boomed. "Alpha and I manufactured them from a set of gold medals, similar to the Power Coins of old and a set of magical crystals we were able to locate."

"Will it work?" Sam asked sceptically. Combining magic and technology was a difficult task.

"I am uncertain," Zordon confessed.

"Gem Coin technology requires a fusion of magic and technology," Alpha explained. "There are so many things that can go wrong."

"Indeed," Zordon agreed. "Once the power we are able to draw from the Zeo Crystal is exhausted, the Gem Coins will prove useless unless we can find an alternate energy source."

"How about Auric's key?" Jason asked. "We can use it to power the generator unless we need Auric's assistance."

Sam sighed. He knew what Zordon wanted; he knew that Tommy had probably seen through the thinly disguised hints. If he agreed the Rangers would have enough power, but Zordon would regain control of an artefact Sam considered too important to remain in his hands.

"Very well Zordon," he said grudgingly. He had not quite forgiven the White Morphin Master for manipulating his dreams. He produced the Wizard of Deception's wand and offered it to Alpha.

"Thank you, Samoht." Zordon's voice was quiet, he sounded respectful, not victorious. "Using the wand, we will be able to guarantee a constant power supply."

"Let's get on with this," Sam said. "We have work to do."

"Zordon is a powerful wizard and a fine mentor," Minion said, he was speaking to himself. "But he is a fool if he believes that Minion is unaware of the Rangers' activities. Minion can predict their every move. Right now they will be attempting to contact Ninjor in the hope of retrieving their Ninja Ranger powers. But that won't work, Minion is more powerful that a mere Morphin Master. A small group of Rangers have no chance."

He noted the look of awe on Arcana's face. The silver haired spell weaver had been sent to spy on him and had not expected Minion to be so forthcoming. Now after spending time in his presence, he realised that Minion just liked the sound of his own voice.

The Machine Empire's representative had not spoken since his arrival apart from briefly handing Minion a digital message. He watched everything, but had yet to intervene, the only thing that had caused a reaction was when Arcana had made a derogatory remark towards Mondo; it seemed this model was devoted to his king.

Evidently Mondo and Zedd were under the impression that Minion worked for them. Once he conquered the planet, they would fight it out to decide who would rule it. Minion was already working on a way to ensure that would not happen.

"Perhaps it is time to move on," he said calmly as his eyes glowed in anticipation. The Rangers would soon be removed from the picture and then he could have some real fun. "Would you do the honours Arcana, Minion desires a monster that you should be familiar with?"

The spell weaver produced a thick length of wood that he affectionately called a wand. It was a crude piece of workmanship that looked as twisted as Lord Zedd himself.

"I will require the raw material," he said.

Minion nodded absently and handed a piece of metal to the silent machine. "If you please."

There was a crunching noise as the machine crafted a roughly shaped blade that Arcana could use to call forth a monster.

The spell weaver cackled as he lifted his wand, a thick piece of unshaped tree trunk. He pointed it at the Earth and was delighted to see the sword appear in Angel Grove Park.

"Moon of ivory, stars of old,  
candlelight that's spun of gold..."

Clouds gathered overhead and the wind seemed to pick up.

"...sky of fire, wind of fright,  
bring to me a Nasty Knight!"

Red lightning streaked through the air and hit a tree next to the sword. As the wood shattered the Nasty Knight was returned to life.

"Perfect," Minion said. "Now the fun can begin."

"Feel the Power as it surrounds you," Zordon told them, "draw it into your bodies and trace its path as you look within to find your spiritual link to the Morphin Grid. Tommy, Rocky and Adam, you have done this before. Look into your hearts and reconnect yourselves with the power of the Grid. Katherine this will be the first time you have reached out without Kimberly influence. And Tanya, I know this will be difficult since you have never felt the Power before, but trust your feelings and I am certain you will find your connection."

It was a rushed, foolhardy way to seek out the connection to the Morphin Grid and if Zordon had had more time, he would have sought an alternative. Ideally he should have sent them to one of the many temples throughout the Universe with masters capable of aiding their spiritual growth. He promised himself that once Minion was disposed of he would see to it that they received the training they deserved.

"Take the Gem Coin transformers and merge your spiritual energies with their powers," he instructed, sensing his students as they obeyed him. "Today will mark a momentous occasion Rangers, for the first time the powers of pure Grid magic and Zeo technology come together to create the Gem Coin powers."

"But you must be careful," Alpha warned, "the two power sources were never intended to mix in this way."

"Alpha is correct. I am afraid a great deal of the energy transferred to your Gem Coins will be lost maintaining the transformation. This will mean that you may actually end up weaker than using the Zeo powers."

"We'll have to risk it if it means the chance to bring Minion down," Tommy said. The Zeo Rangers heartily agreed.

"How do we do this anyway?" Rocky asked and the Rangers realised for the first time that their knowledge was not instinctive.

"First you must initiate your links to the Morphin Grid," Zordon told them. "They will aid the process."

The Rangers did as they were bid, using their residual or in one case never used powers. Although there was no real transformation, a faint aura could be seen around them as they embraced their powers.

"Tommy, don't do that!" Rocky complained as Tommy's aura flared with angry streaks of green and white. The Blue Zeo looked like he'd just had a heart attack.

"Yeah, I nearly wet my knickers!" Kat glared at her sometimes boyfriend, ignoring the mild snickering her words produced. Tommy had the decency to look sheepish.

"So did I." Alpha quipped. "And I'm a robot." That got a chuckle from everyone.

"Rangers." Zordon said simply. Tommy watched as they began again, admiring the results. Rocky's aura was red, Adam's was a calm mixture of black and yellow that resembled the pattern of a wasp; Kat's aura was mellow pink and Tanya's was a fiery yellow.

The alarms sounded throughout the Power Chamber, exactly on cue. On the Viewing Globe an image appeared of the Nasty Knight surrounded by Putties.

"Looks like Minion has decided to strike again," Adam said.

"We need to hurry this up," Tommy said. "What's next Zordon?"

"Alpha, activate the generator and redirect the energy to the Gem Coins," Zordon ordered.

The Power Chamber vibrated as the volatile mixture took place. The generators that were acting as conduits groaned with the increased strain as Alpha worked feverishly to prevent an overload.

Finally after minutes of nervous waiting the vibrations stopped and the noise was reduced to a faint hum. The smell of burnt ozone filled the Power Chamber.

"Now I guess we get to find out if these powers work," Adam said without enthusiasm.

"Wait!" Alpha cried. "Before you morph, you must use these."

He handed each of them a dermal patch, which he would later explain would feed into their nervous system to allow the computer to send them what in the past had been an instinctive knowledge.

"It's Morphin Time!" Tommy called.

"Zeo Ranger I - Crane!" Kat called

"Zeo Ranger II - Bear!" Tanya cried.

"Zeo Ranger III - Ape!" Rocky yelled.

"Zeo Ranger IV - Frog!" Adam called.

"Zeo Ranger V - Falcon!" Tommy finished.

The combination of the two power sources had a strange effect on the Rangers' appearance. At first they were dressed in white, then slowly their Ranger colours appeared over the top. Soon they were fully morphed. They wore their Ranger colours with white gloves and boots with bands around their upper legs, arms and chest; the tops of their gloves and boots were silver and they wore a white belt complete with holster. On their white chests they each wore a small golden coin along with the thin wires that controlled the energy flow throughout their costumes.

For a moment there was some disorientation as they came to understand the changes to their powers. Then, they teleported away, leaving behind a worried mentor, who was distracted by the ramblings of a distraught Alpha Unit.

"Alpha, what is the problem?" Zordon asked.

"Ai-yi-yi, I can't help feeling that this is the beginning of the end for the power of Zeo."

Zordon could not reply to that. In one way the android's fears were well founded since Zordon was starting to consider that the Zeo technology had been compromised. Unknown to the Rangers, their mentor was seeking alternative powers, but had so far come up empty handed. Instead he watched as his Rangers teleported away, hoping the adjustments to their powers would be enough.

The Nasty Knight had teleported to an abandoned quarry outside of Angel Grove and was waiting. Some monsters would have started on a rampage, but the Nasty Knight was experienced enough to realise that just appearing would be enough. Once he had started to pose a threat to by blasting a few storage sheds he was content to await their arrival.

When they finally showed up, the Nasty Knight was disappointed to discover these were not the same Rangers he had faced before. Nor did the match the Zeo Rangers he knew Rita and Zedd were fighting. Squatt had been kind enough to keep him up to date on the enemy, but obviously the henchman was as incompetent as always.

For a while the Rangers were able to take advantage of the confusion and land some of their hits. The sudden change from sword and pistol to a simplified Blade Blaster shook them at first, but they quickly saw the advantage of having a multipurpose weapon. After a few minutes the Knight tried his old trick of destroying their weapons. The Rangers had a fall back plan and after summoning a large black shield to protect them, the called for their Zeo Power Weapons.

Except their Zeo Power Weapons were not there. Instead each found they were holding a coloured staff. As the Knight charged instinct took over and they fought back as if they had held the weapons for years instead of minutes. At one point the staffs touched and combined with the shield to form a weapon. They aimed it at the Knight and watched him fall.

"The Rangers have new powers," Minion said simply as the Nasty Knight fell.

"It was to be expected, Tommy never did know when to quit."

He moved over to the side of the throne room, revealing a metal sarcophagus. He ran his hand over the plating, allowing some of his power to seep through the seals as he did so.

"This is one of Bronzo's creations, the Monster Reconstitution Capsule," he explained to Zedd and Mondo's representatives. "A little magic and a memory of a monster... and voila, one regenerated monster freshly plucked from the Dark Dimension."

He opened the chamber and the monster walked out.

"Once he was Silverhorns, although I think Siphon suits him better," Minion explained to his audience. "Go to Earth, draw out the Rangers and fight them."

The monster enthusiastically obeyed.

"Aw man, can't we take a break?" Tommy complained.

"Computer says it's called Siphon," Tanya reported.

"Looks more like Silverhorns," Adam commented.

"Or Repellator," Rocky added.

"If it is based upon the Silverhorns monster, it's capable of stealing energy from virtually any source and then firing it back," Zordon warned.

"Can it steal energy from the Gem Coins?" Tommy asked urgently.

"We do not know at this point in time," Adam answered.

"Aye-yi-yi! Be careful Rangers!" Alpha cried.

"What if we need to call our Zords?" Katherine asked.

"There are no Zords," Zordon replied. "Try to end the battle before you need the Zords."

"Right," Tommy said. "It's Morphin Time!"

"Zeo Ranger I - Crane!"

"Zeo Ranger II - Bear!"

"Zeo Ranger III - Ape!"

"Zeo Ranger IV - Frog!"

"Zeo Ranger V - Falcon!"

The five Rangers teleported out of the Power Chamber.

" Alpha, how long will it take to recreate the Zeo Zords?" Zordon asked.

The small android gave an answer from where he was accessing the computer console.

"That is too long," Zordon declared. "We must begin looking for alternatives."

"Right Zordon!" Alpha said. "I just don't know what to do."

"Stay calm Alpha, panicking will not help the Rangers," Zordon said. "Perhaps you and Jason should look in the storage bay and see if there is anything we can use. Sam should remain here, as the only Ranger with a Zord, he is the Earth's only hope should Minion decide to make his monster grow."

During a fit of jealousy, Prince Gasket had created his own fleet of monstrous machines based on the Zords of the past. The Rangers had successfully defeated the duplicates and the remains had been captured to prevent Gasket repeating the exercise. Unfortunately the Rangers had yet to ensure that all of Gasket's programming had been removed. As such, the machines were deemed unsafe.

"Aye-yi-yi, Zordon," Alpha muttered. "I hope we can find something."

As he left, Sam was watching the battle. Unlike the first fight, this did not seem to be going well.

"Now that's one UGLY tick," Tanya remarked upon seeing the Siphon.

"Angel Grove Park, a monster attack... makes perfect sense," Rocky quipped.

"Who are you calling ugly?" Siphon growled. It pointed a clawed hand at Katherine. Pink energy suddenly jumped the gap between them. Kat groaned in pain until Tanya physically removed her from the monster's sight using a shoulder block. Siphon shifted his aim, striking the Yellow Ranger in the back. Tanya's body was lifted off of the ground, her arms and legs dangling freely.

"Tanya!" Kat cried. She pulled her Blade Blaster from her holster. "Let her go!"

She fired her weapon and the blaster fire of the other Rangers soon joined the single pink beam.

"Fire again," Kat urged.

"Right!" Tommy, Adam and Rocky shouted in unison. The Red, Green, and Blue Rangers took aim and fired, this time pinpointing their attacks so they connected at the same location.

Siphon sent a powerful yellow blast at Tanya. The connection was broken, and she was thrown backwards. "And now for the rest of you," he growled. The four beams that were striking the beast from the Blade Blasters suddenly backfired. All four weapons exploded in their hands, knocking them a few feet backwards.

"Are you okay Tanya?" Adam asked, hurrying over to his girlfriend's side.

"I think so," she moaned.

"Blade Blasters are powered back up," Tommy said.

"Yeah and we all saw how well they worked last time," Rocky said sarcastically.

"So what now?" Katherine cried.

"We can't fight with blasters," Tommy said. "So we'll just have to use the blades instead."

The Rangers exchanged brief nods before following their leader into battle. "Yeehah!" Rocky exclaimed.

"It was to be expected," Minion said as he watched the Rangers break their comrade free. "They could have destroyed him if they hadn't been so concerned about their friend."

"You say that as if you wanted him to be destroyed," Arcana pointed out.

"If they had destroyed Siphon while he was connected to Tanya, he would have destroyed her powers. Never doubt that Minion plans for all eventualities."

Tommy leapt high into the air, his blade tucked in a reverse grip beneath his arm. As he flew past Siphon, he whipped the blade around, rolled across the ground and then sprang back to the attack, this time putting his entire weight behind the blow. Rocky and Adam followed suit, crossing their blades for extra strength. They were surprised when the monster managed to grab Adam's arm as he tried to move away and used him as a human shield against Kat.

"Unify!" Tommy called as Adam rolled away.

Kat and Rocky joined their weapons with their leader's weapon and after charging a sphere of energy, released it. They quickly reconfigured their weapons to blaster mode and opened fire. Siphon was struck soundly by each energy blast. The beast stumbled backwards, but was a long way from going down.

"Well," Minion said as the after effects of the blast lifted. "That was... disappointing."

He could imagine the looks on the Rangers' faces as they realised their attempted finisher had simply been shrugged off. Their attack had been surprisingly aggressive and as a result they had succeeded to stun Siphon. But given the monster's special ability, he doubted there was any way a single shot could destroy him.

"Perhaps it's time for the Rangers to face up to their problems," he said.

Arcana promptly aimed his wand at the Earth and sending down a surge of energy. The results were rapid as Siphon threw off any signs of injury and started to grow.

"Fire!" Tommy called, this time with five Rangers instead of three.

Siphon reacted by jumping into the attack, underestimating the power the Rangers had placed behind their shot. The Rangers had poured all their energy into that single combined shot and as the ground around him exploded Siphon wondered if perhaps he had made a mistake.

Then a new wave of energy struck him and he had the urge to reach his full potential. "So long Rangers, I'm going up in the world."

"We need to get back to the Power Chamber now," Rocky said. Nobody argued with him.

"Zordon, Minion made Siphon grow. We need the Zords," Kat said.

"I am aware of the situation Kat, but Alpha and I have been unable to restore the Zeo Zords."

There was a pause.

"Zordon found a solution," Jason told them. He looked uncomfortable.

"You got a Zord functioning, that's great," Tommy said, not understanding why Alpha and Zordon seemed so negative.

An image appeared on the Viewing Screen, a tall silver Megazord that caused the Rangers to groan in unison. They remembered it well, they had destroyed it themselves and were surprised that this had been the easiest Zord to repair.

"You have to understand," Sam explained. "This was just lying around in the remains that Zordon retrieved from Gasket's Zord fleet. Compared to deprogramming all of Gasket's booby traps, this was easy. We didn't realise... well you know, it looks so real. If we'd known it wasn't a proper Zord."

"This is the best we have?" Tommy asked. "A repaired prototype copy of the Ninja MegaFalconzord?"

"Looks hideous," Tanya remarked. "Is that really a Zord?"

"It's the best we can do," Jason said. "And maybe we should call it the Ninja."

~Some choice,~ Tommy thought, ~a Megazord that cannot separate or we sit back and allow Siphon to destroy the city.~

Of course he wanted to take the Zeo Zords into battle. They were tried, tested and had been built by Zordon and Alpha. The Ninja despite being rebuilt, had been built by Gasket and was the result of a scheme to duplicate the Rangers' Zords.

Rocky and Adam did not feel as strongly as their leader. They were uncomfortable with the idea of piloting something that resembled their Ninja Zords so closely, yet was only a pale imitation. They did however feel that a Megazord was preferable in battle to five solo Zords. Teamwork and the ability to combine forces had always been the Rangers' strength.

For Kat the emotional argument was slightly reversed. She had never been at home with her Ninja Zord, feeling that it belonged to Kimberly. Therefore her attitude to the Ninja was not filled with the same animosity that Tommy, Adam and Rocky felt. To them this machine was a sick and twisted joke at their former machine. For Kat it represented a way to fight back against Siphon.

And for Tanya there was no real argument. Her Zeo Zord was a gun on wheels, extremely limited in battle especially if the Zeo Zord responsible for drawing her into combat was damaged. The Ninja was mobile and though technically not a Zord, stood a better chance of success in her opinion.

"If it helps you to decide, the Zeo Zords will not work with those Gem Coin things," Jason said impatiently. "The Ninja will work with anything."

That pretty much settled the argument for them. The Rangers knew what they needed and that in the end, defeating Siphon was far more important than their personal preferences.

"Back to Action!" Tommy called. He didn't like this one bit.

The battle had been surprisingly quick; the Ninja and monster had clashed briefly before the machine had used its speed to out manoeuvre Siphon. They had used the modified Power Sword without energising it to skewer Minion's creation. Siphon had fought back briefly, draining the Zord's power, but had been unable to control the Gem Coins' unpredictable energy.

"Deploy wings!" Tommy ordered.

The mighty wingspan of the Ninja extended to maximum length, priming the tiny thrusters mounted on the tips. The legs bent slightly to provide the propulsion needed to get airborne. Once the thrusters kicked in though there was little chance of it crashing back to Earth.

"Claws extracted," Adam reported as a set of steel blades extended from the Wolf arm.

"Ninja Power Dive!" the Rangers called.

The Zord shot into the air before diving straight towards the monster. It passed through easily, its claws making short work of Minion's creation. A powered up sword that finished off the monster soon replaced the claws.

"He failed," Minion sighed. "It seems that Tommy and his friends have retained some of their good luck when dealing with Minion's creations."

Arcana looked disappointed, the Machine Empire's representative seemed unmoved by events.

"I admit I underestimated the Rangers' resolve," he told them. "But no matter. When Brasso and Bronzo complete their task, I will be able to break the link between the Rangers and the Zeo Crystal

"With its powers at my disposal Serpenterra will bring this world to its knees."

"Impressive words," Arcana told him, a hint of amusement in his tone. "A shame you don't have the results to back them up. Maybe you should stick to words and let others control the action."

Minion's eyes flashed, angry red light threatening to burst forth and incinerate anything in his path. The Sword of Darkness was in his hand as he advanced on the elderly wizard. A swift flick and the blade snapped the wand from his hand.

"And who would you suggest control the action, Arcana? You perhaps? Minion thinks not. You are here at Minion's invitation and your welcome has expired. Pray that your life does not also end here."

"I - I am here only to advise," Arcana managed.

"See that you never forget that," Minion told him, no sign of amusement in his stance. "You too, General. If you want to stay, you will remember your place. Minion has a role for both of you in his plans, but overstep your boundaries and there are others who would perform equally well. I had hoped that the promise of Serpenterra would convince you of Minion's ability."

He raised his arms and extended his hands, silently communicating with the greater powers of the Universe, making deals with magic that would bind him in body and mind. Let the Ranger have their victory, they'd fought for it after all.

"Savour it well, Rangers," he whispered, "for it shall be your last."

**End**

Disclaimer: I do not own the Power Rangers; they belong to their respective copyright owners and are used here without permission. No money is being made from this fic.  
Authors Note: This is an alternate universe with an alternate time line.

**A Hope Reborn**

Days passed and the Rangers had accepted that Minion had ceased his attacks for the time being. It was not unusual for a villain to take a step back after their first push had failed. Far from giving up though Minion had been preparing his next move, starting with one of his most important weapons: knowledge.

"What have you found, spell weaver?" he asked.

Arcana and Bronzo looked nervous as they entered Throne Room. It was Arcana who spoke. "I have completed my task. I used every enchantment I could and I think you should see this." He handed Minion a long piece of parchment on which he had recorded the information he had gleamed from various sources.

Minion looked over the scroll and a lot of small pieces started to fall into place. "So the Green Ranger really is the same pathetic clone I almost killed last time; why Rita and Zedd would want to create a copy of Tommy is still beyond me." He thought for a moment. There were many ways to destroy a clone; unfortunately most of them destroyed all the clones in a solar system. Minion knew his new body would survive such a spell; it was his mind he was worried about. He had not escaped the Dark Dimension just to be sent back there by his own spell.

"What about this link he has with Minion, have you found a way to break it?" he asked.

"No Lord Minion," Bronzo replied.

"Whatever spell the clone used it bonded to you on a physical, spiritual, mental and magical level," Arcana added.

"You fools!" Minion snapped. "This is not the effect of a spell, it is a link created through an oath. Minion needs to know the contents of that promise before the link can be broken."

Beneath his mask Minion frowned. The sensors in his Lunar Palace were more powerful than the ones Zordon used, yet it had taken Arcana's magical sight to expose the magical tie between the Green Ranger and himself. ~Maybe this merits further examination,~ Minion thought.

"Leave me Arcana," he instructed. "Keep watch on the Earth, I want to know when they answer the summons. If Silvo and Brasso return tell them to await me outside; Minion does not wish to be disturbed."

Once Arcana had gone, Minion closed his eyes and entered a deep trance; he ignored Bronzo, his presence was not a problem. He searched the Earth below, trying to touch the minds of the Rangers. He felt Tommy, Kat, Tanya, Rocky, Adam and the clone. Minion's eyes snapped open. ~Where is Jason?~ he wondered. Even though the former Gold Ranger's powers were extremely limited, he was no less powerful than Tommy and the others, now that they had lost the Zeo Crystal and had to rely on the Gem Coin powers. Jason should have been there, fighting alongside his teammates, yet Zordon had kept him hidden. Zordon obviously knew or suspected something that Minion did not.

The Rangers' new powers and Zords had proven an annoyance for Minion. He had been hoping to keep the Rangers powerless until the time came to unleash Serpenterra and grind the Earth into submission. And while he had not deviated from that plan he knew the importance of keeping the Rangers off balance. He needed to ensure they were too distracted defending against his attacks to launch a counter attack.

He checked on Brasso and Silvo's progress and was pleased to discover they had already succeeded in securing Stone Henge in England, the site he planned to use to break the link between the Zeo Crystal and the Zeo Rangers.

They had also started on their next task, to isolate the Rangers from the other heroes of Earth. Brasso had gone to Crossworld City, home of the VR Troopers with instructions to create a barrier around the city to keep the local heroes contained until his forces could move in and take complete control; Silvo had gone to Leewood, the adopted home of the Masked Rider with similar instructions. WD Units had been dispatched to North Valley, just a few miles beyond Crossworld City as well as Charterville, Reefside, Mariner Bay and Blue Bay Harbour. All had orders to contain and then control the areas.

He produced an egg timer from subspace and silently calculated the waiting time. Serpenterra would take time to charge once the Zeo Crystal was ready. However there was no reason why he could not give the Rangers something else to think about. Maybe instead of worrying about his activities on the Moon, he could have them worry about a destructive threat from their own planet. Taking the Sword of Darkness and the Zeo Crystal with him, Minion teleported to Earth. It was time to put the Stone Henge to use.

Stone Henge, England

Minion appeared just outside of the barrier Silvo and Brasso had placed around Stone Henge. This site was one of many he planned to locate around the globe once he had conquered it. He had created this one ahead of schedule after Bronzo had discovered that the Zeo Crystal was still feeding energy to the Rangers. He hoped that the magical energy beneath the site, which he had used to create the purple dome, should break that connection.

His plans for Serpenterra depended upon breaking the link between the Rangers and the Zeo Crystal. He planned to dedicate the monument's full power solely to isolating the Zeo Crystal's power. Later he would order Bronzo to install equipment to use the Zeo Crystal to provide Serpenterra with all the power it required.

He checked to ensure there were no Rangers around. Satisfied there was nobody around Minion walked through the barrier and into the monument.

"By the power of all that is evil, I command Stone Henge to be restored!"

The ground shook as the mystical stones shifted position to return to their original positions within the stone circle. Over the years many humans had attempted to discover the true power behind the stone circle. Some had claimed it was an ancient form of calendar, some said it was an ancient burial ground and some even claimed aliens built it. Only Minion knew the truth, somebody within the Dark Dimension had told him the secrets of Earth and Stone Henge.

As the site reformed itself, Minion reflected on how arrogant humans were to believe for even a second that they knew the secrets of a site created long before this circular structure which became a magnet for new age travellers. He could just see the face of the country's greatest leaders if he was to resurrect them and tell them the power that had been under their very noses for centuries.

The final stone moved into place, forming a control station from which the portals could be opened. Minion pointed the Sword of Darkness at the ground. A beam shot from the end of the sword and opened a swirling portal of dark energy. He summoned the Zeo Crystal and placed it on the central altar. The energy that the crystal emitted would be redirected to a storage unit until needed.

Satisfied with his work, he teleported away.

Stone Henge was not the only site he had recently conquered. His forces had also secured the small town of North Valley and four relatively weak sites throughout across the planet. It was on a relatively small Ley Nexus and would not aid him in terms of power. However, North Valley was a major producer of electronic goods, something he would require in the future; its population would make excellent workers.

For now though it would serve another purpose. Using the Sword of Darkness and the power of the nexus, he opened a portal to the Dark Dimension.

"Peckster, Eye Guy, King Sphinx, Bones, Pudgy Pig, I command you to exist!"

From the portal stepped a group of monsters first set against the Power Rangers when Rita Repulsa had attacked the world. Minion knew they had all fallen in battle, but also realised they would act as a way to keep the Rangers busy and reveal any new weapons they created.

"Go to Angel Grove and destroy the Power Rangers. Do so at your full height, there is no point in fighting a losing battle and then growing."

He watched them leave and then returned to the Lunar Palace, but not before he had solidified the dome extending over the area.

Despite the success of the Gem Coin powers and the Ninja, the Rangers had been unable to relax. There was still work to be done, the Gem Coins were an unstable power source and the Gem Coin transformers had not performed as well as Zordon had hoped.

Then there was the matter of the Ninja. While the machine had managed to defeat the Siphon, the lack of individual Zords meant they were incapable of dealing with multiple threats. Adam and Jason were working on finding a way to separate the component Zords using parts from the machine they captured from Gasket to replace any missing components.

The sound of the alarm caused the Rangers to drop what they were doing and report to the main control room. On the screen they could see five monsters making their way through Angel Grove.

"Zordon, can we use the Ninja while it's under repair?" Tanya asked.

"No," Zordon replied. "Alpha and I will keep working on them. In the meantime Sam will have to handle the monsters with the Dragonzord."

Sam nodded - "Dragonzord!" - and teleported away.

In an instant he was transported into his Green Ranger uniform. Holding the Dragon Sword out he called, "Dragonzord, power up!" A beam of green light shot from his weapon, followed by the sound of the tune floating through the air.

On the view screen the familiar form of the Dragonzord appeared. Sam blurred, as he teleported to the Zord's cockpit, ready to start the battle.

Dragonzord stalked into the path of the five monsters and was soon joined by Tor, now converted to its warrior mode. Between them the two Zords started to play a game of tag with their opponents. Dragonzord smacked Pudgy Pig and the Peckster with its tail, before drawing them into range for Tor to blast with its weapon systems.

"Dragon Missiles!" Green Ranger called. The high-powered rockets launched from the Dragonzord's fingers, blasting Eye Guy in its main eye, destroying the monster. Bones attempted to blast him from behind, but found himself on the receiving end of the Dragonzord's tail drill.

King Sphinx had chosen a different strategy. Instead of attacking directly he blasted both Zords with his wings. Even the mighty Tor could not remain standing and landed on its back, converting back to Turtle mode. It remained there, unable to right itself.

"Turtle Battle Dragonzord, engage!" Green Ranger called.

As he pressed the series of buttons, Dragonzord rolled the fallen Tor back onto its feet. Tor converted to stand upright, its top splitting from the bottom, which had transformed into a pair of legs. With the Dragonzord dropping into place on top of the legs to form the body and head, the top part of Tor split in half from top to bottom, both halves transforming and connecting to the body as arms. Finally the Dragonzord's tail transformed to form its lance.

"Turtle Battle Dragonzord, online!" Sam called as the machine powered up.

Using the energy of the newly formed Zord, he blasted King Sphinx out of existence.

North Valley, Earth

"Run!" Sam shouted as the metal soldiers drew closer.

His two friends did not need telling twice. Both of them turned and ran as fast as they could through the smoking remains of their town. They had already tried to leave North Valley, but had found their way blocked by an unknown force field. Sam doubted these things were part of Kilokahn's army. He had seen footage of them on television fighting the Power Rangers. That was shortly before the attack. Afterwards there was no electricity left to run a television. The metal warriors had invaded quickly and then left only a small force to round up the townsfolk.

Malcum Frink ran for his life. When the attack had come, Malcum's computer had been destroyed along with any chance he had for power. Now all that mattered was staying alive long enough to find a way to ingratiate himself with the new villain in town. He turned the corner, hoping that Kilokahn had managed to store himself as a backup file on his laptop. He knew some of the new guards were Cogs, highly-developed robots but robots nonetheless. Robots had miniature computers to control them and that meant a way for Kilokahn to take control.

Sam stopped behind the remains of a building. His family and most of his friends were gone, but his only concern was survival. Behind him was a bright flash. Sam and his friends turned around in time to see a large machine with long tentacles staring down at them.

"Perfect," the Overseer said. "Humans, young and weak, you will make adequate batteries."

The Overseer signalled for her servants to grab the three youths and then carry them away. North Valley was not its assigned target, but a town full of much needed resources, was too good to miss. Sam Collins struggled briefly, but he was a hacker, not a hero. At least, not in the real world.

Minion had travelled back to the Moon and when he felt the surge of energy suggesting his first wave of monsters had been destroyed, he had used Bronzo's machine to recreate them. He also added a Giant and a Minotaur to his forces. He sent them back into action to the Financial District of Angel Grove.

"Turtle Battle Dragonzord, Disengage!"

There was the loud grinding of gears as the two machines never intended to combine, separated. The Power made them versatile enough to adapt from one formation to another. Tor finished reverting to its normal form and then returned to wherever it was that he came from.

Sam watched before preparing to return to the Power Chamber. The Dragonzord lurched as it was struck violently from behind and carried forward by some unknown force. Looking down he could see a horn sticking through the Zord's chest panel.

Minotaur finally stopped moving, throwing the Dragonzord to the ground where the other monsters closed in. Minotaur blast the Zord with energy from his horns; Giant and Bones moved in with their swords, hacking the Zord's tail; King Sphinx fired energy bolts from his sceptre and Pudgy Pig started to feed on the Zord's weapon systems.

"We have to help him," Kat said as she watched the Zord take yet another blow.

"She's right Zordon," Tommy added. "We need the Zords now."

Zordon nodded silently. He did not like the idea of the Rangers using the Zords until they were ready, but given the Ninja's origin, it was unlikely that it would ever be ready. "Rangers, observe the Viewing Screen."

The Rangers did as they were told. On the screen appeared the reconditioned and streamlined Ninja, Gasket's prototype copy of the Ninja MegaFalconzord. In its right hand it held a thin metal sword.

"The rebuilding has been mostly successful; the Ninja Zords are now ready for use. They are not as powerful as they should be, Alpha and Adam still need to install the booster elements. They will continue to work with your limited powers. Unfortunately since there are only five of you the Wolf will have to be operated by Jason from here, using remote control."

"Will we be able to use Titanus?" Adam asked.

"Yes," Alpha replied. "I have reconfigured Titanus to act as a Carrier Zord for you."

"Rangers step up to the table," Zordon instructed. As he spoke a six-sided table appeared. It was split into six segments; red, yellow, blue, pink, black and green. In each of the red, yellow, black, pink and green segments was one of the Gem Coin transformers that Zordon had been upgrading since the last battle.

In place of the previous morphers that had been indescribably cumbersome, these were the size of a normal Power Morpher. A small golden coin with a coloured gem embedded in the center, fixed into a small metal box inside of which Zordon had placed the electronics needed to regulate and control the process.

"I have adjusted the Gem Coins to handle your powers in a more efficient way. The Gem Coins will allow you to tap into your own links to the Morphin Grid while one of the generators transmits some of the Zeo energy we have been able to collect from the Super Zeo Gems. The energy will be mixed with pure Grid energy through the Wizard of Deception's wand."

"The powers are still highly unstable," Zordon warned. "They will only last for a short time before needing adjustment; they are not strong enough to power true Zords, but they should be able to control the Ninja." Tommy looked at the blue segment and saw the old remote unit Billy had built for the Falconzord.

"Thanks Zordon," Tommy said. He looked at the others and asked, "Ready?" When he saw them all nod, he signalled for them all to take their Gem Coins together. "It's Morphin Time!"

"Zeo Ranger I - Crane!" Kat cried.

"Zeo Ranger II - Bear!" Tanya shouted.

"Zeo Ranger III - Ape!" Rocky called.

"Zeo Ranger IV - Frog!" Adam cried.

"Zeo Ranger V - Falcon!" Tommy called.

In five beams of light the Rangers left to help their friend.

North Valley,

Malcum skulked through the remains of his town. He found it ironic that the boy he been trying to destroy for so long had been captured while he the evil mastermind remained free. Now he was aware of the fate in store for him should he ever be captured. There would be no negotiation, Malcum Frink was as good as dead.

Inside Malcum's laptop, Kilokahn was thinking the same thing. Malcum would not last much longer. The stress had finally driven the boy over the edge and together with Kilokahn's own actions the boy was finally ready to serve his true purpose.

"Malcum, look at the screen," Kilokahn instructed.

Malcum foolishly looked at the screen, hardly noticing the tiny flash as Kilokahn left the computerised world of electronics and entered Malcum's mind, which was after all just a collection of electrical impulses that he could control. Once inside the virus started to take over, building on the gradual damage he had caused during the time they had worked together.

"And now I am free from the limitations of the computer world, my Mega Virus monsters will be unstoppable."

Unfortunately he had not been paying attention to his surroundings and failed to notice that the forces he had been trying to escape had caught up with him. Before he could explain who he was, his newly acquired body was rendered unconscious, returning him to a much small computer world.

"We need the Zords, now!" the five Rangers called as they appeared near the spot where Dragonzord was still taking a beating.

As they teleported into their cockpits, Tommy reflected on how good it felt to be finally back in the sky. His cockpit was a lot simpler than the Falcon Zord he remembered. Alpha had installed a fly-by-wire system to compensate for the instinctive knowledge he now lacked. Taking the controls in his hands, he headed for where the monsters were still beating on the weakened Zord.

"Wing Rockets, launch!"

The wings of the Falcon folded together revealing eight rocket launchers. On his original Falcon Zord Tommy had been able to pick the size of the rocket and the force to put behind it. With this version there was only one size built in. Nevertheless they did the job, driving six of the monsters away from the fallen Zord and destroying Pudgy Pig.

The other Rangers meanwhile had activated their Gestalt systems and were trying to merge their machines together. "It's no good," Zeo Frog said. "Tommy, we need the Falcon to make this work."

"On my way," Zeo Falcon responded. He flew the Zord back into range of the others. "Okay, insert Gem Coins, now!"

[Ninja sequence initiated. Wolf remote control online.]

Zeo Falcon read the message displayed and smiled. It had been a while since they had done this and he hoped it was still easy to pilot. With his Gem Coin in place Zeo Falcon pressed the commit button and let the Gestalt System take control.

The arms and legs of the Ape detached from the body, the legs of the Bear split away from the body and legs and head of the Wolf retracted into its body. The bodies of the Ape, Bear and Wolf joined to form the upper torso and arms of the Ninja. The legs of the Ape joined and connected to the base of the upper torso to complete the main body.

Meanwhile the Frog had transformed into a pair of legs, joining with the Bear's legs, which had transformed to make two feet, to form the lower body. The arms of the Ape had converted into fists, which connected to the arms.

Finally the body and arms merged with the legs, allowing the Falcon to clip onto the back and the Crane to slide into place as the head. As with the previous Megazords the Rangers were all grouped together in a single control room. Once again Alpha and Zordon had included fly-by-wire controls to assist them.

"Prepare to use the Double Power Punch," Zeo Falcon instructed.

"Um Tommy," Rocky whispered quietly. "There's no such function."

"Okay, change tactics; we'll just punch him out."

Moving in between the fallen Dragonzord and the remaining monsters, the Rangers started to fight back. Catching the Minotaur they used him as a shield against the Peckster. The Peckster's beak reduced the Minotaur to dust, allowing the Ninja to punch it in the face.

"Power Sword!" the Rangers called.

With the Ninja using the Power Sword and Dragonzord striking the monsters with its tail, the Rangers were soon victorious.

"Ultra mode, now!" Zeo Falcon called.

"Tommy we're finished," Zeo Crane told him.

"Not yet," Zeo Falcon replied, "Watch."

When his monsters returned the second time, Minion did not bother asking what had gone wrong. He was using the monsters Rita had relied on during her disastrous attempts to conquer Earth. The fact the Rangers were now weaker than ever did not seem to have made them any less able to beat the monsters.

"Go again," Minion ordered. He knew they would not win, but every moment the Rangers spent fighting had drained their powers and allowed him to move forward with his plans.

Now was the time Minion had planned for. Already the links between the Zeo Crystal and the Rangers had been broken. Soon he would be able to use the crystal for his own purposes.

After a few minutes of waiting, Tommy's hunch paid off. The seven monsters appeared yet again. This time they did not take the Rangers by surprise. As they finished teleporting the Rangers had already formed the Ultra-Ninja. The Rangers measured their opponents and fired their weapons, the full power of the Ultra-Ninja ripping the monsters to pieces.

Finally victorious the Rangers teleported back to the Power Chamber. For the first time in the last few days the Rangers were victorious and had managed to keep their machines intact to fight again.

When they entered the Chamber they found Zordon and Alpha waiting for them. Before he could congratulate them Tommy spoke. "Thanks Zordon. The Ninja Zords were just what we needed."

"Indeed," Zordon boomed, his voice filled with pride. "Although not as powerful as the Zords you have used, hopefully they will aid you until the Zeo Crystal can be recovered or a better alternative is found."

"What about Dragonzord?" Rocky asked.

"Not a problem," Alpha told him. "The damage is within the Zord's repair capabilities."

"So we win again?" Rocky asked.

"Yes," Zordon boomed. "Minion's monsters have been beaten back. However, there is more work to do. But for now you should go and relax while you can."

In a flash, the Rangers were gone. With them gone Zordon turned his attention back to the Zords he had been creating with Alpha, partly based on some plans Billy had sent just before contact with Aquitar had been lost. The plans included completely new designs for Zeo Zords I and II, along with several other improvements to the overall fleet. It had occurred to Zordon that it would be possible to build a version of these Zeo Zords that drew power from the Gem Coins, in case the Ninja Zords failed.

Of course, he wasn't sure how long the Gem Coin powers would remain useable, but it was a case of working with what was available.

Stone Henge, England

"Yes Minister, I understand. We'll do our best sir, yes fine, we'll keep in contact. Goodbye Minister." Finally able to put the phone down Brigadier Jeremy Brand returned to his assignment.

The previous day a strange energy barrier had appeared around Stone Henge. Although he had only recently taken command of the Special Affairs Team, he had been asked to take personal charge of the situation and to resolve the unknown problem.

"Sir?" The Brigadier turned around to be confronted by his second-in-command. Andre Le Chaud had been Head of Operation for five years. In the day-to-day activities, he knew the job better than his superior.

"Ah Le Chaud, good to see you."

"Thank you, Sir," the captain replied.

"Well, what do you make of this?" the Brigadier asked indicating the reason UNIT had been called in.

"It's some kind of energy field. We've been unable to penetrate it with x-ray or ultrasound. We've tried working a trench under the dome, but it appeared to continue down for more than two miles."

"I see," the Brigadier muttered. "Sergeant Groves!"

"Sir!" The young man snapped to attention as he saluted his superior.

Younger than most of the officers who had served under him in the past, Groves looked cool, calm and efficient. His short dyed hair was hidden under his Green Beret. The Brigadier noticed the man was carrying a small revolver at his hip.

"At ease," the Brigadier said. "Right, I want a five-mile exclusion zone around the monument. Anybody you find in the area I want detained and taken to a safe area for debriefing. Then post some men around the monument itself. Nothing is to go in or out of that barrier."

"Yes sir," Groves said as he hurried away.

"Now," the Brigadier continued. "Let's go take a look at this barrier, shall we?"

The Moon was a very peaceful place; the Sea of Tranquillity was a tomb of rock and ash untouched by either of these two mighty forces. In fact it had remained the same for decades, only ever touched by the footprints of the two American astronauts that had graced its surface. The marks were just a small reminder of mankind's accomplishment, the American flag and of course the residual litter was another indication.

Long ago a civilisation had lived on the Moon during a time when all the planets lived together in harmony. But that time was long passed and the machine that skimmed over the surface wouldn't have cared anyway. It was called Serpenterra, until now an unpowered hulk left to rust by its former master. Now it had enough power to make the journey to Earth where Minion planned to fully integrate the Zeo Crystal that currently powered only a fraction of its functions.

It continued drifting towards Rita and Zedd's palace, ignoring the battered Winnebago and then lifted as its pilot set a new course. In Indiana a small observatory recorded a dark shadow moving across the Moon. At the same time the alarms in the Power Chamber sounded.

The journey was relatively quick and Minion brought the machine to a dead stop over the Gulf of Mexico where it hovered ominously while the Zeo Crystal was moved from the engines to the weapon systems.

A single burst of energy left the giant machine's mouth, a burst of explosive energy equal to a nuclear bomb, which descended beneath the waters and exploded on the bedrock. A tidal wave formed as the unstable plates beneath the surface shifted, riding against and over each other to form a new landmass, an island that he could call his own that was outside of any human control.

As he directed the huge machine to land, after managing to reinstall the Zeo Crystal in time to avoid crashing, Minion pondered his next moves. The Zeo Crystal was now completely his to do with as he wish. And while he had not won the last round against the Rangers, they could not consider themselves the victors.

Bronzo would start reconfiguring the apparatus he installed in Serpenterra as soon as the core had had time to cool. Once that was done and the fuel cells were charged, the machine would be ready for use.

In the meantime Venjix had reported success in Charterville despite an encounter with the local heroes and while Brasso and Silvo had yet to report success, North Valley at least was under Minion's control. Minion would build on that success, maybe dispatch Arcana for a little gorilla action against the Rangers.

Yes, things were certainly moving in Minion's favour, so much so that both Arcana and Venjix had taken the opportunity to speak with their respective masters. Minion was getting too close to claiming power for himself, it was time for more suitable leaders to take control. Regardless of his success, the last thing they needed was Minion getting out of hand.

**End**

Disclaimer: I do not own the Power Rangers; they belong to their respective copyright owners and are used here without permission. No money is being made from this fic. Tommy's experiences in this story were inspired after reading Shards of the Mind by Justin Lam.  
Authors Note: This is an alternate universe from the television show with an alternate timeline.

**Dirty Tricks and Deceptions**

Minion's attacks like those of many villains had thinned out after the first few attacks. It didn't make the Rangers sleep any better knowing that he could strike again at any moment, but life had to go on.

After witnessing via satellite feed, Serpenterra plunging towards the sea, Zordon had lost track of Minion. And since that time, apart from a few strange energy spikes, there had been no sign of him. There had been strange stories coming in from neighbouring towns and cities though and despite Zordon's best attempts he had been unable to contact Dex in Leewood.

The Rangers had learnt during their careers as super heroes to value any and all downtime. And while there had been a few monster attacks, mostly monsters that they had defeated during their battles with either Zedd and Rita, or Mondo. Not that they complained about the time that they had for themselves, they knew it was important to appreciate the chance for a day off when they had it.

Today, most of the Rangers had attended their after school activities, refusing to worry about their missed assignments for one day. Kat had ballet practice much to Tommy's regret; he didn't like it when she insisted he take part in one of her productions. Tommy and Adam had increased the number of classes they taught so they could provide more intensive sessions for their students. Tanya had settled into her post at the local radio station. Rocky and Jason though were facing a greater foe than Minion, they had homework.

"I wish Billy was here," Rocky sighed as he threw his hands up in frustration. He had the misfortune of having maths homework that was due to be handed in the next morning.

Grades were one of the things that the Rangers had learnt early in their careers would fall victim to their secret lives as super heroes. If they weren't careful their schoolwork fell behind, which in turn meant that their parents grew concerned and started threatening punishments if the failures continued.

"I miss him too," Jason said. Since returning from the Peace Conference, Jason had been forced to try and catch up with some of the work he had missed. It seemed that while they taught the same subjects to the same level at the Peace Conference, the syllabus was arranged in a different way. As a result Jason was ahead in some classes and behind in others.

And while neither teen expected Billy to do their homework for them, both appreciated his help even if it was only a shove in the right direction.

"Has Zordon been able to contact Delphine?" Rocky asked.

Jason shook his head, concern evident. "No, Aquitar and Triforia are unreachable. Zordon contacted some of his allies in the Council, but they could only tell him that there had been no contact."

Something wasn't right and both Rangers knew it. However, as they had been taught over the years, knowing that something was wrong and knowing 'what' was wrong were two different things. Reluctantly both teens settled back and continued their work.

There was something wrong and Zordon knew it; the Morphin Grid had been disrupted since Minion had returned, blinding him from other changes that he suspected were taking place. The small portion of the Morphin Grid, which constantly shifted in response to the battle between Zordon and his various adversaries had grown, leading Zordon to believe that either Zedd and Rita had found a way to increase their powers, or there was a new alliance on the horizon. It had taken hours of meditation to begin to interpret what had happened and even now Zordon could not say for certain.

There was one thing he did know though: whatever evil Minion possessed, there was something else looming on the very edge of Zordon's perception that threatened to eclipse the villain. He had tried to find the source of this new evil, using the Power Chamber's vast sensor network to scan the entire solar system. The results came back negative, forcing him to extend the search into the rest of the Galaxy.

As he had scanned further and further into space, he had realised how powerful this new evil must be to attract his attention from such a distance. At the very limit of the galactic scan, Zordon reached the conclusion that he would just have to wait, and hope that he was mistaken. That had been around the time that Minion had decided to strike

Planet Crystal.

"This doesn't look good," Billy muttered as he tried to salvage something from the main engine.

When he had stolen a ship to escape from Aquitar, the condition had not been important. By the time he had managed to force his way out of orbit and had evaded the last of his pursuers, the original state of the ship had proven irrelevant. It had been damaged, badly damaged by laser fire and a few remarkable shots had managed to all but cripple most of its systems, among them several vital functions.

Navigation had been damaged although he had not known that when he had activated the hyper-drive and had therefore ended up light years away from his destination. That was made worse because the engines had shut down, leaving him stranded. He had been lucky to reach the planet before him, a world that appeared to be falling apart if he could believe the readings he had managed to pick up.

~At least the air is breathable.~

As much as he hated the idea of landing in such a place, his only choice was to attempt a landing before his life support gave up its desperate struggle and he suffocated.

"Deploying emergency foil," he said to nobody in particular. Days in a confined space had had an effect on the genius and while not serious, his experience had led to him sounding his actions before he performed them in the hopes of avoiding a costly mistake.

Outside the craft a long tube emerged, which once fully extended, flared outward forming an umbrella canopy. The canopy then extended along the full length of the shuttle.

It was a special reflective material that in an emergency could protect a damaged ship against the heat of re-entry. Of course such craft were normally expected to have some form of working propulsion; apart from the low level manoeuvring thrusters, Billy's ship was dead in space.

"If my calculations are accurate, the frictional force of entering the atmosphere should recharge one of the power cells. That should allow the distribution system to engage the retro rockets. If I am incorrect, I will not survive the shock of landing."

With that said he touched the two wires he had been holding together, hoping that his knowledge of Aquitian space craft was current. He promised he would never complain about complex control panels again, compared to twisted pairs of wire, flashing buttons would be a welcome sight.

The ship jerked and bobbed, the thrusters firing randomly as he tried to push the craft in the right direction. When it started to spin, he did nothing to stop it; a rolling ship would proof difficult to control, but the more energy he could use up in the air, the less potential energy there was to be released on impact.

With a silent prayer he cut the engines, relying on the conical shape to control his descent. The ships bucked and twisted as it entered the atmosphere, the slow spin he had imitated, acted to reduce the turbulence. He glanced at the two controls he had working, the altimeter and the speedometer. There was no chance that he would be able to direct the descent, his hope was to survive it and from the two readings, he knew he needed to slow his descent.

Firing the small rockets, he capitalised on the cone's shape and managed to change the point of the cone from pointing straight down to an almost horizontal point. The natural roll of the cone meant that it rolled from side to side, making him feel sick, but burning up vital energy and creating friction that slowed his descent. He grinned as he saw that his airspeed was beneath terminal velocity.

"Oh no!"

He was too low and there wasn't time to restart the engine, even if it had been capable of restarting. With a groan of frustration, privately hating Mr Murphy and his stupid law, Billy tugged on the next to useless controls, trying to force the ship to reverse position so that the tip of the cone was pointing upward.

The result was immediate, but not too comfortable. The ship was now upside down and the wider footprint of the cone's base gave the ship all the aerodynamics of a brick. Still, the greater surface area helped to slow the descent, the hull superheating as the friction increased by the second. He used the small thrusters to shift the ship from side to side, slowing the descent further as he did so.

It was still not enough. The ship was slowing, but was still descending too fast for him to survive. His only hope lay in the ability to restart one engine and use it as a retro rocket. Had it been anyone else, the engine would have been impossible to fix, but Billy refused to give up even when the altimeter showed that he was less than two thousand meters from the ground.

"Here goes everything," he muttered as he crossed the wires again and the ship jerked to life, just as the cone skimmed the top of the treetops.

Minion's Island  
Next Day.

"Is it done?" Minion asked, not taking his eyes off Bronzo as the henchman struggle to rework Serpenterra's wiring loom for the fourth time.

"Yes Minion," Arcana answered. "Billy Cranston has crash-landed on the planet Crystal as you predicted. I dispatched some WD Units to find him."

Minion nodded his approval. "Then all that remains is to get the Rangers to Crystal. Minion trusts you can ensure they need to get there?"

"Of course. While Venjix sends your monsters to battle the male Rangers, I shall kidnap and destroy the females." He licked his lips in anticipation. If they surrendered to him perhaps he could have some fun with them.

"Indeed. Five Rangers have proven difficult for you, spell weaver, Minion believes you may find two of them easier."

Arcana bowed but said nothing more as Minion returned to supervising the installation of the Zeo Crystal.

Minion laughed as the servant departed. Arcana was a fool if he believed that he had the ability to defeat one Ranger let alone two. There again sometimes ignorance was a valuable asset. So long as the spell weaver used the magical virus, all would go as planned. And in the meantime Venjix would build a few Machine Monsters to keep the other Rangers busy.

Jason yawned sleepily as he stepped out of the changing room. He was ready for a workout or better yet a chance to spar with someone. He hoped Adam or perhaps Rocky were still practicing.

He looked in the mirror and immediately went back to comb his hair. As usual after showering, it was a complete mess. He looked outside to where Emily was serving her customers. ~Maybe I'll ask her to do something later,~ he thought.

He walked across the room and took a seat at the counter where he could watch the other activities. There was still time left before he was due to meet with Kat and Tanya for a picnic. The two girls had persuaded him to join them near Angel Grove Lake at lunchtime. He looked at the clock and then looked again; it had stopped.

"Ernie, what time is it?" he asked.

"Almost Noon," the owner answered. "Do you want a sandwich?"

"They're going to kill me," Jason muttered as he paid for his drink and ran.

Ernie chuckled. It made a difference to watch Jason rush off when there wasn't a monster attack. Although he imagined Tanya and Kat could be worse than a monster in some cases.

Jason jogged quickly to where they had arranged to meet and as he approached he could hear Kat's slightly annoyed voice. He decided to play it cool and slowed. He missed the tree root but his foot didn't. He tumbled forward and landed flat on his back with a loud thud.

"Ow… my head!" he complained as he stood up slowly rubbing the back of his head. He groaned. ~This is going to be one of those days,~ he thought grimly.

"Stop fooling around," Kat called to him.

Jason sighed when he heard Tanya laugh. Obviously sympathy was not going to come from them.

"Come on Jason!" called out Katherine impatiently.

"I'm coming, I'm coming," he answered as he ran over to them.

"Let's go!" said Tanya.

"Yeah, let's get out of here," agreed Katherine, eager to leave before something else happened. "We'll go to the beach instead. You still have the keys to the RADBUG don't you?"

"Yeah," Jason said nervously.

The RADBUG had remained mothballed in the Power Chamber since Billy had gone to Aquitar. Jason knew Billy's invention could be temperamental when it was cold. He hoped Alpha had kept the heating on in that part of the Power Chamber.

"Let's go," he said after a moment's hesitation.

They ran to a safe spot that Alpha could teleport the car to. The sudden appearance of a flying car would be too difficult to explain.

As they were about to climb into the vehicle Tanya looked at the sky and noticed a few clouds approaching. She sighed. She hoped that it was a natural storm although somehow she had her doubts.

Dark clouds had gathered in the sky, and lightning flickered across the sky. A light rain began to fall.

"Oh! I don't believe it!" complained Kat as she felt a few drops of rainfall on her.

They had just finished laying out their picnic after Jason had successfully parked the car.

"It's just a little rain," said Tanya. Suddenly the light rain changed into a downpour. "Uh-oh."

"You were saying?" asked Jason.

"Come on. Don't just stand there," interrupted Kat. "Let's go." She took off running quickly, and they followed her. Suddenly a jagged bolt of lightning lit up the sky, and a deafening crash of thunder echoed.

"EEEKS!" shrieked Tanya as she stopped running and covered her ears. "I hate thunderstorms!"

"Come on Tanya," urged Kat. "It's not that bad."

"Kat's right," Jason said after a while. "I think we should head back to the RADBUG, Tanya, unless you want to stand here in the rain. We'll be safer in the car."

"I'm already soaking wet," she commented as she pushed her thoroughly hair out of her eyes. Another crash of thunder rang out, and Tanya flinched. "I hate thunderstorms, hate them, hate them, hate them!" she mumbled to herself. "All right, let's go," she agreed. As much as she would rather stay in one place and try to avoid seeing the storm, she didn't quite favour getting any wetter than she already was.

As they ran, she saw another bolt of lightning etch its way across the sky. Tanya covered her ears in preparation for the thunder that would not doubt soon follow. "I hate thunderstorms, I hate thunderstorms," she repeated to herself as she continued to run blindly.

Kat watched the interaction between Jason and Tanya with interest. She hadn't known Tanya was afraid of storms and she had never seen Jason act the way he had. She wondered for a moment if something was going on.

"Kat, watch out!" called out Jason, interrupting her thoughts.

"Hmm? Oh!" she exclaimed as she tried to stop herself, but it was too late, and she slid into Tanya, knocking them both onto the ground. "Oops, sorry," she apologised.

"Ow," complained Tanya as she stood up slowly. Suddenly he stopped and looked up. "Hey, it stopped raining," she said, looking a little confused.

"And the sky's clear right here," added Jason as he looked up.

"Yeah, but it's still raining where we were, and the clouds are still all around us," observed Tanya as she squeezed some of the water out of her hair.

"That's weird," said Kat as they reached the car, "but I guess we should stay here till it clears up."

"Yeah," started Tanya. Flying home would be too dangerous. But before she could finish speaking, a bright light engulfed everything around them. "What's going on?" she shouted.

"I don't know!" called back Kat. The light blinded the three of them for a moment.

"This is just what I needed today," shouted Jason as he shielded his eyes. He still couldn't see anything, and it didn't make any sense. ~What's causing this,~ he wondered nervously. Whatever it was, he wasn't sure he wanted to find out. Suddenly the ground beneath them gave way, and they fell down into the complete darkness below.

Jason opened his eyes slowly to the very dim light. ~Where am I?~ he wondered as he looked around him, but he saw nothing, save the near darkness. He sat up slowly, rubbing the back of his head. The fall from above had confused him. ~Hey, wait a second,~ he thought suddenly.

Instinctively he tried his communicator and to teleport. Surprisingly though the message was not blocked, it simply didn't receive a response. In the same way the teleport attempt simply aborted each time and in the end he had to accept that it wasn't going to work. ~At least the anti jamming measures seem to work.~

"Tanya! Kat?" he called out quickly, but the only response was the echo of his own voice. "Where are they?" he wondered aloud. He walked slowly in the direction, which seemed to be the only source of the dim light around him. I guess I should head this way, he thought to himself but he really had no idea if he was going in the right direction. On top of that, he really didn't what he was looking for, and what to do once he found it. The only thing he was sure of right now was that he needed to find Tanya and Kat. Tanya would probably be able to think of something, and Kat, well, she was probably worse off than he was. She never seemed to like being alone too much, probably because of the time she spent in Rita and Zedd's service. He walked on in silence for a while until suddenly he tripped and fell to the ground.

"Oww…" groaned Tanya as she sat up slowly. "Why does everyone always trip over me," she continued mumbling to herself.

"Oh, sorry about that," apologised Jason as he stood back up quickly. He breathed a quick sigh of relief. At least he had managed to find Tanya.

"Oh… Jason," replied Tanya. A puzzled expression crept across her face slowly as he took in her surrounding. "Whoa… where are we?"

"I don't know," answered Jason, shrugging. "The last thing I remember was getting out of the rain, and then there was that light."

"Yeah… Hey, wait a second," said Tanya suddenly, as she looked around concerned. "Where's Kat?"

"I don't know. I haven't been able to find her yet," answered Jason.

"Then, come on. We've got to go find her."

"Yeah, but which way do we go?" wondered Jason. Tanya looked around in the dim light. It all looked the same to her, except maybe it was a bit brighter in one direction.

"I guess we should head that way," said Tanya.

Before Jason could answer, they heard a scream pierce the silence. "Tommy!"

"Kat?" queried Tanya as she tried to find the source of the sound quickly.

"Come on! Let's go!" said Jason, taking off quickly.

"LET GO OF ME!" yelled Kat angrily. Something was holding her, but she couldn't see it. She only felt that there was some sort of creature behind her, and it had a very good hold of her. She twisted around quickly, in the hopes of catching a glimpse of whatever was, but she saw nothing. She clenched her fists tightly at her side. "I said… LET ME GO!" She stomped hard on what she though was its foot and in a quick burst of light and energy, she was able to escape the hold of the creature, which had tried to capture her. She dropped down to her floor, but immediately whirled around, but she still saw nothing. ~What was that?~ She wondered to herself.

"Kat, are you all right?" called out Tanya as soon as she reached her.

"Tanya, Jason," she said still a little dazed. "I'm fine, but what… what happened? Where are we?"

"I'm not sure," answered Jason. "But what happened to you? We heard you scream."

"Oh, uh… something grabbed me, but it's gone now," she answered looking around. She shuddered, and continued, "Whatever it was, it was gross."

"Maybe it was some kind of alien," suggested Tanya. With all the weird things that often came to Earth, they wouldn't have been all that surprised. "But what's it doing here on Earth?"

"If we are still on Earth," Jason added. They all looked around quickly, but nothing had changed. There was no way for them to tell where they were.

"How… how are we going to get out of here?" asked Kat uncertainly.

Jason half shrugged as he continued to look around. His companions remained silent. ~Great,~ he thought, ~I knew today was going to be a bad day, but this is crazy.~ He looked yet again, but there was nothing at all to see. Everything was still the same. He was having a hard enough time seeing Tanya and Kat, and they were standing directly in front of him. Seeing anything farther was next to impossible. He was the former Red Ranger and he had no idea what to do next.

"I wish it wasn't so dark," murmured Kat. All of the sudden the area immediately around them flooded with light.

"AIEE!" shrieked Tanya as she jumped back from the hole in the floor.

~This is too weird,~ Kat thought nervously.

Whatever caused that must have been listening in on their conversation, and that obviously meant that they were not alone, but who had it been?

"Who's there?" demanded Tanya stepping forward in front of Jason and Kat. However, the sudden increase of light had blinded her momentarily, and she couldn't see anything before her. As she slowly became accustomed to the light again, she noticed a very odd looking creature in front of them.

"Uh… what is that?" asked Kat as she drew back confused.

"What the hell?" wondered Tanya, confused. The creature in front of them seemed to have no definite shape. In fact it only seemed to be some sort of ooze being.

"This is too weird," added Jason as he stared at the creature.

"Ah… I see you've already met my army," came a voice. "Magical slime, woven from the basic elements of this planet, nothing more."

"Who's there?" demanded Tanya again. She scanned the area around them quickly, but she couldn't see anyone or anything else, and what had it meant by army?

'Well, since I already know who you are, I suppose it is only fair for you to know who I am," the voice said as it slowly stepped into the light.

The three teens drew back, half-expecting to see another alien, but to their surprise, it looked human. He wore red and tan robes with black boots. He had silver hair that extended down his back. His cloak appeared to be white, but was covered by so much dirt it was difficult to tell. On his hat he wore a crest of some kind that had obviously remained unpolished for a long time.

"I am called Arcana," he introduced himself. "Spell weaver and advisor to Lord Zedd, currently in the service of Minion."

"Minion?" exclaimed Jason.

"I see you recognise the name. He will be pleased with your reaction."

"Zedd?" wondered Tanya, looking over at Kat nervously. "But he's gone, so is Rita…" She swallowed loudly. Rocky and Tommy had warned her before not to underestimate Lord Zedd or any to claimed to be in his service. This was turning into more than they could handle alone.

"Oh he'll be back, as soon as his tour of the Dark Galaxy has concluded. By then you three won't be in a position to let it worry you." He paused, eyes narrowing suspiciously as he noticed for the first time that there were indeed three people present. ~Three,~ he thought, ~there are only supposed to be the two female Rangers. What is the boy doing here?~ he wondered, ~unless… of course, he is not an active Ranger. No matter, he will not interfere with my plan.~

"What do you want?" demanded Tanya.

"I have only one mission," he told them. "To destroy you three."

That wasn't true. Minion had given him several tasks to complete, this just happened to be the one he preferred. He still had matters to attend to on Crystal.

"If that's true, then why did you bring us here?" asked Tanya.

"What better way to carry out Minion's plan, than by kidnapping and separating his enemies?" answered Arcana coldly. "When they find you, if they find you … it will be too late. And then, I'll destroy them one by one."

Kat shivered. Something about this wizard scared her. Maybe it was because he looked so incredibly human compared to Zedd. Even Minion with all his scars looked less than human. However, there was something that made Arcana different, the eyes were filled with intelligence and joy at what he was doing instead of the cold and calculating look of a predator. Kat shivered again as she realised that the spell weaver knew exactly what he was doing and that he genuinely wanted to do it. He was truly evil, and that was a terrifying thought. Still, she stepped forward a bit, knowing that she wouldn't be able to help the others at all if she kept scaring herself.

"Where have you taken us?" asked Kat, a bit shakily. The cold dismal atmosphere reminded her too much of Lunar Palace for her to remain completely unaffected.

"Quiet girl!" snapped Arcana. "You will find out when I am ready."

"Don't talk to Kat like that," Tanya shot back angrily.

"I do as I please," returned Arcana, unconcerned. Tanya looked the wizard over carefully. Had he been human, Tanya would have guessed him to be a little older than Zordon had appeared in some of the images she had seen. ~Hey wait,~ she thought, ~Zordon.~

"Jason," said Tanya as she turned to face him quickly. "We need to morph."

"Now?' asked Jason, a bit confused. "Why?"

"Our communicators are gone, but we can still morph. When we do, Zordon will detect us." explained Tanya.

"Oh, right," agreed Jason as he understood what Tanya meant. He had been concentrating on where they were while leaving Tanya and Kat to find out whom they were dealing with. He closed his eyes for a second, concentrating on summoning the Power. His residual Gold Ranger powers would be more detectable than the Gem Coin powers.

"You're wasting your time," said Arcana suddenly, interrupting Jason's concentration.

Even though he could still summon the Power to transform into a Ranger of some sort, the process required a great deal of concentration to initiate. The words that normally controlled what happened to the energy were meaningless, it was all a matter of willpower and memory. Still, the transformation had been made.

"Huh?" questioned Jason, confused. "What do you mean?"

"Simple," answered Arcana. "No one will be able to detect your location."

"Wh… what does he mean?" Kat asked Tanya quietly.

"Minion anticipated this happening, although he didn't expect there to be three of you, and he took precautions. We're not in your dimension any longer, Minion gave me the means to shift us forty-five degrees out of phase. This is my dimension."

"Your dimension?" wondered Kat.

"Where exactly is this dimension of yours?" asked Tanya.

"It's a space between time, literally a gap between then and now." Arcana answered absently. "Effectively, you are no where right now."

"No where?" repeated Jason as that slowly sank in.

"Exactly, which means that no one will be able to find you," continued Arcana. "Besides, I doubt you would last long enough for anyone to reach you," he added confidently. He was completely certain that destroying what he viewed as three children would not take too long. How Rita, Zedd and Minion had failed to do so was beyond him.

"You seem sure of yourself," said Jason.

"Of course, I have every reason to be," the villain answered. "This has been carefully planned. I won't even have to dirty my hands fighting you. My army will take care of that insignificant task by themselves."

"How do you figure that they can beat us?" asked Tanya. Arcana seemed to be enjoying himself by explaining his plans to them, and Tanya hoped they would be able to stall him long enough to come up with some sort of a plan.

"Every truly powerful villain has a specialty," he boasted. "Lord Zedd enjoys transforming living creatures into monsters, he can do the same with inanimate objects, but they lack the instinct of the originals. Master Vile makes powerful monsters, Mistress Repugna was an expert in making golems. And myself, I am a spell weaver; my monsters are unimpressive, but their special abilities are spectacular. And my army has a very useful ability." Arcana was pleased by the curiosity these three children were displaying towards his work. "They absorb the energy from anything they come in contact with."

"But that's…" started Kat, her voice trailing off.

"Impossible, you were going to say?" questioned Arcana. "Well you're very far from the truth indeed, girl. Remember Blue Globbor, you especially Kat must remember how capable he was of draining your energy?"

"What's that got to do with it?" interjected Jason, confused.

"Quiet!" snapped Arcana. Jason looked provoked and was about to attack, but Tanya shook her head a little. Jason was not as hot headed as he had once been, but attacking the wizard was definitely not the solution. "I used the technology that allowed them to absorb energy and took it to the next level. Instead of only absorbing Morphin energy like Globbor, my army can absorb all energy, even life force, with even the slightest touch. Very useful, wouldn't you say?"

"But then… how are we supposed to fight them," wondered Jason quietly.

"And we won't be able to use our pistols," added Tanya, worried.

"Then… what can we do?" asked Kat.

"Nothing," interjected Arcana, with a pleased smirk. "Of course I want this to be mildly amusing, so please feel free to morph. You might last longer. Unlike Zedd's other servants, I will not fail him, or Minion."

"But Zedd retreated," pointed out Jason. "And Minion is just another monster. Why are you still following his orders if you are so powerful?"

"You don't know anything, Ranger," Arcana sneered. "Zedd didn't retreat, he took a vacation. And Minion - I obey him because Zedd told me to. Because I have no choice."

"Now what?" Kat thought aloud. No wonder she had felt just a little drained after she had escaped her captor earlier. It must have taken some of her energy. ~But it only touched me for a few seconds,~ she thought, worry overshadowing her face. ~If it can absorb energy that fast…~ She shook her head, trying to clear her mind of it. Right now she had to concentrate on finding some way out of this mess.

"Jason, what should we do?" asked Tanya.

"I'm not sure," answered Jason, "but they have to have some sort of weakness."

"What, I mean, how can you tell?" asked Kat, a bit confused.

"Well, it's practically impossible for them to be entirely invulnerable. There has to be something," explained Tanya. At least that was what she hoped, if not they were in deep trouble.

"How very perceptive," said Arcana suddenly. The Rangers turned around quickly to face him. The wizard looked them over carefully; they were obviously more perceptive than he'd been led to believe. There again, Minion had been less than generous with his analysis of their powers. The boy Jason seemed to be the leader of the three and taking him down would be the first order of business. "But you'll never live long enough to figure it out. Now, enough of this useless talk, I think it's time for you to face off against my creations."

"Morph," Jason told his friends. "We'll stand a better chance that way."

"Zeo Ranger I - Crane!" Kat called.

"Zeo Ranger II - Bear!" Tanya added.

Arcana looked over at his army eagerly. He had anticipated this moment since Minion had ordered him to prepare the trap. Now he would find out if all of his hard work would pay off. "Go!" he ordered. "Attack those three, and don't stop until you've absorbed all of their energy." It was rather odd that they would be able take orders from him, but they had no mind of their own and they existed only to help him carry out his mission.

"Get ready," said Jason, looking back at Tanya and Kat. If Arcana was telling the truth about his army, then they definitely had their work cut out for them. To make matters worse, Jason was their weakness because although Kat and Tanya's were unstable, they at least understood where they came from. Nobody had been able to think of a good plan in spite of all the time that the wizard had spent explaining.

"What do we do?" asked Kat.

"Just try to avoid them," answered Tanya. She knew that sounded obvious and probably stupid, but at the moment she just couldn't think of anything else.

"That's it?" questioned Arcana, incredulously. "That's your plan?"

"Unless you want to call them off," Jason snapped. "Move!" he called out quickly as he saw one of the creatures coming towards them. Jason sidestepped immediately, and it flew past him and splattered on the ground.

"Eww," murmured Kat. "They're just blobs. How are we supposed to fight them?" she called out exasperated. Suddenly the entire army started rushing in towards them.

"Just stay out of their way!" shouted Tanya, leaping up into the air. Jason and Kat followed her example.

"That won't help you!" Arcana jeered. He held his hands in front of him and fired energy blasts at the three of them as they landed. They moved quickly out of the way, but the wizard did not slow down. He continued firing at them for a long while, and showed no signs of wearing down at all. Jason, Tanya, and Kat on the other hand seemed to be having increasing difficulty with getting out of the way.

"I don't believe it," complained Jason, dodging as best he could.

"What?" asked Kat. She was slightly out of breath, but she didn't dare slow down for fear of being knocked out of the air and down below where those creatures were waiting. ~Can't go down, and it's getting too hard to stay up here,~ she thought grimly. "What is it?" she repeated to Jason.

"He isn't slowing," explained Jason.

"Then you mean…" started Kat.

"He's feeding off the energy they steal from us," finished Tanya.

"Are you sure?" questioned Kat, sceptically. Even though Arcana did not show any signs of slowing down at all, she still found it hard to believe that he would never run out of energy.

"Yeah, pretty sure," answered Jason. "Or as close to infinite as he can get."

"Otherwise, he should have slowed a little by now," reasoned Tanya.

"Oh! I don't believe it. He never runs out of energy, and they absorb it. Can this possibly get any worse?" she complained.

"I think - Kat, look out!" called out Jason.

"Wha… oh!" she exclaimed as she saw a beam coming towards her. She dropped quickly to the floor, and the beam passed inches from her, shearing off a fragment of her helmet.

"Don't stay down!" called out Tanya, hurriedly.

"Right!" she called back as she jumped back up. A few more feet away, Arcana's army had gathered to pounce on her. "He's too fast!" she called out.

"You're right girl," said Arcana, stopping for a short moment from his attacks. "Why don't you just save me the trouble and give up now?"

"Not a chance!" Tanya shot back. "Jason," she said over the helmet communicator. "Jason!"

Jason started and looked up suddenly. His Gold Ranger costume lacked a permanent design and it seemed that this time it was lacking a real communicator. He had to rely on the Power to transmit Tanya's words. Unfortunately the blobs were absorbing any background energy, making the task difficult. "What is it?" he replied.

"I'll distract him," said Tanya. "You try to hit him from behind. Maybe a surprise attack will give us an advantage, all right?"

"Got it," answered Jason. He watched Tanya and Arcana carefully, waiting for his chance to attack.

"Hey Arcana!" called out Tanya aloud. Arcana glared back at her menacingly. Tanya swallowed loudly. ~Can't turn back now,~ she thought quickly overcoming her fears. "Why don't you just fight us, instead of hiding behind them?" she challenged.

The wizard looked irritated.

"I think you are a little too cocky," he replied.

"Why don't you come up here and prove that?" taunted Tanya.

"Tanya, what are you doing?" whispered Kat, surprised that Tanya was acting so confidently. They both knew that Arcana was not someone to be taken lightly. Kat also knew that Tanya was unlikely to rush in without a plan.

"Don't worry," she told her quietly. "Just wait for Jason to attack and join in."

"Oh, okay," she answered with a quick nod.

"Well Arcana?" provoked Tanya.

"Perhaps I will," he replied, rising into the air slowly using a levitation spell.

Jason watched intently, waiting to spring. If they could just defeat Arcana, then maybe those things he created wouldn't know what to do. If that happened, then they had a better chance of escape. But there was still one thing that worried him, if he killed the wizard and that caused the alternate dimension to collapse, what then? There was another possibility, which didn't seem much better than the first. The alternate dimension might stay stable, but they had no way of getting out. None of them knew how Arcana had been able to create it, and it was unlikely that they'd be able to figure it out.

"Tanya!" called out Kat, interrupting his thoughts. He looked up and saw Arcana ready to strike at the Yellow Gem Coin Ranger. Tanya quickly focussed on her task; fighting Arcana was going to take everything she had.

Angel Grove

"Falcon Missiles!" Zeo Falcon cried as his Zord unloaded its arsenal, bringing the huge metallic spider to a stop as the Ape and Frog tried to bring it down.

Why Minion had suddenly launched this attack was unknown, but since it had occurred at the same time that Jason, Tanya and Kat had disappeared, he had a few ideas of what the villain had in mind.

"Stab it!" he yelled.

The Ape moved to obey, driving its weapons into the metal spider's head as the Frog dragged the legs out from underneath. A quick swipe from Dragonzord's tail and the battle was over, allowing the four Rangers to teleport back to the Power Chamber.

Arcana's dimension.

Tanya and Arcana watched each other carefully. Neither of them wanted to make the first move. Jason and Kat also watched closely, Jason waiting to attack, and Kat waiting to help if needed.

"Well?" questioned Arcana, impatiently. "You wanted to fight me, so why are you still waiting?"

"I was going to give you the advantage of going first," lied Tanya, "but since you don't want to, I will."

With that she disappeared from where she was using the short-range teleport intended for entering Zords. A second later she reappeared behind Arcana. She swung quickly at Arcana's head, but the spell weaver had already turned around. Tanya pulled back quickly and avoided being caught, but Arcana was only starting to attack. Tanya tried to launch her own counterattack, but it was all she could do to just keep up with Arcana. For a wizard, he was a remarkably good fighter.

"What's the matter?" jeered Arcana. "Was taking me on too much for you?"

Tanya remained silent, not sure what to say. The only answer she could think of came in the form of a physical assault, which she did immediately. However, the results were the same as before. She attacked, and Arcana proved he was more than capable of avoiding her. Arcana kicked her hard in the side. Tanya gasped in pain, but Arcana wasn't done yet. He continued his assault on the now practically immobilised Yellow Ranger. He hit her again, this time on the side of her head, and Tanya stumbled.

~He's too strong,~ thought Tanya as she tried to regain her balance.

"I think it's time to end this," said Arcana, abruptly. He had no further interest in fighting Tanya, and he was ready to move on to more important matters. He held his arms out in front of him, charging for a blast.

"NOW Jason!" Tanya signalled, hoping the Gold Ranger would hear her this time.

"Hi-yah!" yelled Jason from behind them.

Arcana looked startled and began to turn around. Tanya immediately disappeared from where she was and reappeared next to Kat. Jason had drawn a broadsword and unleashed a ball of fire at the unsuspecting monster.

It made its way to Arcana in a flash and as Arcana put out his hands to block Jason's blast, Jason poured more energy into a second attack. With the added power of Kat's sidearm, it looked as though they had a chance of winning, at least for a short time. But then, one of Arcana's creations bounced up into the air and came between Jason and Arcana.

"Jason! STOP!" called out Kat hurriedly.

The creature was already starting to absorb Jason's energy, and Arcana had long since moved out of the way. Jason stopped quickly as he realised what had happened. It was too late to stop Arcana from stealing his energy though, and left him defenceless as the villain retaliated with a vicious chop.

Jason struggled as the villain gripped him around the neck. He kicked violently but his struggles ceased when he saw Arcana draw an object from subspace. It was a needle filled with a black liquid. Jason tried to get away but the point had already pierced his uniform and the liquid was flowing into his veins.

Jason's eyes widened with pain and he tried to scream. He failed; all his attempts at movement failed. His breathing became tight and the world seemed to blur. He slumped to the ground and demorphed. He opened his mouth to speak, but the darkness claimed him for a moment.

"Jason, what's wrong?" questioned Kat, worried.

"What did you do to him?" demanded Tanya, angrily.

Arcana laughed. "He was getting in my way," he told them, smirking.

"Answer me!" repeated Tanya.

"Temper, temper," chided the wizard. "If you really want to know, I injected him with a magical virus."

"A virus?" exclaimed Tanya.

"Are you deaf? Perhaps it's spreading faster than I thought it would. Allow me to explain. Yes, it is a virus, a very potent little thing I picked up during my travels. I thought it might be useful, but I hadn't imagined I would find such an unwilling victim," said Arcana.

"And do you have the cure?" demanded Tanya.

"Hmm…no," answered Arcana, smirking. This was going better than Minion had predicted. "I didn't plan on helping anyone I infected."

Tanya and Kat looked at him, shocked. If he didn't have the antidote, then what could they do? He had said it was a virus he had found somewhere in space, it was unlikely that there would be anything on Earth, which could act as the antidote.

Jason stared up at the sky, still confused. ~A virus,~ he thought, ~I didn't know one could act so fast.~ He wondered what else this virus did… if it would kill him.

He wanted to stand up, but it seemed as though the virus had paralysed him. He looked up at Kat and Tanya who were still standing over him. He smiled at them weakly. As long as they were still there, he would be all right.

~Now,~ he thought, ~I just need a little rest… just a little rest.~ He closed her eyes slowly and almost immediately fell into a deep sleep.

"Jason!" repeated Tanya, shaking him a little, but he didn't respond.

"One down, two to go," Arcana proclaimed. "Make it easy and surrender now."

He could feel the Yellow Ranger's temper simmering beneath her helmet. She suddenly seemed more powerful than he had believed. The Pink Ranger was no less threatening as she tried to help the former Gold Ranger.

~A bond of love and friendship,~ he realised.

He had underestimated the closeness these Rangers felt and the anger they would feel if one of their number was hurt. He decided it would be wise to end his mission swiftly and retreat to a safe place where he could study and then destroy these Gem Coin Rangers. But he had enough power to finish the Gold Ranger first.

He practically screamed as he poured all of his hate into the spell, which was one of the oldest spells known and feared by forces of good and evil. It was also among the oldest and most difficult to conjure. When struck by the spell served only one purpose: to kill. When cast it ordered the body to die through whatever means possible. It could be a heart attack or the simultaneous shattering of every bone and organ in the victim's body. One thing was certain, the spell when cast was deadly unless blocked. Against an already crippled and almost powerless victim death was certain.

"Jason!" Kat cried, kicking a blob in his direction.

The blob enlarged to four times its normal size as it moved in front of the fallen Ranger. Its properties meant that it absorbed most of the lethal spell, but not enough to prevent it from striking Jason and causing his condition to worsen. But now Arcana had to face something few had witnessed but all feared: a furious Pink Ranger.

Kat was a gentle person and never deliberately set out to hurt anybody. Even when she had been under Rita's spell it had taken constant enforcement from Rita's spell before Kat had tried to hurt the Rangers. And since the day she had used the memory of all she had done to shrug off the spell and to resist all attempts by Rita to replace it. Like most human she felt emotions, but rarely pure rage.

There certain exist stereotypes when dealing with Rangers. Black Rangers were often the more playful members of the team while Red Rangers were considered to make the best battle commanders. For the most part Pink Rangers were considered as healers who reached out to help those in pain. But that was only part of the story. Pink Rangers didn't just feel the need to help those in pain, they hated to see others in pain and fought to do whatever they could to stop the pain. Kat's Gem Coin powers were unstable, but she was still a Pink Ranger. Unable to do anything to help Jason her rage found another outlet: the being who had caused that pain.

"Pink Flash!" she yelled.

A burst of energy passed directly through her, emerging from her palms. There was a painfully bright flash that caused all present to turn their heads as she threw the energy towards Arcana. The spell weaver saw the attack coming, recovered from his shock and fled.

Arcana was not stupid. Even as the energy disk approached the place where he was fighting with Tanya he started to retreat. But the energy made contact at the same time that Tanya hit him with her own energised fist. The explosion that followed ripped open the pocket dimension as Tanya, Jason, Kat and Arcana were abruptly returned to Earth.

Angel Grove

The Rangers had been searching for Jason, Kat and Tanya since the three had disappeared. They had had limited success and their efforts had been undermined by Minion sending one monster after the other to distract them.

So when Sam sensed a sudden burst of magical energy, he immediately sought it out. He could sense Kat and Tanya as they fought something. He sensed a third signature that he recognised as an almost nonexistent Jason.

"Dragon Zord!"

He teleported to their location, hoping that he could get there before one of his friends was killed. When he arrived, he discovered that he was already too late. Jason lay unmoving while Tanya and Kat pummelled the man Sam assumed to be the culprit. He watched as Tanya summoned the power of her Gem Coin and blasted the wizard. He disappeared amid the explosion of energy.

Sam was already moving as Kat and Tanya collapsed from exhaustion. He drew his sword but there was nothing left for him to fight. The two Rangers had already finished the job without him. Then he looked at Jason and realised he needed to get them to the Power Chamber immediately.

Gathering the three Rangers together he teleported.

Jason was walking toward what seemed to be a cloud of darkness, but he knew it was nothingness, oblivion. He was surprised. He had expected to see the after life. He had been told that all his life, but no, what he faced was oblivion. And though he wanted to live, he was too tired to fight on. He welcomed it; it would end his pain, his agony.

"Ai-yi-yi, Rangers, we were so worried," Alpha exclaimed as Tanya and Kat returned to the Power Chamber and practically collapsed. Sam appeared next, in his arms was Jason's motionless body.

"Zordon, he needs help!" Sam said. With all the stress Sam sounded more like Tommy than he intended. Fortunately the others were too focussed on the former leader of the Power Rangers to notice the slip in their comrade's composure.

Alpha scurried around and soon had Jason on one of the medical beds where he had spent several days during the failure of his Gold Ranger powers. Electrodes were attached to the boy's chest and quickly put their minds at ease; he was alive, but barely.

"Arcana poisoned him," Tanya said. While the others had been watching Alpha, she had taken the time to explain to Zordon. "He said it was a magical virus."

"Alpha, scan Jason for signs of a spell," Zordon instructed.

Alpha did as he was told while Zordon turned his attention to the other three. The Green Ranger's expression was unreadable although he sensed there had been some strain involved in teleporting to and from wherever they were held. In the end he gave up, no doubt his powers were already recharging anyway.

Tanya and Kat were another story though. Both had demorphed and had had some of their own energy stolen by the Blobs. They would recover, but their bodies were exhausted and in desperate need of rest. He could have used a portion of his energy to revitalise them, but some things were better left to occur naturally.

It took a few minutes to convince them, but after explaining Jason's absences to his parents and thanking Sam for his help, Tanya and Kat teleported away.

"Don't you leave us Jason," Kat warned as she kissed his forehead.

Tanya copied the sentiment before she added a silent prayer. "Please God, send Jason home."

"Be strong Jase," Tommy whispered.

Zordon sighed as he realised it was going to be another long night, but the health of his Rangers came first and Zordon knew he would be unable to sleep unless he was certain his first Red Ranger was safe; the mentor had lost count of how many sleepless nights he had experienced during the time that Kimberly had lost her Power Coin. He sighed again as he settled down to work.

He did not remember anything after his fight with Arcana. By the time his body touched the ground he had already been absorbed by the darkness. As the Green Ranger lifted him to teleport, death had already overwhelmed him. He remained unaware until now, as he faced the blackness of nothingness before him. He was walking slowly toward nothingness when he heard a faint sound. It seemed to be a voice behind him, but he couldn't be sure.

Then he recognised Kat's voice, calling him back, begging him to fight for his life and to hold on until Zordon finds a cure. Tanya was there too; he could sense her although he didn't know how. And of course Zordon, how could he miss Zordon? The light of his voice was dazzling and for a moment the darkness retreated from sight as the fourth voice told him to keep fighting; Tommy had spoken.

~But how can I hear them if I am dead?~

Was that to be his punishment for whatever sins he had committed? Or perhaps Arcana's final revenge; this was his hell. A demon with the voices of those he loved, speaking the words that they all knew. Rangers are a family and they loved each other like a family. Hell's flames would have been better than such a torture! But the voice continued and he realised that no demon could speak with those voices. There was love in those words and no demon could feel love. Suddenly, he turned from the black nothingness and with all his being he ran away from it. With his total being, he fought against entering the nothingness of death. He had to live because the Rangers loved him and he would do anything not to hurt them. He refused to surrender to death.

The Power Chamber  
Next Day

The Rangers waited patiently while Alpha and Zordon studied the results of the tests they had performed the previous night. Jason's condition had not improved, but it had not deteriorated further. That was something the Rangers and their mentor were grateful for. As time had passed though Tanya had grown tired of waiting and eventually she decided something had to be done.

"Zordon, how long will this take?"

Zordon sensed the impatience in Tanya's tone, but knew better than to rush and make a mistake. The scans had been quite revealing and despite their first thoughts, the so-called magical virus was not all that it appeared to be,

"We are almost finished," Zordon boomed. "Alpha, use the computer to find a cure."

"Do you know what is wrong with him?" Rocky asked hopefully.

"Yes," Zordon replied. "Jason has been infected with the Bibellic Virus. It is a rare but deadly virus that lies dormant for several days before it strikes and kills its victim."

"Arcana used a Wrath Spell to immobilise Jason," Alpha continued. "With the spell in place the virus would have started immediately and Jason would have easily succumbed to the illness."

"Can you cure him?" Kat asked.

There was a long silence and the Rangers had the impression that Zordon was struggling to decide what to them. Finally he spoke.

"The cure cannot be found on Earth. Only on the planet Crystal could a cure be found."

"So we'll have to go to Crystal," Tommy said.

"No Tommy," Zordon said. "If you all go, Minion will be able to conquer the Earth before you return. Kat and Tanya will journey to Crystal while the rest of you protect this world from attack."

"He's right Tommy," Adam told him. "This is the only way."

This was not a good sign. The Red, Green and Blue Gem Coin Rangers were being kept busy, fighting off recreated monsters from Rita and Mondo's forces while Kat and Tanya tried to help Jason.

"We'll have to hurry back," Kat said after a moment of thought. Then another question presented itself. "Zordon, can we teleport there?"

"I am afraid not," Zordon replied. "Crystal is in a state of constant flux due to the damage to its core."

He didn't say more and hoped the Rangers would not push him further. Crystal was a doomed world that had been abandoned by most of its inhabitants. Beneath the surface a swarm of maggot like creatures called Blibs were consuming the world from the inside out. At first they had been kept under control by the strange properties of the Blue Crystal Rose, the cure for Jason's illness. Unfortunately the planet had fallen foul of a villain by the name of Scorpius with a little off planet help from the wicked Count Dregon, who had a habit of destroying those worlds he intended to conquer if Edenoi was a typical example, and the magical flower had been all but destroyed. In fact only one place remained where the flower could grow, a last defence against the all-consuming hunger of the Blibs. And should that last place be destroyed, Zordon knew it would be a matter of time before the planet disintegrated and all hope of finding a cure was lost.

Unfortunately the constant consumption of the planet's core had caused a series of changes to its axis and rotation. With the random gravity variations such changes caused it was impossible to guarantee that a teleport attempt could be successful. At the same time any attempt to return would be foiled by the atmosphere. Unlike the Desert of Despair where the Rangers had had a small chance of returning, teleporting to Crystal was just suicide.

He could see the dismay on their faces as their only realistic hope of saving their comrade faded. Fortunately Zordon had already found an alternative, an alternative he had intended to reveal to them in the future. For now though his plans would have to wait.

"Alpha, prepare the Earth's Fire for launch."

"The Earth's Fire?" Tanya repeated.

"After the Rangers journeyed to Edenoi, I realised they needed the means to travel off-planet. The idea was still in its early stage when Billy journeyed to Aquitar to help against the Hydro Contaminators. The events concerning his return convinced me to complete the project. I present to you the Earth's Fire."

"Wow!" That about summed up their thoughts as the Viewing Globe revealed the massive space cruiser. "Is that a Zord?"

"No," Zordon told them. "I designed the Earth's Fire to act primarily as a transport for interplanetary operations."

"Ai-yi-yi, a Zord?" Alpha exclaimed in amusement. "Zordon's first idea was to convert Titanus for space…"

"Alpha, is the Earth's Fire prepared?" Zordon asked quickly.

"Yes Zordon," Alpha replied, suddenly aware of Zordon's displeasure. Zordon considered had considered the modified Carrier Zord an essential part of his Master Plan, regardless of how ridiculous it looked when they had finished the modifications. Sadly he was beginning to suspect that the careful manoeuvring he had performed over the last few years had been made irrelevant by the appearance of Minion. That didn't mean his plan would not come to pass, just that it would be difficult to achieve.

"The Earth's Fire will take you to Crystal. I have loaded the flight procedures into your helmets."

Alpha scurried around making the final preparations. Eventually they hoped to create a basic controller for the ship that any Ranger could use whether morphed or powered down. For now though they had to rely on the Power enhanced reflexes of the Rangers to do the job.

"The journey will take two days," Zordon told them. "You will then have one day to find the cure and another two days to return."

"Five days," Kat said. "How do we explain that to my parents?"

Tanya had been living with Kat and her family since arriving in Angel Grove and had been accepted by both her parents and sister as part of the family. Both girls looked at Zordon and waited for him to tell them what they knew they had to do.

"You will need to tell your parents where you are going," the White Morphin Master agreed. "If you are forced to you may also reveal your secret."

"Maybe not," Tanya said. "Maybe we just need to arrange a visit to Aunt Ashalla."

The comment made sense. Ashalla knew about Tanya's identity and had kept in touch with Tanya by mail. With the correct timing it would be easy to get the older woman to help them.

"Very well," Zordon agreed, glad that they had avoided unnecessary disclosure.

While Tanya and Kat teleported away to set things up, Zordon turned his attention to the injured Jason. The boy's life was in the hands of his fellow Rangers and worse still, a flower that might not exist anymore.

Two Days Later

Darkness, stretching out in all directions… as far as the eye could see, an endless expanse of nothingness. How long had it been? Here, in this dreamlike state, time had seemingly ceased to exist. Seconds passed like minutes, or perhaps minutes passed as seconds? Nothing made sense anymore. Here he was forced to stay, as his mind weaved in and out of memories and dreams. But it had been so long, the difference between truth and fiction was fast becoming nearly indistinguishable.

But suddenly, his surroundings changed. He became lost in a whirlwind of colour and noise. Millions of sounds seemed to compress into one loud and bizarre echo. He dropped to his knees as he covered his ears tightly. The sound, it was unbearable.

He braced himself ready for the attack he had learnt to expect. It was becoming a normal part of his routine, first the noise would sound and then the attack would come. His mind couldn't comprehend the true essence of what his eyes told him, so it simplified it to a form he could understand; a creature of darkness with sharp fangs, no face and a touch that froze his lungs. So far he had been lucky, but with each attempt Jason grew weaker and whatever it was became real.

"Zordon?" Kat asked nervously. The communicator remained silent for a while.

"Alpha, you must sedate him…"

"Ai-yi-yi…"

The static cleared occasionally as the screen flashed from the explosions. The noise carried over the communicator and then it was silent again.

"Zordon?" Kat asked again.

The slightly battered form of Alpha Five appeared on the screen and it took Kat a few minutes to realise that the small robot was not in the Power Chamber.

"Sorry Rangers," he said. He sounded nervous. "Jason had…"

"Alpha!" Zordon boomed.

"Everything's fine now," Alpha said after talking to Zordon for a moment. "Jason just had a nightmare."

Kat smiled, relieved to know they were all right, although she knew Alpha had been holding something back. There had been a nasty if rather comical dent in the machine's head.

At the Power Chamber Alpha sighed as he shutoff the remote Viewing Globe and turned back towards the war zone that had once been the Power Chamber. Jason's small nightmare had somehow caused the unconscious youth to access his powers, morph and fight an enemy that existed only in his mind. In his delusional state he had struck out at anything including Alpha. Eventually they had found a way to demorph him and Alpha had quickly sedated him.

Zordon had witnessed the events while unable to intervene. He had ordered Alpha to secure the former Red Ranger within a force field once the talk with Tanya and Kat had ended. The power had been amazing if deadly. Zordon had clearly seen the powers change as Jason had fought and as they had done so, so had Jason's actions.

So it had been an easy decision once things had calmed down to ensure Jason was restricted within the force field. There was still the question though of just whom or what the boy had believed he was fighting.

"Alpha how are the other Rangers progressing?" Zordon asked.

They had all wanted to accompany Kat and Tanya, but in the end that had not been feasible. Today they were in battle against a large worm.

Planet Crystal

The landing had not been bad, but scrambling free of the wreckage had been difficult. Still, Billy had managed.

"Zordon, Alpha, can you hear me?" he called, hoping his communicator would reach Earth. There was silence.

With a sigh he made to explore his temporary home when he saw somebody ahead of him.

"Oh it's you," he said, relief crossing his face. "What are you doing here?" He was too far away to be heard though. One thing was certain, he was saved.

He could still hear Kat's voice, begging him to come back, telling him how much they loved him, and asking God to send him back. The black nothingness of death was behind him now, but still pulling him toward oblivion. The virus was still acting even though he wanted to live more than anything; his wants had very little bearing on how events played out. He felt he was caught in a struggle between life and death. He was in that struggle and the outcome was not at all clear to him. It seemed that he was in a timeless place where the drama of life and death could go on forever. He felt himself growing weak in his struggle to live. The virus wanted death, wanted death too strongly.

Yet, every time the blackness seemed to be getting the upper hand, he could hear Kat and Tanya calling him back, if not their words, pleading with him, pleading to the God for his life. He could feel Zordon's presence near him, he could even feel his touch, a touch that seemed like a burning fire on ice, the coldness of death lay over his whole body. That he could even feel Zordon's touch was a sign of how near to death he had become for even if he wanted to, Zordon could never touch anyone.

Finally he sank, exhausted, knowing that the blackness would overcome him. He cried: he cried because of his cowardice; he cried for his lost life. He cried for all those he could not protect and his fellow Rangers who would be forced to carry on in his absence. He prayed that should he die they would know that he wanted them to carry on.

Then his awareness was swallowed into oblivion.

Slowly the darkness disappeared, displaced by the light that seeped in slowly at first, but then with increasing speed. The intensity of the light grew stronger and stronger, aided by the impeccably white surroundings.

Jason watched these changes, but saw nothing. He seemed almost to be in some sort of trance. When the transformation finally ceased, he fell down on the ground, but awoke with a start. He had no recollection of anything. Stranger still was his ignorance of the fact that he was still only in a dream. To him, everything that transpired now was real.

He shivered. ~It's so cold, ~ he thought drowsily to himself. He stood up slowly, and finally discovered the reason behind the frosty temperature. Everywhere around him was covered thickly with snow. He brushed the snow off his back quickly as surveyed his surroundings.

"Where am I?" he voiced his thoughts aloud. So far it seemed that he was alone. He shivered again, shying away from the arctic wind that blew past him. He couldn't think how he had gotten there. It confused and scared him that he couldn't remember anything.

The snow crunched beneath his shoes as he continued forward. ~I wish I knew where I was going,~ he thought. He really had no choice but to go forward.

He rubbed his arms vigorously in an attempt to keep warm. Jeans and a sleeveless shirt were not exactly an optimal outfit for keeping warm on a wintry day in the arctic weather. Still, he trekked forward through the snow slowly, but with increasing difficulty as the drifts were becoming deeper and deeper.

He stopped in place as he looked up at the sky. Dark clouds were rolling in from the south, eclipsing the sun, which seemed to radiate no warmth, only the blinding light reflected by the snow. As of now it was not snowing, and he hoped it would remain as such. Being caught in a snowstorm was not his idea of fun.

He looked back down, but he realised something was wrong. So very wrong.

A chilling fear, colder than the wintry temperature, gripped him as he stared at the snow. It was no longer white. Somehow it had changed to a shade of red. Only one reason presented itself to him, one he didn't he didn't want to believe, and one that he refused to acknowledge as a possibility.

He finally forced herself to step forward and follow the scarlet trail. ~Nothing's wrong,~ he told to himself. ~It can't be. Everything is fine,~ he lied to himself. But even he didn't believe his own lie. He knew he wouldn't feel so terrified if everything was indeed fine.

The shade of the snow became darker and darker red, crimson in colour. But still, the source remained unknown.

Moments later, his search was over. He found what she was looking for or more importantly, who he was looking for.

"T-Tanya," his voice quivered as he spoke. His eyes were wide, his expression terrified.

She was laying face down in the snow, but the scarlet trail ended where she was.

"Oh god," he whimpered. "Tanya."

He dropped down to his knees in the snow. This was too much. It was too much for him.

"Tanya, wake up," he pleaded, crawling closer to her.

The body remained motionless and it was only the beginning; he knew there were more bodies to find. He found Alpha not too far away, the little android's head dented beyond recognition. He was afraid to touch him, but knew that whether he did so or not it would make little difference. Alpha was gone. The glass the machine held in his battered hand was all that Jason expected to find of Zordon, he was wrong.

And finally Kat, beautiful Kat, the light of his best friend's world, lay motionless with her uniform torn to shreds. He reached out to touch her and wished he had remained still. Kat's skin was like ice.

He ran no longer wanting to see them, trying to make himself believe he had not seen them. If he didn't know, then he could pretend that nothing was wrong. He could pretend that they were fine. Pretend that nothing was wrong.

As he ran, he finally reached him and the sight brought him to his knees once more. Zordon of Eltare lay lifeless before him. There was no noble warrior, just the head that the Rangers had long associated with their mentor. He stared for a moment, his eyes huge. He drew a quivery breath before reaching out to him. Immediately he retracted his hand. He was cold, so very cold.

"Zordon," he repeated insistently. "Zordon, wake up. I need you." His voice broke in the middle of the sentence. At last he reached out to him again. He pulled him over gently. He bit his lip hard as he struggled to keep from crying. ~Tanya, Kat, Alpha and Zordon, all gone. Why bother to fight anymore? ~

"This is not happening," he repeated to himself over and over again. He buried his face in his hands. "This is not happening."

And as he sat there despairing he failed to see the blackness that once more threatened to consume him.

The ship plummeted from space, through the atmosphere of the small planet.

"Hold on to something!" Tanya shouted over the noise of the ship.

"I-I'm t-t-trying t-to," stuttered Kat as the ship vibrated violently. They should have taken a seat and buckled up a while ago, but the sudden descent had come much more quickly than they had anticipated and had caught them both by surprise.

They braced themselves for the impact that would inevitably strike the ship as they landed, but it did not come. Zordon had built the Earth's Fire well and at the last moment it stopped and gently settled on the surface. Even so after the shock of free fall the stop had its own effects. Kat lost her grip on the chair she had been clinging to frantically and was knocked back against the door of the control room.

"Ow!" she exclaimed indignantly. Tanya, however, had managed to stay standing and was already surveying the land around them through the window. ~No fair,~ thought Kat, ~why am I always the one who falls?~ Though that wasn't entirely true, Adam was klutzier than she was at times. ~But then how many times has Adam called Tommy for help?~

"Come on," Tanya prompted in her usual manner. "Let's go."

"Yeah, yeah, I know," muttered Kat as she stood up slowly, rubbing the back of her head.

She moved to the console and checked the atmosphere outside. When it appeared safe, Tanya punched a few buttons on a panel near the door, opening it. She stepped outside cautiously, but as far as she could tell, there was nothing wrong.

Kat appeared next to her a moment later.

"Not bad," she commented as she noticed how the ship had landed. "We're not going to get far on foot though."

True enough the landscape was filled with chasms caused by the destruction of the planet's core.

"Cyber Sliders, online!" Tanya called, referring to the hovering skateboards Alpha had placed in the storage bay.

By mutual agreement they took off in opposite directions. They didn't know where to start looking but they at least knew that it had to be someplace where plants could grow.

"Any ideas as to where we should look?" questioned Tanya over her communicator.

"Um… maybe near some water," suggested Kat. It stood to reason that for a flower to survive there must be a source of water somewhere.

"Good idea," acknowledged Tanya. They continued in silence. At least now they knew what to look for, a river, a lake, some other source of water. At least they had something to go on.

Five hours later, the search for water continued. At first glance, the planet had appeared rather small, but it had proven itself to be large enough to slow their expedition tremendously. They had reunited and taken to flying over the arid, desert-like terrain quickly.

"Hey look!" shouted Kat, excitedly.

"What is it?" questioned Tanya, hopefully.

"There, see?" replied Kat, pointed towards the east. "See it? There looks like there's a forest there or something."

"Hey, you're right!"

They picked up their speed considerably and reached the forest-like area quickly. Tanya remained hovering high over it for a moment as she took in the surroundings. The forest stretched only a limited distance, maybe five miles on each side, surrounded on all sides by more of the desert area.

"It's got to be here," she reasoned to herself.

"See anything?" called out Kat from below.

"No. Let's split up," suggested Tanya.

"All right. We'll meet back here in two hours," said Kat as she wandered into the forest by herself. They would cover more ground this way than they would if they searched together.

Tanya slowly dropped to the ground, surveying the land around her as she descended. She saw a waterfall a short distance away, and that was where she was headed.

She walked silently through the forest, taking in everything in a glance. There seemed to be no other form of life on this planet. They had seen absolutely no traces of any sort of life besides the vegetation that was so scarce. But then again, the planet's climate seemed hostile towards supporting life. The heat was stifling, and excluding this forest, there was no shade anywhere.

That had not always been the case. The files on the Earth's Fire had revealed how Crystal had once been a popular world to visit filled with many types of wildlife.

For some reason, walking through the forest alone like this reminded her of the first day Jason had gone to school with them after returning from the Peace Conference. She smiled at the memory. He had been so lost about everything, clueless really. So much had changed since the days when he had been there with Zack and Trini. Kat remembered it had been the first time Jason had looked remotely vulnerable. But he did exceptionally well at fitting in and he excelled at the schoolwork itself, which was rather surprising considering that the time he had spent away from regular study.

But then Jason was not the shy type and very little phased him for long. It had taken a few days but by the end of the first week he had reacquainted himself with many of his old friends and his relationship with Tommy and Billy had seemed stronger than ever.

Tanya continued searching the flora of the forest carefully, but she could see nothing that resembled a rose. In fact, there seemed to be no flowers at all. Nonetheless, she continued forward resolutely. Moments later she reached the waterfall.

The water roared as it fell upon the rocks below. The noise was deafening, but Tanya finally saw something that assured her that she was headed in the right direction. Near the base of the waterfall were small yellowish flowers.

"Yes," she celebrated to himself. She considered leaving to look for Kat, but decided against it as she had no way of knowing if the flower really was nearby.

And so for the next hour she searched, and searched, and searched, and searched. Still, she couldn't find it.

"This doesn't make sense," she spoke to herself. "It has to be around here somewhere."

If only Zordon had given them more information to go on, but they still hadn't been able to contact him again.

Tanya stood still for a moment as she considered what to do next. She had searched everywhere at the base of the waterfall as well as the area at the top of the cascade, and she had come up empty. There had to be somewhere she wasn't looking. Someplace she hadn't checked yet. ~Perhaps somewhere where the flower would be safe from those who would steal it?~ The computer had revealed that the roots of the flower were capable of restoring the planet in time. ~It's a shame time might not be on the flower's side.~

She flew up close to the waterfall, the water quickly soaking her Cyber Slider. Something had caught her attention, and she wasn't about to let a little water stop her.

Behind the waterfall was a small cave, shallow enough to be sufficiently lit by the light that shone through the water.

"It has to be here," she repeated to herself, as she slipped behind the waterfall and into the mouth of the cave. The air felt damp and humid, but there were a few species of flowers that he no yet seen growing within the cave. Finally in the deepest corner of the cave s he saw a ray of light, and at last he found the flower she sought.

"Tired, tired, tired," repeated Kat to herself as she walked forward numbly. She felt as though she had been walking for ages. It wouldn't have been nearly so bad if it hadn't been so very hot. Even the trees couldn't lessen the blazing temperature much. Neither Kat nor Tanya had noticed how thin the Oxygen had become.

It had been nearly seven hours since they had left their ship. She had nothing to show for her long search and was now making her way back. She could only hope that Tanya had been more successful.

Kat tilted her head back to observe the sky. There were two suns in the sky, and presumably there were still more elsewhere on the planet. The suns of this planet were closer than the sun was to the earth; thus making the temperature much higher than it usually was on earth. And on top of that, there was not a cloud in the sky.

Finally she made it back to the spot where they had agreed to meet. There was no sign of Tanya yet, a good indication that just maybe she was close to finding it.

Then, Kat heard the leaves rustle somewhere nearby. She tensed immediately. They had seen no traces of anything living besides the vegetation, and there was no wind blowing. Something else must have made that noise.

BOING!

Kat screamed.

Fifteen minutes after she had entered the cave; Tanya was leaving with a handful of the flowers. She wasn't sure how many they would need or even what part of the flower they needed, but she would rather have too many than not enough. She had made sure that there were enough left to survive.

The Blue Flowers of Crystal did have a striking resemblance to a rose except for being blue. She assumed that the flower had no thorns because there was nothing to protect itself from on this planet. It had been growing underneath a beam of light that was let in through a small opening on the roof of the cave. She had missed the small hole while she had been exploring the area at the top of the waterfall. No doubt the flower had needed both a good deal of water and sunlight to survive.

Tanya continued on her way back in good spirits. She couldn't wait to show Kat that she had found the flower. It had taken them much less time than they had expected to find it, and now they could head back. If all went well, they would be back with plenty of time to spare.

Tanya counted back the days in her mind quickly, and was happy with the result.

~Now all we have to do is get home,~ thought Tanya.

Then she heard Kat scream.

Later, it had to have been later, but time meant nothing in this place, he became aware again. He could see the blackness of death was still in this place with him, but it seemed farther away than before. He still felt the iciness of death throughout his body, but somewhere within; there was a glow, a spot of warmth. He felt nothing beyond the coldness and the tiny warm glow, the tiny spark of life within. He didn't know how, because he could feel nothing outside himself, but he knew that something had changed. Kat and Tanya had left to find something to help him and that had given him the strength to fight once more.

He started to relax his vigil against the blackness and it started advancing again. Once again, all the strength left in him focussed on running from death to life. He willed himself to keep going, to keep running, to crawl if need be, to escape that blackness. He fought until he had once again left the blackness behind and, once again, sank into the place of unawareness. But he was not dead yet! There was still hope that if he struggled hard enough, he could escape death and return to the Land of the Living. Power Rangers did not die that easily.

Kat listened warily for another sound. A full minute had passed since he had last heard anything, and she was beginning to wonder whether her mind was playing tricks on him. But she was certain she had seen something and that it had not been friendly.

BOING!

This time she was certain she heard it and that it was going to crush her.

"Behold the Stomper!" the thing said.

Kat stared at the blue skinned creature for a moment as she tried to decide what it was. Its head, neck and shoulders were covered in silver armour, its body was red and its legs green. It crouched and then leapt into the air. When it landed the ground quaked.

"I stomp you!"

BOING!

"Zeo Ranger I - Crane!" Kat called.

She barely moved as the Stomper crashed through her Cyber Slider. Powered by the Gem Coin, Kat started a deadly game of hit and run as she used her Gem Coin Pistol to wear down the Stomper.

Something yellow flashed past as Tanya connected with her own move. The Stomper landed on his back and struggled to get back up, but like a crab he was stranded. The ground beneath opened under his weight and the trauma caused by his jumping. A moment later he had fallen into what remained of the molten core.

He became aware again. Who knew how long he had been unaware? There is no time in this place. As he looked about him, he discovered the blackness had drawn nearer than it had been when he lost awareness, but it was not nearly where it had been before his friends had given him strength. Once again - how did he know? He felt nothing, yet he did - he knew that Tanya had kissed him on the forehead. As her lips touched him, he felt a sudden surge of strength and the blackness immediately retreated. As Kat place her hand on his shoulder and began speaking - he still could not make out the words, but the message was clear - he looked ahead and saw, not blackness and not light, but a greyness that seemed to have substance.

The noise took both Rangers by surprise and they spun around trying to find the source.

"Who's there?" Pink Gem Coin asked uncertainly. But if the source of the noise were some inhabitant of Planet Crystal, then they would most likely be unable to understand her even with the Power to act as a translator. In any case, she had to at least try to find out what had made the noise.

"Kat, head's up!" called out Tanya as she suddenly appeared above Kat on her Cyber Slider. She had decided the easiest way to see was to get an aerial view.

"Hey did you just hear something?" asked Kat. She didn't wait for an answer however because she caught sight of the blue flowers Tanya carried. "You found it?"

"You bet," answered Tanya, "just a few minutes ago."

"Where'd you find it?" asked Kat. "I looked all over the place - everywhere - but I couldn't even find any flowers."

"Find what?" asked a familiar voice. "Of course the Blue Rose of Crystal requires four substantial ingredients to ensure successful cultivation. Water, Fertiliser, Soil and the Pot made by a Morphin Master to focus the magical powers of the planet. The flower requires intense bursts of solar energy and liquid refreshment. And might I add…"

Kat's eyes grew wide as he turned around. ~It can't be,~ she thought. The look of surprise on Kat's face showed just how unexpected this turn of events was. She had thought of her friend frequently since he had left them, but never expected him to be here.

"BILLY!" Kat and Tanya cried as they embraced their former comrade.

"What are you doing here?" questioned Kat, astounded.

"Tanya, Kat?" Billy grinned as he recognised his friends, "I was just floating by and thought I'd drop in." He looked them over. "What are you wearing?"

"But I thought - weren't you - how did you -" Kat tried to ask, but the many questions came out incomplete.

"Whoa, slow down there," laughed Billy.

Kat grinned sheepishly as she tried again, "I thought you were still on Aquitar. How did you know?"

Billy's face changed and a look of anger could be detected for a few seconds. He recovered quickly though.

"Aquitar has been attacked," he said finally. "I managed to escape and ended up here. Now, why are you here?"

They filled him in and Billy's face fell.

"We need to get this back to him. Unless you want to stay here longer."

"No!" answered Kat and Tanya hurriedly.

Billy chuckled. He pulled out a strange controller and pressed a few buttons. The Earth's Fire could be seen flying over the horizon under perfect control. "Multifunction remote control," he told them as he took their hands and the three of them teleported to the Earth's Fire, which then left Crystal for home.

He knew that he was alive and would live when sheer terror struck him. He felt as though a steel band had been placed around his chest. He couldn't breathe! Some demon had been torturing him with the belief that he was going to live. Now he would die! All his dreams, all his struggles were just that, dreams, foolish dreams. He fell to the ground, tears streaming, but not weeping since he couldn't breathe. As hard as he tried, he could not get his lungs to pull air into his body. He heard the darkness laughing.

He felt himself floating and as he stared down he could see his body on the bed. He tried to go back, but his way was blocked. All he felt was pain as if fire ants were consuming him. As he pulled away, the ants ceased their attack. He tried again, but couldn't get past the pain, which grew steadily worse the longer he tried to return. Desperate to end the pain, he retreated, but that was no longer an option.

Blocking his retreat was a large black scale with huge scales and sharp fangs. Its eyes were emerald green. He turned to run, but a swift swipe from its tail knocked him to the ground.

The scene changed. No longer was he in the Power Chamber; he was in a large garden surrounded by plants and trees. It was the perfect hiding ground for a snake.

His instinct to survive took over as he seized a large log and wielded it like a club. He looked around nervously, waiting for it to strike. When it did, it came not from the side, but from below. The snake burst through the ground and tried to catch Jason off guard. The former Red Ranger moved in time, but the fangs tore into his clothes and he was hurled into the air.

Jason landed hard on his leg, the impact causing fruit to fall from a nearby tree. He swiftly jammed the log into the snake's mouth as it tried to catch him a second time. He rolled uncomfortably as the log shattered into splinters and sprayed towards him. The snake seemed to howl in pain as several pieces on the log jammed in its tongue.

"Yyyyyouuu cannnnot esssssss-cape meeeeeee Jassssss-on," it hissed.

Its tail swiped at his legs again and there was a loud crack from his left knee. Jason howled as he struggled to remain upright. His scream grew louder as the tail wrapped around him and squeezed.

"Jason!"

He knew Tommy's voice even in this strange place. He looked for his friend but only for a moment; the snake's squeezing was occupying most of his attention.

Then he saw them, Tommy and Trey, ready to help him. They raised their hands and lightning streaked towards him; Tommy fired green lightning while Trey unleashed bolts of gold lightning. The pain he had felt from the snake was nothing compared to the pain Tommy and Trey inflicted. The lightning continued until he felt he couldn't take it anymore. If he had been alive, he would have morphed, but he was dead and the lightning continued.

A few more bolts and Jason couldn't take anymore. His body bursting with the excess electrical energy, his anger and will to win never higher, he knew he couldn't give up.

"Gold Ranger Power!"

He morphed.

Somehow Tommy and Trey had given Jason the means to fight on. The pain they had inflicted had caused his body to transform. The Power flowed into him, overloading him for an instant before the safeguards triggered his powers.

The snake hissed loudly and tightened its grip. Despite having a sword Jason couldn't use it due to the position of his arms. As strong as he was when morphed, he couldn't break free. He just wasn't strong enough. He could feel the pain in his head from the overload he had subjected it to. He was short of time and desperate, the coils were growing tighter by the second. With nothing to lose he threw his sword towards the ground and was rewarded when it pierced the snake's tail. For a moment the pressure ceased and he was able to free fall to the ground.

He swiftly retrieved his broadsword now he was able to use it. As the snake attacked again, he ducked and drove his sword into its throat. The snake exploded and Jason was returned to the darkness.

Minion's Island, Gulf of Mexico

The installation was complete and the charging of Serpenterra's new reactor had started. Venjix it seemed had developed an amazing knowledge of the machine as he had helped Bronzo upgrade some of Zedd's more antiquated technology. Most magical wielding villains did not both themselves with technology. It was easy for Minion to see why.

Minion was pleased with the progress he had made. The delay had been unfortunate, but sending Arcana to battle the Rangers and keeping the rest of the team off balance had meant that they had not benefited from his misfortune. And in the meantime he had been able to set yet another plan into motion.

~ Let them continue to believe they won this round, when the time is right they will discover that Minion doesn't lose unless Minion desires to lose.~

"You have done well, Arcana," he said, looking over the battered wizard. He suspected the Rangers thought they had seen the last of the spell weaver. How wrong they were. "Now, go and get cleaned up. Minion has other business to attend to."

**End**

Disclaimer: I do not own the Power Rangers; they belong to their respective copyright owners and are used here without permission. No money is being made from this fic.  
Authors Note: This is an alternate universe from the television show with an alternate timeline.

**Fall of an Order**

Triforia

The system had changed since the fatal day when the peace of the Triforian System and the once proud Royal Family had been destroyed. Although it was a matter of days, maybe a few weeks at most on Earth, time on Triforia passed at a faster pace; the uprising had occurred almost five months ago. The King was dead, the Queen and both her daughters placed under protective custody, which in reality was house arrest.

As far as the people of Triforia were aware, the uprising had been a coup attempt by Trey, the heir to the throne and current Gold Ranger; news broadcasts had told the tragic tale of how he had been corrupted by the Earthlings he had become involved with. He had hired an invasion force consisting of mercenaries paid to usurp the King and place a puppet government led by his mother on the throne.

How Trey had managed to subvert the Queen of Triforia and his sisters was unknown, but for the protection of the people the three women had been placed in the custody of the government.

Indeed, according to the news networks and official sources, the people had been lucky that the King's adopted son had uncovered Trey's plot and taken steps to intervene. In doing so he had saved the people of Triforia. Terr or King Terr as he preferred to be known, had chased the invaders from his world and seen to it that Trey had been taken into custody. Even though he had been begged to assume the role as king, he had refused until Trey had been made to see the error of his ways and signed over power. So far Trey had not been willing to cooperate.

Of course while Trey was being rehabilitated, the system had been placed on high alert. The old Triforian regime had been reborn to quell any attempts by Trey's collaborators to threaten their society. Armed guardsmen, some of whom closely resembled the usurpers, patrolled the populated areas suppressing any intentions of treason. There had been many swift executions since Trey's arrest, but still the planet was no closer to crowning its new ruler.

It surprised Trent as he tried to sleep, that after all the Gold Ranger had done for his people, they had willingly turned on him. Few had been willing to question Terr's story and those who did were too scared to stand up against the real traitor. The Triforian Order, an illegal body of outcasts, who preferred the name: Triforian Guardians, had been handed the planet without a fight.

The Order was made up of murderers, rapists and soldiers guilty of crimes that would make Rita Repulsa sick. Terr was their leader, in some ways their most twisted member, and it was he who had murdered the King, before pinning the blame on the Gold Ranger.

Trey had been off-planet during the invasion and despite an attack that had forced Trent, Travis and Trey to split up. When Trent had arrived on Triforia, Terr had assumed he was Trey and having already provided false evidence, had ordered his imprisonment.

But Terr was not as clever as he believed and although he had made it his business to study the Earth, he had not studied Trey's activities while he was on the planet. Had he done so he would have known that Trey had been permanently split into the three manifestations of his soul. Instead of just Trey of Triforia, there were now Trey, Trent and Travis. While Trey had retained the qualities, memories and the behaviour that his people admired, Trent and Travis had evolved into their own beings. Of course with Travis and Trey missing, Terr was none-the-wiser and Trent had no intention of correcting the misunderstanding.

There was a good reason why Trent had not been given a swift trial followed by immediate execution. Terr wanted the Golden Power Staff, the symbol of the Gold Ranger powers. More importantly, he needed the forgiveness only a member of the Royal Family could give in order for his own claim on the throne to be accepted within the Galactic Council. Only the current holder of the staff could pass it to a successor. Otherwise, the Golden Power Staff would be sent to the Morphin Masters of Eltare to select a new avatar; there was no way the Morphin Council would choose Terr.

Not that Trent could hand over the Golden Power Staff anyway. The staff belonged to the Gold Ranger and that was not Trent. When they had been separated, the entire Gold Ranger powers had transferred to Trey and while in times of need Trent could call on the powers, he did not wish to do so.

That meant that no matter how much Terr threatened, persuaded or tortured his prisoner, Trent could never give in; of course it was fortunate Terr did not know the truth or Trent's life would have already ended.

Over the weeks Terr's most loyal servants had attempted to learn the secret of how to get the Golden Power Staff. Tristan, Trey's cousin and Terr's partner in crime had executed innocents in the hope that Trent's compassion would force him to reveal the answers. But Trent knew the horrors Terr had planned and compared to that, a few lives was the lesser of two evils. Neon, one of Terr's more violent cronies had used more direct means to extract the information. A large hammer Neon had repeatedly slammed into his knee had shattered Trent's leg. Greta, a hideously deformed hag, had used truth potions that were guaranteed to work, but had asked the wrong questions. And Valon, a sick and twisted former servant of the old king, had inflicted countless injuries on his prisoner, including a hole that had been burnt through Trent's hand.

The hope of release was gone and Trent wanted only death. In his powerless state he defied Terr by simply being unable to answer the fake king's questions.

"People of Triforia." Terr said, addressing the assembled people from the balcony and those watching from their homes. "I know that there are some of you are wondering why I have chosen to address you at this time. I do so bearing bad news for our people. When I was asked to become King of Triforia, I refused until such time that I had helped Trey to recognise his sins and correct some of the injustice he has caused."

There were some murmurs from the crowd, but as Terr's guards moved about, ready to pounce on any sign of insurrection they fell silent. Each guard held a heavy stun baton; a security precaution Terr had insisted on using whenever he addressed a crowd.

"I know many of you will be saddened to learn that the corruption of our beloved Trey is absolute. Not only did he orchestrate the deaths of his father and his own Ranger team; he has deliberately rendered Triforia's greatest defence inoperable. How, you might ask. I regret to tell you that Trey has corrupted the power of the Golden Power Staff to such an extent that only he can command it. He has refused to surrender the powers to our planet's defenders or even acknowledge his crimes. I am sorry that I have failed you."

As Terr had hoped, the crowd was outraged at the suggestion that Trey would leave them so vulnerable. Many started to boo the former Lord of Triforia until Terr held up his hand and the people quietened.

"But never let it be said that I do not try to grant the wishes of the people." Terr said with false modesty. "I have been unable to redeem Trey, but I will punish him for his actions. Trey will be executed as soon as it can be arranged. His rights and powers shall be stripped from him and as sanctioned by law, given to his cousin Tristan until such time that a new king can be appointed."

"Hail King Terr!" a peasant the Order had paid off shouted.

It was enough as slowly the other peasants picked up the chant.

"I will humbly accept your wishes if that is what you desire," Terr said. "When Trey has been punished, I will accept my role as your king."

Inside the Triforian Royal Chamber, Terr's allies Valon, Neon and Greta extended their greetings to Terr, congratulating him on a successful 'transition' of power.

"Well done your highness." Greta said. "No one can dispute your claim now."

"Thank you." Terr said. "A great idea of yours if I must say so Tristan. While only the king can abdicate the throne, an uncrowned king can be stripped of his position if the people agree. My first act will be to remove such ridiculous laws."

"Now Cousin," Tristan said. "That law was never intended to be used in that way and you know it. We are lucky that those who knew the law were amongst those you had executed. Besides, there are more important issues to be addressed. We will need an army to fight off any advances by the Council or the Alliance."

"It shall be done," Valon said. "Of course if we had the Golden Power Staff we could just wipe out both sides."

"And if you knew what I have discovered, you would not worry about the staff anymore. I have found a replacement weapon."

They had made a mistake and for the first time in ages Trent felt as if he had a chance. During one of the many torture sessions he had been forced to endure at the hands of his guards, a metal cane had been used on his shattered leg. The pain had been terrible, but the result had been favourable. When they had left the cell they had forgotten to take the cane with them and although he was chained, he was able to reach the piece of metal.

It had been designed to inflict pain and as such, its thickness varied along the length. The tip was a very thin piece of wire intended to break the skin, while the rest grew thicker to deliver heavy blows. While the heavy end was a useful weapon, the tip was his ticket out of his shackles. He used the thin wire to pick the lock and after some very unsuccessful attempts, he managed to free his hands and then his ankles. He hobbled to the door, well aware of the nagging pain in his leg. He knew the odds of escaping were against him, but then he had no real intention of survival. His mission had changed when he had heard one of the guards mention Terr's plans. Now instead of escape his mission was to disable whatever weapon Terr had discovered before he could use it.

Trey had the Golden Power Staff and Pyramidas, which as Trent knew, was the most powerful weapon the Triforians possessed. However there were other weapons that could prove equally potent if Terr were allowed to use them. For a moment he remembered the stories his father had told him of a great space cannon built during the old times, which had later been hidden deep within Triforia's main sun. If that was the weapon that Terr had mentioned they were in serious trouble. Not only was the weapon capable of destroying anything in its path, the risk to Triforia itself was huge. Sadly Terr was in Trent's opinion crazy enough to attempt firing such a monstrous weapon.

He waited until the guards checked his cell, at which point he hid behind the door. When they noticed the empty shackles, the two men moved inside the door to investigate. Trent struck quickly, using the cane to stun one guard and his momentum to knock the other one to the ground. He picked up one of their weapons and used it to prevent them from waking up anytime soon. Then he used their personal teleporter keys to vanish from the cells and into the sewer system under the city.

Not all resistance had been crushed in the Triforia System. There were pockets of fighters loyal to the Royal Family who knew that Terr had been lying to them. They moved secretly, unable to speak outside of their own group through fear that Terr's spies would find them. They used their contacts on the other planets to monitor Terr's activities, but only attacked when lives were threatened.

Tresan was the leader of his resistance cell based right in the center of the Triforia capital. He was a former palace guard who had fled rather than face the death sentence that many of his fellow guards had received. He was responsible for collecting supplies and raising an army to strike at the right time and hopefully eliminate Terr.

At the moment though he was more concerned with dealing with one of Terr's hunting parties. His men had detected a teleport into the sewer system where they were hidden. It was obviously a party sent out to destroy them and had to be dealt with swiftly. Due to the urgency Tresan had led the attack himself, using only former guards as backup.

They had already rigged explosives in their area, using the methane produced in the sewer to make it seem like an accident. It only required one of the intruders to trip a piece of wire planted beneath the water line. So far though the charges had not been triggered, something that made Tresan suspicious. Next to him he felt Dappa tense.

"Hear something?" he asked.

Dappa had exceptional hearing that allowing him to detect anyone sneaking up on him. He nodded and then gestured to their left. Sure enough a lone figure could be seen limping through the water.

"He's alone," one of the other guards whispered.

Tresan nodded and gestured for his followers to seize the man. A prisoner could give them more information than a corpse.

As they attacked Tresan noted that something was wrong. The invader did not seem scared and even moved into a very crude fighting stance. Instead of drawing a weapon like most hunters, he used a punishment cane to trip his first two attackers and to disarm a third. Then he tried to shuffle away on one leg; the other dragged along behind him.

One of the guards caught the invader around the ankles and forced him face-down as another slammed the butt of his rifle into the man's skull.

"Turn him over," Tresan ordered, "We don't want him to drown just yet."

His men did as they were told, gasping as the face of their invader was revealed.

The prisoner's escape had not gone unnoticed and a search was underway. The guard who had carried his teleporter into the cell conveniently forgot to mention it, choosing instead to blame the torturers and Trey's knowledge of the secret passages throughout the palace; after all he had no intention of being killed for his stupidity.

Terr had ordered a search of the palace grounds, but had been keen to keep the activity quiet. The last thing he wanted was the people to discover Trey had escaped and start their own searches. If they found him, they would know the conditions he had been kept in and start to doubt Terr's position. That could not be allowed until he became king.

An explosion rocked the city, sending man sewer covers into the air. Guards moved to investigate and returned with a charred arm and a piece of the clothing Trey had been wearing. Terr smiled, things were looking up.

News spread through Triforia and its sister planets over the next few days. The news of Trey's escape had been altered to make it look like the last dash of a madman followed by a fatal explosion when he had encountered a pocket of sewer gas. Terr had announced that after he had been allowed a few days to mourn their beloved hero he would accept his role as king. At the same time he planned to unveil his new weapon. But Terr had in a moment of poor judgement made an error that would haunt him. He had pardoned Trent of all the crimes he was accused of.

Members of the resistance had at first believed the story, but when a message arrived at their outposts stating that Tresan was still going to remove Terr from power, they had pledged their allegiance to the resistance leader.

Trent had spent the days recovering from his ordeal and advising Tresan. His leg had been beyond repair by either magical or conventional means, but they had at least managed to numb the pain and fit it with a brace so Trent could walk. In turn he had told them the truth about Trey of Triforia and the Gold Ranger powers. They were of course saddened by the news that their beloved leader was not there to help them, but they agreed that Trent should continue to portray Trey until Terr was removed.

Phonon, one of the men who had dealt with the remains of the former Triforian Rangers had revealed a small secret he had been keeping. He had managed to find the remains of the Triforian Power Coin and had over the weeks managed to fit it back together. They gave the coin to Trent as a token of the respect he still deserved.

"Our first objective is to destroy Terr," Trent said, "But we must ensure that no matter what happens, that the weapon he has found is destroyed. I suspect that he has uncovered one of the old planetary defence systems and until that weapon is taken from him, there is nothing to stop another Terr from rising to attempt the same goal."

"That's easier said than done," Volga, one of the snipers pointed out.

"Don't worry, I've got a good idea of how those stations work. A few charges in the right places and it'll be disabled for the time being."

"Who are you, I've never seen you before?" Von said.

Trent watched as a Seeker, walked calmly out of the shadows and turned to where all in the room could see him. There were several gasps as he calmly walked across the meeting room and shook hands with both Trent and Tresan.

They had good reason to act surprised. The Seekers was an organisation unlimited by race, planet, age or gender. They held no loyalties to any government other than their own elders, but their loyalty and skills could be purchased for the right price. Like many other organisations they were subdivided into clans. Clan loyalties often dictated the type of job they would take. Some refused to work for the Alliance and others were considered too dirty to be dealt with by the Galactic Council. Even though they were divided by clan loyalties, some Seeker chose to specialise in their skills, forming smaller groups they referred to as guilds. Often if a clan could not be convinced to take a job, a guild could find somebody with the skills.

This man did not belong to a guild. He was trained to handle all tasks even if he was not a master at performing them. That left him the freedom to work with whomever he wanted, including the falsely accused Trey of Triforia.

For his part Trent had often heard his father speak of these mercenaries and knew that their word was their bond so long as the money was good. He also knew them to be the most unorthodox of warriors when the situation called for it.

"You think those charges will be enough to disable the weapon?" Trent asked.

"So long as nobody fixes them. The second set will blow up the pyramids, then all you have is a piece of space junk."

"My lord, this man is Seeker," one of the men protested. "They never do anything for free."

"The fee I charged your father last time will suffice," Black Falcon stated calmly. "Not a credit less."

"Agreed," Trent smiled.

"My lord, I protest. Tresan, surely you cannot agree to this."

"Lord Trent has spoken," Tresan stated. "There will be no further debate."

"I take it we have a deal then?" the Seeker asked. "I will be starting now."

He vanished from the room as the resistance carried on with their plans.

Triforia

The days of mourning passed quickly and if Terr had had his way, would soon be forgotten. Today he was ready to take the crown and with it the power to deal with anyone who opposed his rule. He watched as members of the Triforian Order moved amongst the timid crowd encouraging them to chant the name of their new king. The few who jeered him were instantly named as traitors and dragged away for punishment. Terr waved to the crowds before entering the tall cathedral where in accordance with tradition his coronation would take place.

There he sat and waited impatiently as the ceremony progressed. Leaders of the four sister planets made proclamations of loyalty to Triforia while Regional ministers swore their allegiance to Terr. The trumpeters insisted on playing the full version of their introduction as the minister droned on about the family line and decreed that Terr was worthy of becoming King of Triforia.

Then came the most important part of the ceremony where the symbols of office were handed to the new king. The Crown of Destiny, Rod of Honour and Orb of Wisdom were handed to him alongside a lecture about their significance to Triforian society. Terr of course knew the significance to Triforian society, but was more interested in the true powers of the items. As the Robe of Mercy was secured to his shoulder, he recalled the ancient legends. When the Robe was worn, it protected the wearer from the intense energy found within a Triforian space cannon; protection normally provided by the Gold Ranger powers. The Rod and Orb controlled the functions of the weapon while the Crown translated an image into a target. In short he now held the symbols of rank and the tools to ensure his continued dominance.

"If any person has reason to dispute the rightful claim of Lord Terr, speak," the minister droned. "It is tradition my lord," he added when he noticed the glare Terr was giving him.

"Well?" Terr demanded. "Does anyone here dispute my rightful claim?"

"I dispute your claim!" Trent called from the back of the cathedral where Terr's men had been unable to reach. They at once made to seize the protestor, screaming accusations. Trent calmly fought them off until the minister intervened.

"Stop this at once!" he cried. "Never has this been allowed. If he has a valid protest, we must hear it so it may be either accepted or dismissed. These claims cannot be silenced only dismissed."

"Very well," Terr agreed. "Let the traitor speak so we can proceed."

The people moved aside and allowed Trent to move towards the throne; a cloak hid his face. Behind him Trent could sense the Order members stalking him and knew that when the opportunity presented itself they would pounce.

Terr was starting to feel uneasy as he watched the robed man approach. He wondered what story this man had to tell that would be worth the risk of imprisonment. Even if he knew the truth Terr was certain the people could be convinced they were lies.

"You cannot succeed to the throne because Trey is not dead," Trent stated simply.

"Trey was a traitor to the people of Triforia. A criminal cannot be king."

"But a former criminal can," Trent pointed out. "Trey was pardoned of the crimes he was falsely accused of. He is alive and therefore the rightful king."

"Trey is dead," Terr insisted.

"On the contrary," Trent said as he pulled his cloak away. "I am quite well."

"Arrest him!" Terr cried. "I said seize him!" Terr screamed. His wonderful plan was failing.

"They can't," Trent said as the Order members hesitated. "I was cleared of the charges you falsified and as such I am king."

As Trent spoke Royal Guardsmen were rounding up the members of the Triforian Order. Terr decided that he was not going to allow the appearance of a dead king to ruin his dreams of power and after shoving Trent aside, he used the powers of the royal symbols and summoned the space cannon from deep inside Triforia's sun.

"My Lord," Neon whined when they appeared inside the cannon. "We should leave here at once. We could find allies . . ."

"Silence you fool," Terr snapped. His mind was filled only with a desire to prove himself superior to Trey. In his mind Trey would surrender if he could prove himself superior and the people would follow him without question if they feared for their lives. "I am king, I do not need to flee."

Terr's hands moved over the controls, pushing buttons and pulling levers. There was a low hum as the cannon was charged with energy from the planets below. The four sister planets' gravity twisted the solar panels to where they could capture the energy from the three suns. The focussing disks shifted into place as the mighty generators filled with energy. Terr pulled the controls to change the strength and direction of the beam.

"Now we will show them a weapon worthy of Triforia," he boasted.

Terr pushed the fire button and the beam shot into space.

"He's going to activate the weapon," Tresan said grimly.

Trent turned his attention to the Seeker. "Did you set the charges?"

The Seeker smiled and held out a remote control.

"You're too late," one of the Order members proclaimed as a beam of light shot overhead.

Trent pressed the button and hoped the weapon had not been pointing at anything.

The explosives the mercenary had planted detonated swiftly and the space weapon was plunged into darkness. While the barrels of the vast weapon were strong enough to withstand anything, the lenses were not and glass rained down on the Triforia Order.

In the rubble of the Palace halls Terr picked himself up. He looked around to find an escape route, but was met by a dismal sight. Neon, Valon and Greta were plastered across the console, their body parts short-circuiting the machinery. Tristan stood in shocked silence next to them pointing at the main monitor. The orbit had shifted and the station was plunging into Triforia. If they didn't escape, they would die.

Coughing up dust, he tried to see where he was at the moment. With luck the teleport controls would be on an undamaged panel. He glanced at the screen and noted that time was running out. Looking up he saw an explosion rip one of the focussing panels from its housing, the exposed section flashed for a brief second and died out as the fires of destruction were extinguished by the cold death of space.

"They'll pay for this!" he cried as he thought of those who had ruined his perfect plan. "They'll all pay!"

He angrily slammed his fist into the controls and activated the teleport system. In a beam of light the two surviving members of the Triforia Order disappeared.

When he appeared on Triforia, Terr set off to find an enemy to kill. He didn't care if it was Trey or just some poor peasant who happened to get in his way. He wanted blood. He drew his sword from the subspace pocket he owned. It was the same sword he had used to murder his parents and the Triforian Rangers, and was as sharp and deadly as ever.

"Trey, show yourself coward!" he yelled as he approached the palace.

"That wouldn't be advisable," Trent said as he emerged from the doorway clutching the cane he had used to escape. "Trey would probably kill you where you stand; Travis would too for that matter although he'd do it in such a way you'd be begging for Trey to do it. I would rather see you tried and convicted."

"What are you talking about Trey?" Terr demanded.

"You still don't understand, do you?" Trent asked. "Trey of Triforia is gone forever. Trey of Courage, Wisdom, and Heart have been separated permanently." He dropped the poise he had been holding and watched with interest as Terr took in the small but noticeable change in Trent's appearance. "They call me Trent."

"Guards!" Terr cried. "Seize this impostor!"

"Your guards are not here Terr," Trent said. "They're under arrest and awaiting trial. And you can join them."

"So you're not Trey, you're not the Lord of Triforia and you're not the Gold Ranger," Terr said reaching behind his back and releasing the small holdout blaster he kept there. "If I'd known, I would have killed you sooner."

Terr was fast; Trent was faster. As his opponent pulled the blaster Trent swiped with the cane, he had been holding. The blaster went off, but the shot went wide. Trent struck out again and the tip of the cane sliced Terr's face, causing him to scream.

"I told you it was over Terr," Trent stated.

"Why don't you kill me then?" Terr said. "Put me out of my misery?"

"Because I am not a killer Terr and I cannot make myself judge, jury and executioner." Trent answered.

The two stared at each other for only a second when a stray grenade struck a nearby palace wall sending both men back across the hall hitting the nearby wall. Trent quickly recovered, but as soon as he looked across the ground he already saw Terr shaking off the explosion.

The distraction gave Terr enough time to draw his sword, and soon Terr and Trent began what would surely be a gruelling battle.

Tristan watched Terr battle with the man named Trent, waiting for the opportunity to kill Trey's look-alike. His concentration was ahead and he didn't notice someone approach until something cold touched his chin.

"Don't try it sonny," a raspy voice told him. "I push this button and you'd be dead before hit the ground."

"I can give you anything you want," Tristan said. "Just don't kill me."

"Stand up," the man told him. "I'm going to take you back to the boss so he can make up his mind what to do with you."

"You're a Seeker!" Tristan realised.

"That's right, so now you know this is a Laser Sword and not to do anything stupid, right?"

"I - I want to hire you to kill Trent," Tristan tried.

"Sorry sonny, your cousin and my partner have a business arrangement you can't hope to match."

"I can give you the Triforian treasury."

"Thing is sonny, that's what Trent's already paid us."

A different object poked Tristan in the back. This was an ordinary blaster set on kill. At close range it would normally finish an opponent in less than a second. But if the shot were to hit the spine, death would take much longer and far more painful. Knowing he was beaten Tristan threw his hands in the air and started scheming ways to convince Trey, Trent or whatever his name was, to spare him.

As Terr fought, he allowed his hatred to fuel his actions. Using a ring he had constructed from the Triforian crown jewels, he summoned the power of the Morphin Grid. He didn't care about becoming a Ranger, only about killing Trey and restoring order to the planet. His power was like a magnet that drew a vast chunk of metal from the space cannon and transformed into a suit of heavy armour. Energy struck the surrounding architecture causing stones and glass to fall into the street where they stood.

Trent backed away, unsure of how to fight such a power without the Gold Ranger abilities. His hand gripped the Power Coin of his old friends even more tightly as he silently prayed to any of the higher powers to help him. And help him they did although not in the way he expected.

Terr gave a cry of great triumph and charged forward only to be stopped by a wall of multicoloured light. He tried again only to be thrown back on his butt as faces started to appear.

"You killed us all," they repeated over and over as the faces changed to show all of his victims. "You will pay!"

The light grew ever brighter and then stopped. Instead of advancing on Terr, it vanished into the coin held by Trent. He held it up, feeling the power trapped within. It felt so much like the Gold Power Staff it caused him to remember the feelings he had had as Gold Ranger.

A familiar sensation filled his body, power just waiting for release. He tried to let it out, but couldn't. He knew he was forgetting something, something he needed to do to summon the Power. His mind raced as he thought of the possibilities. The coin wasn't part of the Morphin Grid if it had ever been and therefore wasn't magic. So he didn't need to call it out loud. But then, he remembered that strictly speaking the powers were not part of the Zeo Crystal. Like the Golden Power Staff the Triforian Ranger powers drew magic and converted it into a form of energy similar to the Zeo Crystal. He would have to summon the Power verbally.

He closed his eyes and felt the energy take shape. Terr had stopped his advance and was staring at Trent angrily. Trent remembered all those who had suffered at Terr's hands, his family, and the innocent victims on whatever world it was he destroyed. The coin changed shape until it resembled the Golden Power Staff, Terr cringed and Trent smiled.

"Triforian Ranger Power!"

Trent didn't transform because he didn't need to. Instead he simply attacked, allowing those who had fallen to guide his hand. The Power Staff connected with the sword resulting in a shower of sparks, but neither weapon was damaged. Terr appeared to have the advantage as he pushed Trent further back and drove him to his knees. But when Trent looked up there was no fear in his eyes, only triumph.

"Time for a Gold Rush!" he stated and the next moment Terr was blasted down the street and into one of the crumbling state buildings.

Concrete, brick and heavy wooden timbers collapsed onto the one time dictator of Triforia, but Terr was not quite ready to die. Using his rage he pushed the rubble back into the air. His rage grew, drawing the rest of his precious space station to him. Metal folded and reshaped itself to make arms and legs. Control linkages were wired deep into the machine as Terr was pulled inside to become its blackened heart.

Trent watched the events without concern, his destiny already known. He simply held his hand up as he had done many times before.

"Power of Triforia, make me grow!"

He resembled a Super Zeo Zord as he touched down opposite Terr. He wore black with a gold trim and his helmet had a ten-sided shape. In one hand he held a larger version of the Golden Power Staff and Trent decided the weapon had probably taken the form from his subconscious.

Even as the fight was beginning, Trent knew it could not last for long. The risk of injury to one of the planet's inhabitants was too great, especially with the damage they had already caused. Instead he pushed his limits and called on his version of the Gold Rush.

The blast struck and to Trent's surprise Terr's machine remained upright. For a moment it seemed to smoke and then after only one shot, it fell to the ground and exploded. Trent followed him, shrinking back to the ground and there was a brief scuffle.

"It's over Terr," Trent finally stated as he held his opponent's sword at the defeated warrior's throat.

"Kill me then," Terr spat defiantly, but Trent just dropped the sword and walked away.

"I won't kill you Terr, you're not worth it. I'm not even going to let them put you on trial. You're beaten and you know it! Take what little honour you still have and leave, now!"

Terr considered his next move. The easiest thing in the world would have been to grab the sword and plunge it into Trent's back. But as Trent walked away, Terr realised that to kill Trent would not give him the vengeance he sought. To do that he needed to destroy the things Trent and Trey valued most and sadly their lives were not it. As he teleported away though he promised himself that even if he never set a foot on Triforia again he would be avenged. And to start that process, he pressed a button on his remote control and nodded with grim satisfaction as the remains of the space cannon broke apart into chunks capable of destroying cities and rained down on the Triforian home world.

Trent saw what had happened and for a moment regretted his decision to let Terr go, but then he reminded himself that no matter what, Terr was not worth killing. If he was placed in custody he would never make it to trial, such was the level of corruption on Triforia. He dismissed the thought though as the super weapon crashed through the atmosphere and he was faced with the choice of his own life or those of his people. Naturally he chose his people.

"Golden Nova Blast!" he cried at the top of his lungs.

Trent for a moment became one with the power he was channelling as he was propelled towards the incoming missiles. As pure golden energy he struck the remains, all the power he had released in a single blow. His body reappeared on the ground seconds later as his uniform vanished and he struggled to breathe. He looked into the sky and spotted the remaining fragments. There were fewer pieces falling, but still too many to ensure the safety of his world. But a second object that was speeding towards the planet made him smile.

"Welcome home Trey," he whispered as everything turned dark.

**End of Part**


	4. Minion of Darkness 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers or any other show. They belong to their respective copyright owners. No money is being made from this piece of writing.

**The Dark Side of Nature**

A red streak coasted through the solar system, undetected by Zordon's defence satellites as it touched down upon the Moon. As the ball of energy dissipated, the occupants gasped for nonexistent air. It was not the most luxurious method of transit, but it had gotten them to their new location in record time.

"We're home Zeddy!" Rita cried enthusiastically as the troublesome duo walked into their beloved Lunar Palace. Minion was gone after deciding that it was better to build his own island on the Earth where he could establish a center of power. He had taken his henchmen, prisoners and his equipment with him; he had also taken Serpenterra, a fact that caused Zedd to angrily curse the other villain when he found out.

"How dare that clone forget who is in charge around here!" he growled, his body radiating an alarming amount of power.

"We'll show him," Rita gleefully exclaimed.

"Yeah Ed, me and old Goldar will just head down there and show him who's boss," Rito offered. It was such a sincere offer that for a moment Zedd forgot to shout at him for getting the name wrong.

If only it could be that simple. Truthfully though Zedd knew that they would have a hard time subduing Minion. He possessed Serpenterra and the Zeo Crystal, a potentially devastating combination and had troops that in Zedd's opinion would make easy work of the Tengas. ~Although,~ he noted grudgingly, ~I bet they would have no chance against Mondo's Cogs.~

"Minion is not a fool," he said as he peered down at the Earth, taking in a battle between the Rangers and what looked like a Halloween costume with the head of a rabbit, truly a disturbing sight. "The Rangers are still using temporary powers and he seems to be taking advantage of it."

He had been surprised that Minion had not followed up on Jason's injury, nor tried to prevent Kat, Tanya and Billy from reaching Earth with the cure. Now with Billy and Jason back in the mix, Zedd could see that the likelihood of more former Rangers returning and defeating Minion was becoming more likely unless of course he acted first and robbed Minion of some of his glory.

Turtle Cove

"Come on you stupid thing," a blonde haired figured grunted as he and his companion tried to shift a very reluctant dog into the back of their van.

"I can't believe people keep these creatures as pets," his companion complained, trying to find somewhere to wipe her hands as she checked her nails. "Ew, it's disgusting."

"Never mind that, we've finally captured all the animals we need," he told her as she sauntered into the passenger seat. He paused, assessing his situation before admitting, "I'm beat."

"All this hard work makes me hungry," she agreed as she closed the door. "Let's get that thing back to the laboratory and then get some food."

He turned the key and started the engine, before driving off with remarkable restraint.

"You know Toxica," he said as he shifted gear, "I miss the old days."

"Oh the old days," she whispered dreamily.

"The power, the glory," he stated, his attention drifting from the road but returning quickly enough to pull out of the path of an oncoming lorry. "If only the master would find a way to return to us. Think of what we could do."

"It has to be better than collecting dogs," she agreed. "And we wouldn't be working for humans." She made a disgusted face at that thought.

They of course were not human although aside from his facial disfigurement, it was hard to tell in their current guises. They were Orgs, Duke Orgs to be precise and with their one horn status had at one time come great power. Alas, that power was long gone along with many of the great Orgs. Surprisingly it had been a team of human knights who had destroyed the Master Org and in doing so had crushed weakened those who had followed him; many had disappeared although some had been imprisoned and others like Toxica and Jindrax, had gone into hiding among the humans.

Jindrax pulled the van into the car park outside the laboratory where they worked as he and Toxica continued to reminisce about the bad old days.

"Hey, do you remember the time the master sent Ballista Org to crush that island?" Jindrax asked.

"Of course I do," she replied lazily. "I was the one he asked to give him the directions."

"Those were the days," Jindrax sighed happily. "And if it weren't for those humans it still would be."

"Then destroy the humans."

"Yeah, destroy the humans," Jindrax agreed, then paused. "What happened to your voice Toxica?"

"I didn't say anything," she answered.

Suddenly on their guard, the two Orgs looked around, trying to find whoever had spoken. It was dark and difficult to see, but there was something in the bushes, red eyes burning as it watched them.

"Hey, who are you?" Jindrax demanded.

"A human!" Toxica accused.

Gone was the pretence, they were now on guard; the human had heard them and knew they weren't human. And while they doubted a human could really hurt them, they could never tell. Their plain grey uniforms vanished, leaving behind their true appearances.

Jindrax had lost all but a few of his human features as he shifted form. He had deep impressions that extended from his unmoving lips, with five or so multicoloured spots on his left cheek and on second glance it could be seen that even in human disguise he had only been able to pass them off as oddly shaped purple scars. The long blonde hair he had possessed while cloaked, remained, though in his true form it stuck out of the back of his yellowish head near the base of the skull. His head had three shark-like fins on top along with pink and green gems on his inhuman scalp, and glowing yellow eyes. He wore a suit of purple and white, which alternated on each side between the two. He wore elfish shoes and possessed a short white cape on the back. It was his twisted sword though that made him dangerous.

Toxica somehow managed to still look human although with the black veil over her face it was hard to tell. She wore a long dress made of blue, violet and black material, with a padded shoulder pad that extended down to act as a breastplate. She wore a blue and black helmet over her head, which was adorned with gold chains dangling down off the red gem on her helmet's forehead. And finally, she held a spike-ended staff that was almost as tall as she was.

The two Orgs had the remnants of a horn extending from their foreheads. Jindrax's was white and Toxica's was striped with orange and brown. Both had obviously been damaged at some stage since they ended in a jagged edge rather than a keen point.

"So you do have some power left," Arcana said as he stepped from the darkness. "Is that because you've had time to recover or did running from the battle shield you from some of the side effects?"

"Hey, he's calling us cowards," Jindrax realised.

Toxica pointed her staff at him as Jindrax moved his sword into a ready position. They attacked together, Jindrax charging in from the right as Toxica fired several blasts and then attacked from the left. Arcana teleported over them, using the building as a perch to watch as their weapons collided. Then he dropped back down, bringing his short staff around to knock them both off balance. As they fell, he held his staff at a position to knock their heads off should they move again.

"That is enough," he told them. "I am a spell weaver and I have need of your services, not your corpses."

"Hear that, a spell weaver, and you said he was just a human," Jindrax half-muttered to his companion.

"What do you want of us?" Toxica demanded. She wasn't as brave as she was calculating. He wouldn't kill them if he needed them unless it was a last resort.

"In the beginning this world was consumed by evil and misery; the fleeing forces of darkness chose this planet as their home. There they hoped to rebuild their numbers. They sent forth lesser spirits that fed on misery and destruction to feed on this planet's earliest life forms. While most chose to remain beneath the surface, a few who served a different ruler set up their own kingdom. Others later journeyed to the surface before the first humans drove them back. Unable to reach the surface and blocked from returning to Hell, these demons were forced to reside within the planet's core, in a realm they named Gehenna. At the time there were many entrances to Gehenna, but the locations have been lost over time. However, one location was recorded on the slabs of rock that you Orgs used to construct your Nexus.

And so I need your services to unlock the doorway to Gehenna and release a force that once decimated this world so Minion can use them to bring the humans of this world to their knees."

"Hey, that's great," Jindrax responded. He looked at Toxica. "Who does this guy think he is?"

The staff sparked warningly as if sensing Arcana's increasing frustration. Toxica and Jindrax were Orgs, creatures of chaos and destruction. And while such behaviour and an almost genocidal outlook on humans marked them as evil, they were not interested in things such as conquest. That was something humans did that created the misery and pollution that Orgs needed to exist.

"Take me to the Nexus," he commanded.

"Why, you can't enter there?" Toxica told him, sounding outraged by the suggestion. "Only Orgs can set foot in _those_ caves."

"Yeah, no humans," Jindrax added. "Besides - there's nothing in there except a bunch of old statues."

"And if you try to enter you'll be destroyed." Toxica finished. She sounded smug, as if this revelation had ruined the villain's plans and repeated, "only Orgs may access the Nexus."

"I have no interest in whatever secrets the Orgs hold," Arcana snarled, losing patience. "There is something in that place that my master, Minion desires, even if he doesn't realise that need yet. Take me there or suffer the consequences."

"All right already, we'll take you there," Jindrax complained as he was prodded with the staff. "Ow! What is with this guy?"

The Nexus

The humans of the planet Earth would describe nature as a beautiful and life-giving force. And while their views were not wrong, they were incomplete and perhaps a little too idealistic. Nature could be beautiful and was certainly responsible for the many wonders throughout creation. But that same force was at times a destructive killer, an unstoppable juggernaut of devastation that pushed its own children to their very limits. In essence Nature was the same as the other forces that shaped the planet, completely neutral.

Existence was filled with checks and balances that ensured that the universe would continue to survive. That need for balance applied to everything, even nature. Just as there was life and splendour, and growth, there was also a need for death, decay and renewal. The Orgs were a representation of chaos, complex spirits fed by dark emotions, pollution and the hate generated by humans. The senior Orgs had been a part of an evil kingdom, while the lesser Orgs, which had been unintelligent creatures of destruction, had been unleashed to bring chaos in their wake. Later the ruling Orgs had ended the chaos in favour of their brand of order.

That had changed when the Orgs had arrived on the Earth. The natural power of the planet had been like a beacon for life to develop, and the violence that life brought had attracted the wondering spirits. Their masters had been driven underground by the evolving humans, leaving the world free for the Orgs to plunder.

Although many Orgs had been destroyed, some had survived by hiding. Many of the surviving Orgs were those that had remained formless spirits during the great battle. They had remained aimless since that time, awaiting a chance to strike again should their masters return to give them a purpose.

The Nexus was an Org graveyard, filled with the fossilised bodies of Org Generals who had been frozen before the Master Org's last stand. A little magic would bring them back, but without their horns, Jindrax and Toxica lacked the necessary power.

"Well here we are, home sweet home, kind of," Jindrax said as he, Toxica and Arcana stepped into the cavern. It had come as a shock when the spell weaver had simply shrugged off the energy around the Nexus. After thinking about it though the two Orgs had realised the barrier was intended to keep the pure of heart away, and not necessarily to keep humans at bay.

Arcana looked around, seemingly unimpressed by his surroundings. At one time this had obviously been a well-decorated chamber, but that had been before the thousands of years of decay had taken their toll. Still, he was here for a purpose, one which had required him to endure the idiocy of his companions for the last few hours.

"Yes it is here," he said at last, sensing the object he desired. A single stone tablet, different from the others in that it contained not an Org, but rather knowledge of those that had preceded the Orgs. It had he suspected served to provide the knowledge that Master Org had needed to create the Org Heart before his final battle. While the Org Generals forced into hibernation had been a part of the Org Heart's creation, the extra dark energy he had drawn from Gehenna, a pool of evil just waiting to be tapped. Arcana almost laughed as he read the ancient text; it was in Eltarian. It seemed that the humans who had believed that Hell was located beneath their feet had been onto something after all. "From beneath you it devours," he muttered.

"If that is all master, we will take our leave," Toxica said.

"Yeah, seeya," Jindrax added.

He ignored them as he marched out of the Nexus and teleported away, leaving the two Orgs to wonder what had just happened.

"How dare he treat us like that?" Toxica snapped when she was certain he was gone.

"Yeah, who does he think he is?" Jindrax asked. He looked around. "Soo, you want to try and wake some of these Generals up?"

They two Orgs leaned against the stone wall, obviously trying to decide whether that suggestion was a good idea.

Stone Henge, England

The tablet had proven very informative and he had been surprised to learn that it had been carved by an Eltarian scribe who had been fascinated by the developing culture. The man had been thorough, encoding the information as layer after layer of carved characters. Only someone with magical sight or the correct equipment could decipher the wording. That effectively made it useless to the planet's population.

Luckily the entrance he had been seeking had been included in the detailed yet incomplete survey. Better still, it was in an area that his master already controlled. When he had found the doorway, which was one of the arches that made up the ancient monument, he had been able to descend a long passage into the depths of the Earth.

He assumed that he had travelled several miles along the tunnels although he had probably only descended ten miles overall. When confronted by a pair of heavy wooden doors he had used his wand to carefully shift them open. Inside he found a circular cavern with walls covered with openings and he could see several creatures moving around in the background. In the center there was a deep chasm that he sensed held the magic the researcher had found. If the sleeping figures on the throne and in the connected chambers were an indicator, this place had played host to creatures that could have given early man nightmares.

"And this would be the resting place of the Fallen One, I presume," he said as he stared down into the pit. He didn't believe in such things, a God of all Demons? Ridiculous. Now, an ancient being that displayed a massive amount of power and claimed that title he could believe in; the Source of all Evil they called him if he recalled the texts. Deformed as a punishment and left to resemble a fanged octopus, although that too was a ridiculous fabrication in his opinion. "Don't worry, I won't disturb things too much. And these must be the Elemental Beasts of legend," he said, as he moved to a nest in the corner and ran his hand over the rough surfaces of the egg-shaped containers he found there. They were actually hyperlock chambers and their contents were fully developed. It was an efficient way of ensuring the beasts within survived. He stood abruptly and tapped one of the containers with his staff. He was surprised when instead of opening, it exploded.

He should have known that such creatures would require extreme environments in which to revive. No doubt they needed exposure to harsh conditions to awaken such as the hot springs beneath the planet's surface, where that the scalding water could easily boil them, and then had been moved to other sites.

"Perhaps I shall move them to a more suitable home," he decided. He paused, looking at something at the back of the cavern. "What is that?" He studied the beast from all angles. He could sense the potential of such a creature. Its injuries would make it angry and that rage would fuel its ferocious attacks.

Using the tablet as a guide, he drew a symbol around the beast and watched as it was magically restored. Arcana sent the mindless creature to a place where it would prove useful, choosing to draw the Rangers out and keep them busy for a while. Then he used his wand to direct a blast of energy from the dark chasm.

The resulting explosion rocked the famous white cliffs of Dover. The chalky rock crumbled as the Earth was split open, revealing the dark secret it held. Thick green smog poured from the hole, carrying with it a stench that made the locals wonder if maybe the drains had backed up again. Then as the collapse continued, swallowing a small hotel in the process, the cave was buried for all eternity.

He had collected the containment units that had survived the explosion, and had moved them so they would not be crushed by falling chalk. He teleported away to place them where they would be able to open, leaving the humans none the wiser. He was impressed by the distance he had travelled from Stone Henge to reach the cliffs. The explosion had sealed that entrance, but it didn't matter anymore. He would not be needing it again.

The Power Chamber

"You guys ready?" Billy asked.

"Go for it Man," Tommy replied.

~Ah well, here goes,~ Billy thought to himself. "After Zordon and Alpha completed the initial construction and restoration, I managed to finish reconfiguring some of my previous designs to incorporate the option of a secondary gestalt procedure. The result as you can see is three sets of Zord; the Sky Zords flying high, the Defender Zords all round and Techno Zords as backup and special operations."

Billy looked at Tommy's face and could not help laughing. When he had returned to Earth with Kat and Tanya from Crystal, the initial concern had been to administer the antidote to Jason. Then after visiting his parents and an extended talk with Zordon, Billy had thrown himself into working on the new Zords, desperate to bring the Rangers' arsenal up to scratch. He had even allowed Zordon and Alpha to fit the Power Coin he had used on Aquitar as part of a backup plan in case the Gem Coin powers failed. It seemed Tommy had not been expecting as much progress.

"The Ninja you are using was not meant to work with your powers. These three sets of Zords will act as replacements, but since they're limited in power we created three sets; unfortunately as unstable as it may be, the Ninja is still the most powerful weapon at your disposal."

The Rangers watched five aircraft roared overhead, each in the colour of a different Ranger. Although they resembled fighter jets, Tommy imagined they were many times more powerful. Next came a selection of giant rescue vehicles; an ambulance, a police car, rescue helicopter, a police motorcycle and a fire engine. Finally came a set of futuristic type vehicles. First was a type of plane, followed closely by another plane with a cannon on each side of the cockpit, then a sleek car, a covered motorcycle and finally a high-powered dune buggy.

"Each Zord can either be piloted or worked by remote control. In addition the Megazords can work with only one Ranger at the controls, although I would recommend two if you want fine control; you can have all three units operating at the same time."

"What's that big thing over there?" Tanya asked, pointing to a large plane that was heading towards them.

"That's the Drop Zord," Billy explained. "When you need Megazord Power you will find it invaluable."

Let's give it a try," Tommy said. "It's Morphin Time!"

"Zeo Ranger I - Crane!"

"Zeo Ranger II - Bear!"

"Zeo Ranger III - Ape!"

"Zeo Ranger IV - Frog!"

"Zeo Ranger V - Falcon!"

Billy and Jason teleported back to the Power Chamber and watched the events unfolding below.

"How do they call them?" Jason asked.

"Deploy Zords!" the Rangers called.

Almost immediately a computerised link was established between them and the new Zords, and the control data for the machines was transferred to their helmet displays.

"Sky Megazord, power up!" Zeo Crane called.

The five planes altered course and flew towards them. Then at the right moment, they switched course, heading upright towards the sky. The red plane's nose cone retracted into the cockpit to be replaced by a head, the wings folded toward the bottom of the plane and the fuselage shrunk to half its normal size. The pink and yellow planes transformed into the arms, and the blue and black planes formed the legs.

"Drop Zord, now!" Zeo Crane ordered. The plane flew past; it dropped the fists, feet and chest plate of the Megazord as it did so.

"Sky Megazord, online!" Zeo Crane ordered.

"Megazord activated," a computerised voice. The voice was based on the computer inside the original Megazord. Adding the voice had made the Zord seem friendlier.

"Kat, call on the SFC," Billy advised. The Pink Gem Coin Ranger did as she was told and a long rifle appeared on the Zord's right arm. "Now try flying."

Zeo Crane did as she was told, but found it difficult to control the whole Megazord in flight. Billy watched the readings and swore in disgust. "Damn, the control relay signal is too weak. I'll have to reconfigure the fly-by-wire systems."

"I can program the computer to take over most of the systems," Alpha offered.

"That would allow the machine to hover, but not improve the control," Billy replied. "I'll keep working on it."

When it was clear the young genius had succeeded, Zordon spoke. "Congratulations Kat, you are the pilot of the Sky Megazord."

"You ready Adam?" Billy asked over the communicator, his voice sounding distorted.

For some reason Adam and Rocky had chosen to ride in the lead Zord. Adam looked at Rocky and when the other boy nodded he called out, "Defender Megazord, power up!"

The fire engine's cab rolled up and over the top to reveal the Megazord's head, the rest of it shifting shape to form the body. The helicopter's rotor blade flew of as the tail detached itself allowing the helicopter to form the right arm. The ambulance attached itself to the left side of the body, and the motorcycle and police car formed the legs.

Once again the Drop Zord appeared, releasing the hands, feet and chest shield for the Defender Megazord. When the Megazord was complete the rotor blades and tail transformed into a Power Sword.

"Megazord, activated," the computer reported.

"Impressive," Rocky said, testing the reflexes of his Zord.

"You can combine the Megazord with the Drop Zord if you need to," Billy told them. "Tommy, Tanya, your turn."

"Techno Megazord, form up!" Zeo Bear and Zeo Falcon called together.

The two planes flew away from them for a moment, but soon appeared again with a large gun emplacement in tow. The high speed of the two jets caused the chains dragging the emplacement lift off the ground. As it drew near the chains were released. The gun detached itself from the emplacement, allowing it to form the lower body onto which the larger of the two planes formed to create the upper torso, shoulders and head. The dune buggy and motorbike transformed into the arms and the other plane and car formed the legs.

A panel opened on the lower back of the Megazord from which the hands and feet for the Megazord were released along with the chest panel. The gun had in the meantime split in half and appeared in each hand.

"Billy, Alpha, Zordon, you've excelled yourselves," Zeo Falcon said.

"Thank you, Tommy," Zordon replied. "However Billy deserves most of the credit for the construction of the Zords and the integration of your powers."

"We'll head back to the Power Chamber and wait for a chance to use them," Zeo Falcon said.

The Rangers powered down and returned to their base. Minion's attacks had been intensifying since Jason had recovered, and the Rangers were starting to feel the strain. With their new Zords they hoped the battles would not be so draining. But if they were honest then it was the reappearance of Rita and Zedd along with the Machine Empire that had highlighted the need for the Rangers to be able to face multiple threats at the same time.

Later that day, the Rangers had decided to spend time practicing baseball at their local stadium. Since her relationship with Shawn had ended, Tanya had been reluctant to visit the field. Today Adam had been pretty insistent that she joined them for some fun.

"Man, this feels great," Rocky said as the small group of friends took a break. "Warm day, no monster attacks and best of all I even have a girlfriend."

Kat and Tanya rolled their eyes as Rocky's current girlfriend, Stephanie, waved to him from the other side of the field. Adam and Tommy exchanged amused looks. They were happy for their friend, glad that he gotten over his grief surrounding the loss of his previous girlfriend, but deep down the male Rangers wished he hadn't inherited Zack's sense of romance. The girls just wished he wouldn't keep changing girlfriends from one week to the next. Kat had jokingly suggested he was worse than Billy when it came to women.

"It is nice," Kat agreed.

"Yeah, makes you wonder what Minion is up to," Tommy commented.

"Let's not forget Rita," Adam added.

The Rangers were not naive enough to believe Minion had just given up or that their enemies would hold back if they had a chance to snatch the planet from their rival's grasp. They also couldn't believe that villains of such standing would have simply given up on their plans to conquer the Earth simply because the Rangers had stalled and undermined their efforts on every possible occasion.

"Ah, we can take them anytime," Rocky boasted.

"Don't get cocky," Jason warned. He had not played that day, protesting he was tired.

"Just because they have not triumphed yet does not mean they will give up," Adam told them. "And remember, we're not monsters; we cannot come back from the dead if we're killed in battle."

His words had the desired effect and Rocky sobered as he thought back to Jennifer and the way she had died.

"Minion is too dangerous to underestimate," Tommy agreed. "And without the Zeo Crystal we are vulnerable."

"Well I for one appreciate not being kidnapped and used as bait," David Trueheart, Kat's boyfriend and Tommy's brother commented.

As the afternoon wore on, the Rangers and their friends decided to go to Ernie's Juice Bar. They sat around a table, laughing and enjoying the day when the news report appeared on the television.

"This just in," a reporter said, "New York is under attack. An unnamed monster has been reported rampaging through the streets. Police and military sources have so far been unable to stop this brute. The Avengers, the government-funded team of super heroes led by wartime hero Captain America were dispatched and later forced to withdraw when their attempts to subdue what one of them was heard to call an Abomination were unsuccessful. Indeed two members of the task force have been reported injured. Team leader Steve Rogers and financial sponsor Anthony Stark were unavailable for comment. Group scientist Doctor Bruce Banner is reported to have said 'everything is under control; our forces have the situation in hand. There is no need to panic.'"

The broadcast continued and the Rangers had already made their excuses and were about contact Zordon when their communicators beeped.

"We're here Zordon," Tommy said as Rocky kept lookout. Jason and David were distracting Stephanie, which allowed the Rangers to sneak away.

"Somebody has unleashed a new monster in New York City," the wise Morphin Master answered.

"We saw the report," Tommy answered.

"What do you think?" Rocky asked. It was unusual for Rita and Zedd to strike away from Angel Grove, although it would not be the first time somebody had done so.

"I don't think it's Rita," Tommy replied. "Although, Rita wouldn't think twice about taking advantage of the situation."

"That is correct Tommy. For now though the monster is your priority. Morph and teleport to New York."

"All right, we're on our way," Tommy responded. "All clear Rocky?"

The teen nodded as Adam checked the other direction.

"Then, It's Morphin Time!"

"Zeo Ranger I - Crane!"

"Zeo Ranger II - Bear!"

"Zeo Ranger III - Ape!"

"Zeo Ranger IV - Frog!"

"Zeo Ranger V - Falcon!"

"Tyrannosaurus!" Jason cried. He had managed to leave David with Stephanie while he joined the others.

When Billy had returned to Earth, he had brought with him a single Power Coin. Zordon had found a way to split the coin's energy between multiple Rangers. And while it would only weaken the Gem Coin Rangers to use that source, it allowed Jason and Billy to join the battle as minimally powered warriors.

Before the morph was completed, they were already teleporting to New York, ready to face the beast that had taken down the city's most prominent heroes. Once there they quickly learnt that brute force would not aid them, since the brutish beast had an abundance of strength and an ability to leap that was both breathtaking and ground breaking. The Ranger had a serious height deficit and despite the strength of numbers and the advantages that came through cooperation, they were unable to land any significant blows.

"Pistols!" Zeo Falcon ordered as Jason drew the demon aside with a few blows from his sword. The monster didn't seem to feel it, but given that the sword was virtually indestructible, Jason didn't mind repeating the action again and again until the creature was paying attention solely to him. "Fire!" Jason dove for the ground as five bolts of laser fire slammed into the thing's chest.

"Tommy, we need to drive him back towards the river," Zeo Frog said.

"The water?" Zeo Bear asked, confused. Adam had been teaching her tactics and she had gained a good grasp of battlefield strategies, but this recommendation made little sense given that the Rangers were less effective on water.

"We push him away from the buildings and allow Zordon to teleport us somewhere with fewer civilians," Zeo Frog told her. While not the best tactical decision, there was little choice. The collateral damage was increasing by the moment.

"This isn't going to work," Zeo Falcon realised after the beast forced its way forward despite their best shots.

"Flash Pulse!" Zeo Crane called. A stream of pink energy cut across the beast's neck.

If the blow hurt it, there was no outward gin, nor did it feel the impact from the Red, Blue and Green Rangers as they collided with their weapons and were seemingly shrugged aside. Zeo Bear seemed to have more luck as she leapt on the monster's back, using her arms to wrap around the muscular neck of the beast. She held it there until the others summoned their pistols, letting go as their combined blasts struck it in the chest, and Jason followed through with his sword.

Zeo Bear rejoined her friends, summoned her own pistol and they fired repeatedly until they could think of a new attack.

"Minion won't like it if I made all this effort only to fail," Arcana muttered as he watched the battle. In his hand he held a wooden mirror that was six inches in diameter and carved from dark wood. With the aid of his magic it allowed him to view the fight from a safe distance. He wanted to aid Minion's victory and maybe in the process free himself from Zedd's service; now the dastardly duo had returned it was only a matter of time before they remembered him and gave orders for him to secure either Serpenterra or the Zeo Crystal. Both would allow Zedd an easy victory over the Power Rangers and mean that Arcana's servitude would never end.

The Rangers had just combined their attack and his monster, whatever it was supposed to be, had taken a direct hit. So far it had displayed few of the magical abilities that most monsters possessed, relying instead on brute force, powerful claws and sharp teeth. It was obviously hungry given that it tried to eat anything it could grab.

"Hear me Iblis, Lord of Lies and spirit of darkness. I summon you from the darkest depths, come forth and power up that creature. My life as a bond." He promptly threw his arms in the air, making himself vulnerable should the demon decide to take the offer. "Make that monster grow!"

A burst of light tore from his chest and struck the sidewalk outside an old firehouse in Manhattan, shattering the paving slabs as it broke into the basement of the almost derelict building. Nobody really cared when the building started to lurch dangerously; over the years the firehouse had earned a reputation of being just too weird. Had the building's one time occupants been resident they could have fought to prevent the sudden realise of the massive amounts of psychic energy stored within that his incantation was about to use for the spell. But they were not there, having been called away on a job that required them to travel to the other side of the city.

Not for the first time in recent history the top of the building was blown off as the storage facility in the basement was compromised. Red light shot into the sky, which had darkened in response to the negative energy. The demon started to form, a multi eyed red-bodied creature that towered over the city. The top half of its body was separated from the lower section with four faced head filling the gap between top and bottom. A beam of light shot from his eyes, striking the Abomination in the back.

The beast grew. At first it appeared to just become larger, but gradually its shape changed, becoming more like something out of a Japanese monster movie, its powerful tail whipped back and forth and in the process wiped out a number of vehicles, turning lamp posts into deadly projectiles that threatened to rip the Rangers apart as they flew towards them.

"Zordon, we need the Ninja Zords!" Zeo Falcon called. He paused, reconsidered and then added: "Better have the Sky, Techno and Defender Zords ready too. We might need the extra power."

Jason took that as his cue and teleported away. It wasn't that he didn't want to fight, but since he lacked a Zord and a full set of powers, he was a liability if he remained. He was better off aiding Billy in the Power Chamber.

"Take your positions, everybody!" Zeo Falcon ordered. The five individual Ninja Zords leapt into the air. "Initiating Ninja mode!"

At Zeo Falcon's command the individual Ninja Zords started their transformation, bending and twisting until they formed the basic components of the gestalt's body. Then they merged, blending to create the Ninja.

"Online!" Zeo Falcon called.

"Power up!" the others responded as they united inside the cockpit.

The Ninja was shiny, horribly smooth and too metallic for the tastes of its pilots, something that meant that when the ogre-like creature landed its first punch, the machine barely had time to acknowledge the impact as it landed down the street, flat on its back. Inside the Rangers had been shaken by the fierce right hand.

"That thing is ugly," Zeo Ape joked.

"Yeah, and he packs a punch too," Zeo Frog added, directing the legs so the Ninja had more resistance to future blows.

"TOMMY!" Zeo Crane warned. While Zeo Falcon and Zeo Frog had been trying to stabilize the machine, they had allowed the monster to bring its powerful tail around to strike the left-hand side.

"Split!" Zeo Falcon ordered, causing the Ninja to disconnect into its component Zords, a move that should have foiled the attempt to strike them.

Unfortunately Abomination's tail kept going, striking the Bear and sending it crashing into a building.

"Tanya?" Zeo Falcon asked.

"I'm okay," Zeo Bear replied. There was a long silence. "My Zord is out of action though."

"Right," Zeo Falcon confirmed, allowing the Crane, Frog and Ape to pester the monster and keep its attention away from their fallen comrade. "Billy?"

"I'm here," the young genius replied. He had morphed and discovered that his uniform had once again changed to reflect the changes in his powers. He was now a Grid Warrior, sharing the Power Coin with Jason and whoever else happened to be using the energies at that time.

He had teleported into the Wolf, wishing he had access to the Zords he had used on Aquitar. With a shift of the controls the Wolf jumped at the Beast, its jaws locking on one of its arms.

"Individual attacks!" Zeo Falcon ordered.

The Ninja Zords were capable of fighting as individual machines and each possessed its own arsenal of moves and weapons. Frog used its tongue to ensnare the beast's legs and then unleashed a ball of flame at its helpless target while Ape hacked away with its swords.

The beast bucked and roared, making its fury clear to all in the vicinity. The Wolf was pitched into the remains of a taxicab as the Ape was shifted into the path of the flames and then used to strike the Frog.

"Zordon, send in the Defender Zords," Zeo Frog instructed. "Tommy, we need to form the Defender Megazord."

There was a blur of teleport streams as the Rangers shifted places to make the most use of their arsenal. As the beast moved to attack them, it found its way blocked as the Rangers used their Zord's ability to generate a low-level force field. Before they could retaliate though the monstrous creature managed to connect physically with its large arm, knocking them away. Although the size difference was not too great - for the Defender Megazord was a very sturdy machine - it could not resist the raw power behind each of the monster's powerful swats. The Megazord brought its flame cannon into play and there was a loud screech as it struck the Abomination in the face.

"Look out!" Zeo Bear cried as their opponent unleashed a ball of energy from its mouth that tore through Lower Manhattan.

"Change of plans, Zordon, we need all civilians cleared from the city!" Zeo Falcon cried.

"But Tommy," Alpha protested. "Do you have any idea how much energy that would take?"

"Just do it!" Tommy was getting angry. "We can't fight this thing while we have to worry about casualties."

~Those we haven't already caused,~ he amended as he looked at the crushed building that had been in the way of their battle. The monster's massive frame had caused damage to the sewerage and underground networks. Electricity and communications were out in the worst hit areas as fires raged.

The Zords were down, the last attack having knocked them flying in all directions. Its first outing as an active Megazord, and they had already damaged it. They could transfer to the Sky Zords and Techno Zords, but if they couldn't find a weakness, the monster would just keep coming.

Not far from the action was one of the few heroes yet to try his might against the demon. It had not been due to intelligence on his part, nor could he be considered a coward. It was just that to this hero, barely twenty-two and one who had seen things most humans never see, handling alien invasions was a job for the big boys like the Avengers. He'd watched them fall and wondered what he could do. Then the Power Rangers had arrived. ~What's next, turtles? Face it Spidey, this job is getting to you.~

He fired a web, swinging from one building to the next, leaping where building had been destroyed. He was small, too feeble a target for the creature to consider as he used it as his final anchoring point. He wasn't going to punch it out. He accepted that even with the proportional strength of a spider, he was still too weak to have an effect on such a monstrosity. Instead he used his speed and guile to clamber through the ogre's orange hair and dangle in front of its face.

"Spider-Man comin atcha, eat webbing chuckles!" he cried as he sprayed webbing in the monster's eyes. He made himself scarce before the monster could tear the webbing away from its face, landing on one of the few buildings he could reach. ~Well at least he's not paying attention to the Rangers. What, he's leavin?~

"Tommy, teleport is complete," Alpha called.

"Alright, send the Techno Zords to a position north east of here," Zeo Falcon instructed. "Send the Sky Zords south west and program them to lock target on the other Zords. Then get this Zord's repair systems working."

"Teleportation complete Tommy," Alpha said.

"Zordon?"

"Tommy, I long ago decided that the Rangers of Earth are capable of knowing when their actions are justified. What you propose is dangerous, but I can see few alternatives. I believe that if the cause of this destruction is removed, the city will be restored."

"Thanks Zordon. Okay guys, this is what we do..."

Music floated over the city, familiar music. The Rangers looked around, but their view was blocked as Dragonzord made its way inland.

"Sam?"

"You need all the help you can get," the Green Ranger pointed out.

"Let's do this!" Zeo Falcon enthused. The others responded positively before teleporting to their positions.

While Adam and Rocky remained in the cockpit of the Defender Megazord, Kat teleported to the Sky Megazord and Tommy teleported to the Techno Megazord where Tanya soon joined him. With the three Zords coordinating their fire to cross at the right point, they waited for the Dragonzord to draw the beast into position.

"Lock on, here goes. Please, don't move!" Tommy prayed as he depressed the fire button, activating the Techno Megazord's impressive arsenal. The mixture of projectile and energy weapons combined with the balls of flame launched from the Defender Megazord's weapon and some of the Sky Megazord's lesser weaponry.

The creature howled like a wounded animal, spraying bolts of electrical energy into the city, the lightning effect hiding the light show taking place elsewhere as Iblis was confronted with four worn out Ghostbusters who were determined to take him down even if it meant crossing the streams and wiping out the entire city. The beast was now wild with pain and not paying attention as the weapons of the Dragonzord joined the barrage.

"Keep firing!" Zeo Falcon hollered.

Laser and rocket fire bombarded the area as the firepower of four mighty machines mixed. Buildings, streetlights, sidewalk and Zords were engulfed by the firestorm. Nothing should have emerged from such a barrage unharmed. Nothing did. The buildings were reduced to metal girders and crumbling concrete, the streets had crumbled into the sewers and the Zords while operational had seen better days. The monster was battered and unmoving, seemingly defeated by the overwhelming force. Sadly Iblis had not been contained, despite the Ghostbusters' best efforts.

With the last of his willpower, Iblis merged with the battered creature, powering it up into a new black form.

"Damage report, now!" Zeo Falcon snapped.

"Sky Megazord, no damage; Stress Fracture Cannon still available."

"Defender Megazord, structural damage and no weapons. Force field won't withstand another shock."

"We overloaded the weapon systems," Tanya told him as she inspected their machine.

"Ninja is operational, but needs time to recharge," Billy told them. "I don't think the city will take another shock like that."

"Dragonzord is down, but not out if we can build it a new foot," Sam told them.

"Any ideas?" Tommy asked. He was unsure of what to do next.

"I do Bro."

"Jase?"

"Listen, Alpha's going to send some schematics your way. Trust me Bro, this is Billy's best idea yet. Have I ever lied to you?"

There was a small flash on Tommy's visor as data started to flow. "Aw man, can we do this?"

"As Billy would say," Jason joked, "affirmative."

"Alright guys," Zeo Falcon called to the rest of the Rangers. "Prepare to begin Secondary Merge. Zordon, retrieve Dragonzord and the Ninja before we do this." There was something in Tommy's voice the others couldn't identify. Could it be anxious excitement?

"Timing could be a problem," Jason told him. "It could take a few minutes to get things set up and teleported."

Tommy looked out of his Zord's cockpit, picking up on the red and yellow shape moving towards them at high speed. He smiled, remembering where Billy had spent three months during his work experience before he left for Aquitar. No doubt this was one of the less dangerous attempts Billy had made at building a Zord and becoming a Ranger again.

"What is that?" Zeo Bear asked.

"Remember when the news reports said the Avengers were down?" Zeo Falcon replied. "Nobody said they were out."

"Is that?" Zeo Ape asked.

"Iron Avenger," Zeo Frog confirmed. "One of Stark's little side projects his backers don't know about. Billy was there when their scientists solved the last of the problems with its operating system. In fact I think he gave him the frequency used for Megazord formation in return for the materials he needed to complete the Red Battlezord."

"You mean he sold our secrets to the military," Zeo Bear cut in. "Does Zordon know about this?"

"Of course I do," Zordon answered. "The leaders of this planet have collaborated for years in preparation for an invasion should it come. They provide support in case all else fails and promise not to try a nuclear strike. In return their scientists are allowed equal access to the theory, schematics or prototypes of some of our equipment, rarely all three. And since this was a personal project of Billy's, I have no place to intervene unless the technology is abused."

"Stark was obviously clever enough to understand the plans and duplicate the experiment. Hence the big machine heading our way," Adam said.

And behind the Megazord sized robot that was flying towards them, the Rangers could see another giant, this one very human with a younger woman holding onto his shoulder. Behind them flew a smaller version of the metal giant and another figure in grey armour.

"Keep it away from the Rangers," they heard Captain America order "Iron Avenger, Mega Punch, now!"

The Iron Avenger's fist shattered upon contact with the now black monster's body. The enraged monster twisted, bringing its massive tail around to smash into the machine. Giant Man moved forward, but was put down quickly when the creature lifted him and slammed him back to the ground. Wasp flew towards him, but a casual backhand sent her careering across the city where she landed in the river. Iron Man and War Machine opened fire, the former calling on the drones he had created using a multitude of armoured suits he had rejected during the prototype stage. While not able to cause extensive damage, the Rangers were pleased to see that finally something was having an effect.

"Look out for the..." Zeo Falcon started to call as the beast opened its mouth. "Energy blast," he finished dejectedly as the drones were turned to scrap and both Iron Man and War Machine were grounded. "Zordon, time is running out!"

"Ai-yi-yi-yi-yi, hold on Tommy, there... all is ready."

"All right!" Zeo Falcon cried. "Rangers, activate."

"What's going on?" Rocky asked.

"Just do it and you'll find out. Gem Coin Superzord power, now!"

The Gem Coin Superzord was a merger between the three Megazords and was Billy's attempt to create a concentrated burst of fire. Unfortunately it did not combine their energy reserves. The Defender Megazord reshaped itself to form the body and head while the Sky Megazord split in half to form the legs and the Techno Megazord performed a similar split to create the arms and chest plate; the various weapons from the Zords attached to the arms and legs, creating a mobile fortress.

"Gem Coin Power Sword!" the Rangers called.

The Superzord stomped through the damaged city, the Defender Megazord's Power Sword in hand. As the Rangers teleported into the cockpit, it attacked Abomination. It was faster and landed a few solid punches before using its cranial weapon to stagger the beast. Abomination tried to hurl another energy ball, but this time the Rangers were ready, bringing a heavy arm plate around to bounce the attack back to its source.

"All weapons lock on and Fire!" the Rangers commanded.

This time that barrage was virtually unstoppable as the monster was bombarded with all the energy the Rangers could draw on. Still, it would not fall. As the blasts continued to pummel it, it seemed to transform into molten rock, their blasts scarring its features until it finally cooled, now a behemoth made of sharp spiked rock. Death had come to New York.

Zeo Ape moaned as their weapon systems strained to keep up the assault. At the rate they were going they would destroy the city before defeating whatever this monster was.

"Look out!" Kat warned.

The monster had launched itself from a low crouch and was heading straight toward the makeshift Ultrazord. Spiked fists collided with the machine's chest, ripping a gaping wound in the thick armour. Further blows followed as it tried to destroy everything in its path.

"Everybody hold on!" Tommy ordered as massive hands clamped the head of the Zord and tried to rip it away from the shoulders.

"Look out!" Zeo Bear cried.

The darkness that had engulfed the Superzord as the monster's hand closed over the optic sensors cleared in time for the Rangers to see a massive ball of energy heading their way

"Reform Sky Megazord," Zeo Falcon ordered. The Superzord split, sacrificing the Drop Zord so the three individual Megazords could form. "Stress Fracture Cannon, fire!"

The Stress Fracture Cannon worked by finding weaknesses in a structure. And as they used the primary laser to test the monster's body, Tommy hoped their earlier assaults had caused some structural defects.

"Target located," Adam said as the small laser locked in and transferred the data to the computer. "Main blast now."

The large weapon flared, pummelling the weakness with explosive energy. For a moment the monster seemed to remain upright. Then it exploded.

"No! I will rule this world!" Iblis cried.

With the reason for his presence gone, he was forcibly returned to his dimension. And as he disappeared, the buildings that had been destroyed by the monster attack were restored and the civilians injured in the attack had their wounds healed. At the same time Arcana was subjected to the backlash as the magic he had invoked consumed him.

Angel Grove

"And so ends one of the most terrifying periods in New York's history. Officials are still uncertain what transpired during the final moments; television stations reported severe technical problems during that period. A spokesman for the Avengers is reported to have said that the outcome was due to an act of extreme bravery and sacrifice, the Power Rangers were not available for comment and the spokesman refused to elaborate further."

Tommy turned off the television and moved to join his friends on the sofa. His parents were out and the Rangers had decided that this would be a better place to meet than the Juice Bar. They needed privacy.

"I hope we don't have to fight something like that too often," Tanya said. The others nodded.

Minion was pleased. When Arcana had presented him with the hyperlock units, he had been furious that the wizard had taken action without his express permission and had suspected at once that there was some sort of treason involved. After some thought though he had realised that they would make the perfect forerunners for Serpenterra. He had ensured they were positioned and had been pleased to see the signs that they would revive shortly. Better yet, Serpenterra was finally ready for use.

True Rita and Zedd returning had given him some unneeded competition and Arcana's destruction had been a disappointment; he had been on the verge of actually liking the spell weaver. Still, a few losses didn't matter so long as when the time came he was the clear winner. And Arcana had performed one last duty although unknowingly; when the injuries had been reversed, the damage the Avengers had suffered had not been, New York's elite super heroes had been effectively crippled.

He watched as Jindrax and Toxica scurried around in the Nexus, they were of no concern to him. Their usefulness was exhausted, but they didn't pose a threat to his plans and were therefore not worth destroying. Besides, their priorities were vastly different from his; it was unlikely they would ever become competition.

Now he controlled the Elemental Beasts and it was just a matter of waiting.

**To Be Continued**

Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers or any other show. They belong to their respective copyright owners. No money is being made from this piece of writing.

**Dreams of Warning**

Angel Grove was calm, too calm considering that by Zordon's calculations, Minion's plan to use the Zeo Crystal should have been put into operation. There were still some attacks. Rita and Zedd it seemed had noticed the Rangers' apparent weakness and had taken advantage by attacking frequently with their smaller forces, hoping that they could wear the humans down.

Regular attacks by foot soldiers were now always followed by an easy to defeat monster. Rita and Zedd wanted the Rangers worn down, not their Zords. And once they had returned, Mondo and Gasket had joined in too, desperate that the organic villains not gain too great an advantage. Gasket was more successful than Rita or Zedd because he sent more than one monster in a day. Mondo's less frequent monsters were among his most powerful. He was hoping that by sending powerful forces at random he would one day emerge successful.

Today had been a particularly nasty battle and the Rangers were still feeling the effects when they left the Power Chamber. Zedd's chosen monster had been able to throw objects at them with its mind. It had taken them almost as long to get near enough to fight the creature as it had to finally destroy it. Katherine had taken a nasty blow from a collection of recycling bins that had been thrown her way. One of the bins had caught her head and given her a headache for the rest of the day.

In fact her head still hurt and that was one of the reasons why she sat on a small chair, staring out of her window, instead of lying in bed asleep. She was tired, but the thought of sleeping just didn't appeal. If she fell asleep she knew the dreams would return and she would wake up screaming as she had done every other night that week.

It was not unusual for Rangers to have nightmares. Tommy had had nightmares every night for months following his time as the Green Ranger, Rocky was known to wake up in tears whenever he recalled the death of his girlfriend, and Tanya had once mentioned having trouble after her parents were almost victims of the Machine Empire. Katherine herself had had several nightmares in the weeks after she had returned to Rita and Zedd. In her dreams, Tommy had not returned in time with the Zeo Crystal and she had turned truly evil.

Recently though the dreams had become more disturbing. They foretold of an evil about to be unleashed on the planet, an evil that even the Rangers would be hard pressed to defeat. Her dreams did not reveal who would release it, but the sense of anger, hate and terror were overwhelming.

She thought back to what she had experienced. There was no doubting the excitement in Rita's voice as she had stared down at what Kat could only assume were eggs. There had been a strong odour in the air that reminded her of Rito, but while Rito's stench was unpleasant, this smell had been unbearable. She concentrated on that sensation and allowed the memories to come forth. For some reason it seemed important that she discovered as much as possible.

Fear was one of the strongest emotions imaginable and the air was filled with fear and tension. Millions of terrified people huddled together for safety, hoping that their saviours would return. But the Power Rangers were dead, killed by a threat they never saw coming. The forest surrounding Angel Grove was a smoking ruin, the ground covered with blood, bodies, torn Spandex and pieces of metal. A whirlwind of uncontrollable fire had long since moved on towards the nearby city as even water proved unable to stop it. From the abandoned Warehouse District a tidal wave never before seen had washed away anything in its path as the ground opened to swallow the city and the air itself seemed to stop the people from escaping.

And at its center was a new threat. Not Rita, Zedd, Mondo, Gasket nor Grommet; not Minion or any other villain she had seen before. They came not from space, but from within the Earth and it seemed their power was such that even though they tried to prevent it, the planet was ruined.

Kat shivered at the destruction that she had seen. So much devastation caused by whatever was in those eggs, and the Rangers had been totally unable to fight back for some reason. Her mind screamed at her to forget the dream and concentrate on the problems they were already facing. The trouble was, in her heart Kat knew that what she had seen was more than a dream.

In the past those Rangers who had been under the control of Earth's villains had exhibited beneficial side effects when released. Sam had discovered his own magical potential when released from the Wizard of Deception's spell while Tommy had been exceptionally sensitive to unusual time distortions after his brief stint as King of the Machine Empire. It was not known if his time as the Green Ranger had revealed any new abilities since Tommy desperately tried to ignore everything that had happened to him during that time. It was not as bad now, according to Billy, as it had been during his guilt-ridden days as the Green Power Ranger or the outright denial of his evil self during the first few months he had spent as White Ranger.

Kat however did not have the same need to repress her time as Rita's pawn. Although a little guilty she was also realistic enough to know that there was nothing she could have done to shake off the spell when it had first been applied. And after she had been under the spell long enough, she had managed to throw it off without outside help. She had fought the spell even though for the most part it had made her feel that evil was her true nature. And because she accepted what had happened, she had also been aware of how different she had been following her release. Some parts of the spell had not been lifted.

The sensations she had picked up suggested it was a manifestation of one of those powers choosing to surface. When Rita was feeling especially happy, scared or angry, the sensations would sometimes be transmitted to Kat. At first she had been able to feel those emotions at any time, but as the months had passed, so the link between Kat and her former mistress had weakened. Now Kat could only feel Rita's emotions if they were especially strong and only as a dream.

The more she thought about it the more she convinced herself that the dream had been a glimpse of the future, perhaps even how Rita imagined the future would be. Her right hand reached for her communicator and stopped. If she pressed the button, she would be transported to the Power Chamber in only her nightclothes. Then there was the possibility that Zordon and Alpha would be asleep. She didn't want to wake them unless it was necessary.

She looked at her bed, the pink covers neatly pulled back. She wanted to lie down, but the fear of falling asleep stopped her from contemplating such an action. She wished she could just rest even though that seemed unlikely. As she glanced at the pictures of her friends, she realised that until she put her fears to rest, she would not be sleeping.

She thought back to all the things the Rangers had been through recently, her mind lingering for a moment on recent events, the attack on Jason and her search for the cure on Crystal. Her eyes widened as she thought of a way to find out if her fears were valid without disturbing the other. But first she needed to get dressed.

Earth's Fire was a small vessel capable of interplanetary travel and could carry up to eight crew members. Kat and Aisha had used the vessel when they had journeyed to the planet Crystal. It was capable of great speed, manoeuvrability and was equipped with state of the art shielding and weapon systems. When he had built it, Zordon had intended to include a powerful computer core to handle all non bridge functions including repairs. There were quarters for each crew member and the lower deck had enough space to hold a relatively small collection of Zords. Unfortunately due to time restraints the computer core had yet to be fitted, so the overall effectiveness of the ship was limited.

A ghost ship was the description Kat would have used for the Earth's Fire when she teleported aboard. After the ship had finally returned to Earth, Alpha and Zordon had gone to great pains to ensure that it would not be detected. The ship was a valuable if rarely used part of the Rangers' arsenal and once finished it would provide the space travel Zordon felt his students would one day need. It was currently fixed in orbit around the planet, shielded from the eyes of Rita and Zedd on the Moon.

Kat looked down at the controls and was not surprised to discover they had changed. Zordon and Alpha had mentioned at one time that they tried to keep some weapons universal and that meant the controls had to change according to who was operating it. Instinctively she placed her hand on a blank panel, the residual energy of her Gem Coin providing the base charge needed to activate the start-up computer. The panel opened revealing a row of switches and push buttons. If she flicked them all, the ship would come to life and she would be able to fly wherever she wanted. But today she had no intention of moving the ship out of its carefully maintained orbit.

Instead of starting all the systems, she just switched on the station she needed and took a seat at that console. It took a while for the makeshift interface of her Gem Coin powers to learn the functions of the ship. Once she had received the information she needed though she was quick to activate the communication system. From there she was able to make contact with Zordon's surveillance satellites and to use their long range scans to check for abnormalities on Earth.

The picture quality was poor due to the extreme distance and the magic surrounding the area. With some enhancement she could make out the egg like things she had seen in her dreams.

She turned the scanners towards the Moon, eager to see which of the villains was controlling this new threat. On the throne sat Zedd, his jaw resting on his fist, no doubt bored with the way things were going. Next to him Rita was jumping up and down excitedly, pointing to the eggs and screaming at her husband. It was not a pretty sight. Zedd seemed to eventually take the hint and turned his attention to the planet, the familiar beam of red light shooting from his eyepiece as he gazed at the planet Earth. Then he too seemed to grow excited.

~Interesting,~ Kat thought, ~but not the actions of someone who was calling the shots.~

She turned her attention to Gasket and Mondo's respective bases on the Moon and in orbit, but although the Royal House of gadgetry seemed busy, their reactions were similar to those of Rita and Zedd. Obviously somebody else was responsible for this. She shivered hoping it was not Minion. A quick scan of the planet only revealed the Minion had found a way to cloak himself.

With more questions than answers, any doubts that Kat had had about approaching Zordon were gone. She sent the data received from the satellite to the Power Chamber and then deactivated the onboard systems. She then teleported to the Power Chamber, wondering why she had ever doubted her decision to tell Zordon in the first place.

The Power Chamber was silent when Kat arrived. Zordon had entered his private dimension and Alpha had closed himself down for the night. Rather than disturb them, Kat had made her way over to the controls and started to work on her own. She was grateful that her transmission had been received since she could arrange the data before disturbing the Power Chamber's occupants.

"You are working late tonight Katherine," Zordon said softly, but the sudden sound caused her to jump.

"Zordon, I didn't want to disturb you," she explained.

"I am aware of your intentions Katherine and commend you on your thoughtfulness. Perhaps if you tell me what the problem is we will be able to get back to sleep."

"Yes Zordon," she agreed.

Kat went on to describe her dream and her discovery. Zordon studied the pictures and agreed with her that something was going on although he did not know what.

"Perhaps when we identify those eggs we will have a clue," he told her. "I will set Alpha to work while you return to your sleep. If this does herald an attack, you will need all your strength."

Kat nodded and teleported home. She didn't go to sleep, but managed to get some rest.

"Aren't they beautiful Zeddy?" Rita asked as she continued to look down at the planet, keeping close watch on the deliciously evil containers.

Zedd mumbled an agreement. He didn't know where Minion had found such evil creatures or how he planned to control them, but as the Emperor of the Dark Zones he had come to appreciate raw evil talent when he saw it. These 'eggs' had that potential and the battle when they met the Rangers promised to be equally impressive.

"Just think Rita," he said, "if just one of our monsters showed that sort of potential we could have disposed of those pesky kids by now."

"Yeah, but we didn't, did we Zeddy?" she snapped back, her voice trembling with emotion. "All we got is monkey boy and my boneheaded brother." The pretence of being emotionless was gone as she burst into tears. It really was disappointing that of all the capable henchmen in the Universe, she could end up with such a poor collection.

"Perhaps there is a way we can share in this triumph," Zedd stated as he took his wife's chin in his hand, ignoring the protest from Goldar as he did so.

"Perhaps it would be better to find out what those things are," Finster suggested.

"And where do you plan to find that out?" Zedd snapped.

"Earth," Finster stated, his eyes shifting to where Scorpina stood watching the proceedings. "I know the very place."

"Did you see my love?" Gasket asked.

"Yes," Archerina answered. "My sensors show that for organic creatures they have incredible power."

Gasket nodded sagely. He was a proud heir to the greatest robotic organisation in known space and as such had been programmed to believe that mechanical life would always be superior to organic lives. However, while his father would never consider collaborating with organic villains Gasket was willing to give the matter some thought.

He had easily identified the machinery inside the so-called eggs and had rightly agreed that they were storage capsules and not mere eggs. The energy readings inside appeared powerful, but the cavern where they had been placed looked old. How old he would be unable to decide without approaching the site, from the depth and layers of subsoil, he could determine it was older than many of the tombs on the planet. He suspected that there were some mechanical upgrades he could use to bring whatever was inside under his control.

"We will need to take possession of one of those devices," he said, his eyes never leaving the Earth's surface.

"Yes," Archerina agreed.

"And that is all I can tell you, your majesty," Klank stated, his thick accent difficult for most to understand, but easily decoded by Mondo's enhanced audio pickup.

"Perhaps we could take advantage of this situation dear," Machina offered, flicking her fan open before her memory banks overloaded from the strain of thinking too hard.

"Perhaps," Mondo agreed.

"But daddy, you said that organic life is inferior," Sprocket protested.

"I think our young prince is going to grow up a credit to the Royal House of Gadgetry," Machina said in a voice that gave the impression of something akin to pride.

"You are quite correct son," Mondo boasted. "Machines are superior, but there is no reason why we cannot turn these creatures to our advantage. With our machine technology we could seize the victory."

"I can build some remote collars to take control of the beasties," Klank offered.

"I have the perfect plan," Mondo stated. "Klank, build me some remote collars that I might control those things."

"Yes, your majesty," Klank said, the unexplained irritation he felt in his cerebral processor not affecting his vocal circuitry. He was after all a loyal servant of the Royal House of Gadgetry and if Mondo wished to think the idea was his own, Klank was not programmed to protest. He bowed and shuffled off to start work.

The Moon

Over night the various villains attacking the Earth had taken it upon themselves to grab one of the hyperlock units before they could open in the hopes of convincing Minion to share in the forthcoming victory. They still lacked a clear idea of what was inside the eggs although Rita and Zedd had managed to retrieve two of the units and had added as many enchantments as possible to increase the power of whatever was inside without effecting the machinery. Mondo had also obtained two of the containers and had successfully added cybernetic enhancements to them that would allow him to detect when they opened; Gasket had attempted to adapt the units he had stolen, but had lacked the success of his father.

In the early hours of the morning the Moon had been shaken as Minion activated a spell to retrieve his property and the eggs were magically removed and placed back on the Earth where their contents could be revived. No acknowledgement of the theft was given. For all the villains knew their attempts had not been worth noticing.

"My eggs!" Rita screeched.

"Hey sis, they've been spread out," Rito said.

Rita continued to grouse as she shoved her brother out of the way. They had indeed been spread out across the globe - two egg-shaped vessels sharing each nest - and an energy barrier had been built around them to prevent further theft.

"Oh my," Finster exclaimed before trying to hide a book he had stolen. "They must be ready to open. They need only to be positioned and activated. They should be protected until they are free of their shells. If the shell is damaged while they are inside, they'll be destroyed."

"What is that?" Goldar growled, pointing to the book Finster had stuffed behind his back.

Finster tried to protest but Lord Zedd's favoured henchman grabbed it from him, snarling to discourage further argument.

"You did it!" Rita screeched. "You got in and got the book?"

"Yes my queen," Finster answered.

"Perhaps there is hope for you Finster," Zedd mumbled. He flipped a few pages of the book. "Finster, are you certain this information is correct?"

Power Chamber

"Alpha, are you certain that the information is correct?" Zordon asked.

He had absolute faith in the Power Chamber's vast computer system and even more confidence in Alpha's understanding of the data. Yet Zordon hoped that somehow Alpha had made an error in the calculations, that the energy readings had shown something, anything else. It had been a small hope that Alpha having to resort to searching the human libraries had miscalculated; it had been surprising when the book Evil Beasts and How to Survive, had turned up in a small Freak Zone town.

After all they had been through in recent times with the loss of the Zeo powers and the Rangers' struggle to heal after their battles, the arrival of an alien armada capable of levelling the planet would have been preferable to evil they were about to face.

The Elemental Beasts had according to data been recorded long before Zordon's time. They were said to have been merciless beasts of pure destruction capable of laying waste to galaxy after galaxy. When they moved to a new world, they were stored in hyperlock chambers that were often mistaken for eggs that would open in the new harsh environment in which they were positioned. The more extreme the condition the meaner the beasts became.

At first it had been difficult to discover the beasts' location, but in the last few hours the signal had moved to Earth and the analysis had been completed.

"Yes Zordon," Alpha replied. "The eggs are a type of technology used to store the Elemental Beasts."

"Summon the Rangers," Zordon ordered. "If the Elemental Beasts are in position then they must be ready to be released. The Rangers must be ready to destroy them before they are unleashed."

"Right away Zordon," Alpha responded. "Oh Ai-yi-yi, as if the Rangers didn't have enough to deal with."

"You must have confidence in Tommy and the others," Zordon admonished.

"You're right Zordon," Alpha said. "I just hope they can stop it in time."

Minion was not so confident of his own abilities that he did not value the idea of outsourcing the more tiresome projects, such as egg sitting to a third party. This time he had chosen the Beast Master to do his bidding. He had been defeated during a great war between the demons that had made Earth their home and the humans that had appeared seemingly overnight. He had seen his people trapped in the caves beneath Dover. It was his race's right to destroy the Earth, one granted to his kind the day their eyes had seen the smoke-filled skies and had breathed the sulphur rich air of their home world. Since that time they had fought to stop the planet from changing.

He could pass as a human in many ways; he had two arms, two legs and a single head. His red skin would be a dead giveaway on Earth, but on some of the more remote planets in the farthest reaches of the Galaxy, he would fit right in. Even the small red scales that were visible on his brow, the muscled physique and the three-foot long horn that adorned the top of his head with two smaller horns emerging from his forehead, chin and each shoulder would not make him an outcast on some planets. Black spikes sprouted from the end of each knuckle, which in combination with his talon gave his a deadly edge.

He had pointed ears, red glowing reptilian eyes - the iris and the outer edges of his eyes were ringed in flame. He had numerous dark grey serrated teeth as well as four prominent fangs. His tongue was a sickly black and resembled a rat's tail. It flicked around the edges of his mouth, testing the air as it did so.

His armour was blood red in colour and was covered by a black cape. The back of his cape had a slit that allowed his large bat-like wings to extend from their hiding place.

He had been destroyed when he had tried to keep Earth as a ball of ash and had been forced to endure the nothingness of Limbo, until he had been freed once more. When Minion had entered the cavern where Arcana had found the containment units and awakened him, he had been sceptical of the villain's plan. When he had seen the storage vessels containing the dormant Elemental Beasts though he had willingly agreed to protect them and to direct them, assuming of course that it was possible to direct them. In the time since Minion had resurrected him, he had been busy reviving some of the dark creatures that had once obeyed him and attempting to awaken his master.

He looked into the sky, sensing the planet's energy beneath him and relaxed. He would allow the Earth to direct his actions. When the Rangers intervened in Minion's path, he would ensure they had more pressing concerns.

Power Chamber

"We're here Zordon, what's up?" Tommy asked.

"Rangers, I have serious news," Zordon answered. He looked down at his chosen students and their allies; Jason, Billy and Sam, all former Rangers had answered the summons, their assistance would help to counter the additional strain the Rangers would have to endure. "Last night Katherine discovered a strange power source on the Earth. Alpha's research has since revealed that that was a magical nest wizards used a long time ago to imprison demonic creatures, among them the Elemental Beasts. Last night the eggs were removed from the cave where they had been placed and if left the beasts within will be released."

"Rangers, the power of the Elemental Beasts was sufficient to gain a brief mention in galactic texts. On Earth they are legendary among magical society even though they are deemed a myth. According to the information Alpha and I collected, their fighting abilities far outweigh your temporary powers. To defeat them you must destroy the containment units before they open."

"Do you know where they are?" Kat asked.

"Unfortunately Katherine, Minion, if he is responsible for moving the eggs, saw fit to pair them up when hiding them. Two at Mount Veronia in Oregon and two more at the Sherman Dam; two in the Sierra Nevada Mountains and the last two were deposited in Ohio, we have no idea why they chose that location."

"Perhaps he intends to use the climatic variances to accelerate the opening," Billy offered as he fiddled with a device.

"So what do we do about it?" Tanya asked.

"We need to reach those containment units and destroy them before their contents are fully revived," Jason stated. It was an obvious strategy and the only approach that was likely to work.

"Jason is correct," Zordon said. "However my scans reveal that only a powerful weapon will be able to destroy the shells now that they have been positioned."

"Ai-yi-yi-yi-yi, if I could connect the Zeo Cannon to the Gem Coins, the Rangers could use it, but the computer says it would be ineffective."

"Aw man, if only I could use the Zeo V Power Sword," Tommy moaned.

"While I cannot isolate the energy core of the Zeo Weapons, perhaps I can determine the position of some alternative serrated edge elongated metallic objects."

Adam smiled at the former Blue Ranger. "You mean you can find us some swords?"

Billy returned the grin and started fiddling with the computer. "Affirmative." Nobody noticed when the device he had been working on suddenly disappeared.

"Zordon, I thought you said Rita didn't have anything to do with them," Rocky said when he noticed some of the henchmen moving through the area.

"That is correct Rocky, the magic involved is different to the type of spell Rita and Zedd favour." Zordon paused as the Viewing Globe showed a nest guarded by Putties. "However, Rita and Zedd have obviously taken advantage of the situation and will attempt to slow your progress. I am afraid Rangers that if you fail in this mission the consequences will be far worse than you can possibly imagine."

"All right Billy!" Jason cried in triumph as three swords appeared on the counter. "You did it."

"Affirmative," Billy replied. "Using the computer I was able to extrapolate the position of the original Megazord's Power Sword, the Thunder Megazord Saber and the Shogun Megazord's Fire Saber. By recalibrating the teleportation system I was able to reduce them to a size that allowed for optimum manipulation."

"Thanks Billy," Tommy said.

Before the Gem Coin Rangers could take up their swords though the alarm sounded.

"Rangers, the Beast Master has been awakened and is attacking Stone Canyon. Although this is no doubt a plan to distract you, the immediate problem must be dealt with before the distant threat. You must deal with him first."

"Who or what is this Beast Master?" Rocky asked.

"The Beast Master like the Elemental Beasts is a creature from a time before early humans inhabited the Earth. He is older than the Elemental Beasts and has existed since the Earth first formed from cooling gases. Many say he arrived on the meteor that crashed into the surface and later formed the Moon. At that time the world was covered with lava and ash. In the time before the Earth cooled he was rumoured to have tried to keep this planet as a lava filled wasteland. He fed off the Ley Lines to bolster his power and watched over the dark creatures that emerged; he later controlled them. When the dark times ended and the dinosaurs evolved, the Beast Master was battled and defeated.

The Beast Master cannot control the Elemental Beasts, but he does have many other dark creatures at his disposal. He will attempt to reclaim the planet by returning it to its former state."

"How can we stop the Beast Master and get to the eggs in time?" Kat asked.

"Tommy, Katherine, Tanya, Rocky and Adam, you must confront the Beast Master first," Zordon stated. "I am afraid he must be your priority."

The column that used to contain the Zeo Crystal rose from the floor. Instinctively the Rangers placed their Gem Coins into the appropriate slots to charge. As much as they wished they could use their Zeo powers, the Zeo Crystal was still in Minion's possession. They were forced to make do with the mixture of Zeo and Morphin energy that the Gem Coins provided. It left the Rangers weaker than they liked, but weakness was something the Rangers had grown used to in recent times.

When a loud ping was heard, they collected their Gem Coins and then it was time for action.

"It's Morphin Time!" Tommy cried.

"Zeo Ranger I - Crane!"

"Zeo Ranger II - Bear!"

"Zeo Ranger III - Ape!"

"Zeo Ranger IV - Frog!"

"Zeo Ranger V - Falcon!"

"Even with makeshift powers, that was impressive," Sam commented once their five friends had left.

"Indeed it was Sam," Zordon replied.

"Alpha, can you find and bring Kimberly, Zack and Trini here?" Jason asked.

"I can try Jason," the little robot replied.

"I suggest you extend your efforts to include Aisha too," Billy said. "The more allies we can enlist the higher our chances of success."

"I agree Billy," Zordon said. "Alpha, locate Aisha, Kimberly, Trini and Zack. Bring them here."

"Tommy's brother could also aid us," Sam stated.

"Again you are correct Sam. Alpha, when the others have been summoned, bring David Trueheart here. While waiting I suggest you head down to Billy's storeroom and collect some accessories." Billy's storeroom was filled with weapons that while useless against the hyperlock units, would make short work of the Putty Patrol.

"What's the matter Zedd?" Rita cooed as she stared at the eggs. "So we can't get one of the eggs for ourselves, we can always wait for them to destroy the Rangers and then attack. With Tommy and the other preoccupied, nothing can stop the units from opening."

"I know that Rita," Zedd answered patiently. "But if I know Zordon he will try to find outside help and if he brings in the other former Rangers this whole plan could backfire."

His voice had grown angrier with every word and the sparks could be seen flying from the end of his staff.

Rita paled. "Finster! Find a way to keep those brats from interfering."

"Yes Lady Rita," Finster answered, his hand rubbing his chin as he thought. "Perhaps one of the bounty hunting guilds would do?"

"Perfect!" Rita cried excitedly. "Oh this is going to be good Zeddy; all the Rangers wiped out in one go."

Zedd snorted but did not answer. The day that one of their plans worked correctly would be the day his brother admitted he was wrong and returned to the family fold instead of parading around as a - no, he would not think about that disgrace of a sibling. He had better things to do.

**To be Continued**

Disclaimer: I do not own the Power Rangers, they belong to the respective copyright owner. No money is being made from this piece of writing.

**Friends Reunited**

World Peace Conference Switzerland

Trini had known this would not be a good day. She had felt it the moment she had woken up and as the morning had progressed she had felt worse. At present, she was sitting at the reception desk to the university's information center, the place where students and lecturers could go to study and communicate with their families. To teach the importance of communication, students were required to spend a week on the reception desk dealing with queries. This week it was Trini's turn.

Trini enjoyed her time at the Peace Conference even when it appeared that they were making little progress. She had always been a patient person and rarely fought unless she had a good reason. When she had left the Rangers, she had been lucky that her new role seemed to make her feel complete once more.

"Pardon moi, parle vous Anglais?" a voice asked, startling her back to the real world.

She hadn't heard the man approach even though he seemed quite large. A brown hood hid his face.

"Yes sir, how may I help?" she asked politely.

"I am looking for Trini Kwan. I need to deliver a message," he told her, his cold eyes never leaving the desk.

"You've found her," Trini smiled.

"I know." He pulled down his hood to reveal a head of black hair. He was handsome, but for some reason his smile put her on edge.

Trini's right hand moved to her left wrist instead of the panic button. For some reason the answer had made her think like a Ranger instead of a civilian. She backed away from the desk slightly, taking in the number of visitors who were staring at the man's back. What was going on?

"Your friends wouldn't make it in time," he told her. "They'll be on their way as we speak to ask for your help. I want you former Rangers to understand that if you interfere, your friends, your family and your lives will be forfeit."

"I - I don't know what you mean," she insisted, now backing away from the desk.

"I think you do Yellow Ranger. No, not anymore - you were replaced by Aisha weren't you? No matter, you can still serve my purposes." He stepped forward, swatting the desk aside as he advanced on her. "Stay!" he commanded as Trini turned to run. His hand closed around her neck, he was so close now she could smell his breath. "I think you will be the message," he commented before bursting into laughter.

A high pitch whine filled the room causing the occupants to cover their ears just moments before the area burst into flames. Trini didn't need to be told twice as she started running towards the dormitory where delegates from the United States were gathered, wishing as moved that she still wore her communicator instead of the watch she had been frantically tapping in hope of escape.

Zack groaned and rolled over, wishing his roommate would learn to keep his music down. It was just his luck that Jason's replacement enjoyed talk shows first thing in the morning. By the sound of it, this was one of those shows where the guests didn't stop yelling long enough to start the discussion. He had been up the previous night working on a presentation with some friends. His first class was in two hours and he wanted to get as much sleep as possible. He rolled over and covered his head with his pillow.

"Help!"

That was all he could stand, deciding to have a serious talk with his roommate later on, Zack managed to drag himself out of bed and into the bathroom. After a quick shower and shave he returned to his room and groaned. The argument was still going and seemed louder. He exited his bedroom again into the communal lounge and was surprised to find the room empty. He looked around, searching for the source of the disturbance and realised it was outside - an argument in progress. He opened the door to the hallway slightly and peered through the gap.

Five men stood in the room talking to one of the hall wardens. Two of them were in the front and the other three were in the back. Zack didn't recognise them, but there was something suspicious about the way they spoke and moved. Their speech patterns were sluggish. He closed the door and acting on instinct, made his way to his bedside cabinet.

"... Last chance," a voice outside could be heard shouting.

Zack started to look frantically through his drawers, hoping that he could find his communicator. For some reason he knew he would feel safer once he was wearing the last remaining symbol of his days as a defender of his planet. A bright flash caused him to look at the door. There was a muffled bang and the smell of burning flesh, followed by a dull thud.

KNOCK KNOCK

Zack looked up as the door handle rattled. He didn't know who it was, but instinct told him to run. He silently wished that there was some power in his communicator; Zordon had cut the link to the communicators worn by Jason, Trini, Zack and Kimberly when they had finished their time as active Rangers even though that function had been Billy's discovery and did not rely on the Command Center. For some reason though the White Master had not asked for the devices to be returned.

He heard a loud crack and look over to wear the door was starting to splinter. Another few kicks and the door had been removed from its hinges. The men he had spotted earlier entered the room, but two of them had let their disguises drop; they were obviously Putties. The three in the back he didn't recognize however. They wore black trench coats, black baggy jeans, and red or black T-shirts. One of them even had a hat worn backwards on his head. If Zack didn't know any better, he'd say that they were just normal humans. ~What would humans be doing with Putties?~ he wondered. ~Why would Putties be here without Goldar or Rito?~

Then a different thought came to him, an exciting realisation that for some reason he had been pushed back into the world of the Power Rangers. Until now, Rita and Zedd had left the former Rangers alone, unwilling to face the wrath of a group of former heroes. His thoughts turned to one Zordon of Eltare, Morphin Master and his one time mentor. When Zack had left the Power Rangers along with Jason and Zack, he had been told that when they would return more rounded individuals who would bring more experience to the team. Jason had already returned, but Zack and Trini had chosen to remain within the Peace Conference during its extension period. There had been more work to finish before they could head back to Angel Grove.

But he had missed the old life and the thought that he would have a chance to fight evil one more time excited him. Still he wondered how the Putties had been able to appear without Zordon sending in a team of Rangers to fight them. The three strangers also caused him to wonder what was going on.

The man with the backwards hat moved the Putties out of the way so he could get in front. It was then Zack noticed the horns sticking out of the top of their heads, fiery tails sticking out of their jeans, and long eyebrows that stuck out and curved. Zack felt his stomach clench in fear. Were these Demons? No, they couldn't be. The closest things to demons that Zack had ever seen were Lord Zedd and Lokar, but neither resembled these creatures in physicality. ~If they're not Demons, what the heck are they?~

Whatever they were, Zack knew that they were powerful and that he was in trouble. He could feel a large amount of power coming from somewhere, like a huge wave of energy had suddenly forces its way into his body. It was the strangest sensation Zack had ever felt in his life, only the first time he had called on the Mastodon could compare.

The man looked at first Zack, then the unconscious security guard and finally the two very nervous Putties, an irritated expression on his face, "I thought your master said this was where we could find that Zack Taylor guy," the man growled. The Putties backed away, appearing very nervous in their comrade's presence. "If I wanted to kill a kid, I would've stopped by the adoption agency." The man pulled out a crimson red sword from his trench coat.

"N-n-now there's... no need for... violence g-g-guys," Zack stammered, hoping his voice sounded sufficiently fearful. A way out had been provided and he was going to take it. "I c-c-can go and g-g-get him for... you."

The man rolled his eyes, clearly annoyed by Zack's interruption, but something in his body language suggested he was considering Zack's offer. "Get him, bring him here and maybe I'll let you live. Cross me boy and I'll barbeque yo butt." He gestured his sword to the side of the room where there was a window. A ball of flame engulfed the frame, blowing the glass out over the campus.

Zack glared at the demon. ~Pathetic, You'd think he'd at least make a convincing attempt to scare me.~ Right now though, he needed to figure out a way out of there, before things got out of control.

"Go and get him," the man yelled.

The Putties made aggravated noises at the man's ignorance, but Zack was already through the door and heading down the corridor.

"He said that is Zack Taylor," said one of the man's companions, gesturing to a shaky looking Putty. At that Zack accelerated his escape, not so willing for a fight.

"What are you doing?" There was no doubt that growl belonged to Goldar. "Get him." Zack ran ever faster as he heard Goldar complain: "I'm beginning to think that these Packspawn hunters are highly overrated, especially their intelligence level." The 'Packspawn' as Goldar called it, narrowed his eyes into slits and swivelled his sword at the titan's neck.

"You know, you are really startin to work my nerves," The Packspawn cocked his head to the side. He looked as if he were seriously considering chopping off the henchman's head, and unless Goldar could shout out an apology in about a split second he was probably going to.

It was then that another Packspawn strode forward. This one was about a head shorter than the other Packspawn. He had no horns and his eyebrows were normal, his blondish brown hair was done in corn rolls and black sunglasses rested on his head. The only thing that identified him as a Packspawn was the long tail with the fiery tip at the end.

He stepped in between the titan and Packspawn, forcefully pushing the sword to the aggressor's side. "Let the monkey talk mess Boogah," he said casually, "we're here for Taylor; when we finish that then we can deal with this clown." The other' voice was disturbingly calm, the way he handled his taller companion and how he visibly threatened the titan in front of them was remarkable, especially since he had no weapons of his own.

Boogah nodded his head reluctantly, "A'ite Roma, whatever you say." He pretended to step in front of Goldar, making him flinch. "Yeah, betta watch yo self."

Roma shook his head and turned his attention to Zack, who by now had exited the corridor and was on his way to the lobby. He allowed himself a smile when he saw what was blocking the former Black Ranger's escape up ahead; Trini was looking very vulnerable, standing alone by the lift, catching her breath as her pursuer slowly caught up.

"Let's get him." Roma said coldly.

Trini had decided that discretion was the best course of action and had taken off in the direction of her dormitory. It was only later during discussions she would realise her main concern at the time had been Zack. She reached the elevator just as her pursuer came around the corner. The door closed before he could grab her.

After an eternity, the door opened and she burst into the corridor, heading towards her friend's room. She stopped abruptly when Zack burst through the other doors, running towards her with Putties in hot pursuit. She turned and almost screamed when her attacker emerged from the stairway. They were trapped.

Instead of the usual impending doom most people would feel given the situation, Trini and Zack felt something strange embrace them. It was not a sensation they remembered, but seemed familiar. It definitely wasn't fear, it was...more like a sense of readiness. Already knowing what to expect from the Putties, and Goldar should he choose to interfere, and waiting to study how these Packspawn worked. That was why it felt so weird, despite the time they had been away from active duty, they actually felt truly prepared. It was as if they actually knew what to expect from his enemies and yet they didn't know. It was confusing.

"Bring it on," Zack told them. While he was talking tough though his eyes were searching for a way out. "You don't scare me."

Roma didn't falter at Zack's statement. He raised an eyebrow, soon a small grin spread across his face. Zack didn't see anything funny about it though. "In that case, ya'll can take care of this." He stepped backward to let the man who had been chasing Trini, now revealed as a very babbly Putty, do the dirty work.

"Get them!" Goldar ordered and the three Putties attacked.

Trini narrowed her eyes as she felt anger cut though her, a pride she'd usually stamp out because she knew she couldn't defend it was damaged slightly. She'd run from a Putty, she'd never live that down. She'd show them all right. ~What am I talking about?~ she thought suddenly. ~I don't even want to show them!~

Boogah chuckled to himself and followed Roma to the back. "The boss really exaggerated on this one. Don't underestimate them my butt, that's just a pair of little kids, wastin our time by escortin these fools to beat on kids." Boogah kept on muttering until Roma knocked him upside the head with the back of his hand.

"Keep yo damn mouth shut and watch," Roma said quietly while folding his arms across his chest.

"Sorry boss, I'm shuttin up, won't hear a peep from me, quiet as mouse and stuff like that..." He trailed off as Roma gave him an irritated stare.

"What did I just say?" he said, raising his hand again.

Boogah responded by putting his fingers to his lips and pretending to zip them.

The Putties closed the gap between them and lunged at Zack, ignoring Trini. Zack did a quick back flip, silently thanking whoever had convinced him to take up gymnastics as a way of complementing his fighting technique. His feet and fists lashed out, taking down two of the Putties in rapid succession. The third one had already fallen to Trini deadly moves. Without questioning how they had just defeated their enemies so quickly without their Ranger enhanced sense, Zack and Trini did the first and most important thing that mattered at the moment.

"Run!" Zack shouted.

"Where?" was Trini's reply.

Zack stopped short. Trini was right; if they ran back to their rooms they would endanger the other delegates, but to get to the lift meant hoping they could get past Goldar and his companions. They had no choice but to stay and fight.

"What's this all about Goldar?" Zack asked.

"Lord Zedd has decreed you will not be allowed to aid your former comrades," Goldar growled. "So he sent us to make sure you were taken care off."

That said Goldar attacked. This time Zack jumped up high into the air to avoid the titan while Trini ducked low and delivered a very painful punch that had the gold monkey keeled over. Zack flipped and landed lightly next to his teammate. Pushing off from the rail to give him more momentum, Zack twisted in the air and stretched his leg out in a sideways kick. One of the Putties was starting to stand up and had enough sense to duck out of the way of Zack's careening foot, but the other two weren't so lucky and instead got the foot in their faces. Trini moved in on the surviving Putties, unleashing a few well directed blows until they had enough and retreated. Goldar recovered and charged, but Trini and Zack were already countering, laughing as the titan flew back several feet and crashed into the closed stairwell, bits of rubble and debris fell from inside of it, covering him like a blanket.

Zack, who had landed in a crouching position, slowly stood up. He smiled at the handy work he had just caused, 'Maybe this might not be so bad after all.' He had to admit, even though it had seemed rather barbaric to inflict so much pain on such simple creatures.

The sound of clapping made him snap his head to the side, alert and ready for anything. Beside him he felt Trini tense.

He saw that Roma was slowly applauding them, a large malicious grin on his face. "Bravo," he congratulated, his tail swinging to the rhythm of his clapping. "Not bad for a kid and a girl. Guess old Zedd wasn't exaggerating after all."

Zack smiled at the so-called compliment Roma gave him. He laughed slightly, staring up at the remaining three men with absolutely no humour in his expression.

"Why don't you just leave now, and save yourselves from getting a butt kicking," Trini asked, her voice cold and so menacing that it even surprised her.

Roma gave a harsh laugh that sounded like choking. "Oh okay, so we gotta cocky little b..."

"Don't say it!" Trini warned.

"...to handle now huh." He looked from Boogah to the other Packspawn without hearing her words. "Sorry kid, but I'm gonna have to turn down yo offer."

"A'ite then boys," he snapped his fingers; the two Packspawn instantly stepped forward and drew their swords out, both glowing red in the light. "Why don't you two handle this, but don't go over board, I wants them alive for fun."

"Heh, heh, time to turn yo cute little behind into chop suey," said Boogah, his eyes gleaming with an insane sort of anticipation. Trini didn't respond. She silently got into a ready position, holding out his arm and gesturing his hand for the Packspawn to 'just bring it.'

Boogah growled, charging at her with a speed Trini was astonished she could follow. She sidestepped, attempting to slice him with his sword horizontally. Trini dodged it by jumping backwards and then back flipped to provide some distance. Boogah came at her again a second after his feet touched the ground.

Zack heard Roma smack his forehead in frustration, "Did I or did I not just say not to kill her?" he muttered.

Ignoring Roma, Boogah, this time, swung his sword at her vertically and Trini had to spin behind him to dodge it, but Boogah followed her move by turning slightly, then quickly swinging it horizontally again, hoping to catch her off guard. Trini bent all the way back, feeling a breeze pass her as the sword sliced the air across her face and body. She let her hands touch the floor doing a sort of curved handstand. She bent her elbows in, and with all her might she pushed upward and kicked Boogah in the face with both her feet, before he could cleave her down the middle. As Boogah flew backwards, Trini landed forward in a crouching position.

Trini watched as Boogah slid down the wall, hit and land on the floor in a heap. He blinked in confusion and rubbed his jaw. He gaped at Trini, opening and closing his mouth without any words coming out. "What the hell..." he finally muttered. He shook his head, "Dwanin, don't just stand there like a dummy! Help me!"

Zack sensed more then heard Dwanin's movements, as the other Packspawn ran towards him. He grabbed the Packspawn's wrist, just as he was about to slice Zack vertically down the middle from behind. Zack flipped him over his shoulder, where he landed on the floor hard on his back, his black trench coat streaming downward like a waterfall. Zack delivered a high axe kick aiming for the Packspawn's head. Dwanin rolled out of the way just in time, instead Zack hit the floor, pieces of wood and concrete unearthed from the blow flew around everywhere.

But before Dwanin could compose himself and counter, Zack had already yanked his foot out of the floor, doing a back round house kick, hitting Dwanin in the face. Like Boogah, and in the same direction, Dwanin went flying back in the air. Unfortunately though, this was around the time that Boogah had righted himself and stood up, dusting off his trench coat. He looked up to see Dwanin's body coming at full speed towards him.

His eyes widened, "Oh crap." Dwanin landed on top of Boogah, a couple of cracks suggested that Dwanin had broken a few bones, his and Boogah's.

"I knew we should have come in our true forms," Boogah said thickly. Gaining his senses, Boogah vehemently pushed Dwanin off of him, "Get offa me!"

Dwanin rolled back to his feet muttering a quick, "My bad."

"Okay, wanna play rough now do ya?" said Boogah, raising sword in front of him. "Alright then, I can play dirty to. Come on Dwanin let's double team them." Dwanin complied by raising his own sword at the ready as well.

Trini and Zack backed up, unsure what to do. So far they had allowed their instincts to dictate their movements. Both had already gotten used to the instant karate thing, and even though they were out numbered, they knew that together they had the upper hand.

The Packspawns had obviously underestimated them, so - either they were extremely stupid or they were just being lazy - their fighting skills were sluggish and slow. It wouldn't be too hard to beat them up enough to make an escape. But still, there was still an understated sense of power about them that made Zack and Trini cautious. It would have been a lot easier if they had had a weapon or something, a working communicator would have been a great asset.

Zack was silently wishing that he had his Power Axe or even a Blade Blaster to hand. He wasn't ashamed to admit that they were facing creatures that most humans would rather die than confront, and so far they had been lucky. Zack had never trusted in luck to the extent that it made him overconfident. Well, maybe when it came to trying to impress Angela.

Trini was thinking along similar lines, remembering how many serious injuries her uniform had protected her from serious injury. She recalled the Power Dagger, sleek and deadly - a match for many of the monsters Rita had thrown at them.

The two Packspawn charged at the Ranger with their swords pointed in front of them, Zack ducked and swept both of their legs from under their feet. Trini tumble-rolled over the fallen bodies and with Zack close behind, ran through the doors to the delegates' rooms. Through the door, they kept moving, hoping to find something they could use. Trini smashed the case on the fire alarms, knowing that the few delegates still there would hurry out the fire escape, thus avoiding more casualties.

Boogah, gaining his footing, got back up and ran through the door, changed direction and ploughed at Zack with his sword pointed in front of him.

"Didn't your mother ever tell you not to run around with sharp objects?" Zack said mockingly.

This only infuriated Boogah more, making his aim even less accurate. He attempted to cleave Zack, unbeknownst to him making it all the more easy to dodge. Zack jumped up, twisting in midair; he landed a few feet behind Boogah. Just as he sliced one of the conference benches in half - not a complicated task given how sharp the blade was.

Trini sensed Dwanin trying to sneak up from behind her again. She grabbed a mop from an abandoned bucket and twisted it around, she hit Dwanin upside the head. Dwanin spun and then fell to the ground with a thud.

Boogah abruptly ceased attacking Zack and tried to sneak up on her, hoping that she was distracted with Dwanin. But Zack saw his intentions and shouted a warning, which Trini heard before she noticed the Packspawn from the corner of her eye. She twirled the mop, and then jabbed the handle into Boogah's stomach. Hearing him exhale in pain, Zack grabbed a broom and flipped it up to hit Boogah hard in the face with the bristles. Boogah's head snapped back, with his hands on his face he staggered backwards and almost tripped.

Trini and Zack heard a growl coming from one side, suggesting that Dwanin had recovered. Boogah was also shaking off the recent blows they had given him. They were on either side of the two humans and nothing short of expert timing could aid them. If they timed this one just right, then maybe they would be able to fully knock their two attackers out.

The creature came running at them at full speed, both vertically swung their swords at the same time. Zack jumped to avoid one and then jabbed the broom handle down hard on the blade while Trini did the same with her mop, locking them in place. Using the broom as a crutch to pull himself up, Zack did a rising split kick and caught both of the Packspawn in the chin. Both of them flew back, their swords wrenched out of their hands.

Zack slid down the wall, landing straight up on the floor. Trini was next to him, both exhausted from their ordeal. Suddenly Trini sensed something coming towards them really fast from behind. She managed to get half the warning out, but there was no time to dodge it. Zack put his arms up in an attempt to block whatever was coming at him while Trini adopted a low stance, hoping to remain upright. Neither attempt succeeded; both teens were hit at full force. The impact caused them to go flying back, crashing into one of the canteens and landing hard on the concrete floor.

Zack moaned as pain exploded in his back and arms. The wind had been knocked out of him, a few moments passed and he was finally able to breathe. It took a few more moments for Zack to register what had happened. As if to answer his unasked question, Roma, with a sinister smirk on his face, appeared in the mangled entryway. He cracked his head from side to side, "If you want something done right," Roma said while cracking his knuckles, "you gotta do it yourself."

Roma flexed his arms out, cracking more muscles. He set his eyes upon Zack with menacing mirth. "Guess it's just you and me Zacky boy." Zack's eyes widened as Roma gestured to where Trini laid unmoving, blood visible on the floor. Roma stretched out his right arm and rolled up his sleeve. It glowed a deep blood red before his dark brown skin morphed into a silvery sword. He sliced the air a bit, testing his new limb out. He smiled at the shocked look Zack had on his face.

"Cool huh?" was all he said, before he jumped high into the air and did a flip. He hovered over Zack, his sword arm swinging down aimed for his head. Zack rolled out of the way. Roma stabbed the ground instead; his body crouched down in the crater he had created. Zack scrambled to his feet. Roma looked at him, pulling out his sword arm from the tiled kitchen floor.

"Why don't you be a good little boy and let Uncle Roma gut you like a fish?" He lunged at Zack with a barrage of complicated sword manoeuvres, which Zack of course couldn't possibly counter, the former Black Ranger was only human and Roma was much faster then the other two Packspawn. The Putties and Goldar weren't even worth a comparison. Zack tried to dodge the strikes as best he could, but eventually Roma got through his defence.

The Packspawn feinted a punch with his real hand, and did a roundhouse kick which hit Zack hard in the sternum. He went flying backward his body smashing into the serving hatch, a dent curved around him from the collision. Pain wracked through his chest, he must have landed on one of the fixed shelves. All he could see was red. He wiped his eyes and found blood smeared on the back of his hand.

Just as Zack had cleared his vision, Roma was already bounding towards him. Zack twisted out of the way, as Roma attempted to stab him again. His arm sword struck the hatchway instead. Roma went for a snap kick at Zack's head, even though his arm was still stuck. Zack actually managed to throw the blow aside, but was not quick enough to catch the knee that followed.

Roma grinned evilly as he lifted his entire leg up, with Zack still attached. He bent in his leg and then snapped it out as hard as he could, sending Zack flying back smack into the wall.

Zack slid painfully down the wall, landing on the ground with a heavy thud. He stayed down, trying to catch his breath but also thinking of a way to stop this nutcase. Fighting mindlessly was definitely out; he actually needed a plan now. His time to think expired though as Roma closed in for the kill. So unable to make a rational choice, Zack did something unexpected and wasteful.

"Mastodon!" he cried as he held up his hands to block the final blow.

It was a painful experience for Zack as his subconscious recalled the methods it had used to draw on the Power during his days as a Ranger. He lacked a Power Coin, having transferred it to Adam during the Power Transfer, but had retained his Power Morpher. At his call the Morpher had appeared in his hand, though without the Power Coin to help regulate the process, the energy ran rampant through every cell in his body, limited only by the established pathways that now acted to direct the overload.

Roma backed off as Zack started to convulse with black light. The boy's aura started to become more discernable as his cries grew louder. He swept the blade down, determined to kill the boy before anything else happened, but the weapon could not approach the screaming human, the energy rippling around him prevented such an attack.

Zack's eyes opened suddenly and he watched as Roma took a step back. He looked down at himself and saw his clothes had changed. Without a Power Coin to contain the template, the Power had searched for a suitable form. Thus he found himself wearing a loose black top, somewhat reminiscent of the outfits worn by the Ninja Rangers, and a pair of loose pants. In one hand was a long handled wooden battle-axe.

Trini heard the clink of metal on metal as Roma and Zack fought. She looked up and stared as her friend drove the blunt end of the axe handle into his opponent. Sparks flew as the weapon's keen edge made contact with Roma's blade.

Roma quickly retreated and studied his blade, making sure that its perfect frame wasn't damaged or scratched.

"What's the matter, giving up already?" Zack asked. He wasn't eager to fight, but wanted to keep the advantage he had gained. Not to mention that while Roma was focussed on him, Trini was safe.

Trini climbed back to her feet more slowly than she would've liked. There was a pounding in her head, and she felt like Bulk was sitting on her chest. She brought her hand up to her mouth and wiped the blood that was trickling down her chin. Finally, while spitting some more blood out with the turn of her head, she was able to take in the battle as it progressed.

Roma though, didn't even grimace at Zack's challenge. His calm demeanour was extremely unnerving, but Zack tried to keep his cool on the outside, no matter how shaky he was on the inside. Roma smirked and bent his knees in, like a wild beast would do when getting ready to pounce on their prey. ~Close enough,~ Zack thought. After all, he did feel like Roma's prey and Roma, despite his appearance, fit the part of a carnivorous beast perfectly.

"Hold up Roma, I got this covered." Roma stood back up startled. Once seeing that it was Boogah, he immediately calmed down and changed his expression to that of annoyance.

"Boogah, what are you doing?" Roma asked lazily, as if knowing that his answer was going to something stupid.

Boogah pulled a wicked-looking scythe from his trench coat. He smiled eagerly at Roma, "I'm fixin to finish these kids off so we can hurry up and leave." Boogah raised the weapon and turned it so Roma could see the transparent edge. Roma's face fell.

Boogah looked pointedly at Zack, "what's with the change of clothes?"

As he spoke, he was subconsciously turning the tool just enough for Trini to see the blade. It was sparking gently in the air and although almost invisible, she could sense how sharp the blade was. There were words etched in another language along the weapon's length, but after about a few seconds of studying them, Trini deciphered what it meant. Her eyes widened and all the colour drained from her face.

Boogah smiled with superiority, thinking that Trini was suddenly frightened for a completely different reason. "Pretty smart huh? It was hard to find it in the storeroom, but I finally found this little beauty." Both Roma and Trini flinched as Boogah swiped the blade through the air, but for very different reasons. Zack looked at them with confusion in his eyes.

"What's wrong?" Boogah asked Roma urgently. It was a rare thing indeed when Roma ever looked worried about something.

Roma swallowed, he morphed his sword back into his arm. "D-d-Boogah," he stammered nervously. "Which storeroom did you get that out of?"

"The blue one," he said slowly. "Why?"

Roma's face suddenly turned the shade of off-white, "This wouldn't happen to be the one that had 'Do Not Enter' engraved on it, would it?"

Boogah raised an eyebrow, "Well yeah," he said plainly. "But you know how people only put that up there to keep thieves away."

Noticing that Zack was silently ebbing away and Trini followed suit. But whereas he would likely survive what was to come, she predicted her death was now a good possibility.

Roma's expression suddenly turned to that of anger, "Boogah are you out of your mind!" he yelled. "That's not our storeroom! That was Jas' storeroom, and you know how protective she is about her things!"

Boogah furrowed his eyebrows and scratched his head with his free hand. "If she didn't want me to use it, why did she leave it lying around?"

"She didn't you great pudding! She left it locked in her storeroom where anyone who entered is hunted down and destroyed" There was a brief silence following the statement, the new information sinking in to Boogah's particularly thick skull.

"She won't mind if I borrows it?" Boogah gasped. He looked down at the scythe with a fear that was meant for being trapped in a pit of lions, a fate he would have preferred compared to the anger of the scythe's rightful owner. He yelled out, "Holy sweet mother of Javius! Get this thing away from me!" Boogah juggled with the scythe, jogging in place and looking frantic.

Roma, still in a silent panic himself, tried to calm his idiotic gang member, "Boogah, stop moving around and send it back to the storeroom before she realises and kills us all... again! That thing was not built just to destroy mortals you know. That's an Angel Buster!"

Boogah ignored him and continued to toss the object from one hand to the other, like it was something really hot that he couldn't keep in his grasp. Finally Boogah reached a conclusion that if he could at least kill his target he would have a bargaining chip. He directed the blade in a lazy arc towards Trini's retreating form. Things seemed to go in slow motion as the tiny blade cut through the air.

Then her old Morpher was in her hand and Trini practically screamed the words she had thought she would never hear again: "Saber-toothed Tiger!"

The tip of the scythe cut into the floor, but Trini was already gone, whisked away by her renewed instincts. She was dressed in a uniform very similar to Zack's costume, except hers was yellow. As the weapon moved towards her again, it was met with the firm resistance of two crystal daggers. Using one to pin the weapon in place, she used the other to slice easily through the scythe's wooden handle.

"She's goin to kill me!" Boogah screamed as he realised what had happened.

Booooommmmm!

Boogah's rage was unleashed, clearing the hallway as Zack, Trini, Dwanin and Roma were thrown savagely through the air, outside the building and onto the ground below. Shards of glass from the windows, fire, and debris went flying around everywhere. Both Zack and Roma slid down and landed on their backs in the dewy grass. Trini rubbed her head as she landed, still dazed by the explosion. She saw the flames engulf half of the building and wondered how they would explain such destruction to the conference organisers.

Zack was not feeling optimistic as he picked himself up. He could see his parents' reactions. He inwardly groaned, "Mum and Dad are going to kill me," he muttered. There was no way in hell he could explain this one.

"Not before I do," he heard Roma say next to him. He was already to his feet, his arm morphed back into the silvery sword. His silhouette was even more menacing in the firelight. He may not have been a demon, but with his fiery tail swinging in back of him, and his arm sword glinting in the light, certainly made him look like something that had to have originated from hell.

Zack scooted back as Roma pointed his sword at his neck. "Make it easier for the both of us, and just come along quietly," he said as if closing the matter. Zack needed to think of something fast if he was going to go with the plan he had earlier. He glanced up; as if asking the heavens for an idea. About two stories up, he noticed that his room's window was slightly ajar.

Zack widened his eyes in fear and pointed a trembling finger towards the burning house, "Uh, your friend Boogah looks like he needs some help!" Zack yelled urgently.

Roma twisted around, "Boogah you little..." he stopped in mid-sentence. Seeing nothing but flames behind him. That was Zack's cue to hop to his feet and then jump up to the window. It was a lot less complicated then he thought, - his room was about two stories high - all he had to do was crouch down and push his feet upward. He grabbed the windowsill, looking down he saw Roma turn his head from side to side and scratch it in confusion. Zack decided to give him a little hint.

He whistled. Roma shot his head up, trying to find the source of the sound. Zack smiled down at him, "Yoohoo! Looking for somebody goat boy!" Zack called at Roma. Before Roma could respond Zack sat himself on the sill, and hurriedly opened the window so he could fit through it.

The floor boards felt warm under his feet, pretty soon the fire that had started in the kitchen would rise and burn the through it completely. Zack didn't linger. He ran for his door and swung it open, smoke filtering in from the hallway. He heard some glass shattering. Out of reflex he turned around to see Roma breaking through the window and slipping in.

"Come here boy!" he shouted insanely. "You ain't goin no where!"

Zack ran out of the room, swinging the door shut behind him. It was a simple act of stalling, knowing fully well that Roma could bust through the wood in a matter of seconds. Which he did of course, using his sword arm to slice it diagonally and a quick kick to knock the two remaining pieces away. Zack was already at the end of the hallway by the time that happened. He tugged on a string that was stung up in the ceiling. A grey ladder slid down from it and Zack quickly climbed up it to the upper maintenance room. Zack heard footsteps from below as he pulled the latter back up and slammed the door down.

"Oh where the hell did the boy go? Oh where the hell could he be?" He heard Roma's muffled voice from below sing. "Come out come out wherever you are! You wouldn't want to make Uncle Roma mad now would you? Otherwise he might end up doing things that he's not sure he doesn't want to do to poor helpless Trini."

Zack disregarded Roma's chanting and rummaged around the attic. There wasn't very much space, so Zack had to hunch slightly to walk around. ~Now let's see what we have here?~ he thought as sifted through some boxes, silently wishing he had Trini or better still Adam with him. He was looking for the lubricants the janitors used on the elevators. ~Bingo!~ It wasn't what he wanted, but it would do. Zack opened the box marked: Fireworks. Rockets, poppers, firecrackers, sparklers, and pinwheels were placed jumbled together. Zack had his eye on a particularly large rocket. Zack pulled out some string and wire, wrapping it around his hand.

An explosion sounded, making Zack stumble into the fireworks and the pile of toilet rolls one of the cleaners that had been stored for easy access. Zack cautiously turned around. His eyes widened to the size of dinner plates as he scooted backwards, automatically wanting to distance himself. Coming from the entrance into the room was a beam of pure reddish orange fire, spiralling upward through the roof and endlessly into the sky. Zack's uniform flailed about uncontrollably in front of him, obscuring his vision slightly. The beam was like a black hole; Zack tried to keep a grip on something so as not to be pulled into its fiery depths. The fire twisted into itself and then disappeared, small flames detached from it and easily spread throughout the wooden room.

Soon after the show of fire, two hands clasped on the frayed edges of the attic's entryway, followed by the menacing face of Roma. "Heeeeeere's Johnny!" he said as he pushed the rest of his self in.

Zack stood to his feet, getting ready to put his plan into the action. ~I hope this works.~ Zack quickly sprinted fowards, making it look like he was going to fight him head on.

Roma bought it and rubbed his hands together, ready for another easy victory. "So we're going to start that mess again. A'ite boy, show me what you got." With that, Roma charged at Zack, full speed.

Zack measured his distance between them, he waited until they were about a couple of feet apart before he dropped and did a sideways slide on the floor. Taken by surprise, Roma stopped in his place. His legs were open just wide enough for Zack to slide through them and then quickly hopped back to his feet. Roma bent over and looked at Zack from between his legs, upside down, his tail swishing back and forth. "What the hell is wrong wit you?" Roma asked him clearly confused.

Zack simply smiled evilly. Suddenly, all Roma knew was pain as Zack grasped his tail firmly in his hand. Roma straightened up rigidly, turning towards Zack with his face scrunched up in pain. "Why you lousy little moth... leggo of my tail!" he yelled. If anything, Zack's grin grew even more evil.

"If you say so," Zack said casually, a little too casually. He let go of Roma's tail, but didn't stop there. While Roma snatched his tail back and caressed it in his hand trying to straighten out the flame, Zack did a snap kick that hit Roma in the back.

Roma landed head first in the clutter of boxes and junk. Ropes, wires, and strings wrapped around him as he fruitlessly tried to get himself out of it. He jerked an old birdcage off his head and through it to the side. He stared up at Zack with an expression of absolute fury on his face.

"You've done gone too far, home boy! You mess wit the tail and it's over!"

Zack's grin widened. Roma stared at him confused for a moment until finally, he noticed the string he was toying with in his hand. His eyes slowly followed the string, which led down to Zack's feet, and then led a pathway that ended inside of some boxes with a whole bunch of fireworks entangled in them... the same box he was entangled in! Roma looked back up at Zack with panic as realization dawned on him. He saw that Zack now had a piece of wood that was lit from the fire he had caused. He was twirling it around in his fingers whistling while he did so. Zack fooled around with the string and the fire, pretending to light it, but pulling it away at the last second.

Roma gulped, "You wouldn't dare," he said, almost pleadingly, "would you?"

Zack's grin spread wider, then he cleared his throat and sounded his voice as if he were a flight attendant. "You are now attending Zack Potter airlines, please keep all remaining appendages together before you take flight, in case of an emergency, you can use your pants as a flotation device." Zack laughed as the colour faded from Roma's face as he desperately tried to disentangle himself from his bindings.

"Launching in t-minus five, four, three, two, one and..." He lit the string, not even a split second passed before it quickly slithered down the path to its target. "Give my regards to Riddle," he hissed, before diving behind some junk.

The sound of blasting off filled Zack's ears. He brought his knees to his chest and braced himself. There was a huge explosion, followed by Roma's screams of "I'ma get you! You're gonna pay for this!" Zack looked up to see that his roof was gone. It was shooting upward, along with the spark that was Roma, into the sky. It swivelled on and on endlessly, until finally, it seemed to stop in midair and completely blow up in a show of beautiful colours that painted the dark night sky. Zack stared on in awe at the colourful lights above, ignoring the strong gusts of wind from the newly open wound in the building.

Zack was rudely snapped out of his trance as a support beam fell only two inches away from him, the wood wrapped in fire. The blast, as Zack had predicted would happen earlier, had caused a fire that was already surrounding him from all sides. He stayed to the ground, smoke was rising steadily and eating the remaining oxygen in the room. More explosions from below suggested that the fire had spread throughout the lower floor.

Fire and smoke clouded his vision, everything down stairs was likely on fire, and more fire was licking through the floor. This was a very bad situation to be in right now. Zack desperately needed to figure out how to get out of this mess, before the smoke fogged up his mind, and the fire finally overwhelmed him as well as the conference center.

Dwanin had awakened expecting to find an easy target, but instead discovered Trini, armed and looking decidedly dangerous. She twirled her daggers in her hand, daring him to attack. Without Boogah there, Dwanin did the sensible thing and retreated.

Trini stared after him for a moment before turning her attention to the upper storey, just in time to see Roma fly through the window. The fire was catching though and from the looks of it Zack was having difficulty getting free.

Using line-of-sight, she teleported to where her teammate was and tried to drag him out. The floor gave way just as both Rangers were enveloped by light and teleported to the relative safety of the Power Chamber.

"Sire, the Rangers have teleported two humans to their headquarters," Klank reported.

"So the Rangers are seeking backup," Mondo mused. "Who were the humans?"

"Trini Kwan and Zack Taylor, both reported by Rita Repulsa as Zordon's first Rangers."

"I bet he's trying to recruit them again Daddy," Sprocket said.

"A brilliant observation my son," Mondo told the pint-sized machine. "And if Zordon was willing to find two former Rangers, he might seek out the others. Klank, I want all former Rangers destroyed."

"It shall be done Sire," Klank replied before shuffling away.

Somewhere in Kenya

Sometimes you can be comfortable in a place without realising that you don't belong there. Sometimes it can take an unexpected event to open your eyes to reality. For one teenager events were about to move beyond her control and leave her with the option of going along for the ride or losing her grip on reality as the strain became too much. Aisha Campbell had never been one to back down from any situation.

Aisha closed her eyes, tipping her face up to the cloudless sky above. It was a beautiful day, with the sun shining down on the savannah and the usual summer heat lifted by a cool breeze. It was days like this that made a girl glad to be alive. Dropping her face from the morning sky, Aisha scanned her surroundings, a wistful look in her dark eyes. She loved Africa, and loved working with animals, and nothing would ever change that. But - somehow it didn't seem like she belonged here anymore.

When she had been sent into the past she had known it was right for her to remain and help the animals. It had been a long and tortuous time trying to find a cure for the plague, but something told her she was close. Since the plague had subsided, she had felt differently.

Part of the reason for her feelings was the withdrawal symptoms from the loss of her powers. While the others had been able to deal with the side effects, Master Vile's time distortion had changed her body's metabolism, meaning that the Power had taken longer to drain from her body. It had been over a year before the symptoms had appeared and they had lasted for quite some time. That combined with the emotional turmoil of losing her friends and the mental strain of having two sets of memories concerning her childhood, had caused her to question whether she belonged in Kenya.

Aisha sighed again. It was true, she really missed her friends in Angel Grove. Zordon had allowed her to keep her communicator when she had left on the Zeo Quest, but it had never been reactivated when time had been set back to normal.

~They can manage without me, they already have a Yellow Zeo Ranger and plenty of replacements if anything happens to Tanya,~ she thought with slightly more bitterness than she expected.

Of course the chances of returning to America were slim and she knew it. Her mother loved her work with the tribe and her father was a renowned doctor. In the ten years they had been there, her parents had helped to ensure the plague had not spread to the human population.

With their help the tribe had grown and developed - using the grants the Campbells obtained to improve the quality of life for all of the tribe. They now had fresh wells and a school in which to educate the children. Their stand-in teacher Joe Armstrong had left a month ago, saying something about personal business. Although during his time there he had remained aloof, she had trained with him on a few occasions and almost beaten him, a feat that was very rare according to his friend. In return Joe had taught her new meditation katas to allow her body and mind to become a single weapon.

"Something's wrong!" She was not sure how she knew, but suddenly a feeling of darkness had closed in around her. Looking down she noticed the red beam of light reflecting off her clothing. With a squeal she jumped to her feet and dove for cover. She may not have been an expert, but she knew a targeting beam when she saw one. Hunters on Earth rarely used them, but they were, according to the brief conversations she had with Billy since his return, all the rage on other worlds. The fact that such a beam had been highlighting her right arm made her suspicious and she decided to hide until she knew what was going on.

"Well?" King Mondo asked as his latest creation returned.

"She is reactive and smart. She chose to remain hidden when many organics might have attempted to tackle me. I don't believe I will find her much of a challenge, I predict less than one percent likelihood of failure."

The metal monarch nodded. After fighting the Rangers for a while, he had decided to review his tactics to figure out why his plans had failed on Earth. He had come to a conclusion about the failure to conquer Earth. First, he realised he had failed, as had the other villains, to recognise the dedication the Rangers felt to their planet and each other. The human species was on the whole illogical and over emotional. This was a common trait although on Earth it was even stronger. The Machine Empire had underestimated the Rangers and that was a mistake. Luckily such mistakes could be eliminated with the right programming.

The seek-and-destroy mission he had set for his new creation was as much for research as it was to prevent Aisha's retrieval. He had used one of Klank's rejected designs and programmed it to behave like a human bounty hunter. Of course it was also equipped with state of the art weaponry.

Now Mondo looked at his creation. Currently she had removed all her hunting costume and stood before him in the plain green flight suit she wore during recharging periods. Her long black hair had been tied into a single ponytail, in the end of which a blade had been inserted. Her eyes burned with an intensity the robot had not seen in a while. She was seductive and deadly, but most importantly she was a machine.

Synthetic flesh allowed her to resemble a human female, but beneath the fake skin, blood and muscle, was a cold killing machine with a super fast processor. In some ways she was more advanced than the Royal House of Gadgetry's leaders, but that was only at first glance. No matter how advanced her components were, they were obsolete compared to Mondo.

Mondo did not know why she chose her current guise, she could in fact alter her skin tone and hair colour to meet her needs; chemical processors contained in her chest cavity allowed her to manipulate her body's bone structure and fat content as well. She had no limitation on the body she could assume - height, weight and even gender were not a factor. The ability to confuse was one of his creation's greatest powers. The second greatest was the triple phased power core that maintained her energies. The core boosted all of her powers, but had a failsafe so if on the brink of defeat, she could overload it and self-destruct, taking her prey with her.

"I believe you will be successful. I have programmed you with all the skills you will require to attain victory. Now leave and do not return without a former Ranger."

"I will get you your Ranger, King Mondo," the robot stated.

Raising her left arm to tap in the activation code for her weapon systems. A loud beep signalled that her systems were powered up. She then tapped in two-seven-six, activating all of Mondo's programming.

Silver plating attached to cover the knees, elbows, chest, throat and back. The suit she was wearing thickened and a helmet appeared to cover her head. A black visor slid down to cover the eyes. Black gloves and boots finished the armour. All this was an elaborate hoax, all that really changed was the position of the metal plates that made up the majority of her body.

After slinging the hunting rifle onto her back and securing the strap over her shoulder, she nodded to her master. Mondo returned the nod and pointed his staff at her, opening one of the transport corridors he relied on for moving his troops. She stepped through and the doorway closed. Her next stop would be Earth.

Aisha had already decided that waiting around was not in her best interest. Her first thought was to return to the village and talk things through with her aunt. Maybe Ashalla would have some idea about contacting Zordon. Aisha didn't know who had been targeting her, but she had a bad feeling and that was enough to put her on alert.

"Alpha, Zordon," she said, activating her communicator on the off chance it had been reconnected without her knowing it. Sometimes Zordon's gift of prescience caused him to make preparations without telling his students. She sighed when the device remained silent. "No such luck."

~I wish I had my powers, then at least if I was in trouble I could morph,~ she thought. ~Providing of course it's not poachers.~

The thought that it might be game hunters made her feel a little better. But she was still on guard as she made her way back towards the village. She stopped when she heard a faint click followed by a soft whine like an engine powering up. She saw a movement just ahead of her and recognised the barrel of a gun in the bushes.

Aisha ducked to the ground as a laser bolt flew over her head. That answered any doubts she had. She was under attack. Forcing herself to remain calm Aisha followed the process she had learnt when she first became a Ranger. After checking to ensure there were no civilians nearby she looked around for the nearest cover. Carefully calculating the odds, she took off, hoping to get into the undergrowth.

A sharp pain caught Aisha in the shoulder seconds before she ducked into cover. Looking down she could see the fabric of her clothes still smoking from the shot. Obviously whoever or whatever was out there was aiming for her. Aisha was never more thankful that she had maintained her training during her time in Kenya and for the thick foliage, which now allowed her to remain hidden. She was also thankful the weapon had been set to kill. Kill bolts only worked on direct hits, otherwise they just caused injury. Stun blasts however only needed a glancing blow and would have dropped her like a rock.

Peering over the top of the bushes, she looked for the shooter. She could see nothing except the red targeting beam, which gave her an idea. Keeping the red beam in her sights at all times, she was able to move around her attacker.

*Move!*

Aisha jumped as a torrent of blaster fire ripped through her hiding place. Landing on the ground, she found herself rolling away from the shooter who was trying to hit her.

*Look out, right!*

Aisha shifted her attention to the right and saw a small metallic ball lying in her path. She tried to stop rolling, but it was too late. The ball exploded, revealing the miniature Cogs that had been placed inside. On exposure to the open air they rapidly grew to their full size. Instinctively Aisha ducked into a defensive stance, unsure of how to combat this new threat and hoping the shooter would not take advantage of the distraction.

The Cogs moved swiftly towards her, their robotic hands attempting to grab her as they drew near. She tried fighting, but after hurting her hand on the cold metal, she decided it was better to rely on her speed and to dodge the robots.

*Back of the knees!*

~How do I know that?~ Aisha wondered as she ducked another fist before kicking her opponent in the back of the knee. It made sense in hindsight. Regardless of materials used, the back of the knees was a common weakness since they could not be reinforced without restricting movement.

Guri swore in machine code. She had been programmed with some of Mondo's more colourful language, namely the words he used beyond the range of Sprocket's audio receptors. She had hoped the Cogs would manage to slow her prey, but some things had to be dealt with personally.

*Look out! To you left!*

Aisha looked a moment too late as a figure in green leapt at her. Her ninja training took over and she rolled through depositing her opponent on his or her back. Quickly she got back to her feet looking for some way to escape her attacker.

"You won't get away from me that quickly Ranger," the green figure said. "I am Guri, master of my art."

Although her eyes were fixed on the blaster carbine trained on her chest, Aisha's mind was searching for the quick escape or any alternative to combat.

"Surrender to the power of King Mondo, now!" Guri demanded.

Aisha quickly weighed up her chances of being able to attack before Guri could fire. She decided there was no chance of doing so especially if she also wanted a chance to get away. There seemed to be no way out, Mondo had won. ~Who the hell is Mondo?~

*Morph!*

The command was so compelling that she had to obey even though she knew that her Power Coin had been destroyed and her powers had been passed to Tanya along with the Zeo Crystal. But maybe they hadn't been, after all the Sword of Light had not been used and her morpher had not changed hands. ~And didn't Zordon say our powers were joined to our bodies?~ Her morpher was in her hand before she realised it.

Yellow light exploded around her for a brief second before it was replaced by purple. Aisha found herself wearing a Ninja costume, which while purple to begin with soon faded to match the background. Aisha sighed, somehow she knew she should have seen this coming.

"No!" Guri shouted. "You shall not escape me, Yellow Ranger. Mondo has ordered that you will not be allowed to aid your former teammates."

Guri opened fire and Aisha stopped dead in her tracks. A sudden fear washed over her. If she ran back towards her village, she would endanger her parents and friends. That was something she could not allow.

"I'm not the Yellow Ranger," she announced. "I'm the Purple Ranger." ~Since when has there been a Purple Ranger?~

Running into the undergrowth she looked for anywhere she could hide. Whoever Mondo was, he had sent Guri to prevent her interference. That he anticipated her involvement and the fact the Rangers had not shown up meant they were in trouble of some sort. She intended to lay low and hope she could work out some type of trap. ~Of course if she doesn't see me she can still find me in other ways,~ she thought. ~I need an advantage.~

She pushed her way deeper into the thick bushes all the time aware of Guri stalking not far behind and that she was starting to catch up.

*Study your enemy*

The words made sense and she recognised that it had been the Power that had been talking to her the whole time. But the powers she had held previously had never offered strategic advice. The instructions had always been empathic and nowhere near as blatant. Perhaps the change of colour had awakened something she had missed before. Still the advice was sound and Aisha found herself doing just that.

She could see her opponent moving toward her and noticed for the first time Guri's reliance on a device strapped to her wrist. As Aisha watched Guri punched in the combination three-five-nine and floated into the air. Obviously Mondo had used that device so Guri could control her functions.

~I've got to get undercover quickly,~ Aisha thought, well aware that Guri would spot her from the air.

Lightning bolts crackled from Guri's gauntlets and struck the ground as Guri attempted to shock her out of hiding. Aisha crouched as low to the ground as she could, hoping there was a way to distract her opponent. She looked around and noticed the leaves of a nearby bush or more importantly the berries.

~These berries react with acid,~ she thought, remembering the lessons Billy had given her and what the tribe had said. She had at one point wondered if the combination of acid rain and the berries were poisoning the animals, but she decided against it when she noted the berries were not poisonous. ~Still, that reaction could buy me some time.~

She ripped a strip from her costume and was pleased to see the area grow back. Obviously whatever these powers were, they retained some of the properties of her Ninja Ranger powers. She took the torn strip and gathered as many berries as possible she bundled them together. Next she found the equipment she had dropped while morphing and opened her water bottle, then poured its contents into the bundle. Before doing so she opened her lunch satchel and carefully removed the sour lemon she had bought along. The plan was simple, draw Guri over, make her shoot at the small package Aisha had prepared and hope the water in her top combined with the lemon would make an acidic reaction.

Standing up she looked for Guri, ducking again as a blaster bolt grace her left leg. Playing on the injury, she cried out, hoping Guri would come to investigate. Guri did and as soon as she was within range Aisha threw her package. Guri fired and paid the price. As the top disintegrated a fiery red mist exploded into her face, burning the exposed skin and blinding her scanners.

Aisha saw her chance not only to escape but maybe to remove Guri's advantage. Pushing her to the ground Aisha struggled and eventually succeeded in ripping the bracelet off Guri's arm. Guri responded by opening fire again. Aisha threw the bracelet into the air and watched it explode. She watched as the mist continued to eat away at the synthetic flesh until only metal remained.

The robot seemed to recover and grabbed at Aisha's neck. The teen fought back, but her powers seemed ineffective as steel hands closed around her throat. Then a tingling sensation filled her body as she was teleported away, leaving Guri groping at the ground.

"Very good Miss Hart, but remember to extend your arms. And smile, big smile!" the coach called.

Kimberly struggled to smile as she resumed her exercise.

"Excuse me, I was wondering if you could advise me of the whereabouts of Kimberly Hart."

"Billy?" Kimberly cried, noticing her friend.

The former Blue Ranger smiled at her as she ran into his arms.

"Well, Miss Hart," the coach chuckled. "I think your training had better be put on hold for today. You will make it up tomorrow."

Kimberly giggled as she went back to hugging her friend.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

"We came to get you," Billy told her.

"We?" she asked, noticing the two friends he had with him. Jason she recognised immediately, but the other looked just like... "Tommy?"

"Kind of," Sam answered.

"Hey Kim," Jason greeted his friend and stooping to give her a hug.

"Okay, not that I didn't want to see you guys, but this isn't a social call, is it?"

"Affirmative," Billy told her. His voice dropped to a whisper. "How would you like to be a Ranger again?" The giggle of delight gave them their answer. Billy frowned. "I was afraid you would say that."

"Billy, what's wrong?" Kim asked, suddenly nervous.

"You should have said no, Pink Ranger," the one who looked like Tommy said. "It would have made this so much easier."

Kimberly backed up, around her the other students were watching as Jason reached up and ripped off his face.

"Surprise!" Rito cried. "Bet ya never thought you'd see me again right."

"What do you want Rito?" Kimberly asked as Rito's companions revealed themselves as Tengas.

"What do I want, right... I know this one... now what was it?... Oh yeah, Rita and Ed told me to kidnap you. Gee I knew I'd get it."

At the sight of Rito the others had exited the gym, leaving Kimberly alone.

"Get her," he told his companions and the two Tengas attacked.

"Pterodactyl!"

How her morpher had gotten into her hand Kimberly would never know, but she had soon transformed into a slightly familiar costume. The two birds were easily defeated, but then she felt herself facing Rito's sword.

Instead of panicking though Kimberly closed her eyes and remembered the sensation of teleporting. In a column of pink she was gone.

Power Chamber

"They're on their way Zordon," Alpha reported.

"Excellent Alpha," Zordon boomed.

Zordon allowed himself a smile as he thought what this union would mean. This crisis could be one of the best things to happen to the Rangers.

"Call Jason, Billy and Sam, they should be here when their friends arrive."

"We're here Zordon, what happened?" Jason asked as he appeared with Sam and Billy not far behind.

A moment later there was a pink flash and a familiar cry.

"Jason, Billy? Is it really you guys this time?" Kimberly asked, still suspicious after her run in with Rito. Noticing, Alpha helped to convince her it was not a hoax.

"Kimberly!" Billy cried, happy to see his former teammate. The three Rangers embraced before Billy noted a black and yellow flash. His mouth dropped open. "Trini?"

"Zack!" Jason called excitedly as the Power Chamber became the scene of another reunion.

A purple flash signalled Aisha's arrival and Billy greeted her as David Trueheart rounded off the arrivals.

"Now we are all here, we can begin," Zordon said.

A chair appeared next to each person for him or her to use, suggesting that this might be a long conversation. Alpha Five was scurrying around on the other side of the Power Chamber, apparently trying to talk to someone.

"I am sorry my young friends that I have had to call you here without notice. Perhaps those who are unknown to the majority of you should identify themselves." Sam and David introduced themselves. Even though some of the others were not familiar with each other as they had been during their times as Rangers, they knew each other's name. "First, welcome back Rangers to Power Mountain. And welcome to you, David Trueheart. I am glad to meet you in person after so long. While I am afraid there is little time to explain why we have called you all here, I can tell you that the Rangers need your help before a dangerous situation becomes worse."

"We're ready to help Zordon," Jason said after the teens exchanged glances. Their trust in Zordon never faltered, even David, who had never met the Morphin Master before.

"Yesterday night, Kat dreamt that a destructive force known as the Elemental Beasts would be unleashed upon the Earth unless the Rangers could destroy them before they hyperlock units were ready to open."

"And you want us to deal with those egg things," Zack interjected.

"You are correct Zachary," Zordon boomed. "Jason, Billy and Sam have been given the means to penetrate the shells, but with the extra protection Rita and company have provided, it will take all eight of you to penetrate each site."

"We have our powers, don't we?" Kimberly asked.

Zordon laughed. "I would never send you out there without some protection Kimberly. I am afraid it is not as much as I would like. Each of you by now has experienced the residual power from your links to the Morphin Grid. These links have been intensified with the use of a Power Coin that Billy obtained on Aquitar and Sam's own Power Coin. You each share an equal portion of the energies within those coins. While you are without a Power Coin, I am afraid that is the full extent of your capabilities, these powers will provide you some protection; David, although you have never been a Ranger, your link to Tommy will allow you to tap the Grid without the use of a Power Coin."

"I thought we needed a coin to be a Ranger," Kimberly commented.

Zordon sighed; there was obviously a lot he would need to teach his Rangers in the future, especially if they succeeded in completing his plan.

"You are partially correct Kimberly," Zordon said. "The links you have to the Power require a Power Coin to regulate the dangerous energies you wield. Without a Power Coin the energies would eventually consume you. That is why when Trini and the others morphed recently their uniforms changed. You have become Grid Warriors, partially powered Rangers. When your current mission is complete, a more permanent solution will be found."

"The Ranger Powers you are used to have been drawn by Power Coins and the Zeo Crystal. However, only those who have held the powers of the Morphin Grid would be accepted as Rangers on another world. As White Morphin Master I had the right to name the Zeo holders as Rangers, a role they have fulfilled with honour, courage and great skill."

"So what exactly is the Morphin Grid?" Jason asked. Of all the Rangers, only Billy had ever done any real research on their powers.

"The Morphin Grid is a source of energy created from some of the magical energy which seeped into our universe when it was first formed. The power of the Morphin Grid is one of a number of concentrations of magic that somehow divided itself. On some worlds all the people can use magic, on others such as Earth, many members of the population are unable to touch the magic naturally. Instead, the planet is rich in Psychic energy with a few hot spots where people can use non-grid magic."

"I thought the Grid was magic," Trini commented.

"As I said, the Morphin Grid is only a portion of all the magic in the Universe. Every planet, even Earth has its own small amount of magic, but due to the vast quantities of Iron on this world, few humans have enough potential to safely utilise such magic. Those I chose as Rangers were fortunate that they each had a small amount of potential that left them open to the magic of the Grid even though they were immune to the power of their planet." Zordon explained. "I'm certain you realise that Earth is surrounded by lines of natural magic. In places they congregate to form nexus points. Angel Grove is situated on one such Ley Nexus where the magic spread throughout the Universe can manifest. There is a second network of Ley Lines that would allow those with potential to learn the ways of natural magic. I know of only a few places where people are open enough for such power to be seen."

"So wizards and witches are not powered by the Grid," Zack realised.

"That is correct in the case of this planet," Zordon said. "Although for on other worlds witches have learnt to tap the Morphin Grid."

"That is why Rita would never attack an Earth Wizard," Alpha said. "Compared to her powers they are unworthy of the attention."

"When I first picked my Rangers I had a number of requirements," Zordon continued. "Firstly they had to be willing to accept the rules of the Power. There were others on Earth who would have been able to hold the Power, but might have abused the Power. Secondly, they needed to be able to form and act as a team. When I first ordered Alpha to find you, the computer searched for a group of friends. Finally, I required teenagers who had the potential to touch the Grid."

Aisha took the opportunity to ask the question she had been wondering about since the day that she had first become a Ranger. "Zordon, why did you choose teenagers to be Rangers?"

Zordon smiled. He knew the other Rangers had often discussed the issue, but none of them had yet come to the right conclusion. "The first reason is because as I said I needed humans with the potential to touch the Power whose minds were not closed to the possibilities of doing so. In addition it was important that those I selected were old enough to understand the responsibility the role of Ranger entailed. By selecting teenagers I not only fulfilled both of those requirements, but also found a group whose lives would be able to help when needed and not get stuck in other activities."

"To go back to my original point," Zordon said. "The power of the Morphin Grid is divided into light and darkness, just as most magic is polarised to either good or evil. The Light and Dark sides of the Grid are equal and opposite of each other. It is possible for someone with the ability to touch one side of the Grid to also touch the other; to wield the Light just as easily as they do the Darkness. It is the intention of those using the energy that determines where the power comes from."

"So when Tommy was under Rita's spell he drew energy from the Dark side?" Jason asked.

"No," Zordon replied. "Although Rita's spell made him evil, he was still using the Light sided powers through his Power Coin. If he had been truly evil, the Ranger Powers would have left him. Only the Light can create Rangers, the Dark side relies instead on creating outer forms for its users. That is why Lord Zedd looks the way he does."

Zordon noticed that the Rangers were hooked on his every word, but also realised he needed to get to the point if his plan was to succeed before it was too late. "You are all aware that in the past the Rangers have used the Dino, Thunder and Ninja powers. What you may not have known is that these are different versions of the same power, each representing a different aspect of the Power, just as the colour represents the personality of the Ranger."

"Jason and Rocky were suited to the Red colour. Although many assume that red is the colour of the leader, it is mainly the colour that represents a team player. The Red spirits are the Tyrannosaurus, Dragon and Ape. Jason is the Tyrannosaurus, a powerful leader who is able to work with his team. He also tends to tackle his opponents head on Rocky however is a Dragon. As such he was the center, around which the team is formed. Rocky preferred to think things out before attacking."

"Billy was drawn to the Blue colour. Blue represents a creative and powerful mind, not just in terms of knowledge, but also in terms of mental powers. Blue spirits also have a desire to belong although sometimes have difficulty relating to others. The Triceratops, Unicorn and Wolf represent the Blue Powers. Billy is the Wolf aspect of the Blue Power. He prefers to study his enemies and determine their weaknesses before charging in."

"Trini was suited to the Yellow Power. She could have managed either the Sabre-toothed Tiger, Griffin or Bear. As the Yellow Ranger she was the peacemaker, looking out for the weaker members of the team. However like Billy, she prefers to study her problems first and would have been at her best if linked to the Bear."

"Zack and Adam are both natural users of the Black Powers. Both possess a joyful spirit and seek to lighten their team's mood in battle. For Zack this is due to his own personality, but Adam does so because of his shy nature. The Mastodon, Lion and Frog represent the Black Power. Zack is the Lion, a playful and slightly wild spirit, whilst Adam is the more reserved Frog."

"Both Kimberly and Kat were Pink Spirits, the colour of a nursing spirit that is protective of all those around and pure of mind and body. The Pterodactyl, Firebird and Crane all represent the Pink Power. Whilst Kimberly is more likely to think and then act, Kat will study her opponents in the same was as Billy and Trini. That is why Kim excelled as the Firebird and Kat was able to slip into her role as the Crane."

"The White Ranger represents the healer," Zordon explained. "Although Tommy has held the White power, he did so only to access the powers of a Ranger. The White Rangers normally possess a pure spirit and are immune to spells. In addition they can heal their fellow Rangers and possess certain extra mental abilities. The White Powers are represented by the Raptor, Tiger and Falcon."

"Sam and Tommy are both Green Spirits. The Green Power is at the opposite end of the Light side," Zordon explained "Those with a Green Spirit constantly feel the pull of both sides of the Morphin Grid. That is why both Tommy and Sam were able to be place under Rita's spell. The Dragon, Minotaur and Panther represent the Green Power. Sam is Dragon, whereas Tommy is closer to the Light and is therefore the Panther."

"Finally, there is the Purple Spirit. Purple is the colour of unity. Those with the Purple Powers are able to combine the various attributes of the other Rangers and are usually peaceful. They are also skilled warriors. Aisha is a Purple Spirit. The Stegosaurus, Spider and Hawk represent the purple powers."

Zordon looked at his two young students. He knew his lecture had raised many questions in their minds and he intended to answer them.

"I know you have some questions, so allow me to explain. There is a ninth colour, but it is only a legend. It is hidden deep within the Morphin Grid and has never been revealed. I know you will wonder why if there were nine colours there were only ever six Rangers at a time. As I have already mentioned, one of the colours is unknown, but the others are simply related to not having the coins. The Purple Coin was lost, the White Coin was mine to create and I did so only to allow Tommy to become a Ranger again. With the Green Coin in the hands of Rita and then sabotaged, I never got to create a Green Ranger."

~Now for the difficult bit,~ Zordon thought.

Jason had listened to everything Zordon had said. He had asked question when he felt they were necessary and now understood the inside workings of the Ranger Powers. Now he needed to know what Zordon really wanted. "Zordon, why are you telling us this?"

"Although the Grid Warrior transformation is the limit at the moment, there is no reason why you will not be able to exceed that level at a later date. First though, you must be a team," Zordon said. "Jason, Kimberly, Zack, Trini and Billy, you have proven yourselves in the past to be worthy to be Power Rangers; I ask you to resume those roles with immediate effect. Sam, you are already the Green Ranger. I ask you allow us to aid you in restoring your powers to where they should be." He turned to the newcomer to the group. "David, you are as worthy as Tommy to hold the powers of a Ranger. I realise you never wanted to be a Ranger, but ask you use your skills and potential to help us."

David looked at Zordon. Finally, he nodded.

"Thank you, Rangers. Observe the Viewing Globe." The image appeared, showing the eggs Kat had discovered. "These eggs are hyperlock containment units and are currently used to store the Elemental Beasts and must be destroyed. Unfortunately the Zeo Rangers are needed to protect the planet from other threats that will no-doubt distract them and the urgency of the matter means we cannot wait. The eight of you will need to work together to destroy them. Go and may the Power protect you."

"Let's go and find you some equipment," Jason offered as they walked off.

To Zordon this was a signal that things were about to change. The Power Rangers were a step closer to reaching their full potential. Now he just hoped that both teams would be able to complete their missions before time ran out. While he wanted to lie to his Rangers, he had not been entirely honest on a number of points. Most importantly was that despite what researcher had discovered, he felt with all of his being that the Morphin Grid was greater than a mere pool of energy, it was a universal energy force that permeated all existence. Furthermore he believed that all the powers the Rangers had used, be they Morphin, Zeo or Gem Coin, had come from this universal Morphin Grid. And while the colours and animals he had quoted had been correct, there was no reason not to have a Yellow Pterodactyl or a Red Lion. Anything was possible where the Power was concerned.

What Zordon had failed to notice was that during the last few hours, Billy had been moving from one position to the next, manufacturing strange devices and then teleporting between sections of Power Mountain.

Triforia

It had taken weeks for Trey to recover from the injuries he had suffered and then search for Travis. It had then been a matter of waiting while the healing capsule had done its job; the loss of his family was a wound that would take far longer to heal. He knew the damage Terr had done, had been there every step of the way as his world had suffered.

By the time he had arrived, the threat was over and now the people of Triforia would need to set their affairs in order. The cannon would have to be investigated and all planets checked to ensure there were no other surprises hidden there. They would also need to change the laws to allow Trent to rule Triforia in his place.

The queen and his sisters had greeted him tearfully and taken him to his father's grave. It was with a heavy heart he realised that now he was technically the king. He wanted to stay and help his people, but Trey had responsibilities elsewhere. When communications with the rest of the Universe had been established, he had learnt of the new attack on Earth and the loss of their Zords. He needed to get back to help them before it was too late. Still, as he looked at his once beautiful kingdom and thought of how they would make it great once more, at least he was home.

**To be Continued**

Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers or any other show. They belong to their respective copyright owners. No money is being made from this piece of writing.

**Race Against Time**

Earth

The Beast Master had returned to wreck havoc on the Earth. It was his right, one granted to him the day his eyes had seen the smoke-filled skies and had breathed the sulphur rich air. Earth had been a pleasant place to exist back in those times. He had once been overwhelmed and imprisoned in the Earth; his creations reduced to their embryo stage again. And now he was free once more, he would continue with his goal.

He wasn't foolish, far from it although his aggressive nature had a tendency to overcome his intelligence. He knew that his freedom was not due to a conscious wish for him to be free. It had been a necessity for Minion to revive him to tend the Elemental Beasts and ensure they reached maturity. As he looked into the sky he could sense the planet's energy beneath him; the planet had grown powerful during his forced hibernation.

He felt the emotions within the containment units, the natural aggression that made them creatures of destruction. His task was as far as he could tell, very simple. He was to cause as much mayhem on Earth as possible while preventing the planet's defenders from finding them before they had finished reviving. The destruction he planned to spread would be more than enough to distract them.

He sensed the Rangers before they arrived and was ready to blast them the moment they finished teleporting. He had already retrieved the eggs and transported them to a safer location. Now that had received exposure to the climate they required to reach maturity they had been teleported to new nests away from him. Currently he was in Stone Canyon, former home to some of the Rangers and deliberately chosen as a personal swipe at his foes. He had even gone so far as to transform the landscape to suit his needs.

Beast Master knew very little about Rangers, but he had seen enough heroes during his time to predict their actions. In fact he had triumphed over countless teams of heroes regardless of their powers. He had crushed armies and destroyed space navies. If he were to confront Rangers even after his long sleep he knew he would crush, wear out and utterly confuse his foes. So he was confident that regardless of whatever powers the Rangers possessed, they would not get past him. After all, how could he possibly fail?

They were not off to a good start as far as Tommy was concerned. They had been blasted as soon as they had arrived in Stone Canyon. A curtain of magical energy had ensnared them, seriously hindering their progress. Katherine had been the first to recover, the memories of her recent nightmares driving her to destroy the Beast Master and then find the containment vessels before their contents could be released. Rocky followed swiftly, the Blue Gem Coin Ranger recognising the urgency in his comrade's actions. Adam and Tanya didn't rush off immediately, taking their time to ensure that the trap had been disarmed in case help followed later. Tommy allowed himself a smile; the five of them were working as a team despite the lack of the link they normally felt as Zeo Rangers. Constant attacks had rekindled the unity they had felt during their days of fighting Mondo's forces.

"Gem Coin Cycle!" Kat called.

The motorcycles the Rangers had used following the loss of the Zeo Crystal had now been incorporated into their Gem Coin arsenal. Upgraded using the designs intended for Zeo technology and powered through their partial links to the Morphin Grid, the bikes took on the characteristics of the Shark Cycles while retaining the additional abilities Billy had given them.

The other Rangers were in hot pursuit, opening their throttles to catch up to their pink teammate as they cautiously guided their machines down the road to Stone Canyon. They were not expecting an ambush, but they had just been blasted following their teleport and they were aware that the Gem Coin powers did not offer the protection that the Zeo Rangers had enjoyed.

~If only we could get the Zeo Crystal back,~ Tommy thought as he moved forward to spearhead the Rangers' charge into battle. The Gem Coin powers were terribly unstable given that they were dependant upon the remnants of the Zeo power that Zordon had been able to isolate and a mixture of power sources from the Morphin Grid.

He flicked a switch on his handlebars as they approached the area where they had traced the demon. His speed dropped as the powerful engine of his machine switched to quiet running. Up ahead he could almost sense something blocking their path. He slowed and waited for the others to catch up, while trying to get a good view of whatever it was that blocking their way.

"Rocko?" he asked.

"Power Scan, running," Rocky replied.

Before they had been dispatched for this task, and since their powers were partially Grid based, Alpha and Zordon had managed to install some of the helmet functions they had planned to give the Ninja Rangers. In Rocky's case that was a set of sensors built into the helmet that allowed him to detect energy waves and enhance his audio and visual capabilities. At the moment his sensors remained blank due to what he assumed was interference, but when he saw what his visual sensors revealed, he had to do a double take.

"Oh no," he whispered.

He quickly transferred the image to the other Rangers, which received a gasp from Adam. They had grown up in Stone Canyon before moving to Angel Grove. The sight that greeted them did not bode well for their former home.

When Minion's WD Units had swarmed through North Valley, large portions of the population had been turned over to one of his allies as a reward. The Beast Master had discovered the few survivors and transformed them into his own army.

In his hand he held the small, almost invisible larvae of a Cerebral Fly. The creatures were not truly evil, but their actions had led to several attempts to exterminate them. In truth these larvae would never develop fully, if they managed to defeat the Rangers, the Beast Master would destroy them himself. However, during their development the larvae could control a host creature and use it as a body. That is what he had in mind.

He placed one creature on the head of each human and watched as they found their way into either the tear duct, nose, ear canal or oral cavity. From there they started to secrete enzymes to alter the subject's body and at that point, Beast Master intervened and took control of the victims himself, turning them into monsters.

Rocky could tell from what was left of their faces that they were or had once been human. Their bodies had undergone some sort of forced mutation, the bones pushed through the skin in some places to protrude as sharp spikes. Some kind of thick fungus covered the upper body, forming what he could only assume was armour; the face was covered with a similar growth although the eyes were shielded by a thin membrane.

"Zordon, how do we fight these things?" Tommy asked.

In the past, at least part of the Rangers' fighting ability had come from their link to the Power. In the recent past the Rangers had relied on the strategic input of Zordon, Jason and now Billy to help them.

"I recommend a forward battery without considering the sentimental implications," Billy answered.

He was right, if they were to free the people they needed to get to the one who had enslaved them first. They would not try to kill them, but they would have to be forceful.

"Rangers, you need to hurry," Zordon added. "The longer the Beast Master remains in control of their minds, the stronger their control will become."

Spurred on by their mentor's words and the sight of several Putties that Rita had decided to send down as yet another attempt to capitalise on Minion's scheme, the Rangers rode into battle. Tommy twisted his handlebars, causing the bike to slide into his opponents as the Rangers ditched their vehicles and attacked.

Tommy smiled as he leapt into the throng of Putties, smiling as they tried to circle him, as if that would give them a chance. That was one thing about Rita's old foot soldiers he could rely on, they were dumb. Unable to enjoy the thrill of battle, Tommy tore into the opponents with his weapon. The sabre he held performed admirably although he missed the Zeo V Power Sword, and the Putties had soon been reduced to dust. He didn't have time to rest though and ran towards the nest where the Beast Master was waiting.

Kat, Tanya, Adam and Rocky were forced to face eight of the Beast Master's sinister creations. At first they tried hand-to-hand combat, but when they discovered how strong the creatures were they were forced to use their weapons. Zordon had allowed them limited access to the Power Weapons they had used during their time as Dino Rangers. When the Rangers had linked the Gem Coins to the Morphin Grid, Zordon had been able to retrieve the weapons. In addition each carried one of the small hand-held blasters they had dubbed Gem Coin Blasters. Even so they were in for a shock when they tried to knock the creatures out of their path. They still had no idea how to fight them and so far their weapons seemed ineffective against the organic armour.

Rocky swiftly discovered that the creatures had a sting of their own in the form of a snakelike animal mounted on their arms. His sword moved just in time to block the snake, but failed to slice through the weapon, which was almost as impervious as the creature was. He was briefly aware of a second creature moving in from behind and instinctively shifted position. He tried to spin kick one of his attackers, but the creature caught his foot while the other nailed him with a large fist. Hanging upside down he tried desperately to think of a way out.

Kat had tried using her bow, but the arrows just bounced harmlessly off the armour. However, her attempts to smash the creatures over the head with her bow had at least slowed them. She had been trying to keep both of her opponents in front of her, but when she felt a sharp jolt in the back of her neck she knew she had failed.

Adam had noticed when they arrived just how battered the street had become, but he was also the only Ranger who noticed the possibilities. So it was that he led two of the creatures on a chase through the cracked concrete, burning cars, fallen street lamps and damaged furniture. His eyes were constantly moving as he scanned the area for anything he could use. His strategy seemed to pay off as he used a heat cartridge in his Gem Coin Blaster to melt the asphalt sidewalk, transforming it into large-scale flypaper. He was aware of the other creature moving in, but was concentrating on taking out his first target before it could strike. He summoned his axe and converted it to cannon mode. His shot ripped under the street, punctured a gas line and blew the trapped creature away. Then he turned to face the second creature.

Tanya's daggers had found a weakness, a spot of fleshy skin under the armpit. She had discovered the weakness by accident when she had been jabbing at various spots. When she tore the daggers free, the armour surrounding the chest was also wrenched open. A strong kick to the exposed flesh put the creature down and she turned to face its partner.

Rocky struggled to keep hold of the sword and after managing to grab it with both hands, drove it into his assailant's foot. The creature obviously felt the pain since it immediately released the hold and Rocky was able to roll away. It did not make a sound though and after the sword had been removed it joined its partner in attacking him.

With Tanya's discovery in mind the Rangers aimed for any body part or limb that was not clearly armoured. The creatures' snake weapons still posed a threat though and Rocky spent his time pinned down by their assault. With an up-front assault failing he followed Adam's example and ran.

The two creatures sensed fear and the possibility of an easy kill. They followed Rocky without thought, not even stopping when he reached one of the burning cars and started fiddling with the aerial. The already injured creature charged forward as the Ranger loosened the clip and the spring load aerial extended through the creature's throat.

Adam was having problems with his second opponent because unlike Rita and Zedd's monsters, it lacked a set pattern of attack. It had seen how he had damaged another of its number and had chosen a more direct approach. That in turn had put Adam on the defensive, and since the axe was cumbersome at close range, he was at the disadvantage. He barely managed to shift his weight as the creature lunged for him, its fanged weapon sweeping towards his neck. There was a flash of silver as something chopped the snake's head off. He looked over to where Rocky was once again battling, having taken the time to throw a hubcap at the snake.

The Moon

Lord Zedd was furious as he tried to keep track of the events on Earth and elsewhere. The problem as far as he could tell, was that the so-called threat had too many factors in operation and lacked guidance for those individual pieces to work together to see things through successfully. From his observations Zedd could tell that the Beast Master was an excellent general and had shown true potential by creating those creatures. But he was not taking advantage of their superiority over the Rangers, and had chosen to wait for them to show up.

Zedd had been jealous of course that Minion, a simple monster at best, was powerful enough to ignore the orders of the mighty Lord Zedd and Rita Repulsa, both of whom had in their time amassed vast empires. In short Minion had become too powerful.

Tommy gripped his sword tightly, relishing the familiar feeling that flowed through him once more. He missed his days as the White Ranger, the symbol of all that was good and of course the perfect warrior to face Lord Zedd and later his wife Rita. But those days were gone and instead of representing the purity of the power, Tommy had been forced to wear the blood red of a field commander. Although this sword was not Saba, it was shaped the same and felt the same in his hand.

The Beast Master crouched and then launched himself at the Ranger as their battle continued. Tommy parried and dodged the blows; eventually landing a sharp kick that made the demon back away from him. Beast Master shook his head and pulled himself to his feet, reaching his imposing height as he loomed over the Red Ranger. Tendrils of lightning left the villain's hand and poured over the unfortunate Ranger, causing pain he had not felt since the time he had gone to retrieve the Zeo Crystal. More bolts of energy, this time magic forced the younger fighter off his feet, his face a mask of agony.

Tommy rolled out of the way of one bolt and jumped in the air, his sabre aimed straight at Beast Master's head. The red-faced villain intercepted the blow, catching the blade on his open palm. For a moment they remained in that position until gravity kicked in and Tommy fell painfully onto his butt. Not for the first time Tommy wondered what he had gotten himself into, Beast Master's height and power were things the Red Zeo Ranger could not match.

"Ai-yi-yi-yi-yi, Tommy!" Alpha cried. He had been watching the Rangers on the Viewing Globe with Zordon.

Zordon looked at the data constantly, trying to find some error in the reports. According to the sensors Beast Master was far more powerful than the average monster and almost approached Zedd in terms of raw energy. He had encountered a similar sort of creature before, a near demon by the name of Ivan Ooze. It made him shudder to think how powerful the forces were that had trapped him in the first place. Or worse still how great the force must have been to release him again.

"It is as I feared," Zordon said. "Beast Master is a powerful morphological being, almost a demon in his own right."

"The Rangers are pinned down and Tommy cannot get passed Beast Master. What do we do Zordon?"

"You must have faith Alpha," Zordon said as he watched Kat destroy her second opponent and rush to help Tanya, "The Rangers are the world's only hope. While they battle Beast Master and his forces we must hope that Jason and the others can destroy the capsules. I suggest you prepare the Zords for deployment, just in case."

Alpha sighed in agreement, leaving to work on the controls while Zordon looked on. Tanya had already destroyed her opponent by the time Kat arrived. Adam and Rocky had drawn their opponents together and had advanced from both sides with their small blades. The weapons pierced the weak points that Tanya had discovered and the last of the creatures collapsed to the ground.

"Hurry Rangers," Alpha found himself saying as he saw them run to where the Beast Master and Tommy were fighting.

There was a bright flash that clouded the Viewing Globe. When the image cleared the Rangers had stopped moving; Tommy and Beast Master had vanished from view.

Tommy looked down at himself and was relieved to find he was still morphed. He knew that sometimes moving to an alternate dimension had the effect of cancelling out Ranger powers. Especially given the severe pain he had felt just moments before Beast Master had transported them. With the swift check of his body parts out of the way he took a moment to observe his surroundings. It seemed he was in some kind of cave, sealed from all sides. Stalactites and stalagmites decorated the large abode while light from an unknown source brightly lit the area. There was a fog covering the rocky floor.

Over by the far wall Beast Master stood waiting, a crystal ball in his hand that seemed to capture his attention more than the Ranger opposite.

Beast Master smiled wickedly. "Welcome to my private dimension, Red Ranger. Minion was most gracious to allow me to bring you here. Make yourself at home, for you will soon become a permanent fixture."

Tommy responded with a small laugh. "You're wrong. My friends will get me out of here, but hopefully not before I finish kicking your sorry butt."

Beast Master chuckled coldly, his yellow eyes staring deep into Tommy's soul. "I would very much like to see you do that, Ranger, but I fear you are terribly mistaken. You will die a slow and painful death. And as for your friends, I have already captured them. When I finish you, they will also fall before me."

"You will not win Beast Master, good will prevail!" Tommy shouted.

"Oh please," Beast Master chuckled. "You are spouting empty rhetoric. Good might one day prevail, but you will be gone a long time before it happens."

"We'll see about that," Tommy cried, summoning his sword and charging his opponent.

Beast Master raised an eyebrow as the Ranger approached and calmly batted the sword aside. He laughed as Tommy tried repeatedly to strike him, successfully blocking each blow and then sweeping the Red Ranger's feet out from under him.

"I was warned long ago not to take my opponent's abilities lightly Tommy, but from what I've seen I'm surprised you've lasted so long." He chuckled again. "I will give you a chance, Tommy. Hundreds of years trapped in the torment of eternal sleep without entertainment means that even fighting you could prove slightly entertaining."

His foot connected with Tommy's stomach, sending the teen sprawling. But the Red Ranger was still a force to be reckoned with. Taking a running leap, he smashed both feet into Beast Master's chest. The demon flew backwards to the ground. He responded by jabbing at Tommy with his right fist. The Red Ranger somersaulted backwards, keeping his distance. Beast Master had not had a fight in over nine hundred years, yet he moved with the agility of a well-trained fighter.

They traded blow for blow, neither one scoring any damaging blows. It seemed to be a stalemate. But not for long, Tommy knew Beast Master was trying to tire him out. He was only human and from what he could tell the demon was holding back. And of course, at over eight feet tall Beast Master had a greater reach.

~The question,~ Tommy thought to himself as he swiftly ducked a boot to the head, ~is can I last long enough to escape?~

Tommy powered up for a punch, but Beast Master surprised him by grabbing his wrist and snapping it. The Red Ranger cried out in pain as Beast Master threw him to the ground, but the leader of the Rangers staggered to his feet.

"You're a persistent child, aren't you?" Beast Master asked, launching himself at Tommy again. Tommy swept the floor with his foot, but Beast Master somersaulted over the extended limb and slammed a foot into Tommy's helmet, piercing the faceplate and almost breaking the boy's nose. Bleeding and sore, Tommy backed up against the stone wall. Beast Master wasn't even sweating. Once again Tommy realised the demon was simply playing with him.

The villain back flipped away as Tommy tried to rise. The Red Ranger struggled to his feet yet again.

Beast Master appeared to be in deep thought. He dropped his fighting stance. "You know, Tommy... I never noticed in all the time I spent watching this pitiful planet how much punishment you can take. Amazing. Your predecessor would have fallen by now. Perhaps you are stronger than I thought, or perhaps Jason was just smarter."

Tommy's bloodshot eyes were locked onto Beast Master's as he leaned on a rock and continued to talk. "I've been thinking. It's no big secret why Rita chose you to be her Green Ranger. You're a warrior, plain and simple. A human war machine; I find it... most interesting."

"G - get to the point, Beast Master." Tommy said in between gasps of air.

"Join me," the demon offered.

"You've GOT to be kidding." Tommy laughed. "Me, join you, and destroy my own world? Never!"

Beast Master laughed. "I'll make you a deal. I'll share my powers with you; together we can destroy the Elemental Beasts. You can save your world, your life and your friends, but you must join me!"

Tommy dropped his fighting stance hesitantly.

"With my brains and your brawn, Oliver, we'll be unstoppable! Join me!"

His words were starting to have an effect. Tommy was seriously questioning himself. A bit longer and maybe Beast Master would be able to present Minion with a new servant.

Tommy shook his head. "No. Villains don't keep their words, and I have no reason to trust you. I will never join you, Beast Master. Not now, not in a thousand years. You'd destroy the Earth anyway."

Beast Master growled. The cave began to shake, and rocks began tumbling down. "You have made a very big mistake, Tommy." And with that he raised his hand. A ball of energy pulsed once, and then swallowed Beast Master into a vortex of energy, which sealed up immediately afterward.

Suddenly the cave shook. Tommy steadied himself as the quake stopped. Then it happened again... and again. As Tommy's eyes widened in horror, he saw the walls move in ever so slightly. He saw what Beast Master had planned: the cavern walls were closing in! The cave was shrinking... and he was going to be impaled by the sharp rocks!

Tommy fell to the floor as the cave shook violently. He rolled to the side as a wickedly sharp stone fell from the ceiling, slashing his arm. He was grateful it was just nicked and not cut off. Still, the sting of pain was terrible. Dark red blood spurted from the wound as the cave contracted again, bringing the walls even closer. Tommy was about to be crushed.

"Aw man, I need a way out of here!" he said out loud.

When Beast Master reappeared in Stone Canyon, the spell on the remaining Rangers was broken. They looked around, confused by what had happened until they noticed Beast Master.

"Where's Tommy?" Rocky demanded.

Beast Master just laughed. "Your friend is suffering the side effects of a crushing defeat. I wouldn't worry about him, you'll be joining him soon enough."

Adam cried out in pain as the demon slammed a fist into his chest. Beast Master had moved so quickly that the unfortunate Ranger had been unable to follow him. He clawed at the red skinned monster that was grabbing his throat with both of its powerful hands. He lifted the Green Ranger up into the air and threw him at across the street into a parked car. With a sinister smile he raked his fingers over Adam's chest, ripping the fabric of his costume and drawing a thin trail of blood.

In truth, the demon was having the time of his life with the other four Rangers. Tommy had been fun, but one on one there was only so many times he could hurt somebody. His old powers were returning and the longer he stayed outside of the underground chamber, the more powerful he became. He opened his mouth and a spray of venom went flying at Tanya, eating through her uniform. She gave a shrill shriek and fell back. Rocky and Kat tried to double-team him, using their Gem Coin Blasters, but he just laughed, placed a hand on his eyes and then pointed his hand at the two. Multicoloured fireballs flew from his hand and eyes, striking the Blue and Pink Rangers.

Adam recovered, pulled out his side arm and took aim, but Beast Master just waved in Adam's direction. As the Rangers watched in surprise, pink tentacles of energy burst from under his feet, wrapping around his waist, feet and hands, lifting him into the air. Another one slapped the weapon from the Green Ranger's grip. The Green Ranger, struggling with the writhing tentacles, was effectively immobilised.

Kat lifted her Power Bow, intending to sever the energy tentacles. But Beast Master saw her move, and spat another jet of acid at her, striking the weapon. It melted the arrows to slag. He pointed his finger at her, and a blast struck her in the chest. She cried out and staggered back. Beast Master pointed at the ground, and as Kat watched in pure disbelief, the asphalt under her feet turned to quicksand. Her feet sank, trapping her. Katherine screamed and tried to surface, but the road-turned-quicksand pit slowly but surely began to drag her down.

Rocky lifted his Gem Coin Blaster and got Beast Master in his sights. Pressing the trigger, he sent a blast of electrical energy flying towards the enemy. But the demon's senses had greatly increased and he swung his arm at the energy, striking it like a batter would strike a baseball, and sent it straight back at Rocky. The blast tore the weapon from Rocky's hands.

Rocky looked up into the face of his opponent. Beast Master allowed himself a smile and winked at the Blue Ranger, laughing as the teen's uniform caught fire. Rocky only screamed for a moment before he passed out and demorphed, the fire extinguishing along with his powers.

"Ouch!" Tommy complained as he punched the walls.

With no other option he tried to force his way out. He had noticed a small glimmer of light through a crack in the roof. He had hoped it was the entrance to the dimension, but couldn't reach it. He thought through his options and was left with only one real choice. He hoped Alpha had been able to include it with their helmet upgrades.

"Metallic Armour, power up!"

The colour of Tommy's uniform changed from red to white as the defence system was energised. The outer layer of his suit was covered in metal bubbles to prevent damage. He focussed on the rocks and started to punch his way through. Progress was slow, but at least his hands didn't hurt. Eventually he reached a point where he could be sucked out of the dimension.

"What is that?" Beast Master asked as a high-pitched whistle filled the air.

He turned in time to be hit by the sudden flash of energy as Tommy drew all he could manage from the Morphin Grid and discharged it through his hands. Beast Master was hit and stumbled back as the other Rangers were released from their entrapment. The others added their own power to Tommy's wave of power, each aiming for a different part of the demon's body. As tall and powerful as he was, Beast Master could not remain standing without his legs. With a sudden surge they sent him to the ground.

But Beast Master was not about to lose his freedom after only recently gaining his freedom. He used his powers to grow to his full size and then started stomping on the ground below. Soon the Rangers were desperately dodging Beast Master's massive feet.

"Enough!" Tommy cried before calling out: "Ninja Zords, activate!" He was even more relieved to hear four other voices make the same call. That meant they had all recovered.

"Let's do it guys," Zeo Falcon called. He flew his Zord into range of the others. "Okay, insert Gem Coins, now!"

[Ninja sequence initiated. Wolf remote, online] flashed in front of his visor.

Zeo Falcon read the message displayed and smiled, pleased that once again the sequence had at least started. With his Gem Coin in place Zeo Falcon pressed the commit button and let the Gestalt System take control.

The arms and legs of the Ape detached from the body, the legs of the Bear split away from the body and legs and head of the Wolf retracted into the Zord's body. The bodies of the Ape, Bear and Wolf joined together to form the upper torso and arms of the Megazord. The legs of the Ape merged and connected to the base of the upper torso to complete the main body.

Meanwhile the Frog had transformed into a pair of legs, joining with the Bear's legs, which had transformed to make two feet, to form the lower body. The arms of the Ape had converted into fists, which connected to the arms.

Finally the body and arms merged with the legs, allowing the Falcon Zord to clip onto the back and the Crane to slide into place as the head. As with the previous Megazords, the Rangers were all grouped together in a single control room.

"Activate Power Sword," Red Ranger ordered. Although in its first outing the Ninja had lacked a Power Sword, Billy and Alpha had subsequently managed to build one that while not powerful as previous versions, had some cutting ability.

"A sword?" Beast Master asked mockingly. "I expected so much more of you."

He spat at the mighty Zord, his acidic saliva burning a hole in the robot's foot. He raised his hand, pulling the battered streetlights off the ground with his magic. As he opened his hand, the posts were thrown towards the huge machine.

The Ninja struggled to remove the metal posts from its limbs. While it was distracted, Beast Master attacked, clutching a heavy 'I' bar. His swing knocked the machine off balance and it was only through sheer determination on the part of the Rangers that they managed to remain upright when a second blow almost dislodged its head. Rocky took control of the Power Sword and managed to connect with the bar on its next strike, resulting in a shower of sparks and the removal of a slice of metal from the end.

Beast Master smirked and poured some of his magic into the 'I' bar. When it connected with the Megazord's left arm, the robot was forced backwards by the energy.

"Full power to the sword," Tommy ordered as he deactivated the safety protocol and allowed the body of the Ninja to act as a massive energy conductor.

The Power Sword was energised by the time Beast Master pressed the attack and was able to successfully parry each blow. Beast Master got tired of playing fair and spat at the sword. The acid ate through the blade, but he had no time to gloat as the Ninja had linked its hands together to deliver a double axe-handle blow to the demon's face. A quick spin kick took advantage as a strong shoulder block took him down.

The Ninja moved in close, allowing Beast Master to grab it in a bear hug, his body suddenly expanding to apply more pressure. The machine struggled in the villain's grasp as its back started to crack.

"Desperate times call for desperate measures," Tanya declared as she took control of the legs and drove the left knee into Beast Master's groin.

The demon let go for just a second, but that was long enough. The Ninja staggered the villain with a flurry of punches and a drop kick. As Beast Master was shaking off the attack, his opponent struck him with a powerful head butt.

"Zordon, we need Titanos," Tommy called.

"On his way Rangers," Alpha replied.

The silvery mass of Titanos made its way through the damaged streets of Stone Canyon. This was not Titanus, the huge mechanical dinosaur that had aided both the Dino and Ninja Rangers of Earth. The Rangers had used that machine on a previous occasion and had found the interface had damaged both machines. This was a copy of the powerful machine crafted by Billy Cranston and intended for his friends the Aquitian Rangers. Billy had tried to sculpt Titanos, as closely to the original as possible, and except for a difference in the quality of the armour and the shade of his colouring, it was hard to tell the two apart.

"Ninja Ultrazord, power up!" the Rangers called.

Titanos's head and neck dropped forward, its sides opened to reveal a cannon on either side and a platform appeared inside the vacant space. The Ninja MegaFalconzord took to the air and landed on the platform, the head and neck returned to their normal position as it did so. The arms of the Zord detached as the wings of the Falcon folded around so that its rocket launchers were pointing forward. Then the arms reattached.

"Lock on!"

The powerful wheels mounted under the Ultrazord moved it into position so that the weapon systems could lock onto the demon. A loud buzz indicated they were in range.

"Fire!"

The entire arsenal of the Ultrazord struck Beast Master, causing the villain to scream before his body was thrown into the air where he remained suspended b the energy. Then the attack ended and he plummeted back to the ground. His body cracked, the evil spirit contained within desperate to get away. He coughed violently, spewing up a small orb that was lost under his falling body.

"Hit him again!" Tommy ordered. "Fire!"

This time Beast Master was destroyed.

Power Chamber

The Rangers had left Stone Canyon as soon as they realised they had won. Their task was far from over and was now looking all the more difficult since Jason's team had not reported in. The Zords had been repaired and their powers had been placed on charge ready for what was to come.

Stone Canyon had almost returned to normal. The damage Beast Master had caused was restored to normal, but the humans he had killed could not be revived. That in some ways made the job more difficult. The Rangers would never get used to the idea that not everyone survived a monster attack. The death toll was becoming higher with each battle and now if Elemental Beasts were loose, the Rangers were all a little worried about what was to come next.

Adam's father, Detective Park had arrived at work having received an anonymous tip concerning the attack. He and his staff had spent the time making plans for emergency shelters. Zordon had passed information that revealed that the Elemental Beasts would head for Angel Grove first, drawn by the Ley Nexus in Angel Grove Park. In the end they had done all that they could and returned home. Rocky had put it best when he said all they could do was hope for the best and prepare for the worst.

Zordon and Alpha had refused to allow the Rangers near the computer, stating that a distraction could cost Jason's team dearly. In the end he sent them home to change and report back ready for further action.

As they teleported away, Alpha and Zordon went to work on the Zords. Not only would they oversee the repairs to the Ninja. They hoped that combined with the Gem Coin Zords, their arsenal would prove sufficient.

They would receive their answer when Jason and his team returned.

In the old abandoned warehouse just outside of Angel Grove, new occupants had moved in. The building had always seemed ominous to those who tried to approach it, perhaps explaining why it had failed to make a profit for any of the entrepreneurs who had tried to lease out the space. But now, the building had a definable air of evil about it. Not the usual kind, more of the incompetent sort.

Jas tightened the bandage, a little harder then necessary, on Roma's arm. She tried to wrap it around as gently as she could, but her laughter kept making her hands jerk about.

"Dammit Jas, not so tight!" Roma said through clenched teeth, "And stop laughing, it ain't funny."

Jas and Roma were sitting on a makeshift couch in what used to be an office. When the four of them arrived on Earth, Rita and Zedd had given them the warehouse, stating that humans were too scared to take it from them. Of course they had to spice it up a bit. With various weapons hanging on the walls, some furniture here and there, and of course a nice cosy fireplace.

On the other side of the room, bandaging himself on his own couch was Dwanin, who didn't look nearly as bad as Roma but was banged up in a similar way. On the wall above his head were the remains of Boogah. Jas had not been pleased when she had discovered the theft of her precious scythe. She had swiftly ensured that Boogah was sent to a new home: the afterlife.

"You're right Roma it's not funny," Jas said seriously, but then a sneaky smile escaped on her lips, "It's freakin hilarious!" She laughed if possible harder then before. Barely getting a hold of her self she turned to Dwanin, her laughter still bubbling in her voice as she spoke, "I can't believe all three of ya'll got the stuffing knocked out of you by a seven-year-old."

"He was seventeen! Not seven, seventeen!" Dwanin corrected hotly. "And he had help."

Roma shot an evil glare at Dwanin that didn't go by unnoticed just for talking. Jas just continued laughing, taking out some peroxide and dabbing it on a towel.

It was a real surprise to say the least for Dwanin when Roma had managed to follow his fellow Packspawn home, alive. After Boogah had quickly grabbed Dwanin, the two flame-travelled their way back to their home. Regardless their strict codes of Packspawn loyalty to one another, they still went by there own code that was famous for all those like them everywhere: Every man for themselves!

Both of them were quite certain that their dear leader hadn't made it out. Needless to say though, their mourning for him didn't last very long. In fact, Boogah in particular wasn't at all upset. He was so certain that Roma was dead that he and Dwanin decided to go brag about it to Jas.

Boogah and Dwanin barged into their chamber, where they found Jas carefully cleaning one of her favourite riffles. "Hey Jas, guess what!" Boogah had said excitedly. Jas simply nodded, letting him know she was listening. "I'm going to be the new leader!"

Jas turned her head slightly, still polishing her gun with a cloth, "Really," she said lazily, "I could've sworn that this little dude named Roma still was."

Dwanin chuckled as he sat himself on a couch, "Not anymore he ain't. Nor's Boogah when yo finds out what he did."

"Uh" Boogah had ignored the comment, hoping Jas would too and had sat next to Dwanin, kicking his feet on the coffee table, "After what happened to him, he ain't never comin back... So" He clapped his hands together and sat up straight, confident that now that Roma was gone, Jas was finally his and his only, "My first act as new commander is that you Jas," he licked his lips, "Fix up some of my war wounds, slowly and... sexily."

Jas shook her head and went back to what she was doing, not at all impressed with Boogah's assumptions of Roma's death. Why was it that Boogah in particular always forgot that one small detail about a Packspawn? "I wouldn't get my hopes up if I were you," she said mysteriously.

Boogah's look of superiority and triumph faded slightly at Jas's comment. He felt unnerved by it. He covered it up though, by asking curiously, "Why is that?"

Boogah never saw the blade as it tore into his skin, shredding his organs as it did so. But as painful as that seemed, the mere act could not account for the inhuman scream. "Because yo stole from me," she growled. "Besides, he'll be back, believe me. Just a shame you won't be," she added with a sort of evil smile. And right she was, because as soon as those words were said, a deafening cry sounded throughout the warehouse as Boogah was consumed by the holy water she had placed on the blade.

"Boogah! Dwanin!" A familiar voice yelled, reverberating around the walls. "YOU LEFT ME! JUST WAIT TILL I GET MY HANDS ON YOU!"

Dwanin jumped up and looked at Jas, hardly noticing his former comrade's remains dripping down his leg - fear crawling deep into his skin. "Uh oh," he said.

That one small thing that Boogah had forgotten was the fact that all Packspawns were practically immortal. In other words, it would take a hell of a lot more than an explosion to kill them. Holy water was another matter, but an explosion had no chance. Especially when the Packspawn in question was Roma.

Roma had survived, although he didn't return unharmed, quite the contrary. He was severed vertically in half and burnt to a crisp. He came in with his body smoking and soaking wet, half of him dragging the other half by the tail.

And now here they were, Roma annoyed at his comrades and furious that he could not punish Boogah for his stupidity, Jas in hysterics after Roma told her what happened, Dwanin so scared of Roma that he felt the urge to wet himself every time he even dared to glance in his comrade's direction, and Boogah of course had by now shrivelled to a fraction of his former size and had been used for target practice. Death would not save his body from punishment, even if it did rob Roma of those delightful screams.

"Oh, oh my mistake," Jas continued, "so ya'll got your butt whooped by a teenager." She slapped the towel onto Roma's torso. He hissed in pain as the liquid came in contact with his cut.

"No, no you don't understand Jas these Rangers are crazy!" Dwanin tried to defend frantically. "You should've seen em. They just changed clothes and bam, it was all over and they wer jumpin around on the walls all over ta place like a... like a little monkey or somethin!" he gestured what he meant with his arm. Not a very good idea since both of them were practically detachable and the slightest move made a sickening crack. His eyes watered in pain as he numbly set them down at the side. "Ouch!" he screamed gasping.

Jas rolled her eyes. She put the peroxide away. Anywhere else in the galaxy the wounds would have healed magically, but not on Earth. "Quit being a pansy and suck it up."

"As much as I hate to say it, Dwanin has a point," Roma said with his teeth still clenched tightly. They couldn't tell if it was because he didn't want to admit it or if he was still recovering from the peroxide.

Dwanin stuck his tongue out at Jas, glad that Roma had agreed with him. She retaliated by taking a step towards him. He flinched back, fearing that she was about to hit him. That was all the response Jas wanted as she sat back down satisfied. "Punk."

Roma continued, "Those kids can't be all human. They's way too powerful, I could feel it." Dwanin nodded in agreement.

Jas snorted. She had to say it; it was just too easy, "Yeah, you could feel his foot right up yo butt."

Roma glowered at her with utter menace, "Will you just cut the wise cracks already!"

Jas put up a peace sign, "Okay, okay. I'm done." She dumped the rest of the blood soaked towels into a wastebasket beside them and put the Band-Aids back in the first aid kit. "Seriously yo, I could understand those two morons getting their backsides whooped by a grandma in a wheel chair, let alone a teenager," she said, jerking her thumb in Dwanin's direction.

Dwanin sat up. "Hey!" His arms flailed about, in a sorry attempt to look intimidating. But with his burnt up backward hat and two limp arms he looked far from it.

Jas calmly picked up her rifle off of the floor and pointed it at Dwanin. He immediately froze into place. "I'm callin you a moron, got a problem with that?" Jas smirked when Dwanin furiously shook his head no. Just because they couldn't die, didn't mean bullets didn't hurt, especially at close range! "Good, now go sit down before I use you as target practice like I did Boogah" Dwanin didn't need to be told twice. With a quick gulp he scurried back to his side of the room.

Jas turned back to Roma, "As I was saying, how did you get beat so bad? I mean if you weren't immortal you'd probably be looking a hell of a lot worse then this."

"It was all Boogah's fault anyway," Roma accused rashly, "I had everything under control until he came in with that scythe of yours. Yo know how it's cursed so only you can use it and triumph."

"It is?" Dwanin asked flabbergasted and flinching as he did so. He was carefully wrapping his tail with a special fireproof Band-Aid, and the slightest move could make it even more painful. "If Jas locked her storeroom I would never have taken it and we wouldn't be in this mess."

Roma stood up and stretched a bit, his tail swishing behind him. "Well we can't do anything about what happened before, but I do have a plan to get them back," he pounded his fist in his hand, "hit them where it hurts most."

This got Dwanin's attention. Knowing Roma his plan was most likely going to involve plenty of violence and torture, something that he would love to do to those stupid kids. They sat up straight, waiting for Roma to go into further detail of his idea. And Roma would've continued, that is if Jas hadn't beaten him to it.

"What makes you think Zedd will let you help him again," Jas said with little interest in the subject, most of her attention on polishing her gun.

Roma made a noise, his arms folded across his chest, "You really think I give a damn about what that chrome face says?"

Jas shrugged, "No. I'm just sayin that he wants those humans destroyed and yo boys are a liability." She trailed off, conjuring up a mirror with a flick of her hand and a flash of red light. She sat her gun beside her on the couch and used the towel to polish her horns instead.

Roma seemed to consider this, "Yeah I see where you're headed, but that Zack kid pulled my tail. It's personal now, and if he ends up dead in the process then what can I say," he turned back to Dwanin, "Come on ya'll, we need to make some preparations first."

The Packspawn got up, rubbing his hands together as best he could in excitement, "Ooooh preparations! Sounds good to me."

A quick glare from Roma shut down Dwanin's eagerness. Roma wanted nothing more then to backhand him into next week, but damn it, that wasn't a good enough reason! Apparently he was still feeling angry with him for abandoning him like that. Every time Dwanin would say something, even when it wasn't stupid - although it was most of the time - he wanted to just strangle him until his face turned blue and his lungs collapsed. He cleared those thoughts from his mind, for now, and concentrated on something else. Jas had taken out a metal filer from her pocket and was now scraping it against her horns, "hey, you comin Jas or what?"

"Nah," Jas said, looking at them through her mirror. "I've still gotta customise some weapons," she said with less enthusiasm then she normally would when it came to this subject.

Roma shrugged, "Suit yourself, let's go ya'll." Roma and Dwanin left the room, all the while Roma muttering something like, "First, we're going to need to use those egg things they were after as bait, then when those brats appear... pow!" some more silent mumbling and then, "Of course I know where they are, we placed a tracking spell on Trini remember?"

Jas watched them leave before returning to her private chamber, sighing happily as she shut the door. Beating the tar out of Boogah always seemed to lighten her mood. Maybe she would go take a nice hot bath before fixing up that damn scythe. Repairing it would be a snap, but was just something she didn't have the patience for right now. Yeah, she'd do it later; it was always easier to work after she had taken a bath.

After visiting Billy's storeroom - an experience they would not forget in a hurry - to allow Trini, Kimberly, Zack, David and Aisha to find some weapons, the Grid Warriors had teleported to an area just outside of New York City. Billy had taken a little longer teleporting and when asked he told them he had been making a few last minute arrangements.

"Now where?" Zack asked.

Billy pulled a device from the inside of his trench coat, and after pressing a few buttons he pointed towards some trees before setting off at a brisk pace. The others followed, noticing as they continued that the wooded area was the result of magic rather than nature. For one thing the plants were deformed, but more telling was the concrete beneath their feet. While the trees were tall enough to be considered over a century old, the concrete had been laid recently.

They followed Billy for some time before he came to a stop. The temperature had dropped unnaturally low and the trail he had been following seemed to disappear. He looked at the device again and was ready to set off, but Trini held him back and signalled for the others to remain silent.

Ahead of them they could hear movement and the unmistakable sounds of Putties patrolling the area. Jason cursed; somehow Zedd and Rita had found the location before them.

"There's a way around, but it would delay our arrival," Billy stated. "We cannot afford to waste the time."

Jason nodded. He wasn't keen to go rushing into danger without knowing the odds. On the other hand if it was only Putties, they had a chance.

"We'll split up," he said after some thought. "Billy, Zack, David and Aisha try to go around. The rest of us will try to cut through the center."

"Right!" the others answered before splitting off as directed.

"Try not to power up," he instructed as they left before leading his group down the trail.

The dark trees seemed to reach out; suddenly they rounded a bend and stopped dead. Hanging from the tree were two hikers, both hung by their necks from the branches of the tree directly across the trail.

"Oh no," Trini averted her eyes but Sam looked the hikers over carefully. From their packs they must have been hiking for a few days, and both were clean so they had bathed. And looking at their packs... there seemed to be necessary supplies missing. Aisha was examining the ground. Jason and Sam knelt beside her while Trini remained standing, eyes alert for signs of an attack.

"See there? There was a large group of hikers, some of them were killed here, and the others were taken prisoner." Sam pointed to drag marks and signs of a scuffle, Jason nodded in agreement. Jason hurried on, a sudden chill made them all halt, the wind whipped fiercely.

"Something's out there," Kimberly murmured, searching the forest, a sudden crack from behind them made them all jump. A dark shape went behind a tree, a harsh breath came from behind them, and Jason drew his sidearm and fired as he turned, thinking hard of how nice it would be to get back to the Power Chamber. The shot struck the hooded shape not two feet behind, making it stumble and flee.

"Putties!" Trini warned as an incoherent noise filled the air, Kimberly blasted the first one off its feet, the others leaped back out of the way as her three teammates opened fire, their cover blown. Trini ducked out of the way, using her weapons to batter the clay foot soldiers. Sam stunned another one; Jason had sent a dozen or so Putties fleeing. Another one leaped out of a tree, landing on Sam's back and knocking him to the ground. Aisha kicked it and the fight stopped, Jason looked around, something wasn't right, but he couldn't say what.

"You okay?" Jason asked, the others looked up and nodded.

"We're close, and they know it, and so he'll be setting traps to slow us." Sam said, dusting off his suit.

"The we should hurry." Jason said and they were off again.

"Do Putties just run away now?" Trini asked. "They used to vanish or fall apart."

"They didn't look like Rita's Putties you guys," Kimberly mentioned. "They seemed lighter."

"Maybe they're not Putties," Trini suggested.

"The evidence does support that hypothesis," Billy said over the radio link they were using.

"Whatever they are, they're easy to knock down, but keeping them down is difficult."

Jason's breath steamed, it was still winter really and cold, suddenly two things swung at him from opposite sides of the path, Jason threw himself flat and rolled under them. There was a thump and a horrid scream from behind him that was abruptly cut off. He leaped to his feet and whirled, and stopped. Two more bodies suspended form ropes; he could feel the remains of the trap he'd stepped on. Kimberly had her hand over Trini's mouth; it was she who had screamed.

"They're wasting time, both of these people were toyed with before they were killed." Sam said, moving forwards and looking closely at the bodies.

"All the better, come on, they've still got a head start." Jason took off again, jogging along, trying to look out for traps.

He burst through some bushes and instinctively leaped, this would be a perfect place to dig a pit, and behind him Sam was not so tuned in and crashed through the well-hidden trap. The others clustered around.

"Are you okay?" Jason called down; Sam struggled in the mud and stood up, wiping blood off a cut of his jaw. He ignored Jason's question.

"They're getting smarter." He levitated himself out, "well what are we waiting for?" Jason was about to say something, but thought better of it and turned and started off.

Kimberly raced forward, feeling the wind and listening, slowly it occurred to her that she could hear the others, and one of them was running irregularly, limping. They'd only been going for about a mile, the large area they had covered seemed smaller when they weren't thinking about it. She knew that they were all in good shape, but maybe someone was tiring... or injured.

Jason realised that they could be running towards their deaths as they followed in Kimberly's wake, but they had to get to the eggs. He jumped a tripwire, one that Kimberly had left undisturbed. He dropped a small glow stick so the others would see. Behind him Trini and Sam were holding back, waiting for the signal.

They were running along a gorge when Jason overtook Kimberly so she could catch her breath. He could see holes in the rock and a collection of... poisoned darts? Set so that they would fly from slingshot-like things as soon as they felt the slightest vibration? Or a spell maybe? Well they couldn't turn back and he could sense something foreign ahead, no doubt Rita's handiwork.

Jason ducked as he went through the narrow part, something whizzed by his ear, he dropped and rolled and a few more flew. Jason leaped and dodged and ducked, darts hissing about him, something hit his sleeve, but the padding prevented it from going further. Jason yanked it out and tossed it away, finally they stopped and he as well, behind him the others followed, their path clear of darts. He stopped to wait on the other side.

In hindsight that had not been the smartest thing to do, but it was his nature to be slightly impulsive and charging through the problem had seemed to work on this occasion.

"Jason, look out!" Kimberly cried as they were attacked from all sides.

Billy's team had had an easy time of it. While Jason was making enough noise to alert all those forces that were protecting the eggs, Aisha, David, Zack and Billy worked their way silently around. The traps though nasty were spaced so that they made easy progress. And with extra equipment Aisha was wearing to enhance her keen senses, they were able to avoid triggering many of the mechanisms.

So it was that they reached their destination first, a cliff above the nest guarded by two almost human figures. Zack groaned as he recognised them.

"Not these guys again."

"Oi! It's that Zack kid!" Roma shouted, catching sight of the Black Grid Warrior.

"So much for cover," Aisha commented.

"Affirmative," Billy agreed. "I suggest we utilise our full capabilities to counter this threat."

"I guess..." Zack said, not sure what Billy meant.

"Guys, we have to morph," Jason said over the radio. "It's Morphin Time!"

"Tigerzord!"

"Dragonzord!"

Before leaving Sam had turned his Power Coin other to Zordon who had used it to magnify the powers of the coin Billy had given him. The result was eight Rangers sharing the power of two Rangers instead of sharing the power of just one Ranger.

"Mastodon!"

"Pterodactyl!"

"Triceratops!"

"Stegosaurus!"

"Sabre-toothed Tiger!"

"Tyrannosaurus!"

Beneath their outer clothing the Rangers were transformed into their Grid Warrior uniforms, however the only outward sign of this change was the addition of a small emblem on their chests. No longer hidden from the enemy, they leapt into battle, weapons drawn and any attempts to sneak about forgotten.

What followed was a mess as part-demons, imitation Putties and other protectors clashed with the Grid Warriors. Jason, Sam and Billy took the worst of the hits, their opposition having learnt that they were carrying the means to destroy the hyperlock units.

Finally Sam managed to break free of the oncoming Putties. He made his way to the eggs and was almost overcome by the stench of evil. Zack was soon by his side and together they used the curved blade to smash the shells.

Four of the shells were cracked, revealing the goo that the Elemental Beasts reverted to during storage. The black fluid oozed out, causing the four remaining eggs to react violently. The forces that had been distracted by the other Grid Warriors turned back to the nest and the two warriors found themselves dragged away.

Clouds formed overhead and the wind picked up. Fire and ice, wind and dust pelted the Grid Warriors. They struggled, but were driven back as the ground cracked. One of the Packspawns grabbed the nest and vanished, taking the four surviving beasts with him. His comrade, who Zack recognised as Dwanin, found himself on the receiving end of Jason, Sam and Billy's combined sword attack, though Billy's timing was off and the blow failed to have as much impact. He screamed as he was almost sent to the great beyond.

The Grid Warriors fought until the area had been cleared. Without the unnatural powers of the Elemental Beasts the woodland had died down and without anything to protect the golem foot soldiers started to crumble.

Finally after a lengthy battle the Grid Warriors returned to the Power Chamber, their mission a failure. It could have been worse.

The atmosphere was tense when the two teams of Rangers finally gathered in the Power Chamber to discuss the Elemental Beasts. Not only were the events of the last few hours fresh in everybody's mind, there were unresolved issues between team members that lurked beneath the surface.

Jason had taken the initiative, explaining the Grid Warriors' short adventure. As he spoke, his eyes were shifting between the Zeo Rangers, searching to signs of anger or disappointment. He found neither.

"So after that we returned here," Jason concluded. "I'm sorry guys, we couldn't get them all."

"Hey, you did your best and at least now we only have four to worry about," Tommy reassured his friend.

"According to my calculations the Elemental Beasts will still require time before they are ready for release," Billy stated. "We still have time to co-ordinate a defence."

The others exchanged glances, unsure if this was a good or a bad thing. True they had more time, but such a delay meant they had to wait before confronting the worst.

"Are you okay?" Tanya asked as she walked over to where David was sitting. In the excitement of the last few hours, the other Rangers had forgotten that David had been thrown into things without being asked. She had no doubts, having experienced a similar situation, that David was feeling some uncertainty.

"I'll feel better once this is over and I can go back to my normal life," the teen admitted. "No offence, but the life of a super hero is not for me. I'll be here while you need me, but then I just want to get back to normal."

Tanya nodded understandingly. Tommy and David were very different people despite being twins. Neither actively sought out danger, but while David had for the most part managed to avoid trouble, Tommy had a nasty habit of attracting it.

"Don't worry," she assured him. "It'll work out. Things always work out in the end."

Outside the Power Chamber

Kimberly Hart stared across the desert to where the small city of Angel Grove stood, blissfully unaware of the oncoming threat that could level it in a matter of seconds. Coming home had seemed so easy, but life was never that simple.

Coming home meant facing her friends again, something she did not want to do. Seeing them brought back the feelings of loneliness she had had after leaving to train for the Pan Globals. Returning home meant leaving a world of routine and relative safety for a city where even survival could not be guaranteed on a day-to-day basis.

And of course, there was the number one reason of why she was so uncomfortable to be back in Angel Grove: Tommy Oliver. The tall, handsome, charismatic leader of the Rangers was also as unpredictable as a summer storm. One minute, he was sweetness and light, the next, he was tottering on the edge of the dark places in his soul. His unpredictability had been one of the things that made it so exciting to be in love with him, but it had also made it frightening.

When she had found herself away from him, in Florida, she had been so confused in her feelings. She had missed him like fire, but at the same time, she was relieved to no longer be afraid of his dark side. After she had regained some sense of stability in herself, she had realised that she could survive without a relationship with Tommy. In fact, she had come to realise, that the way things were, she and Tommy never stood a chance as a long-term relationship. Sooner or later the fire would be gone and the darkness would take over. They both deserved better than that.

Kat on the other hand understood Tommy to some degree. The relationship would be difficult, but they could survive together. Whether they would be together in two years or ten years time was anybody's guess. In the end it all depended on how badly Kay wanted it and whether her love for Tommy would carry her over the hard times.

Kimberly meanwhile had not spent her time moping about lost loves. Upon realising her feelings she had set about writing the now infamous letter, releasing Tommy to find the person he could be happy with. She had found herself drawn to Chad. He embodied all of the qualities that she had loved in Tommy, with none of the danger. He loved her, respected her, and she enjoyed his company a great deal. He might not have been her soul mate, but for now he would do.

A slight cough snapped her out of her thoughts. She already knew who was there, but turned around anyway. As she expected, Tommy was leaning against the wall of the old citadel.

"It's been a long time," he told her.

"Too long," she hedged nervously, refusing to meet his eyes.

He laughed, a sound she had missed. When he spoke his voice lacked the venom she had expected and while not the tone she was used to it did not sound hateful.

"It's nice to have you back Kim. We missed you... I missed you."

"Tommy, about the letter," she offered, but he cut her off.

"It hurt Kim, more than you'd ever know. I thought we had something that would last and you couldn't even tell me to my face." He paused and looked at her, his face still friendly if a little hurt. "Was I really that bad?"

The way he asked the question combined with the puppy dog eyes broke the tension. Kimberly giggled despite herself. Trust Tommy to lighten her mood. "I was scared Tommy, not about what you would say or do, but about whether I would be able to tell you in person. I couldn't stand the confusion anymore. You and I - sometimes, it felt so right, and sometimes it was so wrong. You were cold and distant, and then warm and loving. You always seemed ready to snap, and I just couldn't take it anymore. You scared me, Tommy.

I couldn't decide to leave until we were apart. When I was with you, things were always so confused. My emotions were a roller coaster ride, and I couldn't think straight until it stopped. Then, I didn't want to wait because I needed to do this, and I was afraid I'd lose my nerve. I did love you, Tommy. Whatever you may think of me, never think that I didn't love you.

The person in my letter was a lie and I am sorry about that. I needed a way to let you go that wouldn't leave you feeling guilty enough to come and change my mind. I didn't meet someone until I had sent the letter and then it was a few weeks before he spoke to me. His name was Chad Kincaid and yes, he is still my boyfriend. But you have to believe me, I didn't break up with you for him."

"Are you happy?" Tommy asked.

Kimberly blinked, unprepared for the question and unsure how to respond. In the end she nodded and smiled. "I'm happier than I have been in a long time Tommy."

"Then so am I," he whispered before giving her a gentle kiss on the cheek. "You mean too much to me for you not to be a part of my life, even if that means we are just friends."

"Friends," she agreed.

It was too easy. Their words while genuine had not cleared away all the doubts and anxieties created by their teenage minds. They would need to talk again, but for now the few words they had exchanged would be enough. "We've both changed, haven't we?" Kim asked softly. "You aren't the person I left, and I'm not the person who did the leaving. I'm glad we get a fresh start."

"I'm glad too and you're right: we have changed. There's so much we need to talk about, all of us, but not now." He changed the subject. "Where are you staying?"

"With my dad and my brother. Funny, both of my parents moved to Angel Grove after the divorce, and didn't even know it 'til a year later. Look, I'll see you later. I have to get home." Tommy nodded, watching her as she walked back inside. Then, with a sigh, he returned to the Power Chamber.

Despite being dismissed by Zordon, the Rangers had remained at the Power Chamber for some time, just catching up on the events in each other's lives. The Grid Warriors despite having access to the news had been unaware of how hard the Zeo Rangers had been fighting.

Billy had slipped out early in the conversation before Tommy and Jason started to explain about Minion. He knew they wouldn't mind and would just assume that the fate of Aquitar was still a sore point for the Blue Grid Warrior; after all he had abandoned his wife and her friends to their deaths just so he could escape.

The truth was that Billy had things he needed to do that he didn't want the other to know about yet. He considered it a surprise; one he knew would turn the tide of the coming battle.

"Hey Billy," a soft, feminine voice said behind him.

He didn't need to turn around to know that the voice's source was clothed in yellow. "Trini," he said.

"I'm sorry, Billy," she mumbled, sitting beside him. "About Cestria, I mean. I should have been there for you. I guess we got so involved with the Peace Conference, we just didn't think to contact you guys." She paused as if debating whether to continue, reaching out her hand to stroke her friend's cheek before continuing. "I'm really sorry Billy, it's bad enough I wasn't here for you without making it worse by lying."

That got the Blue Warrior's attention though he didn't turn towards her, anxious to keep her from seeing the expression on his face.

"We missed you guys, Billy. I know we never said so, but when Tommy arrived to bring Jason back, Zack and I spent the next week hoping that we would be needed... or wanted. That's why we stopped calling; we were afraid that one of you would say something and we'd take the opportunity to abandon the conference. Instead we just became more isolated."

They sat together in awkward silence for a few moments, neither knowing what to say. "I wish I had said something earlier," Billy said finally.

"Do you... think...that maybe, somehow, there's... Never mind." Her face was turning redder and redder with each passing moment.

"A chance for us?" Billy asked. He prayed silently that that was what she was going to ask. If not, he had just gotten herself stuck between a rock and a hard place.

"Yeah," Trini managed, feeling hopeful.

"I think when this is over we'll see if you still feel the same and go from there," he told her. Eager to change the subject to something less embarrassing, he jumped up. "I just had an idea," he said. "About speeding up the repair times for the Zords by utilising the old power regulators."

"Can I help?" she asked as Billy disappeared headfirst into a floor space.

"Affirmative," came the reply.

"Just like old times," Trini muttered before lowering herself into the conduit.

**To Be Continued.**

Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers or any other show. They belong to their respective copyright owners. No money is being made from this piece of writing.

**Fangs of the Speed Hound**

Angel Grove was the same as ever despite the threat of the Elemental Beasts that had yet to make an appearance. Following their failure to destroy the containment capsules, Aisha, Zack, Trini and Kimberly had agreed to return to Angel Grove full time.

Rita and Zedd had resumed their previous attacks and the Gem Coin Rangers along with their returning allies soon fell into a new pattern of longer periods of inaction followed by the occasional monster attack. In addition to Zedd and Rita's existing arsenal, Finster had manufactured a matter altering device and yet another means of recreating his previous monsters, this time using clay.

Mondo had also returned; the mechanical monarch, his aristocratic wife and spoilt son along with their two servants had taken to attacking immediately following an attack by Rita and Zedd. Their intention was obviously to capitalise on the Rangers' fatigue.

Mondo had ordered an automated cycle of attacks. This meant that the Rangers had to become even more adaptive as they fought not one, but two types of monster requiring different approaches; after a few near misses they had discovered that the hit hard and fast technique worked against Rita and Zedd's monsters but usually failed against Machine Empire efforts. Nobody had yet broached the subject that somewhere out there, Gasket was also lurking.

"Man, is it me or did it seem that Rita and Zedd put hardly any effort into that?" Tommy asked as he led the Rangers over to a quiet corner of the Youth Center.

"Definitely not the monsters I remember," Aisha seconded. The former Ranger had been watching the battle on a portable television.

"What'll it be guys?" Emily asked.

Since closing down his beach club, Ernie had given Emily a job at the Juice Bar for the winter months.

"Five smoothies please," Tommy answered after an unspoken conversation with his friends.

"And I'll have one of Ernie's Mega Salad sandwiches," Rocky added.

The others laughed. Rocky did not overeat and actually maintained a well-balanced diet. However, his metabolism like those of the other Rangers was slightly higher than most teenagers. Of course the metabolism of a normal teenager was naturally high anyway. With all the activity he packed into his day it was only natural that he felt hungry. Of course it was the fact that he often chose to eat at the Youth Center that led to some people thinking of him as a human mouth with a bottomless stomach.

"So where are you staying?" he asked Aisha.

Once the excitement of returning to America had calmed down, the Rangers had been faced with more practical problems. Aisha had flown home early, under the pretence of reporting to the University on their success. In fact their sponsor was Zordon who had managed to rig events so the sponsorship ended up with the Campbell family and had been given educational backing from the facility. That meant that upon reporting Aisha would attain the credits she needed for higher education and a spot at a university of her choice.

When she had first arrived, Aisha had been satisfied to stay at the Angel Grove. But she realised that in the long run, her parents would need a home where the whole family could live.

"I'm going to stay at my parents' old house in Stone Canyon," she answered. "Maybe I can enrol at the high school again."

The others nodded. It did make some sense. Kimberly had chosen to return to Angel Grove, but had accepted a placement under the tutelage of a local coach. It meant while she was often around, she didn't have as much time to spend with her friends.

Trini and Zack had surprised the others when they had returned to the United States, but not Angel Grove. Technically they were still part of the Peace Conference and while no longer representatives, they had agreed at the last minute to finish their education. That meant both of them had undertaken individual research until the end of the school year. Both had touched base briefly in Angel Grove before starting their project work. It was fitting in some way that they had chosen to study provisions for youth in small towns and cities within the United States. Zack had chosen Newtech City and Trini had selected Blue Bay Harbour. Later they would combine their research and combine notes before moving onto the next area.

"How does that work anyway?" Rocky asked, referring to the switch over between Aisha and Tanya. "I thought the Zeo fragments were found in the past."

"Actually Tanya's from our time," Tommy told him. "Or at least that's what Billy told me. The Orb of Doom just screwed things up so much that time twisted itself into knots around that one event. Ten years became six months, weeks became minutes. Even now I doubt things are totally back to normal, it still seems as if time is moving at it normal pace but the days are passing at a slower rate.

Anyway, when Vile used the orb, he literally ended everything. I doubt he cared since they were outside of the disturbance he could use it to recreate things according to their tastes. But Earth is a resilient planet and reality is just too stubborn to end and start anew. Instead the orb's power was perverted and could only change the Earth to look as it did several years before. I think Billy said due to the Earth's volatile state in relation to time, such an action resulted in a pseudo-timeline in which Tanya and Aisha changed places."

"When we united the Zeo Crystal, it cancelled out the effects and time restored itself as best it could. In short: that whole period is one big mess. Technically we were in the past, but since Zordon had realised the Zeo Crystal would not be destroyed and had locked onto the location of each fragment, we were able to retrieve our crystals from the present." Adam paused as Rocky realised where he was going.

"Except for mine, which caused a volcano to erupt and had to be retrieved just after it arrived."

"Right," Aisha agreed. "So the quests took place in the present, several years earlier than the real year. When I switched places with Tanya, my parents never moved to Angel Grove with Adam and Rocky, but agreed to spend time in Kenya with Ashala's tribe. We never sold the house because we always thought that once their contract was over, that we would return to Stone Canyon."

"That's why Tanya was so well adjusted to life in Angel Grove," Kat suggested.

Aisha nodded. "And of course if I had been trapped in the past I could never have sent Tanya any mail."

"Great," Rocky smiled. "Now I have just one more question: who were those weird Ninja Rangers who took over while we were children? I thought they were aliens, but Zordon said they were from Earth."

"I guess that's something we'll never know. Hey, why don't we help you move your stuff in?" Tommy asked. "I bet the place needs some cleaning."

"Thanks, you guys," Aisha answered.

"So, those goody two shoes are trying to make their friend feel at home are they?" Rita cackled as she looked through her Repulsa-scope.

"I don't know Sis, are they?" Rito asked, oblivious to his sister's glare.

"Quiet Bonehead, I need to think."

Rita knew that her recent monsters were not up to the standard the Rangers expected. It had been a deliberate move on her part to give the impression that she and Zedd were just not up to par. In fact, while she was sending down a stream of pointless monsters, Zedd was working on a new scheme. He hadn't told her what it was, except to mention it would be good. ~For his sake it had better be.~

She looked down at the varying monsters Finster had made for her, each sharing the characteristic that she had rejected them in the past. If nothing else this was a good chance to prove that her opinion about some of Finster's monsters was indeed correct.

"Aha!" she almost shouted in delight. "This one will be perfect."

"The Sp- eed Hou- nd," Rito read over her shoulder.

"Just what we need around here, another stray mutt," Goldar mumbled.

"Quiet Monkey Boy," Rita warned. "Oh Finster!"

In his workshop Finster looked up and through some unknown means seemed to see the monster she wanted. He muttered some sort of acknowledgement and started his work. The Speed Hound was a monster he had never created before because Rita had rejected the plan outright. So, as he didn't have a model ready, he decided to give Rita a surprise. Throwing the clay he was holding back into the storage jar he made his way to another box marked: Super Putty.

The Speed Hound was actually a rehashed idea Finster had dreamt up one morning after too much of Rita's yelling. He had taken a creature known as the Hell Hound and had given it a pair of clay sneakers. Then he had simply altered the shape so it appeared humanoid, ignoring the impossibility of it standing for long. In short the monster had been worthy of Rita's contempt, but now she wanted it Finster knew he would need to include some improvements.

He altered the design slightly, changing the monster from a dog that resembled a human to a werewolf. He paused to consider the possibility of capturing a real werewolf to do the job, but decided he didn't want to involve himself with humans.

"He's ready, my Empress," Finster grovelled when he had finished. "I've made him extra quick to catch those kids."

Rita looked the monster over critically. She had to admit it looked mean as it sniffed the air and growled at her. Goldar remained in the corner, well aware that this monster like so many others was probably doomed to failure. Why Zedd allowed this level of incompetence to continue, was beyond him. But there again, he hadn't seen his Emperor since Rita had commenced her activities.

"I shall take some Putties and soften them up for you Empress," he said, as he grew tired of sitting still. Maybe if he were lucky he could capture a Ranger or two and earn favour with Zedd.

Rita gave a grunt that he took for her assent and in a burst of flames he left for the planet below.

Having opened all the doors and windows, the Rangers had dusted the house from top to bottom. During the Campbells' absence a neighbour had maintained the lawns, but there were still areas of the garden that needed tending. By the time they had finished they were hungry and had agreed to find the local shops and buy some food.

They were walking back to the house when Goldar and his group of Putties confronted them. The five teens quickly assumed their fighting stances and the fight was on.

"Split up!" Tommy instructed.

Stone Canyon was still quiet after the monster attack that had occurred days earlier. Many residents were still cautious and luckily the streets were abandoned. They were close to a small building site and although they knew it was dangerous to enter, decided it would be worth it if they could fight the Putties without being seen.

"Come and fight me, Tommy," Goldar challenged as Aisha, Kat, Rocky and Adam faced off against the Putties. Tommy did so and the two exchanged blows. Goldar knocked him to the ground and laughed. "You cannot morph here, Red Ranger. And without your powers, you're nothing!"

"Goldar, you talk too much," Tommy panted. He had found a shovel near a pile of cement and brandished it as a club.

The two warriors continued to fight as they had done many times before. Their battle was personal, a matter of pride on Goldar's part and survival on Tommy's. As Goldar moved to slash Tommy with his sword, Zeo Falcon rolled to his left and jammed the handle of his weapon into the back of Goldar's knee. Growling in surprise Goldar bent over to attack his opponent, at which point Tommy smashed the titan in the face with the shovel. He laughed as Goldar fell on his back.

Katherine led some of the Putties over to a set of large pipes and crawled through. The Putties followed her but were soon stuck inside the pipe while Kat with her smaller body managed to slither free. Adam meanwhile made his way to a layer of freshly poured cement. He waited for the Putties to charge and then ducked, allowing them to fall face-first into the quick drying mixture.

"Rocky, look out!" Aisha warned.

Unmorphed, Zeo Ape still had been busy enjoying himself and had failed to notice when the Putties crept up behind him. Even so, his training in Ninja competitions and his time as a Ranger meant he had learnt how to dodge and that was the technique that came in especially useful. He allowed the Putties to over balance in the various bricks and sand they were lying around. Then when he was certain he was ready he exploded at them with a series of vicious kicks.

Aisha had been too busy fighting her own Putties to pay too much attention to Rocky and Adam. There had been a time when the three of them would fight together and back each other up. Those days were sadly behind them, the edge they had developed through years of friendship and their time as Rangers had diminished while they had been split up. The only cure was practice and time, neither of which they had in abundance. So instead they had to rely on themselves.

Although she worried about her friends, she had faith in their abilities, just as they had faith in her skills. During her time in Kenya her skills had not lost their edge; if anything, the change in practice partners had improved her skills. Some of the other aid workers were from families with strong traditions of Karate. They had travelled from Japan to help and were eager to have someone to spar with. A few throws and a lot of kicks later and she was clear and ready to help her friends.

All the while Tommy was fighting Goldar, a fight in which the winged monkey had a clear advantage despite Tommy's initial advantage. Even as Tommy was thrown to the ground yet again he realised that the best he could hope to do unmorphed against Goldar was survive. In previous encounters he had triumphed, but that had been with surprise on his side. This time he did not enjoy that small advantage.

As he fought, he allowed himself an occasional glance at his friends, just to see how they were managing. He was pleased when they finished off the Putties and ran towards him to help. At least five on one they stood a chance of landing a lucky punch or kick.

"Enough of this," Goldar growled suddenly. "Retreat!"

In a burst of flame Goldar vanished, leaving his companions behind. The Putties had already disintegrated.

"Check around," Tommy hissed.

Adam and Rocky moved to the entrance to the site while Aisha and Kat checked the equipment sheds. Tommy scanned the area, knowing that when Goldar retreated a monster would normally appear as a replacement. He raised his communicator to contact Zordon and was thankful that they had found a way to boost the signal so that it could no longer be blocked by magic.

"What is it Tommy?" Zordon asked.

"Zordon, we were just attacked by Goldar and Putties," Tommy told him.

"You must be on your guard Rangers," Zordon said. "If Rita has sent Goldar and her foot-soldiers, she is probably planning to send down a monster of some sort. Teleport to the Power Chamber immediately."

"Right Zordon, we're on our way," Tommy said. He made eye contact with each of the others and somehow they knew what he was thinking. They silently made their way to his side and together they teleported away.

When the Rangers arrived, Rocky, Tommy, Tanya and Katherine moved to look at the Viewing Globe while Adam walked over to where Alpha was studying a computer printout.

"Rangers," Zordon said after what seemed an eternity. "Rita has sent Speed Hound to Earth. You must go and face him."

"Ai-yi-yi, Speed Hound is attacking some joggers in the park," Alpha said.

"Time for action," Tommy decided. "It's Morphin Time!"

"Zeo Ranger I - Crane!"

"Zeo Ranger III - Ape!"

"Zeo Ranger IV - Frog!"

"Zeo Ranger V - Falcon!"

Aisha closed her eyes and concentrated on forming the connection between herself and her powers. "Stegosaurus!" she called as she was once again energised with a fragment of the power of a the two Power Coins that Alpha and Billy had jury rigged as a power source.

"Power Rangers!" they called.

The skeletal dog attacked, scratching with his claws and attempting to bite the Rangers with his fangs. For the first part of the fight they held him at bay, but the monster had a few surprises in store for the Rangers.

"Grrr try my flea attack to grrrret you jumping!"

The Rangers sparked as they were assaulted by millions of fleabites.

"That wasn't funny!" Zeo Falcon snapped.

Zeo Ape whipped out his Gem Coin Pistol and fired, but Speed Hound was too quick to be hit. He darted left and right before pouncing on the Zeo Ape, drool running from his mouth. His teeth bit into the Rocky's arm, making him squirm in pain.

The Ranger powers made use of an extremely dense fibre surrounded by an energy field and sustained by the internal energy grid of the Ranger's morpher. The suits were intended to absorb energy blasts and physical assault. They could by penetrated though if struck by a small projectile or extremely sharp blade. The energy field could regenerate the suit in the event of any damage just as the Ranger's healing would take care of his wounds.

However, the small breach in Rocky's suit caused by the Speed Hound's surprising strong teeth, had allowed it to infect the Zeo Ape with a spell. Animal instinct replaced rational thought as slowly he was transformed from Rocky into the Speed Hound's pet.

Aisha attacked and knocked the monster away from her comrade. Her hands blurred as they jabbed toward the beast.

"Grrr help me grrr Rockyy!" Speed Hound ordered.

Aisha turned to see Zeo Ape snarling at them. His helmet had disappeared either because Rocky had removed it or because the spell had changed his helmet into a snarling head.

"He must be under a spell," Zeo Frog said.

Before the others could reply, Speed Hound and his pup attacked. The ferocious Gem Coin Ranger jumped at Aisha and bit her. Now the odds were three on three.

"We have to get back to the Power Chamber," Tommy said. "Alpha..."

"Teleporting now Rangers," Alpha said.

The five Rangers were teleported away; three would arrive in the Command Center while the other two were placed in a containment field.

"Alpha, can you help them?" Kat asked.

"We will do our best," Zordon answered.

The Rangers were silent while Zordon and Alpha worked. Each was wondering what they could have done differently. Tommy especially felt guilty for the fate of his friends. If he had noticed the threat or somehow stopped them, they wouldn't be in this situation.

Eventually though Tommy was snapped out of his thoughts when he heard Alpha cry out in alarm.

"The only way to safely restore them is to destroy Speed Hound's collar," the robot said.

"You will need to work as a team and then destroy the collar with your Zeo Pistols," Zordon said. "I have contacted Tanya and once Rocky is restored you can use the Zeo Power Blaster to finish him."

When the three Rangers returned to the park, Speed Hound was still running around. He skilfully avoided their attacks, using his stealth and his speed to attack as often as possible.

"Tommy!"

Red Ranger caught onto his teammate's idea, as did Pink Ranger. Red fired one weapon, while Pink waited for Speed Hound to move. He did, dodging to the right where Pink intercepted him with her weapon. Tommy then shifted to stop the skeleton from moving the other way as Adam leapt in close and struck the beast with his own weapon.

Tommy dropped to one knee and took careful aim. He could hear a voice telling him that he should not even try this shot, but he ignored is and squeezed the trigger. He fired three shots, the third shot released the collar and Katherine fired her weapon to destroy it. Speed Hound howled with rage.

In the Command Center the two released Rangers picked themselves up and after assessing the situation on the Viewing Globe were once again ready for action.

"Zeo Ranger IV - Ape!" Rocky cried.

Aisha moved over next to Alpha so she could watch the battle unfold.

"You're going down, Speed Hound!" Red Ranger called.

A pair of blaster bolts nailed the monster as Blue Ranger arrived.

"Let's do it!" Green Ranger called.

"Right!" the other Rangers responded. They touched their weapons together, merging the energy.

"Fire!" they called.

"Uh Sis," Rito restarted.

"I know you Ninny!" Rita cried. "Magic wand, make my monster grow!"

The wand struck the ground as the Rangers' weapon fired. As the monster grew the blast went wide and dispersed.

"Zordon, we need the Defender Zords, now!" Tommy called.

The Zords were soon on their way and the Rangers assembled the Megazord. After a swift battle they called on the Power Sword and finished the monster.

**End of Part**

Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers or any other show. They belong to their respective copyright owners. No money is being made from this piece of writing.

**A Stressful Workout**

Australian Outback, Earth

This was not really Australia. It was more of an artist's impression of how the outback should be. In truth it was a room created inside of Power Mountain, using advanced technology to change energy into matter for a short time. The image converters allowed the Rangers to see, hear, smell, touch, and taste everything they would experience in the Outback. Alpha had programmed the room so that the Gem Coin Rangers could practice with their temporary powers.

"Ready guys?" Tommy asked.

"Ready!" Rocky, Adam, Kat and Tanya answered.

"It's Morphin Time!"

"Zeo Ranger I - Crane!"

"Zeo Ranger II - Bear!"

"Zeo Ranger III - Ape!"

"Zeo Ranger IV - Frog!"

"Zeo Ranger V - Falcon!" Tommy grimaced as if he had touched a hot plate. The sensation only lasted for a short time and he was happy to mark it down as a side effect of using two separate power sources.

"Begin simulation," Zordon instructed, he was watching events from his Plasma Tube.

"Yes Zordon," Alpha responded.

A troop of WD Units appeared and at Alpha's command, they attacked the Rangers.

"Begin!" Zeo Falcon commanded.

The Rangers were outnumbered to offer a realistic training season and to allow them to test their improvised combat techniques. This was the first training session they had had since switching to the Gem Coins. By now they had learnt what their powers were capable of. At first they fought using hand to hand combat. Then they used their Gem Coin Pistols to cut down the numbers.

"No effect," Zeo Falcon noted as the robots kept coming. "Switch to level two attacks."

"Shield Wall!" Kat called. The transparent pink wall surrounded her and as with a small movement of her hands, it shifted outward to slam into the unsuspecting WD Units. The machines fell from the impact, but quickly regained their footing.

"Phase mode!" she ordered. The wall faded as she directed it to move away from her to cover the machines. "Phase mode deactivate." The WD Units were now trapped in the energy field. She clicked her fingers and the wall shrank inward, crushing everything inside.

"Crane Blast!" She raised her fist to her visor and waited for it to ignite. Then she moved her arm in a wide circle and punched the air in front. Flame shot from her fist and engulfed another machine.

"Power Daggers!" Zeo Bear called.

When Tanya had been Yellow Zeo, she had used the Nunchuks that came with her uniform. With the loss of the Zeo Crystal that weapon was no longer available, but Tanya had quickly grown accustomed to wielding the Power Daggers of the Yellow Morphin Ranger.

Switch the weapons between their heavy cutting form and their more slender piercing mode, she aimed for the joints and other notable weak points, disabling limbs rather than whole machines until she could go back and finish the job.

"Gem Coin Blaster!"

During a search of Power Mountain, the Rangers had discovered a set of multipurpose weapons based around a self-contained unit with interchangeable cartridges. The cartridges determined the type of shot and ranged from simple bullets to explosive acid shots, and even laser beams.

"Twist Pack," she said, slamming a new ammo pack into the receptacle.

She took aim and fired a shot at the nearest WD Unit's ankle. She was delighted when the target exploded, tipping the machine off its feet. She fired at two more machines. A head shot for one and a chest shot for the other. The results were not as positive; the chest shot deflected harmlessly while the head shot only accomplished a large hole in the machine's cranial unit.

Disappointed she charged forward before the machines could recover and attacked the same spots with her daggers. This time the machines went down.

"Strobe Blast!"

Two yellow metal balls shot from Tanya's helmet. The first hovered over her head while she held the other in her hand. Then as both exploded, she moved; the hovering ball let off repeated bursts of light that blinded the WD Units. The ball in her hand exploded with energy every time she landed a punch. The two effects combined made it appear that she was not moving.

"Screw Kick!" Zeo Ape called.

Drawing on a reserve power cell and using it to enhance the power of his Gem Coin, Zeo Ape ploughed into a group of robots. His energised foot smelted anything in its path. When he landed, he kept his powered-up foot in the air whilst twisting on the other leg. His savage kick landed on an incoming WD Unit and decapitated it.

"Power Axe!" Zeo Frog cried.

There was little finesse to his hacking style as he made his way through the nearest group of droids. He was more selective than his blue teammate and targeted the power units on each machine.

"Falcon Blast!" The Red Ranger's power erupted from his helmet, took the form of the phoenix and flew at the few remaining WD Units.

"Gem Coin Cannon!"

When Alpha had been unable to locate and separate the Zeo Cannon for the Rangers, he had decided to build something that would serve a similar purpose. It was large, so much so that in addition to the Rangers holding it up, it also required two additional legs.

"Fire!" A burst of multicoloured energy surged forth and as the smoke cleared the Rangers were left standing in a pile of scrap metal.

"Well-done Rangers," Alpha said. "Prepare for phase two!"

The wreckage was replaced by a new set of machines. These were larger and heavily armoured. Their enhanced shells repelled the Rangers' attacks. The Rangers were already prepared for this eventuality and used the already summoned cannon to punch a hole in the left side of the droid's skull.

"Rangers," Zordon boomed. "I have detected unusual energy readings somewhere outside of Angel Grove. You may continue the simulation, but Alpha will not be available to change the scenario."

"Okay Zordon," Tommy said. He had hardly heard what his mentor had said due to the advancing machines. "We need the heavier artillery guys."

Each Ranger placed a glowing ball of energy inside the firing chamber, connecting their powers directly to the device, and lowered the heavy weapon from their shoulders so that it now fired like a mortar cannon. They waited for the machines to move closer before firing. The weapon was not built for accuracy, but was more than capable of destroying a large area. As the energy wave struck the ground, it vaporised everything in its path.

"We're done Alpha," Zeo Ape said into his communicator. "Alpha?"

"He went to check on something," Zeo Falcon said.

The Rangers put their weapon back into its hiding place and moved their hands to their hips ready for teleportation. Nothing happened and Zeo Falcon remembered that the Training Room, where they were based, was shielded from teleportation. For all intents and purposes they were in Australia, but at the flick of a switch, the surroundings would vanish leaving only a small chamber.

"Command: Deactivate Program," Zeo Falcon instructed.

[Unable to comply] the computer answered.

"Let me try," Adam said. "Command: Override Program. Authorisation: Green Z Four."

[Program Activated] the computer said.

"Well that worked," Zeo Bear said sarcastically as the scenery changed to a swamp.

"Whoa!" Zeo Ape exclaimed as they fell into the quick sand that had appeared beneath them.

"Billy, we need some help here," Zeo Falcon said. He had thought the former Blue Ranger had been looking in.

"Help me!" Zeo Crane screamed as she felt something wrap around her leg and start dragging her under.

"Kat!" Zeo Ape cried. He held out his blade for her. "Grab on!"

"Gem Coin Pistol!" Zeo Falcon cried as he pulled his sidearm and aimed at a nearby tree. The weapon sizzled as the sand caused it to jam.

"It's pulling me under!" Zeo Crane warned.

Luckily Zeo Bear had the solution, firing an ice pellet into the ground, freezing the surface and allowing Kat to climb free. Before she was clear, a huge snake flew into the air. Its tail was wrapped around Kat's foot and as it returned under the sand Zeo Crane was taken with it.

"Kat!" Zeo Bear yelled.

"Hold on Kat!" Zeo Frog called as Zeo Falcon summoned his sword and attempted to slice it in half.

"Mmph mmph - mmph mmph!" Zeo Crane managed. The sand that caked her helmet muffled her words.

The snake reappeared a moment later and exploded. Zeo Crane followed, throwing the end of the snake's tail aside as she did so. Her helmet vanished as she gasped for air.

"What happened down there Kat?" Zeo Falcon asked.

"I gave him indigestion," Pink Zeo quipped, holding up a Gem Coin Blaster.

"How did you get that?" Zeo Bear asked.

"Zordon asked Billy to make us each a Gem Coin Blaster and include it with our powers," she answered. "As long as you know what you need and it's been connected to your powers, you can call on any weapon in the arsenal."

"You should see the place now," Adam added. "We all thought it was just a large room, but it actually goes on for miles. Billy is a serious collector."

"Um guys, not to interrupt or anything, but we should probably get out of this sand," Rocky said.

Before the Rangers could do so the scene vanished to be replaced by the metal walls of the Training Room.

"Alpha must have fixed it," Zeo Falcon said. He had spoken too soon. When he finished, the setting changed yet again.

"Oh man, this is too much!" Zeo Ape complained.

A new environment had been created. This time it featured a few of the monsters the Rangers had faced in the past. Peckster, Silo and a Varox stood ready.

"Divide and conquer," Zeo Frog suggested.

"Right," Zeo Falcon agreed. "Adam and Rocky handle Peckster, Kat and Tanya deal with Silo, and I'll take care of the bounty hunter."

As the other couples moved away, Zeo Falcon allowed his opponent to attack whilst he stayed back slightly. Even though he was not sure what was happening, he knew that the Varox was a dangerous foe

"Power Sword!"

Now it was the Varox's turn to watch as Tommy took the aggressor's role the battle. His attack showed the confidence and commitment gained through years of experience as a Ranger. Elsewhere, the other Rangers were making short work of their opponents and seemed to be having a bit of fun while they were at it.

Suddenly the three monsters started to grow.

"We need the Ninja Zords!" Zeo Ape called.

There was no response, the Zords having not been included in the program that was supposed to be running. Something was wrong with the simulator.

"Alpha must still be away from the controls," Zeo Frog stated. "Otherwise he would have stopped the simulation at phase two."

"How many phases are there?" Zeo Crane asked.

"Five," Zeo Frog answered. "The last one is meant to be Zord-sized monsters."

"So who changed the program?" Zeo Bear asked.

"The computer did," Zeo Falcon guessed. "The program is adaptive."

"But only when the safety protocols are deactivated," Adam responded.

That was when the Training Room reappeared and the door opened.

"Ai-yi-yi-yi-yi, are you all right Rangers?"

"We're fine Alpha," Tommy confirmed as the Rangers powered down.

"What happened?" Rocky asked.

"Rangers, teleport to the Power Chamber immediately!" Zordon ordered before Alpha could respond.

"Well, at least we got our workout," Rocky said as they left in a column of light.

Power Chamber

"Zordon, what's happening?" Tommy asked as the Zeo Rangers appeared in the Power Chamber.

"I am sorry for leaving you in the Training Room Rangers," Zordon said solemnly. "Somehow the computer program that operates the simulator became corrupted. Had Billy not discovered what was happening when he did, the results would not have been pleasant."

"Now the good news, we have a message from Trey," the little robot exclaimed. "He's on his way to Earth!"

"That's great news Alpha," Kat said.

"Yeah, with the Gold Ranger powers maybe we can recreate the Super Zeo Zords," Adam pointed out.

"Or help us retrieve the Zeo Crystal," Tommy added. "We need all the help we can get."

"This is indeed good news Rangers," Zordon boomed. "Even though your powers have changed, I still believe the six of you were meant to be a team. When united you will be the strongest force on Earth."

"That's not difficult," Rocky commented. "We're probably the only defenders left on the planet."

That was true. In the first few days and weeks of his attack on Earth, Minion had attacked any and all of the Rangers' potential allies. Some he had captured, others such as the Avengers he had incapacitated and a third group he had ordered to be destroyed. When the Rangers had found the bodies of Guy Gardner and former Flash Barry Allen dead in their homes, they had realised how bad things had become.

It had taken Zordon time to figure out why Minion had attacked some of his other targets. At first they had assumed that Minion wanted to control the planet's Ley Nexuses, but that had proven incorrect. Rocky had eventually solved the mystery after visiting Tommy's house and spotting Teddy Oliver's comic book collection. All the places attacked were the supposed homes of some of the Earth's greatest heroes.

**To be Continued**

Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers or any other show. They belong to their respective copyright owners. No money is being made from this piece of writing.

**Sprocket's Chop Shop**

Angel Grove  
Late night

The working street lamps barely provided enough light for the few pedestrians to see as they ambled along the sidewalk. Night time in Angel Grove had gradually grown quieter over recent months. Many residents were following the advice of the police and returning home early.

Keeping to the shadows, two figures walked down the street, studying the cars they passed with interest. They were dressed in black with woollen hats. Each wore black gloves and carried a shoulder bag that moved noisily as they walked.

"This one," the taller of the two whispered, pointing to a Ford Escort.

His name was Ben and he was a thief. At the age of thirteen he had learnt that crime could pay so long as you didn't get caught. At fifteen his school had been forced to invest in lockable cabinets and alarms after he had stolen their computer equipment so often that the school could no longer find an insurance company willing to cover them.

After school Ben had moved across the country, stealing cars for a living and selling drugs on the side. He had been caught a few times during the past decade and had only been released recently. Angel Grove was just a temporary stop over. The police force was too alert here to make a profit as a criminal. Still, with the monster attacks he had been able to turn over small shops without anybody noticing.

Tonight he was out car hunting, ready to leave the city the next day. He walked around the car, looking at each door in case the owner had forgotten to lock it. His eyes were also searching for the obvious signs of an alarm of an anti-theft device. There was nothing.

Jerry was a goon. If not for Ben giving the orders, the oversized man would probably never have left his couch after being released from prison. He had been in several gangs from an early age, lending his muscles to whoever happened to be in charge. He never changed because he had no desire to do so. He was happy being a goon.

With Jerry acting as lookout, Ben moved up to the car door and pulled out an old coat hanger. This was one of the first tricks his teacher had shown him and for the most part, it was useless. Still, it was worth a try. When it was obvious that it would not work, he settled for a more forceful method and prised the door open with a crowbar. By the time Jerry had seated himself in the passenger seat, Ben had hot-wired the ignition.

Laughing at their success, they drove off towards the city limits.

Space

Events on Earth replayed endlessly on the wall of complex video screens as Klank and Orbus discussed Rita and Zedd's latest failure in sickening detail. It was after all their jobs to analyse their failures in the hopes of finding some weakness they could exploit. So far the only useful fact they had found was that Speed Hound had somehow managed to break through the Blue Ranger's uniform. Other than that small fact there was nothing worth detailing.

"It is only right that the Royal House of Gadgetry show up this Minion," Mondo stated as he watched the Rangers finish moving their friend into her new home. "Rita and Zedd are inferior bunglers, this is something that takes machine ingenuity."

Since arriving back in the galaxy, the Machine Empire had been looking for an opportunity to regain some of the prestige it had lost after the Rangers had defeated them. At their disposal they had a massive fleet of Cog operated craft, but were reluctant to deploy them; a sudden all out attack on the planet could have undesired consequences such as Minion believing they wished to unseat him. With Serpenterra and the Zeo Crystal in his possession, the villain was dangerous. And Venjix had failed to retrieve the crystal when he had answered his king's summons; he had been dispatched back to the empire as punishment.

Marching Cogs into Angel Grove was not a solution though because despite being made by the advanced workers of Machine Empire, his Cogs were not a challenge for the Rangers. In fact as far as he knew only WD Units had proven a problem for the Rangers in recent months. On the other hand a good robot could destroy the Rangers before Minion, it would allow the Machine Empire to advance their position in the Alliance.

But what could he use? Sadly Mondo had to admit that he had exhausted his ideas and for some reason his design processor was failing to perform the task he had set. In humans he supposed it would be considered a lack of ideas.

"What's the matter Dad?" Sprocket asked.

The youngest manufactured member of the Machine Empire had, like his sibling, been programmed to admire his father. Grommet's admiration had been obvious from the way he had often accepted tasks even maintenance droids would complain about while Gasket's flawed logic dictated that the way to prove his admiration for his father was to surpass him.

"Yes dear, whatever is the matter?" Machina asked.

"I wish to send a machine down to the surface my love," Mondo replied.

"I can make a robot daddy," Sprocket said. "You promised I could try again."

"You did promise him dear," Machina said, suddenly feeling very hot and extending her fan to cool her microchips. Thinking was a demanding task and her primary function was to look regal and stand at Mondo's side. But she was willing to sacrifice some of her runtime to coming up with ways to help her husband. Such sacrifices helped to keep a marriage running smoothly.

"Yes my son, you shall make a robot. Klank, go with Sprocket and start work."

"Yes yea Majesty," Klank said as he hurried off, Sprocket running as fast as his short legs could carry him to keep up.

Ben and Jerry were not having a good time. Angel Grove's police department seemed to have chosen today to hunt down the two petty car thieves. They had been forced to turn into one of the industrial parks to avoid their pursuers.

"I'm finished Dad!" Sprocket cried as he waddled in hours later, followed by Klank.

Behind them walked a human sized robot that resembled a fat suit of plated armour worn by human knights. His metal plating was blue with thinner stripes of gold running vertically around his outer shell. A three-foot diameter saw blade had been attached to each shoulder, so that the tip rose just above his head and the lower part vanished into the chest cavity where it was sharpened. Another set of blades was attached to the outside of his shoulders and lower legs, also running vertically. A fixed blade was wielded to each foot, mangled to fit without affecting his walking. As a final touch, the robot's right hand had been replaced with an interchangeable saw blade and rifle.

"This is Chop Shop," Sprocket announced proudly.

"Wonderful workmanship son," Mondo stated.

"But Daddy, Klank won't let me have the control," Sprocket whined.

"Yea majesty, I thought maybe yea should control this one," Klank said, presenting the control to his master.

"You imbecile!" Mondo boomed. "Sprocket has earned the opportunity to work his own robot."

There was a loud bang and a moment later Queen Machina could be seen folding her fan and attempting to look surprised, well as surprised as her fixed face allowed.

Chop Shop appeared on Earth near to where Ben and Jerry were hiding.

They screamed, he laughed, there was the brief sound of saw blades whirling and then more screams as the crook's car was cut to pieces with them inside. They ran before the robot decided to see how well he could cut them up. Luckily the police car they had been hiding from emerged in time to take them to the safety of jail.

The alarm in the Power Chamber sounded and the Rangers gathered around the Viewing Globe. The Power Chamber's computer made a few polite enquiries of the monstrous machine, which responded like all creations of the Machine Empire with its name, serial number and warranty expiration date.

"It appears that King Mondo has allowed Prince Sprocket to build his own monster," Zordon stated.

The Rangers watched as Chop Shop made his way through the industrial park towards an electrical substation. His spinning blades cut through anything in his path. Concrete, wood or metal, it made no difference to his cutters.

"Man, we need to stop him before somebody gets hurt," Tommy stated as Chop Shop walked through a car, slicing it to ribbons in the process.

"Alpha and I will work on a way to neutralise his weapons," Zordon said. "For now it appears that he is limited to close combat."

"It's Morphin Time!"

"Zeo Ranger I - Crane!"

"Zeo Ranger II - Bear!"

"Zeo Ranger III - Ape!"

"Zeo Ranger IV - Frog!"

"Zeo Ranger V - Falcon!"

The heavy lock and metal door were not enough to stop Chop Shop. His hand blade cut away the bolt and the hinges before he continued inside the substation. Destroying this building would knock out the electricity supply of the immediate area and cause shortages throughout the city. Not to mention the fire that would result from the destruction. It was bound to draw the Rangers into the open.

He walked casually through the substation, his undeveloped processor focussed on the sole task of creating mayhem. Sprocket had performed admirably when designing the body and weapon systems of his new toy, but had failed to give it a real personality. It could react independently for a short time on its own, but for the most part it was a remote-controlled puppet.

His metal body seemed unaffected by the high voltage cables sparking as he cut them loose, mainly due to the spike protection Klank had installed in the machine's more delicate circuitry. Unlike most machine monsters though most of Chop Shop's weapons and limbs shared the same powerful motors.

He turned from his task as the Rangers arrived, ignoring their warning speeches and attacking with little regard for their status. His arms and feet flailed as Sprocket tried to get him to fight properly. The result though was a very clumsy display, with its punches and kicks landing more by accident than on purpose.

"Swords!" Tommy instructed as he led his teammates into battle.

The Rangers drew their swords, but as they attacked they realised that for all his lack of fighting ability, Chop Shop had been built to make it difficult for any attacker. The heavy blades and plate armour were impervious to the blades and the sharp edges prevented the Rangers from getting close.

The Rangers moved back, drawing their pistols and combined their fire on Chop Shop's chest. The plating distorted under the combined attack of the five red beams of energy before the blast was knocked away. The Rangers switched their pistols for the more versatile Gem Coin Blasters. They fired again, this time using a variety of exploding projectiles.

For his part Chop Shop was limited in his attack. The weight of his weapons made him slow and awkward. His armour although important prevented his limbs from extending fully.

Sprocket punched the controls, frustrated by his lack of progress. The blade on Chop Shop's right arm transformed into a weapon barrel. He pushed another button and watched the new attack.

"Tommy!" Kat cried as a saw blade ejected from the cannon.

Zeo Falcon moved, but not quickly enough. The saw blade caught the back of his thigh, ripping his uniform and drawing blood. Zeo Frog and Zeo Ape were on the scene immediately, covering their friend as more disks flew towards them. They struck, causing sparks to erupt as they hit the Rangers in the chests. Both Rangers were thrown backwards.

Flames erupted from Chop Shop's cannon, turning from a smoky orange flame to the brilliant blue of a cutting torch. He ran towards the fallen Rangers as Tanya leapt into his path. The torch burnt through her weapon, causing the power cell to ignite. She rolled away before he could turn the torch on her.

"Make him grow Klank," Sprocket ordered.

"But sire, yea 're winnin," Klank protested.

Logic dictated that in a winning position there was no need to escalate the battle. But for all his imagination Sprocket still had much to learn about winning a battle and unfortunately it was not something he could download. Mondo had decreed that Sprocket should be able to create strategy rather than simply copying a previous success. He wanted a son who could lead, not a war computer.

"Do it or I'll tell my daddy," the young prince retorted.

Klank sighed. Either way he would be in trouble when the plan failed. This way he didn't have to listen to Mondo lecturing him about obedience first.

The Red Ranger was out of the fight, at least for a short time. His powers had kicked in to stop the bleeding although it still hurt. The damage the blade had caused to the muscles though would take longer to heal. For now he needed to put himself out of danger and allow Katherine and a slightly stunned Tanya to handle things.

He watched as the two girls battle the machine, using their speed rather than brute force to avoid his weapons. They couldn't cause any damage though and were tiring fast.

Then for some reason Chop Shop had ceased his small scale attack and had grown to monstrous proportions. The flaming torch he had been using against Aisha and Kat was now large enough to incinerate whole buildings.

"Zordon, we need the Sky Zords," Tommy called into his communicator.

At the secret hangar some distance from the Power Chamber, the five Sky Zords catapulted along the runway and flew towards the waiting Rangers. The Rangers regrouped and were ready to teleport aboard and take control of their battle machines.

"Megazord sequence, begin!" Tommy ordered.

Chop Shop had proven dangerous and while dog fighting would have worked against some monsters, the idea of a saw blade shredding his wings was unappealing.

"Sky Megazord One, power up!"

Sky Zord Five was the first to begin its transformation; a pair of legs folded out from the jet undercarriage, as the wings folded back and the arms bent upwards; the nosecone section folded back to reveal a small robotic head. Then, the arms folded in half and the legs did likewise, revealing a small patch of wiring. Tommy held the Zord ready as the remaining Zords moved in around him; a beam of light shot from each patch of wires and each beam connected to one of the other Zords.

The remaining Zords hovered in the air for a moment as their engines powered down and only the energy of Sky Zord Five kept them in the air. Their wings detached and merged, forming a single giant wing that glided over them. The nose cone, cockpit and fuselage of the Zords shifted so that the cockpit was mounted under the Zord and the nose cone formed a head. Two of the Zords shifted shaped to resemble a pair of legs and the other two Zords changed to form the arms. Finally they were drawn to Sky Zord Five where they slotted into the exposed section of wires. A connection was made and the union was covered by fresh armour as the giant wing attached to the Megazord's back.

"Drop Zord, now!" Tommy ordered.

The Drop Zord flew over the top of the Megazord and opened its upper doors. From there it released two massive fists, a solid pair of feet and an enormous head. The extremities slotted into place as the Rangers placed their Gem Coins into their consoles. The Sky Megazord was online.

"Stress Fracture Cannon!" Kat called.

Sprocket had seen the Rangers perform this move before and he had a suitable counter. He shifted the control pad, watching as his toy responded by using its cutting torch across the Megazord's chest. The robot moved closer, the two massive blades mounted in its chest rotating at full speed as it grabbed the Zord.

"I have control," Kat stated.

She pulled the joystick to the left, adjusting the Zord's wings to lift them off the ground slightly. A slight nudge and the machine was propelled backwards. She lowered the wing slightly so the feet were just scraping over the ground. With Tanya's help she lowered the feet and bounced them into a forward attack, shifting a fist to strike the enemy on the side of its blade.

The robot extinguished its torch, reverting at least temporarily to another blade, which it slashed at the Megazord's hip. There was a smell of fried wiring in the cockpit as the blade tore through fuel pods and wiring. The Zord attempted to turn aside and in the process reduced the depth of the cut.

"Look out!" Rocky warned.

Chop Shop had stooped over and was charging at the Megazord. The robot's largest blades dug into both sides of the Megazord's chest. As it cut deeper, the smaller blade made contact and started their own narrow cuts. The sharp spikes on Chop Shop's head, normally invisible due to the larger blades, pierced the Zord's lower abdomen.

The Zord collapsed from under the Rangers, the damage rendering its arms and legs limp. As the various cutters worked their way through, the distorted chest plating was pushed through the floor of the cockpit. Tanya screeched as a jagged piece of neck sliced her console in half.

"We need to abandon the Megazord," Adam stated.

Nobody argued and they were swiftly whisked away.

It had been an almost comical sight when Chop Shop had released the Megazord. At first it had swayed violently until the chest cavity had simply collapsed, dropping the shoulders onto the tops of the legs. Then the remains of the head and shoulders tipped backwards and collapsed to the ground as the legs splayed apart to land in a mangled heap. The large wing on the back tumbled away, embedding itself in the ground.

Prince Gasket, ruler of the planet Horath and would-be conqueror of Earth was outraged. Having been forced to take his leave of the bungling King Mondo, he had to watch as his wretched suck up of a bratty brother successfully caused the Rangers to retreat from a battle.

It wasn't fair that he, a ruler on his own planet should be forced into servitude. His father obviously lacked suitable optical sensors if he believed his third built son capable of being his heir. Anybody could get lucky in Gasket's opinion. Even Rita and Zedd had had their good days.

But how to show his father that he was the only machine capable of succeeding to the throne of the Machine Empire was beyond Gasket. As much as he loathed to admit it, Sprocket's creation had performed admirably. If he was to surpass his younger sibling, he would need to find a way to destroy the Rangers permanently. Of course that meant that first they would have to triumph over Chop Shop.

"I am truly sorry Tommy," Zordon said. "There is nothing I can do."

"I understand Zordon," Tommy answered. "Man, losing the Megazord is bad enough, but I liked those jeans."

The comment helped to break some of the tension inside the Power Chamber. In recent weeks and months they had lost mecha and powers on a regular basis. This time though, the machine monster had managed to penetrate their protective suits. The temporary loss of the Zords was sad, but this latest development was far worse.

"At least we can repair the Zords," Kat commented.

"Ai-yi-yi-yi-yi, Chop Shop has moved near to Angel Grove Hospital," Alpha warned.

"He must be trying to draw us out," Tanya concluded.

"It's Morphin Time!" Tommy said.

"Zeo Ranger I - Pink!"

"Zeo Ranger II - Yellow!"

"Zeo Ranger III - Blue!"

"Zeo Ranger IV - Green!"

"Zeo Ranger V - Red!"

"Techno Zords, online!" Zeo Falcon ordered

The new Zords raced into battle, shaking the streets of Angel Grove as they did so. Chop Shop staggered and returned fire by launching its flying disks, but the Yellow Zord performed an impossible spin to avoid the weapons.

"Hold on Tanya," Adam called as his Zord approached.

The green Zord, charged into battle. It had a single weapon attached to its front bumper. As he approached Adam hit the brakes and fired the energy beam, somehow managing to flip the Zord through the air to land behind Chop Shop; the beam increased the effect of gravity around the robot, causing the impact to intensify. Then he fired again.

Kat was next to arrive, her Zord's rear mounted thrusters transmitting extra power to the weapon mounted between the split nosecone. As she neared, she targeted the right arm in an attempt to destroy its most effective weapon.

Chop Shop spun away from the shot, trying to protect the arm with his body. Rocky took advantage as he directed his Zord into the robot's legs. He was followed up quickly by Tommy who managed, to position his Zord so it swooped down towards the robot's knee.

"Time to combine forces," Tommy announced. "Techno Megazord - activate!"

That was the beginning of the end for Chop Shop. Unlike the Sky Megazord, the Techno Megazord relied on speed and stealth rather than brute force. It ducked for a short time before bringing out an oversized Gem Coin Blaster and destroying the monster.

"Never mind son," King Mondo said, attempting to make his son feel better after such a disastrous defeat.

"It's not fair daddy, I want a new monster."

"I ave just the thing Yea Majesty," Klank offered.

"Perfect Klank, get to work at once."

Klank shuffled away, glad to be on his master's good side again.

Mondo watched his retainer leave and then turned back to his son. The Rangers would pay for this insult. He guaranteed it.

**To be Continued**

Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers or any other show. They belong to their respective copyright owners. No money is being made from this piece of writing. The first scene was adapted from Ellen Brand's work.

**Path to War**

It was a tree stump, nothing more. But this tree stump for all its simplicity was a focal point of temporal energy within the multiverse. For upon this tree stump a relationship between the same two humans had been formed over and over across multiple timelines in universes that shared nothing other than those characters and of course that stump.

The weather in Angel Grove was warm and sunny, a perfect day to take a walk in the park. Jason had made a round of the concrete paths, and was now sitting under a tree, enjoying the beauty of the day. He was alone, much to his friends' objections. They had wanted to stay together and enjoy their time as a group. But as Rocky had pointed out the previous night, sometimes you just had to be by yourself. This was his freedom and although he was now a Grid Warrior, a partially powered Ranger drawing on a fraction of the power provided by a single coin, he would give the power up if it meant that he and others would continue to enjoy their freedom.

The Elemental Beasts were coming and though it was unknown when they would arrive, the anticipation was enough to make all the Rangers a little edgy. The feelings were worse among the Grid Warrior who would not be fighting in the confrontation. Zordon had ruled that only the Gem Coin Rangers should remain in the front line.

From Jason's point of view, Billy's assessment had been more accurate when he had said: "Somebody has to stay behind in case they fail."

Trouble was the last thing on his mind this morning, though. All he wanted was to sit in the warm sun and relax. Doing so did not make him healthier or stronger, nor make his powers any more reliable; it did make him realise what he was fighting to protect. Later he would go and meet up with the other and hopefully they could drive outside the city and take some time to enjoy the sights. If not, it didn't matter; in his heart he knew what he was fighting for: his home, his family... his world.

"Hey Jason, do you mind if I join you?" Jason opened his eyes to see Emily standing in front of him, smiling.

"Please," he replied enthusiastically, gesturing off to his left. She did so and they exchanged a quick kiss. It wasn't a deeply passionate kiss, but it showed how their relationship had evolved other a matter of months.

The silence continued, Jason staring across the park and Emily, who by now had a suspicion of what her boyfriend got up to whenever he disappeared, was happy just to spend time with him.

Jason couldn't help looking at her. She was every bit as striking as the first time he had seen her. When she plopped down next to him, he realized how comfortable he felt in her presence.

"So," he managed lamely, "How's the bike."

Emily laughed. Jason had fallen in love with her motorbike and after a few shaky lessons, which she suspected he staged for her benefit, he had turned out to be a good rider.

Jason grinned as he listened to Emily chat about her bike, and Ernie's bar. It was surprising how much you could miss if you didn't pay attention. Ernie had far more going on than he allowed the public to realise.

"So..." he started after a while. "The guys and I are going to go see that new action movie at the Angel Grove Multiplex tomorrow night, would you like to join us?"

She smiled at him. "Is this just another excuse to stare at women in tight clothes?" He flushed and stammered something. Emily grinned, she definitely knew how to embarrass him when she had to. "Seriously, is that the one with those super-powered teenagers saving the world? 'Turbo Heroes' or something? I think we get enough of that around here."

Jason shuddered, missing the small dig. "No way! Those things are so cheesy! I meant the new Segal movie."

"Sure. I'd love to. But there is nothing wrong with Turbo Heroes. Personally I think a guy looks cute in Spandex."

Jason couldn't help smiling to himself. "Great," he told her. "I'll meet you after work and then we'll meet the others at eight?"

"Sure." They talked about other things for a while, but all too soon, the real world intruded, and they both had to leave, Emily to work and Jason to his home. Walking back to his house, Jason almost forgot his problems. But somewhere in the back of his mind he knew that the danger was as real as ever and the Elemental Beasts were getting closer to appearing.

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP!

In another part of Angel Grove another man sat alone. But his reasons for solitude were more to do with habit than it was to do with a desire to be alone. Sam Revilo was not used to having friends. In fact for the best part of two centuries he had been friendless. At first that had been due to fear; Colonial Angel Grove had been a superstitious place and once the surprise surrounding his arrival had faded, the fear that he was a witch had reared its ugly head.

He had never really been accepted and the day he had moved away to live with his wife, there had been much celebration. When she had died, Sam had been alone in the world. He had been unwilling to build new friendships only to see them crumble as his friends grew older and died. Immortality was a painful curse for anyone to bear. It was a curse that meant that you had to watch all your friends fade away. Sam was alone, abandoned by all his old friends... even Dragonzord.

So why was he even here? For a man who didn't want to have friends, why was he standing by them? In his heart he knew the answer. Rita and Zedd had created him to be a Power Ranger albeit an evil Power Ranger. That meant that whether he liked it or not he was destined to be a hero. He sighed. Heroes didn't really get a say in whether they accepted their role or not; fate was a cruel taskmaster and would see to it that one way or another, he would get involved.

He held his hands out, palms up and concentrated on the Dragon Flute, the last working link he had to the Dragonzord. He put the flute to his lips and played a soft mournful tune. As he played, he closed his eyes and allowed the power of the Morphin Grid to guide his thoughts.

In his mind he pictured the Elemental Beasts the Rangers feared would arrive at any time, in the hope that his spirit animal would guide him to where he needed to be. In his vision he could see the ocean moving beneath him as he passed over land and sea. The journey seemed to take forever until finally it halted

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP!

In a shaded spot in the shadow of a waterfall, a lone and experienced teacher stood watching two young warriors running through the exercises he himself had learnt as a youth. For David Trueheart the only difference between today and the last time he had drilled in this fashion was that this time he had a practice partner.

Tommy was not used to the routine, but having had his own workout regime he was able to adapt quickly and had not shown the difficult he would have felt had he been less active.

David didn't want to be a Power Ranger. That was not the sort of lifestyle he would choose if given a choice. But he had not been given such a choice and as a result had accepted the role as White Grid Warrior. However, now he had accepted the challenge of defending his world, he was determined to do his best to aid his friends. That meant he had to become familiar with his weapon of choice and know enough to use it without the Power to tell him.

Tommy stood in a fighting stance, a broadsword held in both hands close to his right ear, the blade parallel to the earth and pointed away from him, towards his front. Directly at the person he knew as a peaceful man, his brother.

He whirled the blade into a low-guard, pommel by his groin, blade extending up and out, both hands griped on the handle as he turned to face the north.

"It's not about anger, it's about peace," the teacher toned. When his old student had approached him, the sensei had been eager to help to teach his brother some moves. He had known Tommy's secret since the boy had become the White Ranger.

Again Tommy whirled the blade, this time turning to the west. He was dimly aware of the David mimicking his movements while the old sensei continued to speak.

"It's not about power, it's about grace."

A third time the blades whirled as the pair faced to the south.

"It's not about knowing your enemy, it's about knowing yourself."

A final time they turned, Tommy whirling his blade back up into the position from which it had started. Facing the east, the rising dawn, and his fellow student silhouetted by it, who slowly turned to face him, his sword mirroring Tommy's.

"Actually," Tommy interjected, "it's not about any of the above, it's about _all_ of the above."

"Good," the teacher smiled, "you have learnt something from Zordon and Ninjor I see."

The two swords clanged together, the metallic rainbow hues of Tommy's broadsword flashing against the polished steel of a sword he remembered once being wielded by a Megazord. Of course it had been longer back then.

David kept his eyes centerd on Tommy's, reaching out with his other senses to predict his brother's next move. He brought his sword, the same one that had once belonged to the Dino Megazord, around and felt it lock with Tommy's.

He let it slide down to his opponent's guard, then whirled it away and through the space where Tommy had stood moments before.

"Closer David, but I think Tommy remembers more of Ninjor's training than he let on," the sensei laughed.

David didn't say anything and the two swords clashed against each other as the two sought out weaknesses in their opponent's defences. Neither finding what they sought.

Tommy reversed his grip and brought his sword up in a slash that started by his left foot and would have cleaved an opponent from right hip to left shoulder had it connected.

He felt it slice air, and just as quickly reversed its direction and brought his blade to a halt, the edge a scant millimetre from the side of David's neck.

"Looks like you're both dead," the old man said as he smiled, glancing at the point of David's own blade that firmly touched his brother's chest, directly above his heart.

David smiled as he whipped his sword up into a salute, then placed it in the scabbard he had affixed to his back.

"Good practice David, you are progressing faster than I would have thought. We will need to work on your ability to guess not only your opponent's movements, but also how he will react to your movements. We'll have to wait until you can both morph fully before trying that."

David nodded and removed the scabbard from his back. He handed it to his trainer and then walked over to find his shirt. Tommy did likewise, handing the broadsword back to its owner.

"That felt different to the Zeo V Power Sword," he admitted.

"Heavier no doubt," the teacher mused. "Not many can claim to have a sword made from the heart of a star now can they?"

Tommy nodded and walked over to join his brother.

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP!

On a small island off the coast of Japan, the weather patterns had taken a turn for the bizarre. Hurricane force winds fanned the uncontrolled flames that fed on the rapidly grown vegetation, totally immune to the water spout that threatened to swallow the quaking landmass. At its center the four empty shells that had once contained the Elemental Beasts. The greatest force of destruction had been unleashed on the Earth and despite having the Grid Warriors as backup, only one force stood in its way: the Power Rangers!

**End of Part**

Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers or any other show. They belong to their respective copyright owners. No money is being made from this piece of writing.

**Enduring the Elements**

The alarms sounded throughout Angel Grove, summoning the people from their homes to their nearest monster shelter. At the schools, the students were herded into the basement and gym area where the roofs had been reinforced. In the financial and warehouse districts special bunkers had been built while in the residential areas selected houses had been strengthened. Inside the Youth Center, the largest monster shelter in Angel Grove, Ernie had turned on the television and was anxiously watching as the newscaster made his report.

_"This is the first time in history that the Power Rangers themselves have called a state of alert. Our sources inside City Hall reveal that two of the Rangers had personally warned the mayor that the attack would pose a serious threat to all areas of Angel Grove and that all citizens should report to the nearest monster shelter where they can be evacuated easily. Military forces have been placed on the streets to maintain order, but have been asked not to intervene in what this reporter has been led to believe will be a major confrontation."_

Ernie silently watched as the camera panned to where the Rangers had positioned their Zords in the sky above Angel Grove Park. There they remained hovering, waiting for whatever danger they were expecting to face.

"Good luck guys," he said quietly.

Inside the Zords, five Rangers sat waiting. They had failed to stop the hyperlock vessels from fully activating and releasing the Elemental Beasts, but they had at least discovered that Minion could not exert direct control over the creatures. It was not enough to hope that without the villain controlling them they would not attack, according to Zordon the Elemental Beasts were born to destroy regardless of whether they were being controlled. The Rangers had been lucky enough to destroy some of the hyperlock vessels, but that in turn left four of the powerful beasts alive.

The electronically generated sound of each Zord could be easily heard throughout Angel Grove. The Rangers had not merged their battle machines, choosing instead to wait in case their opponents arrived at the same time. The size and power of the blip that appeared on their radar soon changed their plans though.

"Let's put it together guys," Tommy said.

"Right!" his four companions replied.

"Ninja Zords unite!" they called, as the inserted their Gem Coins and Alpha initialised the Wolf's transformation from the Power Chamber.

[Ninja sequence initiated. Wolf remote control online] flashed in front of Zeo Falcon's visor.

Zeo Falcon read the message and with his Gem Coin in place, he pressed the commit button and let the Gestalt System take control.

The arms and legs of the Ape detached from the body as the head was retracted into the chest. The arms then joined together under the body and the newly formed unit shaped itself into the left arm. The legs connected over the head providing an extra thick layer of armour on the top of the arm. As the leg merged together and were sealed in place, the sole plates mounted to the feet drew back to reveal a series of wires and mechanisms.

The head and legs of the Bear detached from the body, which then rotated so that the neck was upright. The sockets for the front legs were at the top and he sockets for the back legs had slightly shifted position at the base. The four legs joined together and slotted over the torso to add shape to the back and reinforcement to the empty sockets.

The head of the Wolf twisted to the right with the lower jaw shrinking to make a thumb whilst the upper jaw split into fingers. The front legs were pulled in tight against the body and covered by a thin layer of metal to keep them in place. The tail twisted ninety degrees so that it was pointing at the ground. The rear legs altered shape to cover the rear of the Zord, leaving only the tip of the tail and some minor connectors exposed to view.

Then the three Zords united, wires and mechanisms on the Wolf and Ape slotting into the upper sockets on the Bear. Inside a heat seal was activated and pressure applied to forge strong joints between the body and arms. The head of the Bear then attached itself to the chest, once again forming a seal that could only be broken if the Rangers decided to separate.

Meanwhile, the Frog Zord had started its own transformation. The front legs were pulled back into the main body while the back legs were full extended. Heavy clamps locked the lower leg joints into position and allowed the cabling system inside to adjust appropriately. One the knee, ankle and hip joint had been properly set the clamps were released as the Frog's body continued the transformation. The mouth opened and the curved areas were squared. Behind the mouth the cockpit had been removed, leaving only the wires and circuitry; the tongue uncoiled and fixed itself in place. Then the Zord rotated into the air so that the feet were pointing towards the ground and the open mouth was pointing towards the sky, and waiting for the body.

The computer now took over since the four Rangers were unable to control their machines. The tongue of the Frog shot out to its full length, the solid metal sliding through a small hole in the base of the Bear Zord. From there the end split in half and emerged through the sockets that had housed the Bear's rear legs. With a sharp tug the torso and legs of the machine were drawn together. The wiring inside the Frog's mouth slotted into the sockets as its mouth closed firmly around the base of the Bear Zord. Torso and lower body adjusted their size to provide the correct balance for the machine.

At the appropriate time, Kat deactivated her Zord's thrusters and allowed Tommy in the Falcon to carry the Crane into position. The head and neck of the Crane flipped so it pointed straight down. Then it was pulled back to a position between the mechanical bird's claws. Where the head had been, the crude face of the Ninja was revealed. The wings folded behind the head to form a shield for the back of the neck joint.

"Releasing now," Zeo Falcon announced as he released the Falcon Zord's grip and watched the Crane Zord plummet.

When it was mere meters from the Bear Zord's empty neck socket. The beak of the Crane opened and then closed again when its descent was finished. The powerful beak locked into place as the neck enlarged to fill the hole. Once the cabling links were complete four of the Rangers appeared in the cockpit of the Ninja.

"Wing deployment to full!" Zeo Falcon ordered as he pulled back a lever to triple the length of his Zord's wings. He then directed his machine into position on the back of the almost complete Ninja. The head and talons of the Falcon locking into place as Tommy was teleported to the cockpit.

When they had first used the prototype Zords they had discovered that the main cockpit had a definite lack of seats. This time though they could not afford to be thrown about and had taken the time to build a proper cockpit. Six stations had been fitted despite there only being five Rangers to pilot the machine. With Zeo Falcon maintaining overall control and commanding the limited weapons of the prototype, Zeo Bear sat at a side console and monitored the leg units, Zeo Frog and Zeo Ape were responsible for the arms and upper body, and Zeo Crane acted as the team's eyes and ears.

Now hovering in the air over Angel Grove, the Ninja twisted in the air, searching for the Rangers' first opponent. A soft roar alerted them to its presence and they spun to face the first of the Elemental Beasts. The two gigantic creatures met in mid air. Flesh and bone met the hard metal of the Zord as the two mammoth creations traded blows with blasts of fire from both sides. The Ninja rammed its chest and shoulders against the Elemental Beast. It twisted its opponent's neck and slammed its elbow into the place where the neck met shoulder. The Elemental Beast's head snaked out on a long neck, aiming for the Zord's metallic throat, but it was kicked aside by heavy feet. Tommy worked the controls carefully and repositioned the Zord's wings to slow their descent. During their scuffle, both opponents had plummeted towards the city.

Adam shifted his controls and a strong punch connected with the Elemental Beast's shoulder. At Tanya's command, it stepped up almost on top of it's opponent and twisted about, tearing at its side and rolling off as the fire Elemental Beast writhed and slammed its thick tail into the Zord's head.

The blow rolled the Ninja despite Tommy's desperate attempts to correct their course. The tip of the left wing neatly sliced the top floor of one of the tall buildings and the Rangers were glad they'd ordered the city to seek shelter. Had anybody been inside they'd have been killed instantly. Even so it took all five Rangers to prevent the Zord from crashing into the ground. The Elemental Beast had followed them and the two foes were side by side. Once again the Rangers changed their position and moved forwards. The Power Sword raked across the Elemental Beast's back, which in turn retaliated by sinking its teeth into the machine's side.

Sparks flew from the damaged area and after breaking free the Rangers had no choice but to land. The Elemental Beast followed it down and the fight resumed on the ground. This time any thoughts of avoiding damage to the city were forgotten as the Zord was slowly beaten back towards Angel Grove Park. As they entered the grassy area in an undignified manner, the ground beneath them was torn up; The Ninja had been thrown so that it skidded along the ground on its back. The powerful wings of the Falcon Zord were buckled as the machine came to a halt near to Angel Grove Lake.

The fire Elemental Beast ignored the lake as it landed, leaving the Rangers with an advantage; the lake was behind the Elemental Beast. Fire cannot withstand lots of water, and the lake was very full. Once again they came together, the Zord lifting itself slightly off the ground and striking out with its fists and teeth. Knees and elbows collided as the Elemental Beast ripped at the Zord's mighty chest. Hands and claws connected as the two colossal fighters tried to overpower each other, their feet digging into the already torn up ground. Suddenly the Ninja turned slightly aside, the Elemental Beast, surprised, fell forwards allowing the machine to strike out again.

The claws of the Crane Zord were now positioned on the giant machine's arms, allowing it to rake the Elemental Beast's side. Blood gushed from the wound as the Elemental Beast screamed and twisted, raising one clawed front leg and lashing out, releasing another burst of fire at the machine's head. The Ninja twisted aside and hid behind the flames, using their cover to get airborne and drop on the enemy from above. The Elemental Beast rolled away, the Zord's left arm, the Elemental Beast changed direction and rolled over, closer to the lake, before rearing up on its hind legs. The Rangers took the challenge and ploughed the Ninja right into its foe. The two fell, scrabbling wildly, the Elemental Beast's jaws snapping. The Rangers was crafty however and continued with their original plan, rolling and propelling Zord and beast towards the lake, taking many injuries in doing so, but generally ensuring the machine gave as good as it got.

Finally both regained their footing, sensing the other was about to fly, Tommy shifted his controls and the Zord raised its wings to block the escape. The Elemental Beast unleashed a barrage of flame causing the Rangers inside to recoil from the scorching heat. The machine raised a little, kicking out with both front feet. The Power Sword was once again ready for use, lightning lashed down as it was attracted to the blade, the Elemental Beast screamed as the energy reflected off the weapon and onto its body. The Zord slammed back down only to be met with a snarling face full of fire and teeth. Kat pulled on her control stick and the machine rolled its head almost lazily aside, then struck back with incredible speed.

Using the claws on its arms, the Zord stabbed at the Elemental Beast's wings, grounding the beast. With a sharp twist the wing was broken and tossed aside. The Rangers pressed their advantage, driving the machine forward against its astonished foe as the other howled in pain. Using its head the machine rammed its enemy, the sharp edges formed by the Crane's wings drawing yet more blood. The Elemental Beast tried to counter with its frothing jaws, but was again countered as the struggle continued. They carried on lashing out until, with an agile twist, the Zord turned around and struck out with one of its powerful legs, catching the other full in the face and sending the Elemental Beast rolling into the lake.

The Elemental Beast writhed and screamed in agony as water was vaporised around it. The Ninja jumped, landing on the Elemental Beast, sinking it down underwater. But the Elemental Beast was not done; it gripped the Zord and dragged it under as it continued to evaporate the water. The heat of the beast was too much for the water and the lake boiled away. Meanwhile the beast ripped at any part of the Zord it could reach, desperately trying to breach the cockpit and drown the Rangers trapped inside.

But the Zord was not yet out. While Adam and Rocky worked to protect the head from damage, Tanya had drawn the legs back into the ready position. Then as the Ninja's arms closed around the Elemental Beast's back, she released the tension and the Zord was propelled into the air. The water left behind was covered with a red skin as the Zord continued to soar upward, driving the steaming Elemental Beast into the sky. The battered wings were fully deployed as the machine continued to soar upwards. The beast struggled to break free as the Zord stopped moving and just hovered. At first the Elemental Beast struggled more than ever, but the Zord had carried it into orbit where without Oxygen to fuel its flames, the fire Elemental Beast started to freeze. Its fire like state extinguished, al that was left was a smoking husk. With a sharp kick the Zord sent the Elemental Beast back into the lake where it cooled and Zordon could dispose of it.

The Zord shakily returned to its original place over the city. It had been battered, but from the way it defiantly banged its chest it was clear it was far from finished. One Elemental Beast down. Three to go.

Suddenly another small flying shape appeared over the western horizon, from its silver-pale grey colour, and that it seemed partially transparent it was an air Elemental Beast. The Zord let out loud roaring and very electronic battle cry. It was a sound that reminded the Rangers that even though they had won the first round, their job was far from over.

Air, dragon like in appearance, semi-transparent, burning silver eyes, it appeared to be filled with mist. The sun had retreated behind grey clouds probably called up by Rita as a means of unsettling the Rangers and disturbing their Zord's power source. Of course since the Rangers were piloting Zords that lacked the sophisticated solar cells of their predecessors and had to rely on energy transmitted via their Gem Coins, the sudden change in the weather was merely a warning of the storm to come; the clouds were turning dark on the horizon. Its colour made the Elemental Beast blend with the sky.

The Ninja took flight, air was much more agile than fire. The creature looped around the machine him and flew up, the Zord stayed steady, the Rangers sensing that the other would dive, it did. The mecha rolled to one side just in time and lashed out with its legs while performing a backwards somersault in the air, the sharpened edges of its feet cutting up the inside of the Elemental Beast's front legs. Fog-like blood spewed out, the Ninja righted itself and the two collided, fierce punches from the Zord against the snapping and slashing teeth of the Elemental Beast. With all five Rangers working together, the Zord got a grip on the Elemental Beast's nose, holding its jaws shut.

Even as Adam and Rocky struggled to maintain their hold, Tanya was working on the legs. With Tommy keeping the wings in the right position to maintain their height, she drew the legs up so that the might Zord was curled into a ball. Then as the Elemental Beast was released, the machine thrust its left leg into the beast's front. The Elemental Beast recoiled, but showed little damage for all Tanya's effort.

The Elemental Beast's jaw muscles strained as it tried to pierce the Zord's armour. Finally, it let go and twisted about, striking out with its tail as it rolled away. The Elemental Beast's teeth cut a great slash across the machine's lower back. Like a cat, its left front claws lashed out at the heels of the Ninja, tearing thin strips of alloy from the machine. The two disengaged and floated apart, then the Elemental Beast bent its head around and unleashed a blast of compressed air, slicing through the machine's already damaged wing.

This time it was the Ninja that recoiled, the Rangers blinded as the Elemental Beast thickened the air around the Zord to blind them. Its claws, teeth and tail battered the Ninja as the Rangers made the machine lash out blindly with its fists. Finally, Kat managed to counteract the fog and for a brief time they enjoyed an advantage. The Zord twisted away and dropped below the fog as the Elemental Beast, thinking its prey was blinded by the fog, dove in. The two clashed, the Elemental Beast's teeth tearing down the back of on the machine's neck, its tail flicked up and thwacked the Zord along the side.

In the Angel Grove Youth Center, attention was focussed on Ernie's small television. The bar area was crowded with children and adults wanting to see their heroes in action. Ernie was unsure whom he admired more, the Power Rangers for fighting such hideous creatures under conditions that were not in their favour, or the lone news reporter who was filming most of the battle. Most of the fight was filmed at long range and in some cases the battle was too far away to be seen.

"They're doing well," one of the police officers assigned to protecting the building commented.

"Oh, that had to hurt," another said as the Elemental Beast scraped its claws across the Zord's shoulder, leaving three deep parallel gashes in the layered armour. The extra protection that had been placed on the shoulder was gone.

The Ninja struggled to recover, locking its hands around the Elemental Beast's neck. With a sudden force it started to shake the monster vigorously, tearing at the skin, and slicing one of its cheeks open and the side of its head just behind the ear. The claws from the Crane ripped at the other's side. The Elemental Beast couldn't twist its front far enough to fight back, but it back legs kicked in, cutting the machine's mid-section. It left some long scratches, but couldn't curl up far enough to do real damage.

_"And once more it appears that the Power Rangers are on the attack, their opponent's temporary advantage eliminated through skilful operation of their mighty robot. At this moment it appears- yes, the Rangers have drawn blood. They're going for the swift victory. Here comes that sword again. Oh my god! The Rangers' machinery is on fire, I repeat the Rangers have been engulfed in flames."_

Golden flames burned everywhere, they couldn't see, and instinct alone guided them in this wild fight, the lives of every other living creature was held firmly in the balance. Only the slight tilt of the cockpit from the pressure behind the flames, told them where their enemy had been. Even so, their strikes were less than graceful as they moved around. Lubricant poured from a great gash on the inside of the lower left leg. The flammable fluid only intensified the fire that threatened them.

Adam screamed in pain, his minute link to the Frog Zord feeding back into his mind. The others were not doing much better; they felt as if the intense heat was burning them even though the cockpit was normal temperature. Rocky was grimacing from the shoulder wound and Tommy had been coping with the pain since the Elemental Beast had ripped the Falcon Zord's wing.

"Controls are not responding!" Tanya warned.

"Hold on guys we're going down!"

The Zord plummeted as the need to extinguish the fire drew resources away from other equally important functions such as staying in the air. The Zord smashed into the top of an abandoned warehouse, demolishing two neighbouring buildings as it skidded along the ground. The falling metal helped to dampen down the flames while the Ninja flailed aimlessly in an attempt to regain control. Finally it grabbed hold of one of the cranes that were used for moving heavy containers, ripping it from its moorings, yet providing enough friction to halt the Zord's movement.

Overhead the Rangers could see the Elemental Beast circling them, but there was little they could do from their prone position. It opened its mouth and blasted the crippled machine with a blast of compressed air, aiming not only at the Zord, but the surrounding area as well. Pieces of buildings and crates that had not been secured properly were rammed into the robotic body, denting the armour. A second blast hit a concrete chimneystack ad brought it crashing down on the Zord's exposed back, furthering the damage already caused to the Falcon Zord.

Inside the Ninja it was Tommy's turn to scream in agony as Kat implored Zordon to deactivate the feedback system. She knew that to do so would mean they were out of synch with their machines, but had the wisdom to understand that that particular tool was being used against them. With the feedback problem removed the Rangers had only to wait for the computer to return control to them. Adam was already working to make sure that they would not have a similar problem again.

The Elemental Beast released several smaller blasts of air, piercing the parts it had already damaged and widening the open gashes. The stress threatened to tear the Zord apart, rips evident in the damaged leg now mangled and barely moveable. More blasts followed causing even more damage, the machine attempting to stand and failing each time.

"Can we separate?" Tommy asked.

If they could disengage the Zords, they at least stood a chance of surviving while repairs were made. From the damage they sustained, he suspected that only the Crane would be in good condition with the Wolf as a possibility. The Ape and Frog had been damaged severely during the battle, and the Falcon would not be able to fly. If they were lucky though the Bear would still be operational. It had taken a fair few knocks, but was also had the hardest shell.

"Rangers if you separate the Zords there is a good chance you will not be able to combine them again," Alpha warned.

"We need time to get the Ninja up and running again," Kat sent back.

Unfortunately the Elemental Beast did not want to give them the time they needed. It swooped down again, its claws digging into the machine's armour, shredding some of the servomechanisms as it did so. Its wings flapped and the Ninja was lifted into the air, dangling precariously from the claws that were slowly slicing through its alloy skin.

"Oh no, Rangers!" Alpha whined as he watched the battle on the Viewing Globe. "We need to help them, Zordon."

"I agree, Alpha," Zordon boomed as he monitored the abnormal fluctuations in the Zord's power core. "Prepare Titanos to help them and reconfigure the Ninja to compensate for any damage when it becomes the Gem Coin Ultrazord."

"But there is not enough power left for them to combine."

Zordon paused, wondering whether to take the risk he was considering. Then again, he didn't have a choice.

"Billy, deactivate the Grid Warrior apparatus and install the coins to augment the Gem Coin powers. I fear we must risk losing everything if the Rangers are to survive this encounter. It could be the Rangers' only hope."

The Elemental Beast continued to fly, dragging the helpless Ninja along behind. While Tanya and Adam tried to repair some of the internal damage, the others worked on a way to break free. Kat was rerouting their vision so that at least they could see their opponent. When she was successful, the screen cleared and they were able to work on an escape plan.

"There... to the left," Rocky snapped.

The Ninja twisted in a way it should not have been able to move, sacrificing sections of its armour in order to break free from the beast's grip. The Elemental Beast battered the machine with its wings, but the Zord dropped back towards the ground, gaining the Rangers some time to recover.

"Rangers, stand by for a boost."

"Power cells are open," Tanya reported.

Power surged through the almost empty machine, recharging the robot and jump-starting the repair systems. Taking advantage of the lull in the battle, the Rangers adjusted the Megazord to meet their needs. The claws from the Crane Zord slotted into place on the giant robot's feet. The Wolf's legs, until now restrained against the body, were released, the power converting them into wrist mounted blades on the right hand. The Falcon Zord's talons reappeared on the Ninja's left hand. Finally, the face of the Zord extended outwards, providing a buffer zone between the face and the cockpit. The shape now resembled that of the bird and helped to give the Zord a more ominous appearance.

The Elemental Beast attacked again, but the Rangers were ready. The Ninja raised its weapons as the beast moved in, ripping and tearing its side, then rolled away before the dragon could retaliate. It tried a second time with almost the same result, except for the horrible smell as the dragon's fangs sank into the robot's back. The blades on the Zord's arm reversed as it drove its elbow into the beast, slicing it across the tops of the legs. Energy arced across the blade, exploding on the side of the dragon, which could not duck swiftly enough.

The ground was close again; neither side had been paying attention to where they were until it was almost too late. The Rangers recovered and direct the Ninja to land. They were eager to keep the battle on the ground if at all possible. The Zord pounced at its opponent, claws and talons groping at the beast, drawing more blood. The Zord seemed to be fighting on its own as it blows connected every time. The Elemental Beast was on the ropes as the Zord gouged its eyes with the talons on its left hand.

Claws raked the machine's side, proving to the Rangers that the fight was not yet over. The robot twisted away from the assault and smacked the other a heavy blow to the head with a wing.

The Elemental Beast was learning, it used its wings now to bash the Ninja about, the machine retaliated by ripping a long tear in one wing and cutting open the side of the Elemental Beast's neck. The air Elemental Beast used its powers to block off the flow of air around the machine, attempting to crush it with the extreme pressure. Under other circumstances that would have spelt the end of the battle, but the Rangers of Earth were lucky to have friends in the Power Chamber ready to help them.

The Earth's Fire descended from its orbit onto the Elemental Beast. The creature had not been paying attention and failed to spot the falling spacecraft until it was too late. With the distraction in place the Rangers countered the blockage around their Zord while the Earth's Fire slammed repeatedly into the Elemental Beast, battering its already damaged body. The beast screeched as the craft turned and blasted it with its thrusters. The Elemental Beast recoiled, but was not yet defeated.

With a sudden and decisive thrust the Elemental Beast attacked the Earth's Fire. The assault was swift, aggressive and final. When it was finished the spacecraft fell from the sky, crashing into the city before exploding.

The Ninja finally broke through the air block and sliced a huge rip along the Elemental Beast's shoulder. In return the Elemental Beast clawed at the base of the machine's throat, narrowly missing the control systems.

"Time to put an end to this," Tommy said.

The Zord had been battered, bitten, clawed, squeezed and set on fire, but it was still standing. Inside the Rangers were tired, but otherwise unharmed. They summoned the power Sword and this time energised it to make the final blow.

Angel Grove

On televisions around the world people watched the battle over Angel Grove. They watched as the Zord battled with the dying Elemental Beast. The fuel leaks had ceased and although battered it was clear that the machine was the stronger of the two combatants. Normally a Megazord would only need to take on one opponent and when faced with multiple enemies they were often weaker. But today the Rangers were being pushed to their limits. They all gasped as the Zord twisted in a way it shouldn't be able to and kicked the Elemental Beast, delivering a hard blow to the neck, it turned and raked its talons down the Elemental Beast's face and jabbed the beast's neck with its fists. The crunch of breaking bone was audible as the Elemental Beast, severely wounded, retreated, blood spouting from its mangled neck. The Rangers were not done though as they somersaulted over the Elemental Beast and with a fully energised Power Sword, it leaned down and sliced off the Elemental Beast's head.

The Megazord staggered away, eventually landing in front of a chemical plant as the Rangers tried to fix the damage it had suffered before their next battle.

Overnight and well into the next day the cameras remained focussed on the chemical plant where a battered Ninja had set down for repairs. The all clear had yet to sound, so the citizens were required to spend the night in the monster shelters. Although an effort had been made to reunite families, there still some parents who were unsure if their children were safe. The head and shoulders of the mighty Zord loomed over the rooftops, reassuring those it protected that the Power Rangers were still there to watch over them. Even so, the long wait for the next attack was starting to cause tempers to fray.

The camera crews tried repeatedly to zoom in on the Ninja, but each time they did so something jammed their signal. The newscasters assumed it was to protect the Rangers' identities. In fact it was to prevent panic when the true state of the Ninja was revealed.

The Rangers and their allies had had to work long into the night to prevent the machine from crashing to the ground. Its damaged leg could not take any weight and they had been forced to use scaffolding and winches to hold the Zord upright while Adam and Trini tried to repair some of the internal damage. Kimberly, Aisha and Kat had set about wielding heavy plates of metal to some of the worst hit areas, while Tommy, Zack and Rocky were busy blasting small holes in the wings. Jason was acting as coordinator between the different teams of workers and Billy was running circuit by circuit tests of the machine's vital components; Sam and David were helping Alpha to sure up the energy feed.

"I hope Billy knows what he is doing. I thought we were meant to be repairing the Zord," Rocky complained as he followed his leader's instructions.

"We are," Tommy explained. He pointed to one of the more obvious tears in the wing. "We need to take the stress off the metal or these cuts will grow larger. If we put a hole at the ends of each crack, we can relieve the tension and then repair the damage without stressing the break."

"Where did you learn that?" Rocky asked.

"My uncle's a race driver," Tommy said. "When I used to stay with him, I would spend the race in the Pit with his mechanic. He used to use this technique on his saw blades so they would last longer. Hey, what's that?"

Tommy pointed to a green growth along the edge of the Zord's wing. It was bubbling away on the metallic skin, the occasional puff of smoke erupting from one of the bubbles.

"I think it was blood," Rocky said, remembering how the blood had sprayed out of the severed neck of the air Elemental Beast, before it had fallen to the ground. "Oh no, look at the Power Sword!"

Sure enough the sword was covered with the same substance. As it continued to bubble, a chunk of the blade fell away.

"Jason, the blood is corrosive, we need to clean it off," Tommy warned.

It had been two o'clock in the morning before the Rangers were finished. They had cleaned and neutralised all the blood they could find, but there had still been damage. In the end they had had to cut away the damaged section of wing to ensure the corrosion did not spread. That along with the damaged leg, which they had only been able to partially restore, left the Rangers lacking mobility either on land or in the air.

The next morning they were back at the site to continue work. Time was against them, they could tell. Soon the next Elemental Beast would arrive and when it did they would have to battle in a partially working Ninja and without the Earth's Fire to provide a distraction. The scaffolding had been removed after the teenagers spent the better part of their morning replacing the shattered support structure.

In truth the Zord was now as ready as it would ever be for the upcoming attack. When the battle was over, they would need to spend considerable amounts of time repairing the individual machines, although in the case of at least one Zord, it would be easier to rebuild from scratch.

"Let's get back to the Power Chamber," Tommy said at last.

In a flicker of light they vanished, unaware that away from Angel Grove the people of the Earth were facing a battle just as deadly as the Elemental Beasts. Minion's forces had finally attacked in force and the world's armed forces seemed unable to stop them.

It was a mess, but as it stood defiantly under its own power, the Ninja was a symbol to the world in its time of need. Two Elemental Beasts had fallen and the Rangers were hopeful that their luck would continue to hold. While Adam and Tanya had spent the past hour patching as much of the Zord's armour as they could manage, Tommy, Rocky and Kat had been busy making other preparations. The Earth's Fire had proven that it was useful to have a surprise ready just in case. So it was that Kat had teleported to the crash site to try and salvage anything useful while Tommy and Rocky had taken a room-by-room search of Power Mountain for anything they could use.

In the end it had been Zack who had had the best idea, requiring Billy and Trini to work on a means of combining the teleport system with the old Zeo launch system.

Adam sighed as he realised the Zord's optic sensors would not improve despite his attempts to adjust them. The damage caused by the Fire Elemental Beast had at some point overloaded the light-sensitive sensors used to give a clearer image. There wasn't time to replace them at the moment. The eyes were one of the more complicated circuits in the Ninja's control systems; to remove them would render the machine useless in battle. Instead he moved to the central controls where Tommy was supposed to sit and initiated the power-up sequence. It would be just their luck that the damage caused by the Elemental Beasts had damaged some vital but unnoticed component that prevented them from using the machine in combat. Fortunately that was not the case.

The Zords changed position, no longer lifeless but now alert and radiating powers as its head moved slowly from side to side, searching for a threat. Adam hit a second control and there was a mechanical whirl as the claws mounted on the feet and arms retracted briefly before reappearing. That was a self-sharpening mechanism used to keep the weapon keen and reliable.

Inside the Power Chamber, White Morphin Master and mentor to the Rangers of Earth watched the Viewing Globe. The Ninja had surprised him when after the battering it had taken it continued to stand ready for the next fight. Yet he wondered if that was due to a small miracle or perhaps the determination of the Rangers themselves.

"Amazing isn't it?" he asked. "After all they've been through, they still try to protect their city. They are truly heroes. The ancient Morphin Masters would have been proud to know them."

"Do you think Minion will send the remaining Elemental Beasts?" Alpha asked. Zordon nodded solemnly.

"Yes. He will not miss such an opportunity. Unfortunately for now all we can do, is watch," Zordon told him.

There was an uncomfortable silence until the alarm sounded.

"Ai-yi-yi, here we go again," Alpha warned.

The Rangers had sensed that something was about to happen and had teleported back to the Zord. Already they were bringing their stations online and actively scanning for the next attack. The Zord's eyes shone brightly as abruptly it moved to a crouching position ready to leap into action. A mechanical screech left the unified Zord, no doubt Billy's attempt at a method of intimidation. Whether it worked or not was unknown as the Rangers didn't have time to look at the results.

On the horizon the blackening clouds seemed to stir in answer and the breeze grew, whipping at the Ninja's defiant form.

"Look!"

Zordon looked at the point of the Viewing Globe where Alpha was pointing. In the distance they could see the blue outline of another Elemental Beast.

"Water," Zordon murmured, the Ninja seemed to sense its foe's presence for it turned to it and rose to its feet. Inside the Rangers worked as a team to make the Zord appear more like an animal than a machine. Slowly the growl grew in volume until the buildings nearby shook from the vibrations, then the gigantic wings shot up and unfolded, the song became a deafening battle roar that could be heard throughout the city and out across the harbour. The pitch made everyone flinch away and cover their ears. Then it ceased as the machine took flight, racing to meet the Water Elemental Beast.

The Prototype Ninja Zords had been programmed to act like the original Ninja Zords, but in reality their only link to the Morphin Grid was through their power generators. They were not endowed with the spirits of the animal they represented and despite the small similarities to the original Zords they were just simple machines. So it shocked the Rangers when the Zord seemed to act on its own. Of course it had protocols loaded to override user control in order to prevent its own destruction, but the way it moved was so natural. They didn't mention it to each other, but did make a note to talk to Zordon if they survived.

The Water Elemental Beast opened its mouth and let loose a huge gush of water, with such force that it nearly knocked the Zord over. Steam rose from a small gash where the water had struck; at the correct temperature and pressure, water could slice almost any material. Inside the Zord the Rangers were feeding their energy into the machine while trying to keep it from falling over. As they did so they started to feel the connection they had once had with the real Ninja Zords return. Rangers and machine became one, the Zord seeming to act before they could move the controls, acting like a warrior instead of a weapon.

With a shake of its head the Zord recovered and lashed out with its right arm. Flames shot from the claws on its wrists. The Elemental Beast screamed in pain as the heat boiled away parts of its body. Soaked the two collided with each other amidst huge spouts of water and fire which turned to steam. The Elemental Beast wasted no time in grinding its teeth into the joint where the Falcon component connected to the Bear, trying to sever the connection between body and wings.

The Zord roared without Tommy touching the controls. It twisted as one of the arms replaced its hand with a pair of snapping wolf jaws and raked its teeth along the other's wing and back. Claws flashed silver and pale blue; golden blood ran from the Elemental Beast, burning the Zord as the spores it contained reacted to the metal. The Zord recoiled as Rocky summoned what was left of the Power Sword. The two separated, lightning flashed down, the Elemental Beast dodged and charged while the Zord remained still and allowed the discharge to run to ground.

Kat adjusted the Zord's profile, folding the wings into a streamlined position, the two behemoths sped towards each other, at the last second water began to turn aside so it could tear its enemy's back as it passed; Tanya moved the legs back so that the chest of the Ninja was outstretched, then took control of the Bear so that its teeth traced long gaping wounds along the other's belly. The Elemental Beast responded with a flick of its tail, breaking the Zord's grip and pour gallons of water against the damaged machine's armour.

They rolled away from each other and landed. The Zord resumed its stance in the city. Already Adam was in the engine room trying to repair the damage they had taken. A normal Zord would never have taken the abuse the Elemental Beasts had dished out, yet surprisingly the Ninja was still intact. There was little he could do though until the power generators had dried out. The water the Elemental Beast had pumped into the Zord had shorted out some of the circuitry and flooded the legs. With a sigh he drew his sidearm and blasted the base of the machine's legs, watching as the water drained away leaving yet more damage in its wake.

The Elemental Beast charged and they crashed together. Claws raked at each other, the Elemental Beast got a grip on the Zord's neck and shoulder and threw it down before it attempted to rip the robot apart. Rocky diverted some of the Zord's damaged fuel cells into the Bear's mouth and ejected them. A spark from the Power Sword ignited the volatile fluids resulting in a fireball that swept straight into the Elemental Beast's face.

Amid screaming roars they tangled again, locking jaws, claws scrabbling for purchase. The battle had moved into an old quarry away from the city where the Rangers could fight without fear of damaging property. The Elemental Beast had already blasted the area with water, turning some of the softer soil into muddy ground. The Zord used great sweeps of its wing to lend it extra force and pushed the Elemental Beast back a few steps.

The Elemental Beast abruptly dropped lower, as the machine's claws sank into its shoulders it came up from below and almost succeeded in ripping the Zord's head from its shoulder. A jet of water cut through a portion of the neck; only by shielding the area with its sword were the Rangers able to prevent serious damage. In disgust Rocky released the grip on the sword and watched it sink into the mud.

Suddenly confident the Elemental Beast attacked, pounding the Zord on the back until the robot could no longer stand. But Tanya had already planned for such an occurrence and using the powerful mechanisms housed in the Ninja's legs, launched the machine head first like a battering ram. It was a good move and knocked the Elemental Beast off balance, but lacked the force it would have had if the legs had not suffered such severe damage earlier. The joints groaned as the Zord touched down, its design pushed to the limits. The Water Elemental Beast had already recovered and delivered its own head butt, shattering the Zord's left knee. A combination of Kat's skill and Tanya's legwork allowed the Zord to perform an amazing twist as it fell and it landed feet down towards the ground.

"Jason, now!" Tommy ordered.

Back at the Power Chamber, the cannon that had been used for launching the Zeo Zords moved into firing position. The Grid Warriors had loaded it with as much junk as they could find in the Angel Grove Scrap Yard. With Billy working the cannon and Trini teleporting more and more junk into the firing tube, they had created a formidable weapon.

At Tommy's command it fired, releasing its arsenal toward the battleground, covering both the Zord and the Elemental Beast with shrapnel. A mushroom cloud of dust formed over the area, as the Rangers were teleported away from their machine as it and the Elemental Beast were bombarded with junk.

Both survived the onslaught although neither could be described as a pretty sight. The Elemental Beast was bleeding from gashes that ran the length of its body while the Ninja's left arm had been ripped open and new gashes had appeared in its wings.

They took to the sky again, fiercely using everything they had to tear each other apart, neither able to fly straight due to the damage they had suffered. The Elemental Beast let loose another blast of water, but the Zord was operating on automatic and had one purpose: the destruction of its opponent. As the Rangers watched helplessly from the Power Chamber, it threw it arms around the Elemental Beast and headed back towards the city.

The Elemental Beast lashed at the machine with the barbed end of its tail, but the Zord held fast. Then it plummeted towards an electrical substation. As they crashed the machine slashed at the Elemental Beast, causing it to unleash another burst of water. Both combatants were electrocuted, the Elemental Beast barely recognisable when it eventually pulled free. The Rangers used the opportunity to regain control of their Zord as its computer was fried by the unauthorised action.

From the distance the Rangers could feel the approach of their last hope against the Elemental Beast. A lumbering hulk of metal intended to resemble the mighty Titanus, one time Carrier Zord of the Power Rangers. They had dubbed it Titanos and it was only the slight difference in the pronunciation of its name that allowed them to tell the difference between the original Zord and the replica it had taken so much time to build; Titanos had been built to interface exclusively with the Ninja and unlike Titanus, it did not suffer from poorly fitting connectors.

The sound of energy weapons broke through the Elemental Beast's screams of pain as the prototype Carrier Zord unleashed a barrage at the creature. Without delay Tommy pushed the sequence of buttons needed to untie the two Zords together to form the Ultrazord. Now the Elemental Beast faced them on three legs while the Ultrazord seemed to tower over it. A blast from the Zord knocked the Elemental Beast thirty feet through the air before it hit land again; great wounds gaped in its side. It roared as the Zord moved to a new position and attacked the machine, cutting up its shoulder and side as the weapons recharged for another attack. Suddenly the Ninja detached from its housing and drove its arm claws into the Elemental Beast's stomach.

The Elemental Beast got to its feet, screaming in pain, made the machine breath fire again and again onto it. The beast tried to counter with water, but to no avail. Titanos fired. Its weapons hit the Elemental Beast's wing, tail and eyes, blinding it. Blind, badly burned, with one broken leg and with its guts hanging out the Elemental Beast gave one last try even as it started to die. It leaped and the Rangers were ejected from the Zord since they had been unprepared for the movement. They fell heavily. Once again the Zord somehow managed to take control, this time a fierce animal rage surfaced. With nothing to hold it back, the fighting power leaped forth and before the Elemental Beast even knew what was happening, the Zord had torn it to shreds.

Now two Elemental Beasts lay dead on the ground, and one in the evaporated site that had once been Angel Grove Lake. The sun's rays in the afternoon were starting to turn deep orange. In a half hour they would be red. The Ninja swayed for a moment, then powered down. That meant three Elemental Beasts down, and one to go. But this time the cost had been high. The Rangers had had to use all the tricks they could find to defeat the Water Elemental Beast and they had barely managed to emerge victorious. Now they had no surprises left for the remaining Elemental Beasts and the Ninja was in such a state they doubted it would last much longer.

Day turned to night, but as the city slept its heroes were busy ensuring that the next battle would not be their last.

Minion had watched the battle between the Elemental Beasts and the Rangers with interest. All out war would have been a better to describe the carnage that had been caused so far. Serpenterra was ready and waiting to launch, standing by to destroy whatever remained once the battle had ended. There was no doubt in his mind that a few blasts would destroy an Elemental Beast and smelt a Zord with ease. He had already dissected one of the five surviving beasts to make sure of it.

Better still, his source inside the Ranger camp, his ace in the hole, had revealed that the Rangers' powers came from their Power Chamber. Destroying the mountainside headquarters would rob them of their Zords, their powers and any assistance that Zordon might have offered them.

He glanced at Silvo and Brasso, wondering when they had gotten back from their latest task; after their success with isolating the known trouble spots where the likes of the Masked Rider, Beetleborgs and the VR Troopers could be found, he had sent his favoured henchmen to strike at military installations around the world. Bronzo had been dispatched to Crystal to pick up a special guest, one whose appearance would place some of his plans in jeopardy.

"By the end of tomorrow either the Rangers or the Elemental Beasts will have met their end. Then will come the time of Serpenterra and Minion."

The next day the sun had reached its highest point when the Earth Elemental emerged on the scenes. Brown in colour, its body looked as if it were made up from pieces of stone that had been forced together. In fact had it not been for the bright blue eyes that burned under the thick slab it had for a forehead, it would have been difficult to imagine this creature was alive. It seemed to fly towards the previously assembled Ultrazord and land its first blow before the Rangers could react. The machines had taken a beating in their battles with the three previous Elementals and as a result were slow to react.

The first punch from the creature's enormous fist snapped the Ultrazord's head back so far that the head was almost ripped from the body. The Rangers struggled to maintain control, but as the cockpit continued to spark and more and more systems failed, the Elemental landed two more blows. With a sudden burst of strength it ripped the Ninja free of its mountings. Then, after tossing the gestalt away like a piece of garbage, the Elemental turned its attention to Titanos.

Titanos was big by Zord standards, equipped with heavy weapons that would make Tor or the original Titanus jealous. But the weaponry like everything else on the prototype Zords had lower safety limits than the real thing. As its twin cannons ripped into the Elemental, the warning gauges were slowly rising. The weapons glowed red as they started to overheat and a high-pitched squeal could be heard from the generator housing. Smoke poured from the control circuits and still the machine fired. Its mouth opened and grasped the Elemental's leg, preventing the monstrous being from backing away. The squeal grew louder and then the weapons exploded.

The Elemental was caught in the blast that spelled the end of Titanos. The Carrier Zord was shredded as its own weapons tore it apart. The neck unit of the Zord was ripped free as the Elemental soared into the air again. The jaws, still clamped firmly to the Elemental's leg dropped to the ground, its eyes flashing once before turning dark.

Then the Elemental turned its attention to the Ninja, which had stopped moving the moment it had landed. The damage to the neck prevented commands from the battered head reaching the body as the Rangers tried desperately to restore some semblance of control. After leaving Rocky and Kat in the cockpit, Tanya, Tommy and Adam had moved to the auxiliary control room, where they hoped to take control. But their time had run out as the Elemental loomed over them and lifted the fallen machine from the ground. The Zord was held in the air, dangling from the Elemental's claw by its damaged neck. The Elemental lashed out with another of its mighty fist blows. The sharp rock pieces that acted as knuckles smashed into the left shoulder, sending the machine hurtling backwards again.

The Rangers tried to adjust the wings even as the Zord was cartwheeling through the center of Angel Grove. When it stopped spinning, it continued to scrape along the street until it finally came to a rest. A blast of high-pressure sand ripped across its lower body, stripping the previously damaged leg away and burying the mecha. The Elemental moved forward, sharp teeth ready to slice through the metal frame. It struck at the lower body once more, gripping the Zord in its teeth and jerking its head from side to side like a dog would shake a rabbit.

With only a thin piece of metal to show where one leg had been, and the other leg crumpled beyond recognition, it was lucky that the Rangers were finally able to get the remains of the Ninja airborne. The head was still hanging at an impossible angle, but control had been restored from the chest area.

Even so the Rangers knew it was only a matter of time before their Zords were destroyed. During the battle their Gem Coins had been feeding the machine with a constant supply of additional energy, which was the only reason the Zord was still intact after receiving a beating a fully power Megazord would have difficulty withstanding. The odds of surviving the encounter were growing slimmer by the minute. They had already used all the tricks they could find, but the battle was taking its toll.

"Jettison Frog and Crane," Tommy ordered.

"But Tommy," Kat started to protest. She stopped, not willing to question her leader in the middle of a battle.

Adam and Kat touched their Gem Coins and severed the union between the Frog and Crane components, and the rest of the Ninja. Both Zords were teleported back to the Power Chamber for emergency repairs. With the damaged Zords removed the power drain was reduced, allowing the Rangers to concentrate their energies on the battle.

With outstretched arms the Zord started to spin like a top, its claws slashing at the Elemental. One claw gained purchase on the underside of the beast's forehead and as a result ripped a chunk of stone free. Black mud seeped from the wound giving the impression that the Elemental was bleeding. The Zord continued to spin as Tommy guided it lower to strike the Elemental in the chest and legs. The Elemental groped at the machine, trying to stop its movement. Finally it caught the left arm and used it to fling the Zord into the First Angel Bank.

Before the machine could move again the Elemental had pounced. Its hands ripped into the Wolf's carcass and tried to wrench it loose from its junction. The wolf seemed to whimper before the Elemental gave up and moved onto the next target. The next fist tore into the main body and cracked the metallic skin open. The Falcon Zord detached as the Ape reverted to its normal form and attacked with its swords.

The Bear charged at the Elemental with Tanya firmly in control. It stood on its hind legs and used its front paws to bat the Elemental around the head. Then its front legs descended, causing the street to shake from the impact before it fired its eye beams at the Elemental's chest. The Elemental turned away and kicked the Zord with its powerful foot.

"Crane and Frog returning to battle," Billy announced.

The Elemental flew into the sky to meet the smaller Crane. According to the details that Zordon had revealed, the Earth Elemental should not have been able to fly. At first Kat thought perhaps Minion had altered it in some way to allow it flight capabilities, but quickly realised that that was not the case. The Elemental wasn't flying; it was leaping and using its powerful legs to stay in the air for a period of time. The Crane was smaller than the Elemental, but with Kat at the controls it was agile enough to avoid it. Using the Zord's claws and beak, Kat was able to draw the beast away from the city, giving Tommy time to bring the Falcon Zord online once more.

The Falcon Zord was in poor shape following the Ninja's battle with the Elemental. Large sections of its wings had been destroyed either by the fighting, the landing, the corrosive blood of the Fire Elemental, or Tommy's attempts to prevent further damage by shooting holes into the metallic frame. The forcefield generators had been reconfigured to hug close to the hull and as a result gave the Zord the aerodynamic wings it needed. Unfortunately all the protective cushioning of the forcefield was diminished because it was too close to the metal body. Tommy pushed his Gem Coin into the activation slot and crossed his fingers as the Zord lifted into the sky.

"Billy, we need a distraction," Zeo Falcon.

"What kind of distraction?" Zack asked.

Tommy considered. "Just get it to look the other way so we can reform the Megazord."

Luckily Zack and Billy didn't need to worry. A distraction had just arrived.

"Fox Leader, you may fire at will," the voice of some faceless radio operator reported.

Norman Thomas acknowledged the message and fired his twin missiles at the Earth Elemental. The weapons barely attracted its attention as it tore through the city. A jet of sand ripped his wing and forced him to eject while the rest of his squadron engaged. He never made it to the ground.

"Teleporting your Zords to a new location," Billy told them. "Then you can reform the Ninja and attack."

Now was the time, the Rangers had retreated and all but one Elemental Beast had been destroyed. Minion activated the engines and powered up the main weapon as Serpenterra took to the air.

The Elemental had stopped attacking the planes and seemed to look beyond them towards the sun. A faint snarl left it as it reared up and pounded its chest in a show of respect. But whatever it was that was heading towards the planet didn't care about victory cries. A shape emerged as it flew closer and started to cast a shadow over the area. It was enormous, far larger than the Earth Elemental. It opened its mouth and a ball of plasma engulfed the area. The flash knocked out the news cameras as the earthquake flattened the surrounding buildings. Then the flames died back as it ran out of fuel and the Earth Elemental was gone, reduced to ashes in the intense heat. Serpenterra let out a cry of challenge and fired another plasma ball.

Power Chamber

"What happened to it?" Tanya asked as the Viewing Globe cleared.

Zordon had ordered the Gem Coin Rangers to return after he had witnessed the decimation of the square mile surrounding the Earth Elemental. It now resembled a scene from a science fiction movie. The area had been incinerated by the blast, leaving behind ash, smoke and a few areas that had not been demolished. Small sections of wall could still be seen in places, the charred remains of a telephone directory blew along what had once been a sidewalk. Aside from a few McDonalds products that were as indestructible as they were uneatable.

The Viewing Globe changed angle so that Zordon's orbital satellites could focus upon the city. There something floated, blocking the camera from revealing the full devastation below. Trini adjusted the controls as Alpha searched for a better picture. They shared a gasp of horror as the image finally filled the Viewing Globe.

"What is that?" Kat asked.

"Serpenterra?" Jason answered gravely, exchanging a look of shocked horror with some of the others.

The monstrous machine that had in the space of a few minutes wiped out the Elemental and the area surrounding it was not the machine they remembered. For a start it was still moving where during their previous encounters it had stopped after blasting something. Secondly it looked larger than it had been when Tommy had first seen it during the quest for the Sword of Light.

"Aw man, that is one UGLY Zord," he remarked.

"That's a Zord?" Kat asked. "I thought only Rangers had Zords."

"Normally yes," Tommy answered. "But Goldar had Cyclopsis, his War Zord, and I bet there are others out there."

"It's big, metal, piloted and kicks butt; I'd say it counts as a Zord," Tanya commented.

"That's not Serpenterra," Adam remarked as he studied the console. "Or if it is, someone has gone to a great deal of effort to upgrade it."

"So how do we stop it?" Tanya asked.

"It's still a machine no matter how many upgrades it's received," Tommy said. "We all know Zords can be destroyed. We just need to make sure this one falls quickly."

They were interrupted by a gasp from Adam. He had been watching the Viewing Globe while the others were talking to Zordon. The machine was heading away from Angel Grove, a trail of destruction following it as it headed inland. Already the air force had engaged the powerful machine, but it had ignored them and continued its warpath, straight toward the Power Chamber.

"We have to get back out there," Tommy said.

"I concur," Billy agreed. "We need to bolster our forces by escalating our manpower."

"Dragonzord would prove useful," Sam pointed out.

Tommy nodded reluctantly. What Billy and the others were suggesting meant removing the Power Coins from the Gem Coin generator and risked destabilising the upgraded energy grid. Still, by doing so they freed the coins for the Grid Warriors to use, knowing that their additional numbers would make piloting the Zords easier.

"Trini, Zack and Aisha have managed to repair the Sky Zords following your encounter with Chop Shop," Zordon reported.

"All right guys, this is what we'll do," Tommy announced. "Place the Ninja on remote control and then pilot the other Zords into battle. Rocky, Adam, Zack, Billy and David will take the Defender Zords, Trini, Tanya, Kat, Kimberly and Jason can handle the Sky Zords; Aisha and I will pilot the Techno Zords. Sam can join us in the Techno Zords or pilot Dragonzord."

"Actually Tommy, it would be beneficial if I remained here to control the Ninja," Billy said.

"Good, let's do it," Jason said. "It's Morphin Time!"

"Zeo Ranger I - Crane!"

"Zeo Ranger II - Bear!"

"Zeo Ranger III - Ape!"

"Zeo Ranger IV - Frog!"

"Zeo Ranger V - Falcon!"

"Tiger Zord!"

"Dragon Zord!"

"Mastodon!"

"Pterodactyl!"

"Saber-toothed Tiger!"

"Tyrannosaurus!"

"Stegosaurus!"

They promptly teleported into battle as Billy made his way to a control station he had created to remotely operate the Zords.

"Okay Rangers, Warriors, report in," Jason ordered. "Team two in position." The Sky Zord pilots had positioned themselves close to the Secondary Zord Bay on Power Mountain. The area had been cleared to give them a catapult runway.

"Team One in position," Rocky reported from a position inside Angel Grove. The Rangers had positioned a portal there to deploy the Zords rapidly in case of an emergency.

"Team three in position," Tommy responded. The Techno Zords were located at the far end of the mountain range, well away from the Power Chamber. There was a whirling of gears as the stone door opened.

"Green Ranger in position," Sam reported from the dockside.

"I have moved the Ninja to a more suitable position and initiated battle sequence," Billy replied.

"Then let's get to work," Jason finished. "Tommy?"

"Let's do it," the Red Ranger answered. "Rangers, Warriors, deploy!"

Zordon had been on Earth long before the city of Angel Grove had first appeared. And he had taken advantage of that time, using it to build the deployment systems he needed before the humans arrived and interfered. Making use of the water system that flowed through the foothills at the base of the mountainside, he had arranged for an access tunnel to be dug under the area where the future sewers would run. A large section of the access tunnel had collapsed at the turn of the century, portal apparatus proved the easy solution to that problem.

The entry point shifted at the Rangers' command, revealing the Defender Zord garage. A turn of the key and a shift of gears, and the five vehicles roared out of their hiding place. At first they resembled normal vehicles although a close look would have revealed that one of them was empty. Then Zeo Frog shifted the lever and the Zords were expanded to their full size, shaking the foundations of nearby buildings as they headed towards Serpenterra.

"Call it Zack," Zeo Frog said, deciding to give the Black Grid Warrior the honour.

Zack smiled, clearly enjoying being back in action. "Defender Megazord, power up!"

The fire engine's cab rolled up and over the top to reveal the Megazord's head, the rest of it shifting shape to form the body. The helicopter's rotor blade flew of as the tail detached itself allowing the helicopter to form the right arm. The ambulance attached itself to the left side of the body and the motorcycle and police car, formed the legs.

Once again the Drop Zord appeared, releasing the hands, feet and chest shield for the Defender Megazord. When the Megazord was complete the rotor blades and tail transformed into a Power Sword.

"Megazord, activated," the computer reported.

"Ready?" Zeo Falcon asked as he flipped the safety switch and activated the thrusters of the two aerial Zords. A chain had been connected to each air-based Zord and the large gun and joined them to the ground vehicles.

"Yes," Aisha replied. When she had returned to service as a Grid Warrior, she had never expected the opportunity to pilot a Zord again. She was in one of the ground-based Techno Zord and with the remote controls for two more machines at hand, she had command of three Zords.

"Go!" Zeo Falcon ordered.

Aisha gunned the engines and the three vehicles roared out of the base of Power Mountain, dragging the two aircraft behind them. Together the Gem Coin Ranger and the Grid Warrior waited until they had sufficient speed and then disengaged the chains holding the two jet-like Zords, allowing them to soar into the air.

"Techno Megazord, form up!" Zeo Bear and Zeo Falcon called together.

The two planes flew away for a moment, but soon appeared again. The high speed of the cars caused the chains dragging the gun emplacement to lift it off the ground. At the right time the chains were released. The gun detached itself from the emplacement, allowing it to form the lower body onto which the larger of the two planes formed to create the upper torso, shoulders and head. The dune buggy and motorbike transformed into the arms and the other plane and car formed the legs.

A panel opened on the lower back of the Megazord from which the hands and feet for the Megazord were released along with the chest panel. The gun had in the meantime split in half and appeared in each hand.

"Drop Zord!" Zeo Falcon called and as the large Carrier Zord moved overhead, the Techno Megazord grabbed hold and was transported to the battle site.

Jason positioned himself in the Red Sky Zord, relieved that Pyramidas had given him some experience in the air. Kat claimed control of the Pink Zord while Kimberly chose the Yellow Zord; Tanya piloted the Black Zord, which she realised on closer inspection was a mixture of black and very dark green. That left Trini to pilot the Blue Zord, which had most of its functions slaved to the machines of those more experienced in flight situations.

"Alpha, we're ready," Jason announced.

There was no response, but the Rangers could feel their Zords being moved into the launch chute. Around them the atmosphere was pressurised as their engines reached full power. Then they were shot forward as the pressure was released and they were shoved along the runway.

"Full thrust!" Jason ordered. The others obeyed, flying in formation across the desert.

"Sky Megazord, power up!" Zeo Crane called. She had retained control of the Megazord's formation not only because she had experience, but because her machine had an extra set of controls that allowed her to make fine adjustments to all five machines' positions in the air.

The five planes headed upwards into the sky, where the thinner atmosphere aided their movement. The red plane's nose cone retracted into the cockpit to be replaced by a head, the wings folded toward the bottom of the plane and the fuselage shrunk to half its normal size. The pink and yellow planes transformed into the arms, and the blue and black planes formed the legs.

"Billy, now!" Zeo Crane ordered. As the near complete Megazord flew into position, the launch cannon fired fists, feet and chest plate of the Megazord towards it.

"Sky Megazord, online!" Zeo Crane ordered.

"Megazord activated," a computerised voice responded.

"Course set," Kimberly reported.

"Weapons on standby," Tanya added.

"We're still too high," Kat noticed, directing the Zord back towards the ground.

"Adjusting water injection," Trini muttered. "All systems check."

"Then let's go!" Jason ordered.

At his words a targeting grid appeared in front of his position, giving him strategic control while Kimberly and Kat retained flight controls.

With a jerk the Megazord was off, flying towards its new target, hoping to stop Serpenterra before it came into firing range and destroyed the Power Chamber.

Minion laughed when he saw the pitiful resistance the Rangers had prepared for him. The badly damaged Ninja hovered in his path and for a moment he entertained the thought of swatting it aside with Serpenterra's massive tail. Given that Serpenterra could crack the Earth in half if Minion funnelled enough power into the shot, he would have expected more in the way of resistance. How could the Rangers hope to survive such power when a few Elemental Beasts had ripped their Zord to pieces?

"WD Units, prepare the generators for the next shot. WD-40, ensure the prisoner remains in his cell."

During the battle between the Rangers and the Elemental Beasts, Minion had been so engrossed in the battle that he had failed to acknowledge Bronzo's return from Crystal with a very special guest. He wondered how the Rangers would feel when this little surprise was revealed to them. He shook the idea off. The Rangers would be dead soon anyway, what was the point of ruining a sure scheme by tormenting them?

"Master," Silvo interrupted. He and Brasso had returned from their assignments to help pilot the machine. "There are three objects heading in our direction."

"So the Rangers do have some sense," Minion mused. "Even Tommy wouldn't dare confront Minion with only one Zord."

"Shall we fire?" Brasso asked. He sounded almost eager.

"Patience Brasso. Minion wants his enemies to see that Serpenterra destroy their Zords. Otherwise they might believe that it was an accident."

The three Megazords arrived and even with the Drop Zord bolstering their number, they still appeared insignificant when confronted by the massive machine that stood in their path. Serpenterra's eyes glowed brightly as the robotic stare down continued. In the end it was the Rangers who made the first move.

The Ninja flew forward, Billy having taken the lack of activity as some sort of malfunction had chosen to go for a quick attack. Replacement Power Sword in hand and with the safety controls turned off, a move that electrified the Ninja's metal shell. Against the Elemental Beasts such a move would have proven a deciding factor, but against Serpenterra it would serve little use from the outside.

As the Ninja followed through, it shifted position as it tried to slip around the side of the head and up towards the underbelly where it could use the sword effectively. Serpenterra was too quick for such a manoeuvre though and as the Ninja sidestepped, it reared up on its back legs, dragging itself out of the way before descending rapidly to pluck the Ninja with its front foot.

"Jase, fire the SFC!" Tommy urged.

Inside the Sky Megazord the five Rangers moved to oblige, Tanya summoning the Stress Fracture Cannon while Kimberly and Kat locked the thrusters into a position where they could deal with the recoil. Jason was already using the small sweeper beam to find a weakness as Trini analysed the findings and punched the coordinates into the console.

"Fire!" The five teens cried as the light on the console turned green to show a positive lock. With a machine the size of Serpenterra though locking onto a target was not as big a problem as locking onto the right target.

The first beam of energy left the cannon, locking onto the path of the sweeper beam and testing the surface for any imperfections. Finding one such weak point, the beam ended. The arm of the Sky Megazord adjusted to the right position and the blast was fired, ripping through the air to cover the short distance between Serpenterra and the Zords.

The impact wielded disappointing results. The Rangers had been hoping for a major breach of the monstrous machine's armour, perhaps even some structural damage caused by the concussion of the blow. They had achieved a few pinpricks that barely registered on the scanners. It was clear Serpenterra had barely noticed the impact though as it concentrated on the Ninja.

Billy had struggled with the remote controls, hoping that the Power Sword would at least cause Serpenterra to loosen its grip. With a forceful shove the Ninja was shoved away from the other Zords and even as Billy tried to make the machine roll out of imminent crash, Serpenterra unleashed its primary weapon.

It was a sight Jason remembered from years before when he had seen Zedd's Zord decimate the Deserted City. Purple energy seemed to concentrate around the head and then with a mechanical roar it unleashed a blast of devastating fire to engulf the Ninja.

Billy's screens went dark, the feedback from the Zord such that it overloaded the remote sensors. The Ninja was nowhere to be seen and given the crater that had formed around its previous position, its fate was almost certain.

Billy sighed and ripped off his virtual interface. He had other things that needed doing. He could try establishing contact with the Ninja again when the battle ended.

"Damn!" Tommy swore as Serpenterra finished with the Ninja and immediate turned its attention back to the three Megazords. "We need to attack now before it can generate another blast."

"That could be a problem," Trini replied.

"Why?" the confusion was evident.

"Look!" Trini screamed as the Sky Megazord darted to the left.

Serpenterra had fired a second time and was rapidly moving towards the Rangers. On instinct Aisha threw the Techno Megazord into a side roll, bringing its weapons into firing positions as she did so, loosing several shots. The Defender Megazord was slower than the other machines and was forced to stand its ground, relying on its forcefield generators to deflect the incoming blast.

All of those events took only a few seconds and for the Rangers and Warriors it seemed as though time had slowed. Then with a violent lurch, events accelerated again as the blast connected. The shockwave choked the Sky Megazord's thrusters, depositing it firmly on the ground, shocked but otherwise fully functional. The impacts blew the rolling Techno Megazord across the sand. Aisha and Tommy had to fight the controls, but eventually had the machine back under control.

That just left the Drop Zord, which had managed to out fly the shockwave and the Defender Megazord, which despite emerging undamaged thanks to its power draining shields, had been buried up to the neck in sand.

"Nail him!" Jason cried before turning the Sky Megazord' arsenal loose on their monstrous opponent.

Tommy and Aisha responded by firing their Zord's weapons at Serpenterra's head. They were hoping to hit the eyes or somewhere equally important. The combination of their blasts and The Sky Megazord's attempt to successfully use the SFC against their foe, kept the monster away from the recharging Defender Megazord.

"Man that was too close," Zack commented as Adam and Rocky worked to restore basic functions. The blast had not been damaging, but the shield had drained their power reserves.

"We need to find a weak spot on that thing," David noted, "because I don't think we could take another blast like that, shield or no shield." The bulkhead next to the White Warrior had been melted by the blast leaving no doubt that they had been lucky.

"Power Sword!" Adam called, activating the Zord's major weapon.

With a determined movement the Defender Megazord hauled itself from the ground and advanced on the towering Serpenterra. The Sky Megazord had by now found a new firing position and was close to overloading the SFC by repeatedly discharging the weapon at the monster's neck. The Techno Megazord was still firing at Serpenterra's eyes although it stopped when a twin blast from the eyes barely missed the Zord's left leg.

"Drop Zord, begin bombing run!" Tommy ordered.

"When did you arm the Drop Zord?" Rocky asked.

"Alpha did it when he realised that we had an extra Zord out here that does very little during the battle."

As they watched some of the panels that made up the Drop Zord's frame opened to reveal a multitude of weapons. Most promising thought was the oversized rocket that was held in the deployment bay under the fuselage.

"Fire Fog!" Tommy toned.

The Zord changed course, dispersing a collection of pellets that turned to gas in the air. When a stream of microwave energy passed through the gas, it turned into an explosive ball of plasma, which drifted toward the large machine. Serpenterra though seemed to ignore the flaming ball as it engulfed its head.

"Null Ray fire!" Tommy commanded, eager to find some weapon to take this monster down. Although he hadn't mentioned it, the Drop Zord held many of the weapons that belonged on the individual Zords.

The Null Ray worked on a similar principle to an Electro Magnetic Pulse generator in that it disrupted electronic equipment within a given range. The difference with the Null Ray was that it was capable of greater accuracy since it was projected as a beam of energy. Unlike an EMP, the Null Ray did not cause lasting damage to the machinery it hit; it created a negative charge within a small area that prevented the flow of electrical energy through that system.

Serpenterra rolled slightly as the effects of the Null Ray and those of the Fire Gas combined, blinding those inside the cockpit. Still, the machine did not crash back to the ground. The energy it had been using as a weapon did briefly disappear, but only for a second. The energy powering Serpenterra was not electrical in nature and although the ray still had some effect, it was nowhere near the results Tommy had hoped for. The Plasma blast that ripped into the ground below, spewing forth a mushroom cloud that clouded their view screens, showed just how powerful Serpenterra remained.

"Force Beam Fire!" Tommy tried.

Using opposing forces to generate a twist effect, the Drop Zord's computer targeted the weakened bodywork of the monstrous machine. By targeting at the head it was able to force Serpenterra to take to the sky and by maintaining the pressure force it into a dive.

Minion angrily shoved Silvo away from the controls and twisted Serpenterra so the energy was no longer locked on his head. A sharp discharge from the machine's antlers caused the Drop Zord to break contact as it pulled sharp right to avoid Serpenterra's foot.

"Fire!" Minion commanded as he pressed the button.

There was no playfulness in his tone this time as Serpenterra unleashed a violent pulse of purple energy towards the Drop Zord. The machine dodged, but its left wing caught a glancing blow, forcing it to return to the Power Chamber.

"Jason, aim at the ground," Kat urged as the Sky Megazord shifted to a new position.

Jason did as he was instructed, hoping to catch Minion's metal beast before as it landed. But Serpenterra proved too fast and changed course as the ground it had been aiming for collapsed.

This time Serpenterra did connect with a tail shot, pummelling the Sky Megazord into the ground, leaving a groove as it slid along the ground. It came around rapidly and opened fire with its full power, almost destroying the Sky Zords in the process. It would have succeeded if one of the other Zords hadn't interfered.

The Turtle Battlezord was an annoyance to Serpenterra but little more. Still, its attack had been sufficient to divert the energy stream away from the Sky Megazord. It wasn't far enough for the machine to escape unharmed; many of the Sky Megazord's systems had been disrupted. The SFC was locked at an awkward position that meant further shots were impossible.

"Teleport back to the Power Chamber," Tommy ordered as he moved the Techno Megazord around the back of Serpenterra. The Techno Megazord fired a constant barrage at the larger machine, preventing it from turning its full attention of Sam. The five teens in the Sky Megazord obeyed, allowing the remaining Rangers to concentrate on attacking.

"Very good Tommy," Minion said as the Techno Megazord's weapons destroyed Serpenterra's left antler.

With renewed vigour Serpenterra turned and blasted the Defender Megazord, which until that point had been hacking a small hole in its tail. This time despite its shielding there was no hope for the Megazord as its chest plate was burnt to a crisp by an eye blast. Serpenterra struck with its front claws and the Zord had a gaping hole through its body. As the claw shifted, the Megazord squirmed. Still, there was no mistake as Serpenterra's powerful jaws clamped around the Zord. A single jerky movement and it was all over as the Megazord's upper body, now empty, crashed to the ground.

"Sam!" Aisha cried, causing Tommy to return his attention to the battlefield. The Turtle Dragonzord appeared resistant to Serpenterra's energy blasts, but it was rapidly losing its resistance.

There was a flash of green as said Ranger was ejected from his machine. Zordon had obviously teleported him back to the Power Chamber seconds later as Sam vanished from sight. Tor and Dragonzord had seemingly decided to fight on by themselves and a moment later Titanus had joined them.

"Well, well," Minion spoke, his voice carrying across the desert. "Seems we're all here. Allow me to introduce you to Serpenterra's full power!"

What followed was a firestorm as the monstrous Zord unleashed the power of the Zeo Crystal at its opposition. This time there was nothing the Rangers could do to protect their machines; Tommy and Aisha had tried to teleport only to find that they were trapped.

"Emergency separation!" Tommy called.

The arm of the Megazord detached from the rest of the body, transforming into its individual form of a large dune buggy, it raced off across the sands in an attempt to out run the destructive tidal wave that threatened to destroy them. The light became blinding as Tommy tried to teleport one last time. Then there was nothing as the Techno Megazord, Sky Megazord, Dragon Battlezord and Titanus, along with the remains of the Defender Zords were incinerated.

"Tommy!" Kat cried.

David just stared at the screen, numb at the apparent loss of his brother.

"Zordon, what happened to the teleport system?" Jason demanded.

"There is no problem," Billy answered. "For some reason he chose not to teleport."

"That's impossible," Zack countered. "We saw them trying to eject."

"Maybe there's a problem in the Power Chamber's systems," Billy allowed. "I'll go and check."

The Blue Warrior hurried out, stopping briefly at the Grid Warrior's power generator. He stopped for a moment and then sprinted through the door and into the depths of the power room, seeking answers.

"Zordon, can we disable the teleport system?" Trini asked. She avoided her teammates' eyes, even those of Zack and Jason. She didn't want to believe what she suspected, but the idea had been there for a while.

"We can discuss this later," Adam interrupted. "Serpenterra is heading this way and we're out of Zords."

Zordon sighed; he had hoped this day would never come. He knew that if the Power Chamber was lost, his link to the Rangers would be gone and so would all hope.

"Alpha, return Sam's wand and prepare for Operation Tempest."

"What about Billy, he's not in the room?" Alpha asked.

"I don't think it matters," Sam commented. "He's taken his Power Coin."

"You mean he's gone to help?" Kimberly asked, concerned. Nobody answered as the alarms heralded Serpenterra's arrival.

A streak of blue light heralded the arrival of Minion's uninvited guest. Billy Cranston stood before the cause of all his problems; Power Coin firmly in hand and promptly fell to his knees.

"Master," Billy acknowledged.

Minion's eyes glowed. "Welcome back my little spy," he said, taking in the youth before him. "Brasso, fetch my other guest, I believe Billy will find this meeting truly enjoyable."

Billy was silent, not for the first time wondering why he was doing this. It didn't seem the logical thing to do, but he had made the deal with Minion and he would honour his side of the bargain. There was the sound of a struggle as the WD Units led by Brasso dragged in Minion's prize possession.

"Ah, it's been a long time, Mr Cranston," Minion commented as another Billy was dumped at his feet.

-  
Flashback to Planet Crystal, The Recent Past

The landing had not been bad, but scrambling free of the wreckage had been difficult. Still, Billy had managed to clamber out of his ship.

"Zordon, Alpha, can you hear me?" he called, hoping his communicator would reach Earth. There was silence. With a sigh he made to explore his temporary home when he saw somebody ahead of him.

"Oh it's you," he said, relief crossing his face. "What are you doing here?"

He was too far away to be heard though. One thing was certain though: he was saved. He approached cautiously, in case his friends mistook him for someone else. He had never expected to see Zack and Trini here of all places and in Zeo Ranger uniforms no less. But why were they Zeo Rangers and what were they looking for that required them to enter Standby Mode?

"Billy?" Trini asked, obviously shocked. "Is it really you?"

"What are you two doing here?" he asked.

"There was a problem on Earth," Zack told him. "The others are... ill."

"Zordon sent us here to get the cure, but we were infected too," Trini explained. "The cure is to inhale the pollen of this flower." She paused. "You'd better take the cure too Billy, just because we're cured doesn't mean we aren't carrying."

"Yeah," Zack agreed. "Zordon will need to filter us through the teleport system to be certain.

Billy reached out and took the plant before raising it to his nose. He glanced up to see a victorious smirk on Trini's face as the pollen shot into his eyes.

"I told you he would fall for it," he heard her tell Zack.

"He always did trust you," Zack replied.

"Affirmative," came a third voice. He looked up to see an identical copy staring down at him. He tried to move, but the pollen had paralysed him. "I'll take that," the impostor said, seizing Billy's blank Power Coin.

"You won't get away with this," Billy warned.

"Oh but he will, Mr Cranston." A black masked figure had appeared in front of him. "My name is Minion, soon to be ruler of Earth. I see you've met my faithful constructs."

"You're joking."

"Minion does not jest, Mr Cranston. Your landing here was planned for from the moment you left Aquitar. Already my servant Arcana has injected one of your friends with a magical virus that requires them to come here. When they do, they will find your duplicate and take him back to Earth. Then, the fun will begin."

"The Rangers will stop you," Billy insisted. He had faith in his friends. He had seen what the Zeo Rangers could do and knew in his heart that they would rescue him.

Minion laughed. "Stop me, stop Minion? I already have the Zeo Crystal in my possession. Your friends are using temporary powers and second rate Zords. I doubt they could stand up to Finster, let alone Minion. Besides, how will they rescue you when they don't know that you're missing?"

Minion turned away from Billy to talk to his, well Arcana's creations; the duplicates were made from a similar substance as the slime Arcana had used to drain the Rangers' powers a day or so earlier.

"Do you understand your mission?" he asked.

"Yes," the Billy clone answered. "I am to infiltrate the Rangers, overtly offer my full assistance until the right time. Then, when the time is right I will destroy Tommy."

"Very good," Minion agreed. "You have the time it takes for Serpenterra to reach full power," and he ignored Billy's gasp," ensure that the Power Chamber is destroyed before you rejoin my forces."

"Yes master," the Billy-thing answered, bowing deeply.

Minion turned his attention to his other servants. "Take Billy and ensure he does not escape. Minion will send Bronzo to collect him when he's needed. After that, await further instructions."

The constructs bowed and dragged the real Billy away as Minion's image faded.

Flashback Ends  
-

And there it was, a plan that if the recent arrival was any indication, had been a total success. His clone of Billy had sabotaged the teleportation system to prevent Tommy leaving the Techno Megazord and entering the Power Chamber. And since Serpenterra had incinerated the whole area, there was little chance of the Red Ranger surviving.

"Do it," he commanded.

The Billy clone pulled out a remote and pressed the button, setting off explosives he had planted throughout Power Mountain. In one shot he hoped to take out the Zords, the armoury and most importantly, the Gem Coin powers. The clone had already stolen Billy's Power Coin back. He had even taken Sam's coin, robbing the Grid Warriors of their powers.

"Good, now go to the island and start work on your next task," he said. The clone promptly obeyed. "And that Billy is why Minion will triumph. I have the tools, the knowledge and the power. You could too... join me."

"No." If it had been one of the other Rangers, Zack or Rocky for example, there would have followed a tirade about how they would never join forces with evil. Billy didn't bother, his attention focussed on Minion. If the villain chose to attack him physically, mentally or magically, he wanted to see it coming. He knew that if a villain wanted him on their side they would have a way to force him to do so. Pretty speeches would not change that.

Minion cocked his head to the side before ripping off his mask. What Billy saw was shocking. The face was twisted, disfigured by metal rivets and hoops; it was unquestionably his face that was staring back at him coldly. And when he spoke, Billy recognised the voice as his own. "That's ... regrettable." Then Billy felt himself being hauled to his feet by the WD Units. "Take him to the island."

Power Chamber

Explosions ripped through Power Mountain, destroying every room that the Billy impostor had been to. The Citadel at the top of the mountain was the first victim, collapsing in as it had done so when Rita and Zedd had blown it up previously. Then the explosion progressed down the main lift shaft, taking out the Zord Cannon as they did so.

Elsewhere in the mountainside the Secondary Zord Bay exploded, falling rocks crushed the medical room and the armoury was destroyed, the ammunition stored there added to the blasts and ripping through into Billy's secret storeroom.

Other explosions were triggered in the areas of the mountainside that had been used to store the Zeo Zords. The bays and the machinery used to launch them were destroyed, undermining the foundations as it shot up the central access tube. The Briefing Room was consumed in a massive fireball.

_"Hello Rangers." _The message had started as soon as the first explosions had been heard. _"If you haven't guessed by now, those explosions were not caused by Serpenterra; yours truly accepts full responsibility."_

"Billy. How could you?" Trini asked.

_"How could I betray you, my friends?" _the message continued. Obviously he had accurately guessed their questions. _"Easy you simpletons, I was never your friend; I'm not even Billy Cranston, just a clone obeying my master's wishes while the Billy you know rots in my master's prison. How does it feel Rangers to know you let the enemy into your headquarters and helped him to destroy you? And for the record, Tommy and Aisha's didn't die because they failed to teleport; I cut the power, just as I stole the Power Coins. Goodbye Rangers, knowing you wasn't as pleasant as fooling was."_

That was when the Power Chamber had exploded.

Springwood, Ohio

Serpenterra continued on its path of destruction, unhindered by the machine's high fuel consumption, which had been corrected thanks to the Zeo Crystal's near infinite supply of energy. Even with its plasma cannon repeatedly firing the fuel cells didn't show signs of diminishing. Of course the shots were not the high yield planet crushing blasts that it had used before. For some reason Minion found it more pleasurable to take lives in small doses rather than kill all life at once.

Below was a small town. It managed a few select stores, a public bar, elementary school and its own small television station. The major employer in the area was the nuclear power plant, the most notorious plant in the country since its millionaire owner was a miser who was more than happy to ignore as many safety rules as possible. The mayor was a corrupt womaniser who spent much of his fortune paying the town's papers not to cover his indiscretions and the police department to deal with those that weren't sensible enough to accept bribery.

The town was not known for its citizens' calmed reasoned thinking at the best of times; today there was absolute panic. The people had realised that the monster above them could not be stopped and there even the old fallout shelters built in case of nuclear war, would not shield them. And so they huddled together under the statue of their town's founder, hoping that something would save them.

Serpenterra hovered over the town, waiting as the sense of panic reached a peak. Then the energy flowed into its weapon systems. A glow formed in the mouth and with sudden ferocity, a plasma blast ripped into the ground. The roads boiled as the houses were vaporised. The people tried to cry out in pain, but their voices were already lost as the sound of the explosion echoed into the neighbouring town.

And on board the ship, Minion laughed as he adjusted his course to take him to Washington via a few other small towns. He was the master now and nothing could stop him. The Earth, was doomed.

**To be continued**

Disclaimer: I do not own the Power Rangers they belong to their respective copyright owners and are used here without permission. No money is being made from this fic.  
Authors Note: This is an alternate universe from the television show with an alternate timeline.

**When the Smoke Cleared**

The desert outside of Angel Grove looked as if it had been used as a testing ground for nuclear weapons. For that matter the city itself did not look much better. A combination of the Elemental Beasts and Serpenterra had left a wide trail of decimation that even the Rangers had been unable to avoid.

At the bottom of the deepest crater, beneath a large chunk of scrap metal, something was moving. When Tommy Oliver and Aisha Campbell had tried to escape the blast wave that Serpenterra had unleashed, they had tried and failed to teleport back to the Power Chamber. They had failed and had been forced to try to outrun the energy wave.

-  
Flashback

"Well, well," Minion spoke, his voice carrying across the desert. "Seems we're all here. Allow me to introduce you to Serpenterra's full power!"

What followed was a firestorm as the monstrous Zord unleashed the power of the Zeo Crystal at its opposition. This time there was nothing the Rangers could do to protect their machines; Tommy and Aisha had tried to teleport only to find that they were trapped.

"Emergency separation!" Tommy called.

The arm of the Megazord detached from the rest of the body, transforming into its dune buggy form before racing off across the sands in an attempt to out race the destructive tidal wave that threatened to destroy them.

The sand on either side seemed to part as the ground underneath collapsed. Only their speed allowed them to plane over the ground as they raced toward Power Mountain. The light was growing brighter and the heat was causing the controls to smoke.

"Tommy tried the emergency teleport one last time, this time not aiming for the Power Chamber. Instead he instructed it to lock onto any point outside of the blast's radius. The wave had by this time caught up to the machine and just as they teleported, the blast ripped the Zord to shreds.

There was nothing as the Techno Megazord, Sky Megazord, Dragon Battlezord and Titanus, along with the remains of the Defender Zords were incinerated.

Flashback Ends  
-

"Aw man, that was close," Tommy commented as he regained consciousness.

Too close he noticed as his attention was drawn to the burns on his calves and shoulders. His powers had shut down while he had been out cold and as he shifted he realised that he had no idea where they were.

"Ow," Aisha said, an understated reaction if the wince she made when she moved her arm was an indicator. "Any idea where we are?"

Tommy studied the surrounding. They were in a tunnel of some description, one that if the dimensions were any indicator had been intended to act as a freeway. Water was leaking in from above and in one spot he could just make out daylight.

"We're in the tunnel between the Power Chamber and Angel Grove," he said at last. "The computer must have teleported us underground before the blast connected."

He tapped his communicator, expecting to teleport back to headquarters. But nothing happened even when Aisha tried her own communicator.

"Zordon, come in," Tommy tried. "Zordon, Alpha? Jason, you there?"

There wasn't any sound, not even the noise made when they pressed the buttons.

"Something's wrong," Aisha stated. "Do you think Serpenterra destroyed the Power Chamber?"

Tommy shook his head. "Zordon would have done something," he said confidently. He tapped his powerless communicator again. "Come on, I think we need to go this way."

The Power Rangers' headquarters had been decimated by Billy's treachery. The bombs he had planted had been positioned to cause maximum carnage and ensure that should the Rangers survive, they would be alone and incapable of fighting.

The mighty Eltarian generators that had powered the mountainside were silent; most of the wiring essential to their operation had been ripped out when the power control room had collapsed.

Zordon's tube had been blasted to pieces, cutting the White Master out of the Power Chamber and rendering him helpless to do anything other than to watch as events unfolded. Alpha had also seen better days, his head scattered between the remains of several consoles, a large shaft of metal pinning his remains to the center of the Viewing Screen.

The rest of the Power Chamber had been destroyed when the explosives attached to the structural supports had detonated, sending the floor and the Rangers into the depths of the mountainside. The falling debris had crashed through pipes and conduits as it fell, clearing a path for the teens to follow.

With luck the Rangers had been able to control their falls, grabbing onto anything they could to slow their descent. Sam had used the Wizard of Deception's wand, which had been damaged protecting them from the full force of the explosion, to ensure a safe landing somewhere deep underground.

There was the sound of somebody moving, a few soft pops and then light as Trini managed to find one of the glow sticks the Rangers had placed on each level in case of power failure. Now that they were able to see where they were they could assess their situation. It didn't look good.

Rocky was in the worst shape having damaged his back during the fall. There was very little they could do to help him since their knowledge of medicine was limited. Tanya and Kat worked to make him comfortable until it was safe to move him.

The others had not escaped unscathed. Cuts and bruises were a common injury; Zack had singed the hair on the left side of his head. Adam had a nasty cut to the shoulder; the piece of shrapnel embedded just an inch from his neck showed how lucky he had been.

"David?" Trini asked softly. The White Grid Warrior had been quiet and she was worried that his injuries were worse than she had first thought.

He looked up at her and she could see he was in shock. The sparks from the explosion had damaged his eyesight. She suspected he would recover, but like Rocky, he needed real medical attention as soon as possible.

"Zordon, Alpha," Jason tried. He had wrapped a piece of torn T-shirt around the gash on his head.

There was no reply and if he were honest, he hadn't expected one. The main chamber had taken the brunt of the assault, so there was very little chance that Zordon and Alpha had escaped.

"This place is going to take forever to repair," Zack noted.

The others nodded in agreement.

"On the plus side we still have some power," Adam reported as he studied his Gem Coin Transformer. True without the machinery they would not be able to recharge their powers, but this gave them some chance.

"Better save those for now," Trini warned.

"What are we going to do when they run out?" Kat asked.

"Worry about it later," Sam interrupted before anyone could reply. "Listen."

"I don't hear anything," Kimberly replied.

"Oh no," Trini gasped. When the others looked at her, she explained. "We're deep inside the mountain and there's no soundproofing down here. If we can't hear anything then the generators aren't working."

"And no generators means no air circulation," Adam added.

"All right, first priority is to find a way out. There must be something, even one of the old service shafts will do if it leads to the surface."

The others moved off to explore their surroundings, hoping to find a way out. Moving through the underground maze of tunnels, it soon became clear how much damage had been caused. Several paths were blocked and in some areas the floor had just given way.

It had been Kimberly who had stumbled upon the oversized construction vehicles at the very end of a long and crudely crafted tunnel. She had been surprised to find that the machines although clearly ancient, still had some power. It was Adam who understood their importance.

"These are the machines Zordon and Alpha used to bore the Zord tunnels," he explained. "They must have been left here when their task was complete."

"So they could dig us a way out?" Kat asked hopefully.

"Better than that," was the reply. "We must be near to one of the existing tunnels. Maybe we can find a way through."

"Okay, Zack and Sam go and help Rocky and David. Get them in here so we can leave. Adam, see if you can find a tunnel we can use." Jason paused. "The rest of us need to take a look around. Kat, see if there are any Utility Boxes on this level. Kim, we need weapons, see what you can find. Tanya and Trini, check out the last few doors in your search areas. I'll check this way."

The Rangers hurried off to complete their assigned tasks.

"This isn't good," Tommy groaned as they were faced with a solid wall.

At some point Zordon had filled the entrances to the Power Chamber and had planned for the Rangers to teleport in and out of the tunnel without the security risk of direct access. Sadly that meant they were now trapped with no way out.

"Maybe there's a backdoor," Aisha suggested.

Tommy thought about it. Zordon was a skilled and experienced tactician. It stood to reason that he would not have created a tunnel unless he had a way to escape should it collapse.

"What's that?" Aisha asked.

She could sense the vibrations from the far side of the wall and noticed the small pile of dust forming at the base of the wall.

"Tommy, get back," she warned as stone exploded outward as something broke its way into the tunnel.

Tommy didn't need to be told twice. He jumped away from the wall and holding onto his friend's hand, the two of them scrambled back down the tunnel as quickly as possible.

"Let's go!" Jason instructed.

Adam obliged immediately, turning the drill head to the appropriate wall and then engaging the drive mechanism. The three spinning heads rotated as he lifted the clutch and moved the heads forward into the outer layer of stone. The engine took on a deeper tone, suggesting that it was under strain as the heads clawed their way through the material.

"Bring the second drive into play," Adam instructed.

When engaged the second rotor spun all three heads to generate extra torque. As Trini started the drive, the difference was easy to hear as the strain on the engine was replaced by the sound of cracking stone.

"Twenty-five feet," Zack called from his station. He was monitoring their direction and distance to breakthrough while Kat watched to ensure they didn't strike anything harder than rock; knowing Zordon it was likely there were all sorts of materials around. "Ten feet. Breakthrough in ten seconds."

Adam revved the motors and there was a loud screech as the drill heads burst through the wall just as Tommy and Aisha jumped away.

"Good job Adam," Jason congratulated.

"Yeah," Zack agreed. "But what do we do now?"

Nobody had the answer to that.

"There's something ahead," Kat told them. "It's moving."

"Probably rats," Tanya commented.

"Too big for Rats," Kat responded. Her eyes widened, as the image grew clearer. "Adam, stop the machine, it's Tommy!"

Adam hit the emergency break, cutting power to the motors and energising the powerful electro magnets that restrained the flailing blades. As the machine ground to a halt just seconds before cutting their friends to ribbons, the Rangers breathed a sigh of relief.

"It stopped," Aisha puffed as she and Tommy climbed off the ground, not quite believing they had survived.

"We still don't know who's driving that thing," Tommy warned.

"Bro I have never been so glad to see you," Jason commented as the machine opened to reveal the other Rangers.

"I'm glad you're all safe," Tommy replied, helping Aisha into the machine. "What happened to you guys ... did Serpenterra ... hey, where's Billy?"

"That's a long story," Jason answered. There was a brief silence during which Jason and Tommy just looked at each other; they seemed to communicate with just their eyes. "Get on board and we'll fill you in."

Aisha and Tommy clambered into the machine and Adam engaged the motors before turning the machine towards the surface. It was time to get above ground and make some plans.

On the Moon, Lord Zedd was watching the events on Earth with a keen interest. The Rangers were once again back in the fight it seemed albeit using technology that was becoming more unreliable every time they used it. It was Serpenterra that really held his attention. The beautiful machine of destruction was performing just how he had always dreamed it would. It moved as swiftly or slowly as the operator wished over its target and then extinguished everything surrounding it in a single shot.

People were suffering on Earth and Zedd loved it. His body pulsed with red light as he eagerly digested each scene of destruction and savoured every cry he heard from the battleground. His only wish was that he had been at the controls showing those miserable Rangers the true meaning of power or even just sitting in the cockpit watching the carnage first hand. Sadly that could not be and he reluctantly remained where he was, his eyebeam never leaving the planet's surface. Then in a flash of inspiration he realised that Minion's actions had given him a tremendous opportunity, one he intended to take advantage of.

King Mondo was torn between two conflicting protocols. While he admired the destructiveness of his Minion's little toy, it was his duty to point out its every flaw to his youngest son. His respect for his fellow villain clashed with the notion that Serpenterra had been built by organic creatures. And the idea that an organic creature like Zedd could create a machine capable of winning where the superior technology and knowledge of the Machine Empire had failed was almost as unbelievable as the notion that five immature humans could hold off the mighty King Mondo for almost a year. The very existence of Serpenterra was an insult to the Machine Empire. That it was winning with a mere monster at the controls made the situation seem far worse.

"Such a hideous design," he said out loud for the benefit of those around him.

"You are right as always dear," Queen Machina commented. To show her agreement she opened her fan and waved it in front of her face in an attempt to waft some foul odour away from her delicate nasal receptors.

"Daddy, why aren't you controlling that thing?" Sprocket asked. "It is a machine."

"Yes father, do tell," Gasket challenged.

Although Gasket and Archerina had joined forces with Mondo and Machina, there were still many unresolved issues between Mondo and his son. The bad oil that flowed between them had not vanished and both were clearly thinking that upon the conquest of Earth they would gladly dispose of the other. Of course Gasket imagined plucking Mondo's personality module from the remains of his trashed skull and crushing it under foot while Mondo preferred to make plans for the new obedient personality he would install in his son to make him more manageable, like Sprocket.

"Now Gasket, your father can hardly be held responsible for General Venjix's failure," Machina admonished.

"Venjix should have been melted down long ago," Gasket retorted.

Mondo gave a mechanical snort. "Venjix is a loyal servant to the Royal House of Gadgetry."

Not quite true. Venjix was one of Mondo's select generals and as such was loyal solely to the reigning monarch. In fact his loyalty went further and bordered on being fanatical. There were some rumours that he had banded together Cog's of a similar disposition and turned them into a cult.

"He is an obsolete fool," Gasket argued.

"If I were execute all those who failed me, you would have been on the scrap heap long ago," Mondo explained. "Venjix is undertaking vital research into the powers he took from a group of humans, reverse engineering the technology to suit our purposes."

"You forget Gasket that your father is a strategic genius," Machina interrupted.

"That doesn't explain how we can deal with Minion while he controls Serpenterra."

"Of course it does my malfunctioning mongrel," Mondo answered, "eventually Minion will have to step outside of his machine and then we can finish him."

"Or we could just let the humans do it for us," Sprocket said. The older machines turned to look at him, shocked to their core programming by his statement. "Look Daddy!"

Sure enough on the surface the Power Rangers had emerged. The war it seemed was not over yet.

Two hours later and the Power Rangers were sitting around an overly large table discussing recent events. With the Power Chamber compromised they had fallen back to a command post in another part of the Freak Zone. Their injuries had healed, proving that accelerated healing worked at least on lesser injuries.

"So an impostor that looked like Billy managed to get into the Power Chamber, plant enough explosives to destroy everything, possibly killed Zordon and Alpha, and stole the only two Power Coins in our possession," Tommy summarised miserably. "And we never noticed."

"It was a very good act," Zack agreed.

"Yeah but how could we be so blind? He's our friend; last time this happened we knew something was wrong."

"That's part of the problem," Adam pointed out. He had taken the betrayal to heart and dreaded to think what had happened to the real Billy. "Last time Billy was a part of the group. He was here and we noticed when his behaviour changed. This time Billy had been away so any odd behaviour was overlooked. This - whatever it was, took advantage of our relief over curing Jason and managed to avoid any awkward questions."

"Okay, I accept that," Tommy agreed. "But man, how much more damage can Minion cause? He's taken the Zeo Crystal and our Power Coins. We've lost the Zords, the Power Chamber, Alpha and Zordon due to his plans. And now he had Billy too. What do we do?"

"We need to get Billy back," Rocky said. His back had taken longer than expected to heal and even now it wasn't perfect.

"And the Zeo Crystal," Kat added.

"In the meantime we need replacement Zords and powers," Trini suggested.

"And guys, wouldn't it be a good idea to find a way to defeat Serpenterra?" Kimberly asked.

"What's the point?" Zack asked. "Minion's won this round. We had our powers and now he's taken them, we had Zords and he destroyed them. What do we have left?"

While nobody wanted to admit it, they felt the same as Zack. They had fought and they had been beaten down, they had gotten back up and now it seemed Minion had beaten them again. What could they do when their powers were all but destroyed and the one person who could help them was out of contact?

"I wish Zordon was here," Aisha whispered.

"Or Alpha," Kimberly sighed.

"Hey, I'd be happy to just see Ninjor," Tommy admitted.

There was a flash of blue light. "You called?"

"Ninjor!" Tommy, Kat, Adam, Rocky, Aisha and Kimberly cried as they rushed to greet their old ally.

"Man we thought you were lost," Tommy said as the Blue Morphin Master enjoyed the embrace of his former students.

Ninjor laughed, the kind of goofy laugh that turned out to be highly infectious because seconds later Aisha and Kimberly were giggling and the others were at least smiling.

"Did you really think that a little thing like reversing the flow of time could break our bond?" he asked, seemingly insulted by the very suggestion. "We are Ninja, and our bond has never been stronger. All you had to do was concentrate on our mutual bond and I would have been there; not that I would have been much use against the Machine Empire mind you," he allowed. "Still, it's the thought that counts."

"Um right," Kimberly said, trying to digest all that the Blue Master had said. "Ninjor we'd like you to meet some friends of ours. This is Jason, Trini, Zack, David, Tanya and Sam."

"I know all about the Green Ranger," Ninjor said. "I was there, remember?"

They did remember. When Zedd had held Ninjor as his captive, he had used the Blue Morphin Master to create a Power Coin for Minion. Later he had used the Morphin Master again, this time as a bargaining chip to make the Ranger agree to his terms for a contest. Sam had arrived when the Rangers had lost.

"But where is Billy?" Ninjor asked.

Tanya and Kat looked down miserably as Jason and Tommy took it in turns to explain. It had been their mistake that had brought the impostor - a temporary construct created by Arcana - back to Earth. And even though the others had accepted him as Billy, it was the fact he had arrived with them that had made the illusion convincing.

"I see," Ninjor said when they finished, rubbing his hand over the lower part of his chin. "So let me get this straight, you managed to fight off Rita and Zedd, the Machine Empire and the Elemental Beasts using temporary powers and makeshift Zords?"

There were some nods. When said like that they realised how the odds had been stacked against them. Perhaps they should never have tried.

"And you tied eight Rangers to two Power Coins, creating Grid Warriors?"

Once again they nodded. When stated by a third party they realised how ridiculous it sounded. Had they really been foolish enough to believe it would work?

"Well in that case I can only say one thing," Ninjor concluded, sounding strangely serious. "Congratulations Rangers, not many would have fought on when faced with such odds. Your bravery is proof that you are worthy of the Power; Zordon chose wisely. And with Ninjor on your side we shall triumph over evil."

"You mean you'll help us?" Kimberly asked. They looked up at him, hope in their eyes and Ninjor realised how young these humans really were. So much responsibility placed on such young shoulders. If he hadn't seen them in action for himself, Ninjor would have been having a serious chat with the old wizard.

"Of course I will help," Ninjor said. "Together we will overcome the odds and show Minion the true power of Ninjor." He looked at the Rangers speculatively. "Or perhaps find help to show him the power of Good."

"So we can get new powers?" Adam asked, uncertain.

"That's great Ninjor, where do we start?" Tommy asked.

"Not so fast Tommy," Ninjor warned. "Your old powers still exist," he explained. "Only when you have retrieved the Zeo Crystal can you use new powers."

He held out his hand expectantly and the Gem Coin Rangers handed over their Gem Coin Transformers. He felt a little hurt that they believed he would just leave them to fight without any powers.

"My, they're pretty," Ninjor, commented as he studied the devices. He pulled a screwdriver out of somewhere and started tinkering. "Hm, missing something ... ah ha! Be right back." He vanished only to reappear behind Tanya seconds later, making the Yellow Ranger jump. "You shouldn't leave these lying around," he told them, holding up the remnants of the Super Zeo Gems.

They had been damaged in the explosion and only the Red gem seemed to be intact despite the cracks that ran across its surface. Ninjor closed his hand and pressed them into a single gem. Then he took a blank Power Coin and pressed the gem into the surface.

"See Rangers, even I can make a Gem Coin," he joked as he handed it to Tommy. "This should keep you going for a while, at least until we return. I'll just take your friends here and see if we can retrieve Billy."

"Awesome," Zack said, the enthusiasm clear in his voice.

"Indeed," Ninjor agreed before turning back to the former Zeo Rangers. "Just try to slow Serpenterra down."

"Ninjor, what about Zords?" Kat asked.

"Oh my yes, you Rangers don't appear to have much luck when it comes to Zords. Now let me see... Perfect!" He raised his hand and the Rangers were forcibly teleported into one of the craters left from the previous battles.

"I don't believe it survived," Rocky gasped.

At the base of the pit the Ninja lay unmoving. It had clearly seen better days, but was far from being destroyed.

"A bit of a fixer-upper," Ninjor remarked, "but still functional."

"That's great Ninjor," Tommy said, "but we still need a plan. Serpenterra is too powerful for a direct attack."

Ninjor scratched his head in thought, and then straightened as his keen senses locked onto something else. "I believe you will find one of William's creations over there."

The Rangers had overlooked that Zord. While not destroyed by Minion along with the rest of the Zeo Zords, they had thought it was destroyed in the Zord Bay. It would take work to bypass the need for Tommy to use the power of the Red Zeo Ranger to operate it.

Tommy still didn't look convinced. They had the Ninja, which had seen better days and the Red Battlezord that even if they could control, would be little more than a puppy dog biting at Serpenterra's feet.

"Fear not, Ninjor is on your side," the Blue Morphin Master assured them. He was going to say more but trailed off as something caught his attention; there had been a sudden loss of life on the planet. While it had only been a thousand or so humans, the pain and fear they had felt was no less real.

"Ninjor, are you okay?" Aisha asked as the Rangers gathered around.

"I'm fine Rangers; there are vile schemes afoot. Minion's scheme must be halted."

"Aw man, as if we didn't have enough problems," Tommy groaned.

"Ninjor, what are we going to do?" Kimberly asked.

"We will continue to defend the Earth until we can get Zordon back," he announced after making a point of pondering the problem. "But first, we need to get Billy."

The reply wasn't the one the Rangers had hoped for since they didn't want to be split up; they believed they were stronger as a complete team compared to when they were divided. Still, they understood why they had to divide their forces. Reluctantly the former Grid Warriors and David joined hands with Ninjor and were teleported away leaving the others to ponder their next course of action.

Destruction had proven to be a distraction for Minion as his journey to Washington turned into random attacks on as many towns as possible. He had already shifted course once, deciding that Texas would make a suitable target. So far he had refrained from using a major burst from the main cannon, settling for equally destructive eyebeams and blasts from the antlers.

Resistance from the military had been constant and he had to grudgingly admit that the humans had courage while faced with impossible odds. The jet pilots and tank drivers who had been killed trying to slow Serpenterra was a testament to their bravery and ultimately symbolic of their stupidity.

Now after indulging his vindictive side by laying waste to a small ranch in Utah, he decided it was time to return his attention to more important matters. Serpenterra turned sharply before resuming its path toward Washington. By now he had accepted that neither the President nor the Vice President would be there when he arrived, but the very act of dominating the White House would be a show of strength to the rest of the world that he was in charge.

His mind drifted to the Rangers. They had been worthy opponents and he would miss them. There again the thought of their screams as Power Mountain had been ripped apart inside gave him a sense of power and a feeling of triumph. He had bested his enemies and redeemed his previous losses. And now he was going to use their powers to force the Earth into submission.

He was so busy dreaming of how glorious it would be to walk triumphantly among the vanquished humans that he was taken by surprise when Serpenterra was jolted by an energy blast. The alarm sounded as the machine registered minor damage to one of its armoured sections.

"Show me," he commanded.

Brasso obliged, using sensors on the hull to find their attacker, now a speck in the sky.

"Magnify."

Once again the henchman obeyed, zeroing in on the golden pyramid. A second blast erupted from the apex of the Gold Ranger's Zord. Pyramidas while smaller was obviously a powerful machine. At least it had enough firepower to damage a machine that several Zords had failed to scratch.

"Welcome home Trey," Minion said before stumbling as yet another blast connected. "Destroy him!"

Serpenterra turned towards its attacker and the fight was on.

"Another hit," Travis commented.

Originally Travis had planned to stay on Triforia with Trent to try and establish some form of government. But when he had received the official reports stating just how dangerous the situation on Earth had become, he had reconsidered. His Triforian Viper had caught up with Trey in Hyper space and the two had travelled together to Earth.

When they had arrived, Trey had discovered the remains of the Power Chamber and had assumed the worst. Unable to find the Rangers, he had started to hunt down Serpenterra instead. So far the six or so shots they had thrown at the enormous machine had had only a limited effect. It seemed that the only vulnerability would also prove the most dangerous area.

"Lookout!" Trey warned as Serpenterra fired back.

Pyramidas was big, Serpenterra was much larger and its firepower was unhindered by its bulk. Pyramidas lurched off course to avoid the blast, the pilot unwilling to test his shielding.

"We will never get close enough to damage it," Travis warned.

Trey nodded as the Zord was skimmed by an eye blast and twisted under the force.

"I am pulling back," Trey answered. "We will have to find another way."

"Returning to Angel Grove," Travis answered.

The machine streaked off across the countryside, its pilots already making plans to strike again. They had failed to destroy Serpenterra, but they had learnt that a direct assault would not work. They needed to play dirty.

"What is that?" Travis asked when the red light started pulsing on the control panel.

"The Rangers," Trey gasped. "They are alive."

The Zord changed course again, this time heading for the desert outside of Angel Grove.

Gasket watched the proceedings with contempt. He was the ruler of his own planet yet was forced to listen to his father's babble. He had had enough and one look at Archerina confirmed that she felt likewise. If he had been capable of doing so he would have smiled as they slipped away to start their own plan. Alliances within the Machine Empire never lasted for long.

In a small room deep within the Lunar Palace, Rita Repulsa was also planning to take control of the situation. She had been the one who had first attacked the Earth, so it seemed only fitting that she would be the one to rule over the planet once the Minion had emerged victorious. Controlling a being as powerful as the clone had proven to be, was a daunting task, but not impossible. She was responsible for his existence after all. That gave her a relationship she could use to forge a spell. Perhaps she could make him love her and get rid of Zedd. A husband like Minion would make a welcome addition to that small but obscenely powerful army.

She was already chanting; laying the foundations of a binding spell that would bend the construct to her will. It would take time to work he would once again be under the guidance of Rita Repulsa. Everything would be the way it should be, again.

Her spell casting could be heard throughout the Lunar Palace. Rito scratched his head, not really understanding why his sister had to make so much noise; Goldar grumbled under his breath that no good would come of Rita's actions. Neither had a true understanding of how Rita's magic worked and both preferred the simple point and cast method. Zedd himself could only recognise a few words of the ancient language his wife spoke, but knew that she was calling forth all the magic trapped within the artefacts on her altar to ensure the enchantment's success. Only Finster seemed to know what was happening; the old monster maker had been with Rita for a long time and had studied her methods. He smiled gleefully at the sound of his mistress causing trouble for her enemies. He also felt relief that for once he could not count himself among the beings that that spell might be aimed at.

Minion's Island, Gulf of Mexico

They had not expected to attack so soon when they had agreed to join Ninjor's expedition, but the Blue Morphin Master wanted Billy out of evil's clutches as soon as possible; he was not about to leave one of his students in the hands of the enemy given how the Rangers had been willing to risk everything to save him.

"Be very quiet Rangers," he warned as he led them through a maze of corridors. "We do not want to attract attention."

"Easier said than done," Trini answered as she caught sight of the WD Units guarding one of the cells.

"Fear not, I shall make a diversion for you," Ninjor offered. He strolled forward with a sense of confidence that only a Morphin Master trained in the disciplines of Ninja with an easy escape route could manage to imitate. "Hey you there," he called to one of the WD Units, "is this the Ninja Ranger Convention?"

The machines reacted predictably, querying their computerised memory units, locating Ninjor and identifying him as a threat. They charged in, ready for a fight and were surprised when he teleported further down the corridor. He did so repeatedly until the way was clear for his students.

Using the distraction to their advantage, the Rangers sneaked up to the cell and opened the door.

"Hey!"

They turned toward the sound in time to see more guards approaching.

"Is this the real Billy?" Aisha asked.

Trini stared at him for a moment, looking into his eyes. When they stared up at her pleadingly and nodded sadly; the boy's jailers had not been kind.

"Then we're gone," Jason announced. "Ninjor, hurry up."

"Patience Jason," Ninjor answered. He had been having fun proving that he could embarrass the WD Units with ease.

In the meantime the lead WD Unit had pulled out a communicator and was in the process of summoning help.

"Security breach in holding section."

Alarms sounded across the island as the WD Units were teleported out. The corridors darkened and behind them a heavy plated door slammed into place.

"Oh no," they heard Billy mumble; he was still unaware of where he was.

"Billy, what's happening?" Trini asked.

"It's a Centaurian," he managed as if that would explain the panic on his face.

Venjix had not been idle during his time in Minion's service and had put himself to work improving on the standard WD Units. The Centaurian was one such improvement. It had the slightly enlarged upper body of a WD Unit combined with a robotic insect that acted as its lower body. Its head was pointed with a pair on mandible claws and two spiked antennas.

It stomped forward and the Rangers wisely chose to retreat. They ran through the corridors, joining up with Ninjor on the way. The Ninja master had found himself unable to teleport and had quickly returned to help his students.

"Oh my!" he exclaimed when he saw the creature heading his way. He called on his powers and threw a ball of flame at the machine, but it kept coming. He threw a second ball at the ceiling and managed to separate the robot from its prey.

"That won't hold him for long," Kimberly guessed. The Centaurian was already trying to break through the makeshift barrier, its arm transforming into a cutting disk.

"Destroy the head unit," Billy advised. "That's where the teleport jammer is."

"Great, of all the times not to have a Blade Blaster," Zack grumbled.

Ninjor promptly obliged, he was a Morphin Master after all. The weapons he gave them were old, heavy had most likely been created for use by beings that were larger than the Rangers.

Jason took the first weapon gratefully, turned around and fired at the door behind them. It buckled but remained in place, so he fired twice more. On the third shot it opened far enough for the Rangers and Ninjor to squeeze through. In some cases, avoidance was better than fighting.

"Oh no, guys!" Kimberly called from further up the corridor.

They ran to join her and found a squad of WD Units blocking their path.

"Back the other way!" Jason ordered as a spear missed his head. He pulled it out of the wall and handed it to Ninjor. "If that thing back there is made of the same metal, this might hurt it." For some reason given that their Blade Blasters had proven ineffective against the WD Units, he reckoned the javelin would be their only chance.

"Jase, this wall is hollow," Zack called, pointed to a hole one of the WD Units had just punched in metal sides of the corridor.

"Right," Jason said, an idea starting to form. "When I blast the wall, everybody go through and get as far away from the hole as possible. Zack and I will hold them off and hope that Centaurian is programmed to clear out all intruders.

Jason blasted the wall, cutting a man-size hole for the Rangers to climb through. Then while he and Zack blanketed the area with blaster fire, the others spread themselves around what turned out to be a storeroom; Ninjor had vanished in a puff of smoke. Using the rows of shelves as a way to slow the WD Units should they gain access, the Rangers waited.

The Blade Blaster fire did little to slow the WD Units. Not did the shots seem to phase the Centaurian as it ripped its way into the corridor. Luckily though when the Centaurian and the WD Units met, the security droid failed to recognise its allies and attacked.

What followed was a brutal battle. The Centaurian had been designed to be multi functional and carried an array of weapons. Between its sharp saw blades, plasma cutters and brute strength it cut, torched and bullied its way through the opposition. One of the WD Units managed to knock it onto its back, but the giant insect body just shifted position and stood straight back up.

As it ripped the head from the last WD Unit and made its way toward the hole in the wall, Ninjor reappeared, on its back. The half-ant half-humanoid machine struggled against the blue Morphin Master, but Ninjor allowed himself to grow, pinning the machine down.

"Now Rangers," he suggested as Jason and Zack fired at the Centaurian's head.

The machine showed no sign of damage and retaliated with its own blasts. One of its arms broke free and managed to grab Zack.

"Ninjor, I'm not the one with the armour," Zack yelled.

"I hate killing, but I cannot allow you to kill an innocent," Ninjor said as he drove the javelin he had been given early into the Centaurian's head. It didn't stop the monstrous creature, but it did break the interference, allowing the Rangers and their mentor to teleport away.

"So are we all agreed?"

It had been a surprise when Trey and Travis had arrived. The Rangers had been on the verge of leaving on a suicide mission. But the appearance of Pyramidas changed their plans. The mission would still be dangerous, but with luck they would survive.

Trey nodded solemnly. "Risky, but worth a try."

"We will have to ensure that you spend as little time inside as possible," Travis agreed.

"All right guys, we can do this," Tommy encouraged.

"Right!" the others agreed before separating. Rocky however did not follow them immediately.

"You know your part in all this is not risk free," he remarked.

In seemed in the heat of the moment everybody had been so concerned about Tommy's safety that they had overlooked the fact that the plan hinged on Minion firing on Trey while he was outside of his Zord.

Trey didn't reply; he had obviously realised that this scheme could lead to his death. Perhaps that was why he had insisted that Travis pilot the Wolf Zord into battle.

"Just be safe," Rocky said. There was a lot left unsaid, mutual respect between trusted comrades.

"You too Rocky," Trey replied before readying himself for action.

"Closing in on Serpenterra now," Trey advised as he fired a blast at the monstrous machine's tail.

That caught Minion's attention and the rematch was underway, Pyramidas skimming over the massive machine's back and even attempting to land. Serpenterra jerked around and Pyramidas had to take off again, but not before nailing one of the panels at close range.

Pyramidas twisted and dove through the atmosphere, its shape making the Zord difficult to direct. A lucky shot from one of Serpenterra's antler damaged the flight systems, causing the Carrier Zord to plunge.

"Get ready," Trey told his passengers. "Release."

A door opened in the side of the pyramid and the Ninja emerged. Trey's Zord had been able to repair some of the damage, making the other Zord operational again. Like a giant flee, it leapt onto the back of Serpenterra and started to cause as much damage as possible.

"Power Sword!" the Rangers called, hoping to use the energised blade to cut through the armoured plate.

"The Rangers, where did they come from?" Minion demanded.

They should have been dead; his agent had planted enough explosives to turn Power Mountain into a small hill. Even if they had had the protection of the Morphin Grid or the Zeo Crystal they would have been destroyed by the blast. And how had they been able to transform when he was certain that the Gem Coin generators had been destroyed?

~Perhaps Trey had something to do with their survival,~ he mused. It was an amazing coincidence that the Gold Ranger had decided to make an appearance around the time that the Rangers' miraculously survived his guaranteed plot to kill them. He paused. No, it seemed only the Gem Coin Rangers had survived, or were there different faces under those helmets?

Serpenterra shook as the Zords continued their attack but it pleased him that their actions were verging on desperation. They were also futile, which he proved by shaking the Ninja from Serpenterra's back.

"Lock onto the Ninja and fire," he instructed. "Then find whatever's left of Pyramidas and destroy that too."

Brasso and Silvo obeyed, but it seemed the Ninja was playing a new game of hide and seek by ducking out of the way each time Brasso locked on to fire. When they were finally in position, the Ninja just hovered defiantly in their path, almost blocking the view.

"Fire!" Minion ordered.

At this range it would be impossible for him not to destroy the Ninja with a single hit. That would put the Rangers in their place. He didn't notice the small burst of energy as the Rangers abandoned their machine.

One more time the Ninja was struck by a wave of highly destructive energy. But it was not Serpenterra's weapon that had struck it; it was a Gold Rush. The Ninja exploded, pummelling Serpenterra with debris, tearing into the armoured skin and shattering the forward sensors. The machine was virtually blind and forced to rely on radar.

"He's firing again," Brasso warned as the Gold Ranger fired, leading Minion to the conclusion that he had been tricked. The Ninja had been a decoy to draw Serpenterra into the firing path. He had to commend the Rangers since this was the first real damage Serpenterra had suffered since Minion had taken control of it.

"Severe damage to Section Seventeen," Silvo reported.

"How is that possible?" Minion asked. "That section is nowhere near the cockpit."

"Damage is spreading," Silvo added.

Minion was silent, wondering how they could have caused so much damage. Then it clicked into place.

"Show me those sections," he ordered. "External view."

Silvo obeyed, bringing them up on the screen for him to see.

"Tommy!" Minion growled angrily as he caught sight of the Red Battlezord blasting its way through the innards of his beloved machine. Any Ranger could have used the Red Gem Coin powers, but the fact the Red Battlezord was there without Billy or Alpha to reconfigure the brainwave algorithms meant Tommy had to be alive.

A second shot showed the Gem Coin Rangers using their pistols to cause as much damage as possible; the third camera had time to reveal the drilling machine they had used to break in before it was shattered.

"Gattling Cannons, fire!" Zeo Falcon ordered.

The Red Battlezord started pumping blast after blast of energy into the surrounding area as the Rangers retreated. He knew there was no way he could destroy the machine, but he was hoping to give Minion a hefty repair bill. The walls and roof disappeared as Serpenterra's jaws pierced its own body in an attempt to remove the intruder. Tommy took advantage by firing at the machine's head, trying to get a shot into the firing chamber.

But it was not to be. Even with a significant portion of its structure decimated either by the Red Battlezord, the Rangers or Minion's attempt to eject the intruders, Serpenterra remained operational.

"Trey, do it now," Tommy urged.

The Lord of Triforia did not need to be told twice. He teleported back to Pyramidas and taking advantage of the distraction the others were providing positioned his Zord on the monstrous machine's back. Pyramidas was small in comparison to Serpenterra, but the pyramid had enough power to cause the larger Zord to deviate from its course. Silvo promptly made adjustments, but it was an added distraction as the Rangers continued to tear up the insides of the machine.

"You are cleared to launch, Travis," Trey advised.

Shielded from Serpenterra's weapons by the pyramid's bulk, Travis launched his Viper, knowing that the small fighter could easily avoid the large machine's defences. Travis had one task as he flew around the body, taking occasional precision shots: to shoot out as many of Serpenterra's external sensor arrays as possible.

Serpenterra dropped suddenly, as a blast ripped through its hull and caused damage to the propulsion system. Backup units kicked in and restored normal flight. Even so Serpenterra was limping and in desperate need of repairs and the success of Trey and Travis's attempts to throw them off course was starting to show.

"Let us depart," Trey suggested as Serpenterra shook again.

"Roger," Travis responded. He landed his Viper and took control of Pyramidas, flying the Zord to a safe distance while Trey teleported to join the other Rangers inside.

Tommy moved the Red Battlezord onward toward the cockpit, constantly firing, hoping that he could hit something that would destroy the machine. Unfortunately his shots failed to hit any vital systems and he had yet to find the Zeo Crystal. Still, his Zord's weapons had managed to destroy a small generator and had ripped out a large section of hull in the process.

The other Rangers had been moving through the tail section of the mighty Zord, looking for the power core or an auxiliary control room. As they moved along the gantries, they tried to blast any dormant WD Units before they could be activated.

"How much longer Adam?" Tommy asked.

Zeo Frog checked his readings against the estimates that had been drawn up years before. It was hoped that causing enough damage would throw Serpenterra into a regeneration cycle, requiring it to return to the Moon. Of course that only worked if they disconnected the Zeo Crystal first.

"More than we can manage," he finally admitted.

"Okay guys, abandon ship, I'll finish up here," Tommy promised.

"We will finish up here," Trey corrected. "Just as we planned."

While Tommy had been talking to Adam, Trey had been connecting the Golden Power Staff to the Red Battlezord's weapon systems. They waited until the other Rangers were clear and then turned their aim towards Serpenterra's back section.

"I call on the power of the Golden Power Staff!" Trey cried, invoking the power directly as Tommy activated the Red Battlezord's weapons.

The combined energy ripped the hands off the Battlezord as it unleashed an unimaginable blast of explosive energy. It ripped through Serpenterra, punching holes in the armour as it swallowed anything in its path. While it wasn't enough to destroy Serpenterra, the onslaught ripped away the insides. As the pressure increased the blast ruptured sending a huge chunk of the rear section and the tail fell onto the ground, the WD Units inside mangled beyond repair.

Minion had had enough and decided to remove the intruders personally. He had not spent all that time charging his super weapon just to have some multicolored humans to destroy it. And it seemed that blowing off the tail section had only encouraged them to continue their attack. The Red Battlezord's weapons had been compromised, but its powerful fists were still capable of pulverising the support structure.

The WD Units he had sent to stop the Rangers' advance had proven ineffective, the Red Battlezord's size advantage and the close quarters meant they could not combine their forces.

"Take us up to sixty thousand feet," he ordered.

"Master, Serpenterra is not pressurised," Silvo warned him.

"Use the forcefield to pressurise it, fool!" Minion snarled back. "Must Minion think of everything?"

That was the problem with simulated intelligence: it sometimes lacked the ability to adapt and respond spontaneously. Still, Silvo was obedient and followed Minion's instructions precisely. Serpenterra shook as it struggled to follow the new course and the Red Battlezord shattered yet another part of the flight control system.

"Sixty thousand foot and holding steady," Brasso reported.

"Release the rear forcefield," he ordered. He was going to blow the Rangers out of his Zord and then go back to destroying Washington.

Silvo did as ordered and the monstrous machine was almost torn apart.

The sudden loss of pressure tore anything not secured to the ground and attempted to throw it through a hole that had suddenly doubled in size after the first few objects had torn their way through. The Red Battlezord fought to hold on, but the forces at work were immense and if that was not enough, there was the additional force of other debris that hit their machine on the way out.

"We have one more shot," Trey guessed.

"Let's do it!" Tommy agreed.

If they were going out it would not be in the way that Minion expected. The Zord launched itself along the corridor, spinning like a drill as it fought the suction and tried to cause as much damage as possible, all the way to the cockpit.

"We are not going to make it," Trey reported.

"Adam, what's the reading?" Tommy asked.

"You're almost there," Zeo Frog answered.

Zeo Falcon nodded and changed course, ripping through the floor on the way out and hoping the addition damage would push the safety limits Zedd had incorporated in Serpenterra's design. As the Red Battlezord exited the metal monster, the Rangers ejected, hoping that the Red Battle Zord's control program would allow it to touch down safely. Then they joined their friends on the ground.

Minion had not anticipated the Rangers' actions. Their attacks had seemed to him illogical, but as the alarm sounded and his henchmen reported zero control, Minion understood the Rangers had been trying to force the machine to enter a shutdown cycle and return to the Moon. If that happened, he would lose control of Serpenterra, not that it was much use in its current condition.

"Master, should I disconnect the Zeo Crystal?" Silvo asked.

Yes, that would be the logical thing to do, save the Zeo Crystal, which could still be used, and leave Serpenterra for dead. Still, he would make the Rangers pay for ruining his plans. His armies were still overwhelming the Armed Forces and in the end nothing would stop him. And the Rangers? The Rangers were tired, exhausted from their ordeal. Now would be the perfect time to strike at them.

"Secure the Crystal," he said finally as the ground came racing toward them. "We're leaving."

He reappeared on the ground and watched angrily as the once mighty Serpenterra turned away from the Earth, its metal body glowing red as it continued to burn. It would survive, Zedd had built it to withstand the strongest attacks. While the Rangers had attacked in an unexpected way and had benefited from the lack of internal armour, they had not counted on its repair systems.

And speaking of the Rangers, he was pleased to see they had not managed to get away with their foolhardy assault unscathed. They had exhausted whatever powers they had been using and their Zords were barely functional. Their modified Gem Coin were straining to maintain their morphs as they slumped on the edge of a crater as Minion closed in.

There was nothing fancy about his attack; he used the Zeo Crystal to generate a large ball of energy that he hurled at the unsuspecting teens. When the smoke cleared it was obvious that he had won.

"And so it ends," Minion said, his foot resting on Tommy's back, turning his toe from side to side and causing the Red Ranger to hiss in pain. "Minion emerges all powerful and you Rangers gain no reward for your efforts. This won't even be painless... or quick. I assure you though, it will be final."

He turned, sensing a movement but unable to make out the red blur that was heading in his direction.

"Inconceivable!" Minion exclaimed, bringing his arms up to block the blow. But the Gold Ranger's fury was uncontrollable; he would not be stopped by anyone. Trey had not expended as much energy as Tommy during the battle onboard Serpenterra and his anger at seeing his friends hurt so callously drove him onward.

**~What in hell . . .?~**

It was an agony for Tommy to push himself up on his elbows, twisting still more the wound that Minion had taken such pleasure in aggravating, but Tommy did it anyhow, compelled upward by some bizarre intuition. He could feel a startling blaze of power nearby, but unfamiliar. He stared in shock as the Gold Ranger continued to drive fists and feet into his foe.

Trey had somehow managed to increase the power of the Gold Ranger. ~No,~ Tommy realised as he watched, ~he's found a way to contain the power of a Gold Rush.~ His body glowed gold, but that was just from the energy.

The Lord of Triforia was grunted as he swung the Golden Power Staff like a hammer, shattering the Sword of Darkness as he attacked Minion relentlessly; his aura blazed around him like a massive bonfire. The ground was shaking with the force of hiss attacks, sending cracks throughout the range as he steadily began to drive Minion deeper into the far side of the crater; Tommy realized abruptly that the tremors had also been caused in part by the explosive surge of Trey's power. There was just one problem, it could not last.

The Gold Rush had not been intended for this sort of use and as such the attack was starting to lose its potency. Trey was so obsessed with keeping the villain off balance that he seemed not to notice either the fact that his blows were doing no serious damage, or the cruel smile that had appeared on Minion's face. The villain was allowing himself to be attacked, apparently finding Trey amusing. Tommy felt a wave of panic pass through him; the Gold Ranger was in trouble.

He tested his limbs; although his broken right arm hung limp at his side and the hole in his chest was bleeding his life away, he wasn't dead yet, he still had some strength left. Enough, at least, to help his friend.

"Guys," he said, turning to where the other Gem Coin Rangers lay in various states of poor health; ~_Minion did a number on us this time.~ _"We need to help Trey."

His statement was met with moans and complaints. It wasn't their fault really, Tommy was probably in better health than most of his team following Minion's blast. Adam and Rocky managed to pull themselves to their feet, leaning on each other for support, Rocky grimacing as he tried to stand on his injured leg. They in turn pulled Tanya to her feet where she remained unsteadily. She had taken her helmet off, allowing her to pull the sharp material from her skull. She looked worse than she felt, unlike Kat who was nursing a broken left arm.

"Incoming!" Rocky warned as the Gold Ranger was thrown backward as Minion seized control of the battle.

Trey landed with a dull thud, his powers fading as he lost consciousness. A second stream of energy hit the ground meters from where he had landed as Minion emerged from the hole.

"You can have this victory Rangers," he told them. "Next time we meet, I will des..."

He stopped, clutching his head to stop the throbbing. Trey had damaged him more than he was willing to admit.

"Come on guys," Tommy encouraged. "We need to take him. Back to Action!"

They charged forward, unwilling to just sit back and allow Minion to finish the job. Their Gem Coin Blasters fired but proved ineffective against the villain's defences. Minion was too distracted to return favour and teleported away before they could reach him. They had won the battle, but the war was far from over.

Angel Grove,  
Hours later.

Assessing the outcome of the battle had taken time and in the end the Rangers had more questions than answers. They had clearly won; the Elemental Beasts had been destroyed, Serpenterra had limped back to the Moon and Minion had retreated. At the same time though the cost of the victory had been astronomical.

The Zeo Crystal was still in Minion's possession. Exactly how Minion had managed not to drop it while fending off Trey's attack was unclear, but all the Rangers had accepted that they needed to retrieve the crystal sooner rather than later. They needed it back, along with Zordon; the White Master was their guide and mentor to a point where even Ninjor could not replace him. Tommy hoped they could restore the link with his dimension although how they expect to do so was still unclear.

Then there was the Red Battlezord, which had barely escaped destruction following a rough landing. The bypassing of its functions to work without the Zeo powers had damaged some of the fail-safes, which would need fixing before it could be used again. That along with the loss of the Sky, Defender and Techno Zords placed even greater limits upon the Rangers, especially against larger threats.

If there was anything that summed up how lucky the Rangers' victory had been, it was a brief walk through the ruins of Angel Grove. The buildings and land damaged during the fighting had not returned to their previous states like they had during previous battles and Ninjor had hinted that the Rangers would need to seek out another method of making things right. Some areas were worse than others; elemental blood had proven corrosive during the Rangers' early battle with Water Elemental Beast. The same blood also proved poisonous to humans after prolonged exposure. Some buildings, especially in Angel Grove were in need of serious facelifts. But that was nothing compared to one section of the city that had been so badly damaged that it would be out of use for a long time as emergency workers tried to stabilise the area.

Rocky had been hospitalised with a broken back and other injuries. Billy had been lucky that despite his wounds he was judged well enough to go home; in truth there had been so many injuries that the hospital was just too full to hold him. Without Power Mountain's medical facilities, both were forced to heal the slow way.

Even outside of Angel Grove the carnage was easily visible; the trail of destruction left by Serpenterra had been extensive and many lives had been lost.

For the first time in three days the people dared to leave the safety of the monster shelters. Every opportunity had been taken to keep families together during the battle, but in a city the size of Angel Grove it had been difficult to unite everybody. Now those reunions were taking place, followed closely by warm showers to erase the evidence of three days without ample washing facilities.

Detective Park returned to his home and went to bed. This was his first real rest since the Elemental Beasts had appeared. Before doing so he ensured his wife and sons were okay, taking extra time to embrace his oldest son who had been missing during the attacks having taken shelter with friends. Adam and his father had only recently started to rebuild their relationship after Trevor learnt his son was a Power Ranger. Tonight the father was glad that his son had made it home safely.

That night the Rangers had gone their separate ways, promising to meet first thing in the morning. At that time they would find a way to set things right and hopefully find a way to help Rocky. They needed to recover the Zeo Crystal and restore contact with Zordon. Yes, they had survived their greatest challenge so far, but even Tommy had to admit that in their current state there was no such thing as an easy battle anymore.

A secret location, USA

_Serpenterra reared back and unleashed a devastating blast, turning the airbase into a crater. There had been no survivors as it had fired twice more to be certain._

"Stop playback," Nick Fury ordered, "we've seen enough and we all know what happens next. Opinions Gentlemen?"

General Galt leaned back after shuffling some papers. "I have said for years that leaving the protection of this planet in the hands of civilians is a dangerous decision. Now as you can see the price has been too high to calculate."

Several heads around the table nodded, General Norquist being one of the few exceptions. This was an old debate between the generals whose jurisdiction crossed the boundary lines of several countries. Norquist believed that the Rangers were their allies and that their job should be to provide assistance in time of need. General Galt was a firm believer that the military should handle all defence matters and that the Rangers should be under military control.

"Thousands of lives were lost in this attack," Norquist said. "But you cannot argue that the Rangers showed all the professionalism and dedication of our forces."

"No, no I cannot," the other agreed. "But can you argue that if they had been under military control they would have had the extra support to end the encounter sooner?"

"This recent encounter does present us with an opportunity," General Braxus, Head of Research and Development offered. He clicked a button and the screen showed several sites. "This is our first opportunity since the Oregon project to study this sort of technology."

"I agree," McKnight offered, causing the others to look at him suspiciously. He was known not to trust Braxus, a man who had a less than perfect track record. McKnight was many things, but above all he was loyal. "I propose we schedule the work with an outside agency, say Wayne Tech or Stark Enterprises."

Norquist tried to keep a straight face as he watched McKnight, a man he respected despite their disagreements over certain policies scupper any plans Braxus might have for the technology.

"I also propose the recruitment and training regime for Operation Lightspeed be accelerated."

Ah, Operation Lightspeed, one of McKnight's special interests. The project was under outside control, but the general took an extra interest in the technology and personnel. He had tried several times to shift the project toward a more military application.

"I agree," Norquist agreed. "Had Lightspeed been active over the last few days many of the casualties suffered here might have survived. However, I insist that Captain Mitchell and his team maintain control of the project and that this committee meets before any changes are made to Lightspeed's operations."

A vote was taken and passed. Unsurprisingly General McKnight looked pleased with the outcome while Galt had a speculative look on his face, no doubt wondering whether he could bring his own people in on the project. Norquist took careful note of all this but said little. He would need to watch the others carefully because while he truly believed McKnight's only agenda was to make Operation Lightspeed a success, Galt was known to have several side projects and nobody was certain of his overall agenda.

"Very well, it seems we are in agreement that there need to be changes. Effective immediately, Captain Mitchell and his team are to begin working on Operation Lightspeed. Secondly, after their initial success the Avengers were given some independence. That decision is reversed; an executive order was delivered earlier for the Avengers, JLA and Teen Titans to cease all operations inside the United States. Further actions will be taken to ensure compliance. Finally, work on Project Demon Hunter is to be given top priority until further notice. That gentlemen will be all."

Serpenterra crashed down onto the surface of the Moon, burying the remains of its metal body in the dusty rocks. The trip had exhausted its power requirements and without the Zeo Crystal to fuel its repair systems, the machine could only shut down and await its master's decision to make repairs. But this time repairs would not be forthcoming. In a fit of anger over what Minion had allowed to happen to his precious machine, Zedd buried the remains of his Zord, promising to find a new and more powerful weapon to use in the future.

This had not been Zedd's loss; it had been Minion who had failed to destroy the Rangers. Although to his credit, the clone had managed to get rid of Zordon and that annoying Alpha. The loss of the majority of their Zords and the headquarters would also make the Rangers more vulnerable in future confrontations.

Already a plan was in motion to take advantage of all that had happened. The Rangers had been weakened and the Earth was there for the taking. He just had to make sure that when all was said and done, he would be the one to claim victory.

Minion's Island, Gulf of Mexico.

He crawled along the rocky beach, the sharp stones tearing at his skin. He had been bested, but he would survive. His broken body would heal and he could be proud of the fact that the Rangers were unaware just how badly they had hurt him. His mind, unhinged by his recent experience would remain a matter of debate for some time to come. He would rise again. His grasp on the living world was fragile, maintained by an overwhelming desire for vengeance and a bond of existence he couldn't begin to understand.

Around him a storm was raging, lightning flashed in the sky as Minion clawed his way back to his fortress, cursing that Silvo and Brasso had not thought to look for him. The rain caused him to slip and slide as he continued his painstakingly slow progress.

In the distance he saw something walking toward him, the lightning illuminating the silver highlights on the otherwise black costume. Minion reached towards the figure, which ignored his gesture and prodded him with its boot. A second prod and Minion rolled onto his back, staring up at the opportunist who was about to take advantage of his weakness.

"If this is what has become of the mighty Minion I am disappointed," the figure proclaimed before moving aside to allow a second figure, this one obviously the muscle of the pair emerged from the darkness and with a swift movement, swung the battered clone over his shoulder as the pair walked away. "No matter, when I am finished with you, failure will not be an option."

**End of Part**

Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers or any other show. They belong to their respective copyright owners. No money is being made from this piece of writing.

**Lerigot's Greatest Trick**

The wizard Lerigot had enjoyed a long life. He had travelled, made good friends that he would trust with his life and had married a wonderful woman. He had a beautiful family that he would do anything to protect and while not the man wizard on his planet, he was comfortable with how his life had progressed.

He was a tall man, with a long white beard flowing down over his scarlet robes. Despite the white hair his dark eyes sparkled with life. He was easily as old as Lexian of Edenoi and Zordon, and just as energetic. He liked his human form; it was a very comfortable body. And now, past his prime and ready to enjoy a well-deserved retirement, he was ready to undertake the last of his duties.

It had long been a tradition for the wizards of his planet to perform three great deeds before they renounced their magic and enjoyed their declining years. In Lerigot's case it had been very difficult to find deeds that truly challenged his abilities. He had performed many great feats over the years, so the traditional challenge was even more troublesome. How could you compete with imprisoning a demonic creature and sealing him away on an island in a dimensional rift?

He had already decided upon one of the deeds he would try to perform. Many years ago a good friend and ally had been trapped in a time warp by a treacherous witch. He was going to free his friend and give him a chance to return to his home planet, perhaps even reunite with those he had left behind; Zordon would never know how much pain he had caused his family when he had been forced to leave them, it was a hurt that only Zedd's offspring could understand. ~And look what became of him, I bet Zedd fumed for weeks after discovering his son had become a Ranger.~

That was a task for another time though. The alignment of the planets had to be perfect if he wanted Zordon to return as a physical body and not the spiritual form he sometimes managed. For now he was concentrating on another of his great deeds. Energy flowed around the five-sectioned console before him. He had wanted to create a team of ten Rangers, his gift to a war-torn universe, but finding a way for those devices to work together had proven impossible.

"This is a unique application of magic," he said, dictating to a small recording stone. "The immense energy channelled into the 'keys' will allow them to be self-replenishing. The second part of the key contains a programmable template that stores and regulates the powers. The addition of a dual coil accelerates the energy making these powers highly suited for reconnaissance and speed; unfortunately they will be limited in terms of pure power."

This was Lerigot in his element, a screwdriver in one hand and his magical key in the other. It was pure techno-magic performed by a master of what was becoming a lost art. And here he was, creating devices to help those that the Council deemed unworthy and perhaps bring a little hope to the cosmos.

He was almost finished and just needed to find a home for his gift to the forces of Good. Moving over to the transmitter he tried to send a signal but found the signal was blocked by other traffic on the communication system. That meant he had a choice: wait for the signal to clear or go to visit his friend Zordon in person; the most respected hero of the Grid Wars was bound to know the best place to put the powers to use.

~I'll wait,~ he thought. ~I hate the side effects of travelling!~

It was almost comical that Lerigot the powerful wizard, got travel sick after a few hundred light years.

"Father!" Bethel shouted from outside the room.

"In here," Lerigot replied.

"Where?"

*The workshop,* he sent back telepathically. *You don't need to shout.*

He shook his head and waited for his daughter to join him. She appeared to be in her twenties, but in real terms she was an infant. Their race lived so long that they could afford to remain young, innocent and childlike at least until they were fifty. He smiled at her as she walked in. Wearing a long white gown with her blonde hair-tied back she reminded Lerigot of why he had fallen in love with her mother. He could tell from her face that something was wrong.

*What is it?* he asked.

*I felt something. It was a long way off, but I could sense a dark cloud of evil travelling towards us.*

Lerigot frowned. Like all of her people Bethel was telepathic, but since she was still young and her talent untrained she had a greater range than most of her race, but lacked the ability to zero in on the source. Still, if she had sensed something approaching and it had made her this nervous, he was not going to ignore it.

*Which direction did the feeling come from?* He asked.

Bethel pointed and her father nodded silently. Holding his magic key he closed his eyes and reached out with his mind, trying to touch the Universe beyond. There, just on the edge of perception was the black cloud his daughter had described. But it was not a cloud; it was a fleet of ships that belonged to the self-proclaimed queen, Divatox.

*Yara!* Lerigot called mentally. *She is coming!*

His wife was at his side and quickly they prepared to ensure the new morphers were placed outside the pirate's reach. Not that Divatox was coming for the morphers and both Lerigot and his wife knew it. She was after Lerigot himself, no doubt planning to use him during this time when his magic was so potent to undo his work and free her beloved Maligore.

Using their powers, Yara and Lerigot created a large space pod. Inside they place the five morphers. With little time Lerigot quickly programmed the ship to find Zordon and warn him of Divatox's arrival. He had no choice; it had to be Earth since that was the only access point Divatox could use to gain entry to Muiranthias. However at the present time even that doorway was closed to her unless she gained control of his magic key. Then instead of waiting for the dimensions to align and the doorway to open, she would be able to make her own.

"It is a good thing that only you can align the key," his wife said and he nodded. Without him, there was no way the false queen would fulfil her selfish dreams of freeing Maligore - for Lerigot did not delude himself for a moment that there was any love between the demon and his fiancé, except perhaps Divatox's love of wealth and power. He considered destroying the key knowing that so long it survived there would be a way to break through, but he couldn't bring himself to do so and rob Zordon of his chance for freedom.

*Launch the ship,* he told Yara. *I will slow Divatox's fleet.*

In a flash of white smoke he was gone, leaving Yara and Bethel to carry out his wishes. Divatox was bad news. She was a ruthless villain that allied herself with pirates to achieve her aims and would stop at nothing to get her way. And on top of all that, she hated Lerigot. He was the one responsible for her future husband's imprisonment and only the magic key could release him. Yara knew nothing would stop Divatox from taking the key.

Worse still was the news she had convinced one of the pirate chiefs to lend her a fleet of ships in return for the right to share in any spoils. And it appeared that the decision carried the support of the entire clan since she had been given two War-Class frigates; planetary bombardment was the favourite method of the pirates when it came to weakening planetary defences. It was something Lerigot wanted to avoid but somehow doubted that was possible.

"Captain Mutiny, we await your command," Barbarax, first mate of the SS Mutiny announced.

"As soon as we are in position, raid the planet," the captain instructed.

"Wait!" Divatox commanded, her voice travelling over the radio from her own small vessel. "Destroy, rape, pillage, kill... I don't care what you do to the planet, but I want Lerigot alive."

"You heard the Queen," the Captain growled.

"Aye!" Barabarax replied.

On board her craft, Divatox studied the planet below, remembering the day that she had learnt of her fiancé. He had been a powerful demon until he came to Liaria. There he had challenged the native wizards to a battle on the planet's surface, certain he could destroy them. The wizards, Lerigot's ancestors, had accepted the challenge and though Maligore had used every trick he knew to destroy the Liarian wizards, they had been able to draw on the power of his entire planet to repel the invasion.

The struggle was said to have lasted for days, with neither gaining a clear advantage until finally the native wizards had gained the upper hand and used their power to imprison Maligore in a wall of light. Once they had won; there was no need for further battle since the wall cut Maligore off from his source of power, causing a backlash deep within his soul. Flames had burst from Maligore's body as he was consumed by his own darkness. Instead of lifting the spell, the wizards had sent Maligore to the heart of a volcano in another dimension and had then sealed the doorways to prevent his return.

It had taken many years to discover that the last gateway to Muiranthias was on Earth, which only opened once every seven years through a doorway opened by Liaria's Golden Key, currently in the possession of Lerigot. The wizards had indeed spared Maligore's life, but only after imprisoning him for eternity. And that had left Divatox without the power she wanted. She renewed her vow that when she had finished with Lerigot he would know the true meaning of the word suffering.

~That annoying wizard thinks he can stop me from reaching Maligore, but he forgets who he is dealing with. I wonder how long it will take him to remember once I level his pathetic planet?~

"Give me a close up of the planet!" she shouted at her chief scientist, Porto.

Her craft was a primitive shuttle compared to the pirate ships, but it was the best her brother would build her at the time; while Divatox fancied herself a queen of evil, her family were busy building their own empire.

"Yes my Captain," Porto said.

On the screen appeared the image of the Liaria. Slowly the scanners closed in on Lerigot to show him high on the top of his home.

"There he is," Divatox said, the venom evident in her voice. "And he's got the key with him as well. Elgar, Rygog! Get down there and grab him before those stupid pirates open fire!"

Lerigot found himself on the highest point of Liaria looking up at the sky above. After consulting with his race and gaining their telepathic permission to do everything necessary to prevent Divatox freeing Maligore, he had launched the ship into space.

Now he had to stop Divatox taking his world. The magic key was indestructible, but the lack of a Liarian would slow her down. Reaching deep down into himself Lerigot started to focus his peoples energy. More energy added as the minds he touched drew power from their neighbours. Slowly an overlapping web of pure energy was created with Lerigot as its focus. The Power filled him, but he ignored the sensations of pleasure he felt. They were not important. What was important was that his people were becoming pure energy and joining him.

Lerigot soon passed the point where the energy threatened to destroy him; he had gone too far to stop safely. This would be his greatest feat, something that would leave his audience begging for more.

"Be gone!" he shouted.

He channelled the energy from his magic key and directed it at the pirate fleet, ignoring Divatox for the time being. The blast struck the armada head on, pushing the ships away. Engines overloaded as the fleet was violently shoved aside. The weaker ships disintegrated on contact and soon only Divatox's tiny vessel was left as the others were pushed thousands on light years away.

Then the planet was still, its people extinct. High on a mountain stood Lerigot, or at least what was left of him. His scarlet robe still shone in the daylight and his hand held the key he had used to overcome the fleet. But that was all that remained, his skin had been stripped along with the muscles and cartilage. Smoke rose from his charred body, which started to sway in the light breeze.

"Hey, there he is!" Elgar shouted as he ran up to the remains of the wizard. "He looks thinner than I remember."

"He's dead you imbecile!" Rygog shouted. "The key is gone too. Let's get out of here!"

Divatox listened as an underling ran through the list of repairs needed before they could get mobile again. It seemed that while the Subcraft had been spared the onslaught, it had been damaged by the debris from another vessel. Worse, it appeared Lerigot had ruined her immediate plans even though she had succeeded. The wizard had stolen her victory and that blasted pirate Mutiny was nowhere to be seen.

"My Queen, I have important news," Porto announced.

"What is it?" she asked testily.

"Lerigot is still alive."

"WHAT?"

Porto took a step back as the villainess advanced on him.

"It seems that the whole turning himself into a corpse was an illusion. He escaped while we were watching him attack the other ships."

"I don't know whether to strangle you or kiss you," Divatox said finally. "Find him. I don't care where he went. Find him and get me that key."

It seemed that her moment of triumph had been delayed, but only for a little while. Sooner or later Porto would manage to trace the runaway wizard and then her plans would resume.

"I can wait," she decided. In the meantime she would have some fun. "Set course for Nintega!" She had always enjoyed the Games Planet.

Victory had proven costly, escape had not been without sacrifice. The only way for his people to leave the planet undetected had been to alter themselves genetically. Gone were the human bodied people of Liaria and in their place remained a dwarf-like race of furballs. That was not the worst of it though. The children, those under fifty, had been changed into children; Bethel was a baby again. And there was nothing they could do, the changes were irreversible.

Still they had escaped Divatox and they would find a new home. They were on their way to find Zordon, using Lerigot's key to jump from one planet to another. No matter the cost this was a fight they could not afford to lose.

*Father, she knows,* Bethel told him, crying as she did so.

Lerigot and Yara exchanged looks before making another planet jump. It seemed their ordeal wasn't over yet.

**End**

Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers or any other show. They belong to their respective copyright owners. No money is being made from this piece of writing.

**The Need for Vengeance**

The Vortex, Outside of Time and Space

Not many could claim to be able to survive in the Vortex, a vast network that crisscrossed the various universes, dimensions and planes that made up existence. Fortunately, his vessel allowed him to hover endlessly in the void while he decided what to do next. Technically it was illegal to undertake any task in this area where time was irrelevant, though he had never been one of those characters known to follow the rules.

While the forces representing Good and Evil got most of the attention in the Universe, it was often forgotten that there were others with very different motivations lurking just beyond it boundaries. To these beings good and evil were irrelevant as they sought to fulfil their desires. Some enjoyed spreading chaos among the lesser beings and tormenting others for their own amusement, still more wanted little more than a Universe where there was order, and stagnation. Then there were those who merely deemed themselves to be beyond such petty concepts. Among these races the interference in the affairs of lesser beings was frowned upon. Using their magnificent powers for either good or evil was grounds for execution. Throughout history they had remained isolated, protecting only their self-interests and heartlessly ignoring the suffering of neighbouring worlds.

The Master was one of these superior beings, a dangerous renegade whose existence had been carefully hidden from his own people. His activities whether they were good deeds or foul acts, were motivated purely by his own greed. He didn't want order like some members of his race though; he wanted power. Normally his plans were elaborate and often required him to ally himself with others. Over time he had learnt that there was always a chance that his plans would fail and that even his backup plans were not guaranteed to succeed.

This time was different. He had learnt from his past mistakes and having managed to once again steal himself a body; he had set multiple plans into motion that promised him the chance to rule above all others, as he believed he should. To that end he had sought out an alliance with a being that while more powerful than him, needed something only he could provide.

It was a scheme that crisscrossed through time and space; a cosmic treasure hunt for a prize only one of his genius could comprehend. This wasn't about Earth or the Universe; when he had taken what he needed, he would move on, leaving the lesser beings to their petty wars. The search alone had taken a century, but it would be worth it when at last he could reap the rewards.

Minion's Island, Gulf of Mexico.

He crawled along the rocky beach, the sharp stones tearing at his skin. He had been bested, but he would survive. His broken bones would heal and his weeping wounds would close. His mind, unhinged by his recent experience would remain a matter of debate for some time to come. He would rise again. His grasp on the living world was fragile, maintained by an overwhelming desire for vengeance and a bond he couldn't begin to understand.

Around him a storm was raging, lightning flashed in the sky as Minion clawed his way back to his fortress, cursing that Silvo and Brasso had not thought to look for him. The rain caused him to slip and slide as he continued his painstakingly slow progress.

In the distance he saw something walking toward him, the lightning illuminating the silver highlights on the otherwise black costume. Minion reached towards the figure, which ignored his gesture and prodded him with its boot. A second prod and Minion rolled onto his back, staring up at the opportunist who was about to take advantage of his weakness.

"And so the mighty Minion had been reduced to crawling on his belly," a voice chided. He didn't sound American.

Lightning illuminated the sky yet it revealed very little to Minion. His unexpected visitor obviously liked black. The polymer used to make his knee high boots and the leather from which his duster style coat and gauntlet gloves had been prepared, at least had been coated to reflect some light. His hair was black, short and appeared to have been trimmed in a military style; from the short beard it was clear that he was not actively serving. His skin looked sickly despite the residual evidence of a tan. His eyes were a deep brown and shifted alertly as he casually placed his foot on the fallen construct's body.

Minion struggled, determined to show who was boss, but following his confrontation with the Rangers he was too weak to do much besides flail under the other man's foot.

"I'm starting to wonder why Dagsyxx even considered you for this task," the man said as he pressed the tip of his boot into Minion's side. He allowed his foot to move until he saw the desired wince, then he pressed harder.

Minion's brain raced as he tried to make sense of what he was telling him, his mind trying unsuccessfully to grasp what was going on. He couldn't concentrate though as the pain prevented his brilliant mind from concentrating on the matter at hand.

"I must admit that after all I had heard about you, Minion, I am very disappointed," the man announced. "All that promise you must have shown combined with the power that Dagsyxx granted you, you should have been a god to these primitive apes." His companion growled something and he raised his hands in a placating gesture. "No offence towards your wonderful tribe, of course."

He must have seen the unmasked fury on Minion's face following the criticism. It was clear that whatever the Rangers had done, Minion had suffered badly. That made things easier since it appeared that even simple words confused him. And there was another emotion that the construct was trying to hide, but which he knew all too well. It was the emotion that gave him power over others regardless of their physical superiority; it was a part of the reason why his companion obeyed him without question. Oh of all the emotions the lesser being of the Universe possessed, fear was by far his favourite.

"I have been instructed to remind you of your place Minion," he said, bending down to place a device of some sort on the construct's forehead. Then he pressed a button on the remote control he had rigged and watched as the device worked its wonders. "Your punishment is not mine to give, I'll leave that to Dagsyxx. Enjoy your visit Minion." He turned to his companion. "Watch him carefully. I shall return shortly."

The ape thing grunted an acknowledgement as the man disappeared into a side room. The grinding of machinery could be heard as he departed for destinations unknown. Seconds later there was the sound of him returning. As with all his journeys, they took less than a minute, quickly returning before he was missed.

Onyx,  
Weeks before

He stood before them enjoying the looks of annoyance on their faces. He assumed a nonchalant posture, knowing that it he needed to he could remove himself at a moment's notice; battling such a powerful group of villains would have been suicide. He had not lived as long as he had without learning that words were far more powerful weapons than fists.

"How dare you enter this chamber without permission?" the supposed leader of the Alliance, Maxell snarled. Or at least he tried to snarl. The Master had stood face to face with far scarier things and from the look of boredom on Rita's face; he was not the only one. He had seen and manipulated Maxell's type before. The man was a petty bureaucrat who had won his position through political means and of course the odd bribe. He would pretend to be impartial until his backers required a decision, then his true allegiance would become apparent. That Maxell had survived so long was a sign that his pleas for support to all parties had brought him time without a challenge to a physical combat.

Under other circumstances, he would have flashed Maxell a charming smile and extended his hand, using all the charm he could muster to the surface to help build on the other man's ego. But he needed the other man to work for him, not with him. He forced himself to remain impassive as Maxell threw a tantrum that any five-year-old human would have recognised.

"Seize him!" Maxell ordered.

The Master recognised the beasts that attacked him. The scientists on his world had studied them, dissected them, tested them extensively and published their findings in several tomes of detailed notes. While not an expert he could locate in his people's archives a breakdown of every genetic marker inside the creature's bodies. And when they had finished collecting the data which had allowed him such insight on the off chance he should ever meet them, the scientists had passed the remains to the kitchens where the finest chefs the planet could offer had conducted their own experiments.

He was not worried as the Reptilian creatures moved in. They were brutish and lacked intelligence, marking them as the best bodyguards that Maxell had been able to find. As the rushed forward and gripped him firmly he spared a thought for the ornate crafting on their spears.

"Be gone," he said, knowing that the combination of his tone and the glowing contacts he wore would give the correct impression. The occupants watched as the soldiers dissolved into the floor of the pyramid, their attention drawn to where his head should be and missing the small quantity of Ascetic Acid he poured over the floor. "You would be advised not to try that again Maxell," he announced, using as much of his telepathic abilities as he could manage without complete eye contact with his victim. He covered the activity, not willing to give away that ability whether successful or not. "You are a fine administrator, but little more."

"Who are you?" Zedd asked, his tone curious after the display of what he had assumed to be magic.

In fact the Master like the other members of his race did not possess magic. It was not that they had evolved on a world where magic was limited as was the case with Earth. Long ago there had been a war of ideology between those who believed in magic and those who denied its existence. Who had triumphed was unclear since history had been twisted and manipulated to the point where the magical faction had been wiped out. Now as a race science was sacred, psychic abilities were praised and magic was illegal.

"Yes," Master Vile agreed. "Maxell is a fool, but he is right; you are trespassing."

"Trespassing?" He allowed his acting skills to come to the surface along with the fine baritone he had once used to pass himself off as a singer. When he spoke, he imagined that he sounded outraged at any suggestion of wrongdoing on his part. "You accuse ME of trespassing? This is my world, a part of my empire; it is not I who trespass, it is you!"

"Us, hah!" Rita responded. "This planet is neutral territory. Nobody owns Onyx."

She had a point. Historical studies of Onyx had revealed that Onyx had never taken sides in the normal infighting. Like several other worlds in the sector it catered for anyone who had the money, the skill and the luck to stay alive.

"Onyx is mine, Rita Repulsa; it was mine the day I first set foot here long before your grandfather was conceived." The voice was calm, but there was a hint of annoyance that had been caused through Rita's tone. "I am the Master and I rule here."

It was true, he had gone back to the days before Onyx had been colonised and had claimed the planet.

"Impossible," Maxell interrupted.

The Master remained silent, allowing those present to draw their own conclusions and to make the first move for him.

"You - you think that you are _that _Master?" Maxell asked incredulously.

The Master didn't need his telepathic abilities to sense what was going through Maxell's mind. The bureaucrat was convinced that he was a lunatic, powerful but insane to walk into the headquarters of the UAE without their authority and then pretending to be a legend. That suited the Master just fine because it distracted anyone from accusing him of being a total fraud. Deep inside Maxell there seemed to be a faint trace of humanity. It was pathetic really.

"I don't think I am the Master," he answered calmly, building up to the angry statement that followed. "I am the Master and you WILL obey me!" As he spoke, he laced his words with a small burst of hypnosis. The effect was disappointing though as the villains burst out laughing. He sighed realising that his mind control might not work on their races, whatever they were; he was certain that the magic these creatures wielded so effectively altered their physical appearances and possibly their genetic structures. He reached out, grabbing Maxell around the neck and waited as the laughter stopped. "Do you doubt me?"

Maxell seemed incapable of deciding as the hand gradually tightened around his throat. The Master understood the poor man's dilemma; proclaiming that he was right would give the Master all the authority he needed, but at the same time Maxell would never insult somebody who had the ability and inclination to crush his trachea at any second - like all of his race, the Master was exceptionally strong.

~Come on you fool, I need you alive,~ the Master thought as he ran through all the alterations he had allowed for in his plan. ~There is no way this plan will succeed if I kill you. It would split this council if I did.~ This was one of the reasons he hated democracy even amongst those who sought to take freedom away from everyone else.

"I'm only asking for a little recognition," he told Maxell as he raised his arm, relying on the denser than average muscle structure to make the feat look easy. Maxell's feet left the ground and the strain on his neck increased.

"You could not have conquered this world when you claim," Prince Gasket told him. "It is illogical for an organic to live that long."

The Master smiled under his disguise. The machine did have an interesting point and the Master had to agree with him. Except on this occasion it was the absolute truth.

"Perhaps he is speaking the truth," Master Vile pondered.

The Master was grateful for the senior villain's words. They placed doubts in the minds of those who would accuse him and perhaps a warning that if Master Vile was unwilling to challenge him, how could they?

"This is madness," Maxell said; the Master had placed him back on the ground, knowing that the bureaucrat's words could only sound more pathetic with each protest. In the end he had to concede. "Fine, your claim is legitimate. What do you want?"

In some ways the Master had to admire that while he was a coward, Maxell was a skilled politician.

"I want what is mine," he answered. "My domain, these galaxies that your pitiful membership have divided amongst themselves, are mine, claimed from the time they first formed. And since they are mine alone to rule and this body has decided to interfere, I will have to take command of this council."

And there it was, his reason for being there: complete control of the Executive Council and through it the entire UAE. While control of the organisation was not a part of his plan, it would remove the possibility of their interference. Of course he had not reckoned on the stubborn pride of the assembled villains.

"Outrageous!" Mondo protested. "The Royal House of Gadgetry would never obey the whims of an organic."

"And I will never associate myself with a failure like you," Master Vile sniffed. "My daughter and son-in-law are bad enough."

The responses were not unexpected. Mondo's programming allowed him to emulate many human emotions, including pride. Master Vile had too much to lose should he just submit. The Master decided diplomacy was the best course of action.

"Really? I believe that it has long been agreed that he who holds the Earth, commands this council."

"Only when you have permission to attack Earth in the first place," Rita snapped. She was very defensive where her claim to Earth was involved.

"I don't need permission Rita Repulsa. I arranged the invasion of Earth decades before you reappeared from your little dustbin. Still, I do not intend to stage my own campaign for the Earth, I will place my stake behind Minion. He has proven a capable warrior so far; I have no doubt he will succeed. And then, the Earth and this council will be mine." He wondered how the words would be translated for his audience and then shrugged. He doubted a machine could come up with anything better.

"You plan to put your faith in a mutated throwaway that you did not create?" Maxell asked, disbelievingly. "If he fails, you'll be exposed as a fake. Then your life will be forfeit."

"I have absolute confidence in Minion even though I do not control him," he answered. "I will ensure he does not fail."

"You haven't even met him," Rita screeched, the surprise evident in her voice.

"I have a reliable source," he replied. He had observed Minion and although he did not know how the battle with the Rangers would turn out, it seemed the construct had the upper hand.

"We accept," Maxell announced after some thought.

The Master studied the politician, once again guessing his motives. Maxell didn't want to lose power and no doubt hated the thought that his control rested on something as precarious as a bet.

~Still,~ the Master mused, ~better that than trying to face death.~ He snorted in amusement. That sort of confrontation would be a long time coming.

It also didn't escape him that Maxell was under the impression that he held the upper hand. If Minion failed, he would be destroyed; if by some miracle the construct succeeded where so many experienced villains had succeeded, the UAE would have time to secure their position. No doubt Maxell believed that no matter how powerful he claimed to be, he would fall if there was sufficient power behind the blow. Unfortunately for Maxell, the Master had other ideas.

"Minion will control the Earth within two Earth lunar cycles," the Master cautioned. "Be ready to hand power over to me at that time."

Whether Minion had control by that time was irrelevant. The Master had brought himself time and when the Minion issue was finally settled, he would be long gone.

He activated the hand-held device that took him directly to his vessel, immediately dropping the disguise and returned his ship to a less volatile location. Stage one was complete; the next part would be fun.

Minion's Island, Gulf of Mexico,  
Present

The device had been activated at the press of the first button and Minion had been shunted into an illusionary world ever since. There inside his own mind he would receive the punishment that Dagsyxx deemed necessary without draining the ancient being of its power. And although in reality his body was being unceremoniously dumped on a workbench, in his mind events were taking shape in a different way.

Minion had expected his consciousness to be snatched from the present and transported to Dagsyxx's dimension. So he was caught off guard when his assailant opened his arms and threw his head back, his eyes rolling back as he acted as a channel for the ancient evil. As his head returned to its normal position, Minion knew that there would be pain, but that realisation did not help.

"So we meet again Minion," the voice of Dagsyxx rumbled, challenging the thunder with its volume. More disturbing for Minion was that the vessel's lips did not move when the ancient evil spoke. "It would seem that my earlier lesson failed to redeem you; you are still a worthless traitor. And now on top that you have committed a truly unforgivable crime: failure."

A black circle appeared around Minion with a second outer circle forming seconds later. Then dividing lines and symbols appeared to form a magical seal. The seal started to rotate, bombarding Minion with red energy as it did so.

"Prepare yourself Minion to return to the Dark Dimension. There you will suffer for your crimes. You could have been great Minion; I would have made you a lackey under the command of my chosen. It is a shame that your ambition exceeded your ability."

"N-n-no, oh magnificent one please, Minion can still be of service," the construct managed to beg. "Give Minion another chance."

There was a long oppressive silence as Dagsyxx gave the impression that he was considering Minion's pitiful cries. During that period Minion continued to be bombarded by the destructive energy. His pleas grew louder and more genuine as his suffering was prolonged.

"Your usefulness is as questionable as your loyalty," Dagsyxx declared.

"I am useful," Minion growled, his ego unable to take such a rejection.

Then there was pain, more pain than Minion had ever felt. He couldn't bear the burning that flowed up the length of his arm or the strange sensation as his legs started to melt.

"So you do have some fight in you," Dagsyxx said as he watched Minion's skin bubbling. He regarded Minion thoughtfully, considering how he would torture the impertinent construct further.

"P-p-please," Minion tried again.

"Enough!" Dagsyxx said when it was clear that Minion could not take further pain. Dagsyxx used his vessel to make a gesture and the punishment seal was removed; a touch from the gloved hand was sufficient to heal the construct's physical wounds. Dagsyxx did nothing to end the mental suffering though knowing that Minion was close to losing his sanity. Another gesture was all it took to lift Minion from the diamond cut metal platform, and the ancient evil was pleased to see the slightly dazed look on the construct's face. Now came the important phase.

The device he had planted on Minion's forehead started to beep, signalling that the process was complete and that Dagsyxx had delivered his message, aided by the electronic stimulation of the frontal lobe. Now it was his turn to complete his part in the master plan by manipulating Minion's confused mind and then turning the enraged construct loose on the Power Rangers.

"You have survived worse than this Minion," he said, using a microphone to feed his words into the confused monster's mind. "You can overcome the pain the Rangers have caused you; you will make them pay for the suffering they inflicted upon you; every burn, cut or bruise on your body exists because of the Power Rangers. They are your sworn enemy Minion; nothing else matters now accept their destruction. Finish them... make them suffer just as you suffer and show them no mercy. When the Rangers are destroyed, your suffering will end."

As he finished talking, he pressed a button and removed the headpiece. The device had just fused Minion's pain receptors, causing the construct unbearable and almost never ending pain. Only anger could suppress the crippling agony and with the suggestion that the Rangers were responsible for everything he was feeling, Minion was bound to hunt them down.

"Hold him," the bearded manipulator ordered his assistant, an apelike creature. Good staff was hard to find, but the creature's brute strength and simple obedience made up for its lack of intelligence.

The simple creature did as it was told, pinning Minion's shoulders, using both its superior strength and impressive body weight to hold the construct in place.

With speed and accuracy, he took the opportunity to position receptive cells on Minion's body, knowing that the construct would be too preoccupied to worry about as they focussed and transmitted energy to another destination.

"Now, this must look convincing," he warned, receiving a grunt in reply. "Let him up and stand behind me."

The apeman obeyed, leaving Minion to awaken and face his attacker.

"Welcome back Minion, I am your master and you will obey my commands," he announced. As expected Minion's eyes flashed angrily as the Master managed to introduce himself and infuriate the construct at the same time. "We have many things to accomplish Minion, first the October Guard is to be obliterated."

"No," was the construct's reply. It seemed to lack any hostility towards the Master. "I do n-not care what you want, only the Rangers matter."

"You will do as I tell you," the Master insisted, his eyes taking on a new intensity. "I am your master and you _will_ obey me!"

"I do not care," Minion answered forcefully and for the first time the Master realised the construct was not referring to itself as Minion. He intensified his glare, forcing all of his telepathic will upon the construct. Minion's mind had been fractured to the point though where he was immune to even the most practiced mind controller. A blast of energy left his hand, causing the Master to take a step back.

"You will regret that Minion," he warned, holding up a small cylinder.

Minion stared back defiantly, summoning a ball of energy that he threw in his tormentor's direction. The Master remained in place although his companion did not. The apeman threw himself into the path of the energy ball and allowed it to bounce off his padded chest. It growled angrily and rushed forward, swinging its powerful forearms in a way that could have decapitated Minion had the Master not ordered it to stop.

"Not as much as you will regret it," Minion warned, looking pointedly at the Master. He looked between the calm man with the greying beard, a picture of serenity and the large simian that was baring its teeth and trying to look threatening. He knew he could have destroyed them both easily. "You are lucky I have better things to do," he said finally.

"You need me," the Master pointed out, his voice going higher than normal. "You don't have the Sword of Darkness anymore and you have delayed using the Zeo Crystal for so long your body will no longer take the strain of doing so. Your powers are negligible and the Rangers can defeat you."

"I still have my WD Units, Silvo, Brasso and Bronzo," Minion pointed out.

"You have soldiers made from living metal that the Rangers will eventually learn to overcome and three henchmen who have seen better days," the Master corrected. He would not allow Minion to delude himself, too much was resting on Minion reacting as the Master expected him to. It was a dangerous game he was playing, but if it worked then the rewards would be great. "I can give you whatever you need Minion, I know where there is a weapon that can replace your missing sword. All you have to do is obey me."

"No." This time Minion did not allow the Master's companion to discourage him as he crossed the gap between them. A sharp blow to the creature's knee and a punch to its subhuman face put it out of commission while his hands seized the Master around the throat. "Tell me," he hissed.

"I-I may have been a little hasty in my demands," the Master admitted, holding up his hands in a submissive manner. "I am prepared to negotiate."

"No negotiation," Minion answered, tightening his hands. "Tell me!"

The Master eventually agreed, nodding his head to show his accepted, his eyes fixed on the floor to give the impression that he was defeated. He pulled out an old manuscript and directed Minion's attention to the picture.

"What is it?" Minion asked.

The Master resisted the urge to give him a sarcastic answer, reminding himself that the device had practically scrambled the construct's mind. "It is called the Sword of Ragnarok," he explained patiently and with as much authority as he could muster. "It's an energy adapting weapon capable of destroying the Power Rangers and any others who stand in your way. The longer you wield the blade the more powerful it becomes, especially if you have a suitable power source."

There, he had his interest; he could see the change in the construct's features. The uncontrolled aggression was mixed with curiosity.

"You know of such a source?"

"I know everything Minion," the Master answered. He had researched the sword capabilities to ensure it would serve his purposes. He didn't mention how destructive the sword could be to either the surrounding area or the unfortunate wielder.

"I want it," Minion said.

The Master smiled indulgently. He had known that in his current state of mind Minion would jump at the chance to possess such a weapon.

"Then you shall have it," he promised. "The sword was hidden on the planet Imphos. I can give you the means to get there, if you accept my aid."

His aid and by implication a debt that the Master could claim at any time. Had he been capable of thinking clearly Minion would have turned down the offer, recognising that the Master had more to gain from the deal than he did.

"Very well, but double-cross me and you will pay," Minion warned.

The Master smiled as he placed a device in Minion's hand. If he had wanted the construct dead, he would never have helped him in the first place. He didn't need Minion dead, he needed him to succeed. Then he could deal with him.

"Good luck Minion," he called cheerfully as the other villain vanished.

**End of Part**


	5. Minion of Darkness 3

Disclaimer: I do not own the Power Rangers, they belong to the respective copyright owner. No money is being made from this piece of writing.

**The Dark Prize**

Imphos

Minion wasn't sure if he was supposed to be shocked or angered after the Master had forced a small device into his hand. He looked around. ~Was this supposed to be Imphos?~

He had arrived on a world very similar to the planet he had been recently trying to conquer. However this world seemed alive with magical energy and not at all shielded from his perception by the large deposits of Iron Ore commonly found on Sol-Three. It was almost as if in this place there were no insulators. He raised a fist and it ignited at his command, orange flames engulfing his lower arms.

He laughed, exhilarated by the raw energy flowing through the air. So much power flowing endlessly around him, it was a blissful torture, enough to drive a man to insanity if he were not already insane. He drew on the energy, greedily drawing it into his body to recharge the magical energy he had squandered in his battle with the Rangers.

Then he set forth on his journey, fuelled by the strange power he had absorbed and his thirst for revenge. He wanted to destroy the Rangers; he wanted to look at their fear filled faces before he put them out of their misery. As he passed through the strange lands he quickly understood that it was not as similar to the Earth as he had believed. Some parts were familiar although abandoned, but other parts were made up of grey spaces through which he could fly rather than run.

He continued for an unknown period of time, flying through the grey areas and walking casually through the almost normal areas of the world. Time like so many other things was different here. Seconds could be months or hours could be a heartbeat. It was impossible to say.

~There!~

He sensed the power as he approached the large temple. The doors were conveniently left open for him, but his sight was set upon the stone anvil at its center. And resting with its blade buried up to the hilt in the hardened stone sat the Sword of Ragnarok. The powerful jewel that had been placed just below the blade reflected light in his direction. Even though it was buried, Minion knew that the weapon would bring him the power to bring armies to their knees.

As he started to move towards the podium, he sensed the arrival of something that wasn't a part of this place. He sighed; it stood to reason that there were guardians of some sort. His mouth curled into a sinister grin as he noticed they had taken on the form of Power Rangers. They teleported in front of him and then vanished in a puff of multicoloured smoke.

"Show yourselves," he commanded, hoping they would respond to his challenge. He was fortunate because they did so.

They were not like the Rangers he had seen before, although his experience was very limited. For one thing they were not really Rangers, just a manifestation of the protective force using an appearance his mind could comprehend. There were three males dressed in red, yellow and green uniforms. There were also two females, one in pink and the other in light blue.

"This is the best they could do?" Minion laughed. He was nervous though; at present, he was not holding a weapon. Still it was important to maintain the impression that he was superior. He pointed at them and then gestured for them to attack. Before they did so his hand wrapped around the Sword of Ragnarok and with an effort he dragged the blade free of the anvil.

The effect was immediate. He could feel the raw power coursing through his body, demanding that he slaughter everything in his path. The sword needed bloodshed and in return it fed him the energy to become a killing machine.

Red Ranger was the first to attack and Minion easily blocked his sword thrust with the Shadow Sword. As he spun with the blade, the Red Ranger tried again to strike him. The image of Tommy, the defiant leader of the Power Rangers flashed before his eyes and with a roar of rage, Minion became more aggressive in his fighting. The Red Ranger tried, but could not stand up to the heavier blade as Minion put his all into the fight.

He knocked Red aside just in time for Yellow to aim and fire his crossbow. The bolt struck the ground just short of Minion's foot and the villain had to sidestep to avoid the subsequent bolts. Needing time, he grabbed Red and threw him at his teammates. As Red fell on Green, causing the larger than average Ranger to complain angrily, Minion was able to concentrate on Yellow as the Ranger pressed his attack.

Minion went on the defensive, allowing the Ranger to dictate the pace of the battle while he nimbly avoided the crossbow bolts. Then when he was certain he was in position, he caught the Ranger's attempted kick and twisted. Before the Ranger could recover, he slapped the flat of the blade across the Ranger's chest. He was rewarded by a loud groan from the Ranger.

He stumbled forward as Pink and Blue attacked, using their bladed weapons. Their blows failed to make an impact and those that did glanced off his magical shield. Still, their distraction allowed Green to charge in using his double-sided axe.

The three pronged attack hurt, but did little damage. By the time they attacked again, he was in a position to block. He caught Pink as she was moving in and used the blunt base of his new toy to deliver a sharp blow to the base of her helmet. Green had been swinging his axe as Minion blocked the blow and then used a blast of energy to send the Ranger crashing back.

"And now you will pay the price of attacking Minion," the villain growled, pointing the sword at the Rangers before making a series of short cuts in the air.

Streams of explosive energy left the tip of his sword, blasting the Rangers. The magical lightning storm pinned them to the ground, wracking them with immense pain. As he moved the sword, the energy pushed the Rangers in the same direction, lifting them into the air. Then he unleashed a burst of flame towards them. The Rangers tried to block, but the flames were capable of devouring anything in their path.

Triumphantly Minion raised his fists in victory as the Rangers fell. Then he growled angrily as they picked themselves up. These were conceptual beings and not really Rangers. If he had hurt them with his attacks, it was likely they had suffered only minor injuries. They raised their hands and suddenly grew; developing metallic bodies that he supposed could have been mistaken for humanoid Zords.

"Two can play at that game," he warned, drawing on the energy around him to grow, the Sword of Ragnarok thrumming loudly as it too expanded. His black costume changed to form solid black armour, a black wolf mask with the horn of a unicorn covering his face. The Sword of Ragnarok had changed shape, matching the other changes. It was now a black crescent-shaped blade that he twirled expertly between his giant hands.

Despite the change in size, and he realised as he was charging towards the Rangers' giant forms, the room suddenly expanding to hold the combatants, Minion was still a deadly fighter. His sword flashed as it swept across his opponents, slicing into their metal armour.

The Rangers recovered and mounted a counter attack, transforming Pink into a glowing ball of energy that struck Minion in the chest. Even as he shook that off Yellow and Red were on the move. The winged warrior swooped in; firing energy bolts from its eyes until it reached the villain. Then as it passed overhead it closed both its wings to smack the side of his wolf's head helmet. Red followed close behind, using its own back facing sword to cut the villain across the mid section.

Minion's armour sparked and he stepped back as Green approached at full speed, lowering its head to catch the villain with its sharp horns before swiping with its axe. The Sword of Ragnarok sparked angrily as it intercepted the return blow and Minion kicked Green in the chest.

That left Blue and Pink to attack. They worked together, Blue using its tail to propel Pink into their opponent. Minion caught the incoming ball of energy and batted it back at Blue, watching gleefully as both armoured warriors fell.

"LEAVE THIS PLACE!"

The voice didn't come from his opponents, but he knew they belong to whatever entity served as guardian. He was not surprised when Green, Blue, Yellow and Pink merged to form a single unit. With Blue forming the tail, Green the main body, Yellow the wings and Pink the head, the combined into a powerful dragon that Red rode into battle.

The sudden change put Minion on the defensive once more. The dragon's flames scorched his armour, but he stood firm. As they fought, Minion found he had to avoid the dragon's mouth and Red's sword. He unleashed his own fireballs, which his opponents nimbly avoided before unleashing a jet of flame to trap him. The Sword of Ragnarok absorbed the energy and with a victorious growl he sent it shooting back to the source. Both the dragon and its rider fell, separating as it did so.

"You will have to do better than that," Minion challenged. The combat was thrilling. Every triumph no matter how small left him eager for the next fight. "Show me your true form."

Red looked up at him and seemed to nod. The games were over and it was time for the true Guardian of Imphos, the Sentinel Knight to join the battle. They transformed immediately, merging to form a giant gold armoured warrior.

The fight was on again and this time Minion was outmatched. Even with the Sword of Ragnarok there was no denying the Knight's strength or his ingenuity. While Minion was concentrating on avoiding the warrior's deadly sword, the guardian blasted him with a ball of energy.

Minion fell back and as he did so, his armour returned to its previous state while he was reduced to his normal size.

"LEAVE MINION. RETURN THE SWORD AND LEAVE."

The words were compelling and for a moment Minion actually obeyed. But his bloodlust overcame the being's orders and he faced up to the Sentinel Knight, ready for further tricks.

"LEAVE OR BE PUNISHED."

A ball of silver flame shot towards the villain and Minion was forced to duck down to one knee. He fired back with one of his own shots, but the guardian whispered some words and the energy vanished. Minion shifted the Sword of Ragnarok and carved an 'x' in the air. The other warrior countered the move and an explosion rocked the chamber as they were both thrown to the ground.

A burst of yellow light ensnared Minion. The guardian used the light to throw the villain around like a rag doll, bouncing him across the ground. Minion struggled against the light, which bound his arms to his sides and made it impossible to absorb any of the impact. Finally he was able to summon enough strength to break the orb with the tip of his sword. His bonds were shattered and he was free; he quickly lashed out, drawing blood from the warrior's head as he did so.

The Sentinel Knight seemed to grow angrier. His foot stomped upon the pesky intruder and delighted as Minion barely managed to avoid the crushing blow. Minion tumbled to the side as the Guardian tried to stomp on him again. The other warrior roared, any pretence of being machines, long forgotten. He spread his fingers and several blasts shook the ground.

Minion was growing desperate. He had by now realised that in this place the Sentinel Knight was unbeatable. Even with the sword to aid him he could not destroy his opponent, who had been gifted with armour that could dampen energy attacks within the vaults. But that did not mean that he would lose. Minion was not above playing dirty and as one of Rita's monsters, honour was never a concern.

He changed tactics, summoning a thick fog to hide him from the guardian's sight. Then under cover of the thick blanket he charged his sword with as much energy as possible, waiting for the knight's head to break through the fog before he unleashed it as an explosion of light.

The guardian recoiled from the flash, blinded by Minion's power. Then Minion struck with lightning, knowing the knight could not block him this time. He was rewarded when the armour warrior started to lose his physical form, reverting to the magical energy from which he had been created and shrank back to his original size. Still, he remained standing.

The Sentinel Knight had reverted to his human form, no longer possessing the energy to remain both armoured and solid. Although battered he was prepared to react to whatever Minion tried next. He was aware that the villain only wanted the Sword of Ragnarok, but he had been tasked with protecting all the relics in his care, no matter how insignificant they appeared. His staff glowed as he started chanting, calling on the very nature of the planet to help him. He hurled an 'x' of destructive black energy towards Minion and then closed the gap between them as the villain easily deflected the blast. His staff struck three times, causing the construct to drop the Sword of Ragnarok as the guardian moved for the final blow.

Minion allowed his sword to fall to the ground, watching as it transformed into a different shape. He didn't need to be touching the weapon any longer in order to use it; such was the bond that had formed so rapidly. The sword moved in from behind, catching the guardian unawares. The old man stumbled about, but Minion was far from done, he grabbed the sword and used it to destroy the ancient warrior's staff. Then he drove the blade into the entity's shoulder, well aware that it would not kill him; the Guardian of Imphos was a spiritual entity and could not die, but it would suffer. He drove the old man's head into the ground and then after savouring the moment, blasted his skull.

With a gleeful pounce, Minion moved past the defeated guardian and exited the chamber, Sword of Ragnarok in hand. He could feel the power as it filled him, promising him things that he knew he deserved. He roared with insane laughter, picturing anyone, friend or foe, attempting to stand in his way. There was a burst of red light, and Minion was back at his starting place. Then another flash as he disappeared.

The Guardian of Imphos had been defeated. It had been centuries since the last challenger had come close to triumph and even longer since anybody had actually defeated him. Yet Minion, a mere magical construct had found a way to outwit the magical being.

"I told you before that you would regret not cooperating," the Master stated as he walked into the chamber. He had been here before and had fled in terror when the Sentinel Knight had bested him. So he had watched, hidden as Minion had retrieved the sword, eager not to encounter the construct too soon. He would still get back to Earth first and the construct would be none the wiser. "Now I will take my prize."

The object he sought was powerful, but not as readily available as the Sword of Ragnarok. With the guardian temporarily subdued though it was merely a matter of finding it.

"STOP, NONE MAY ENTER THIS PLACE."

"My dear Guardian, you're not in a position to tell me anything," the Master responded as he walked over to the fallen being and picked up the staff that had been dropped during the battle. With a ridiculously drawn out display and a small grin, he snapped the length of wood, breaking the illusion and revealing the endless shelves that lined the perimeter of the chamber. He zeroed in on the small box he wanted and removed it from its housing.

Long ago when they had appointed themselves as gods, the Master's people had decreed that their race would never intervene in the battle between good and evil, nor would they take sides in any war unless the battle fought was between order and chaos. The Master had long ago decided not to submit to such a petty and ridiculous ruling. He had however satisfied those in power by claiming that all he did was for his own gain and was not interfering in the war. When he reached his final goal the rules of a race forced into extinction by there own foolishness, would have no further say in the matter. His actions would have consequences and he knew one day he would have to face them. For now though he needed to move on.

**End of Part**

Disclaimer: I do not own the Power Rangers, they belong to the respective copyright owner. No money is being made from this piece of writing.

**Show of Strength, Sign of Weakness**

Reefside, Earth

With the Power Chamber destroyed and Zordon unreachable using the available technology, the Rangers had been forced to move, to lick their wounds and decide how to move forward. Minion's plan to use the Elemental Beasts had failed, but as he had proven after the body, he was more than a match for the Rangers. And with the loses from that battle added to their already weakened position, the Rangers had been left vulnerable to any of the other villains that chose to capitalise. Their only reprieve in the days that followed their victory had come because so far Ninjor and Trey had been taking care of any problems that arose, selling the idea that the Rangers were taking time off. How long that illusion remained - for Rita and Zedd were not fooled as easily as some would believe - remained to be seen.

The first day their concern had been to secure the remains of the Power Chamber to prevent Zedd or worse, Mondo getting their hands on the secrets stored inside. Even assuming that everything had been destroyed, the site was positioned on a line of natural power and would provide an excellent fortress. That from the Rangers' point of view would be disastrous. Then with the mountain secured they could bring themselves to deal with other matters.

That was why they had gathered to discuss what they could do next. With only the Gem Coins to power them and the barely functional Ninja as a Zord, they were growing desperate. Minion still had the Zeo Crystal and the chances of retrieving it grew diminishing as each day passed; the Power Coins that the impostor Billy had taken had yet to be recovered.

"At least we have this place," Zack commented, gesturing to their surroundings.

"I concur," Billy said. "I appreciate Zordon's foresight in creating an external fallback facility."

"But why in Reefside?" Kimberly asked.

They had been surprised when Zordon's choice of backup facility had been under an abandoned house that they later discovered belonged to Zedric Ordon. The means of entering, by closing manipulating a dinosaur skull suggested that perhaps this had been Zordon's first choice for the original Command Center.

"Reefside is a centralised nexus with its own localised Morphin Grid," Billy explained. "Had Zordon stayed here he would have been able to create Rangers just as easily as he could in Angel Grove."

"So why did he pick Angel Grove?"

Billy shrugged. "Expansion possibilities, the local layout or just that that was a more remote location where he would not be bothered."

"Or it could be he liked mountains," Ninjor suggested.

There was little more to say on that matter so the Rangers decided to press ahead.

"Has there been any lucky finding Minion?" Trini asked, looking at Trey and Travis who had been using Pyramidas to aid their search for the villain's island since it had disappeared days earlier.

Both shook their heads. Zordon's satellite network had been put to full use to scan the planet's surface, but there had been no physical sightings of the island and a personal search of its previous location had revealed only sea water.

"Maybe he sank it," Rocky offered.

Tommy shook his head. "He didn't go to all that trouble to create his own island just to sink it again."

"At least not without having something to make such an act worthwhile," the Lord of Triforia added.

A small alarm sounded and the Rangers missed the simplicity of the Power Chamber as they tried to discover what was causing the alert.

"Looks like Minion decided to save us the trouble of looking," Zack commented. He didn't sound happy about it.

On a small screen they could see the self-made villain blasting his way through a small town to the north of Angel Grove. In his hand he wielded a new sword, one that sparked dangerously as he dragged it through the body of a parked car.

"That's not the Sword of Darkness," Trini pointed out.

"Affirmative," Billy agreed. "That sword does not have the same properties of the Sword of Darkness and is nowhere near as resistant. One well-placed shot will shatter it."

"We need to get out there," Adam said, turning away in revulsion as Minion drove his sword into an innocent bystander.

"It's Morphin Time!"

"Zeo Ranger I - Crane!"

"Zeo Ranger II - Bear!"

"Zeo Ranger III - Ape!"

"Zeo Ranger IV - Frog!"

"Zeo Ranger V - Falcon!"

"Gold Ranger Power!"

They rapidly teleported away. Ninjor hesitated a moment before he too joined the battle.

Minion was winning. He had taken an early lead when the Gem Coin Rangers had appeared and had yet to allow them to turn the tide into their favour.

"Don't you understand Rangers?" Minion asked as he ruthlessly tore into his enemies. He didn't take time to devise strategies this time, preferring to let the sword in his hand and the cries of agony tell the story. "I suffer because you survive. Every time I cut you, hurt you, make you bleed and drop before me, the pain I feel diminishes. But it's not enough," he admitted as he drove his elbow into Adam's chest. "The pain I feel won't go until I have made you all pay, until you are all destroyed."

"You will never triumph, Minion," Ninjor announced as he rejoined the battle; the Blue Morphin Master had been thrown through the fifth floor of a nearby building and had emerged on the far side only to plummet into a waiting trash pile.

"You should have stayed in your temple," Minion answered as he swung the Sword of Ragnarok at his foe.

Ninjor teleported away and reappeared, feigning boredom. "Is that the best you can do Minion?" he asked.

Minion tried again and again, each time missing the Blue Morphin Master who was relying on quick thinking instead of brute force. When Minion unveiled the Zeo Crystal and unleashed a ball of flame in his direction, Ninjor caught it and turned it back against its originator. The villain reacted instinctively, bringing his arms up to block the blast despite knowing it would not harm him. That brief moment of distraction was enough for Zeo Frog and Zeo Ape to fire their pistols, knocking the Zeo Crystal from the villain's hand.

"No, the crystal!" Minion cried.

The Zeo Crystal had been his greatest prize, a sign of victory over the Rangers. Now it was back in enemy hands. He would not allow that.

"If I cannot have it, nobody shall!" he announced before charging towards the Rangers. He swung the Sword of Ragnarok and made contact with the Zeo Crystal, resulting in a shower of sparks as a crack appeared in the crystal's structure.

"Not so fast villain," Ninjor interrupted. He had by this time drawn his own sword despite the villain's desire to deal with the Rangers, the two found themselves locked in one on one combat. Minion ducked low and brought his sword up inside of Ninjor's defences, but the Ninja Master countered by releasing one hand from the handle of his sword and stepping back.

"Billy, we have the crystal," Tommy said. "Teleport it now." The crystal vanished and Tommy returned his attention to the battle in time to see Minion blast them, again.

"This isn't going well," Jason said as the Grid Warriors gathered around the monitor. Their friends were taking a battering from Minion and as much as the former Red Ranger hated to admit it, the clone had a clear advantage. "We don't have a choice guys, we'll have to take their place."

Kimberly looked as though she would object until the screen went blank. When it cleared again, the Gem Coin Rangers were strewn on the ground having demorphed from the encounter. Trey had landed in the entrance hall of the town's bank with enough energy that the bank's security cameras had been destroyed before they could reveal his secrets. Fortunately the bank had been empty at the time. From the look of things Ninjor was not faring much better.

"Billy, can we use the Zeo Crystal?" Trini asked the young genius.

Billy shook his head. The Zeo Crystal alone was capable of making one Ranger. Only when incorporated into the device Zordon and Alpha had designed could its energy be split into individual frequencies that allowed for multiple Zeo Rangers. Besides the damage Minion had inflicted had destabilised the crystal and for all he knew, it would crumble the next time they attempted to use it.

"Then we'll use the Gem Coins," Jason decided.

The others nodded and swiftly decided that Jason, Zack, Kimberly, Trini and Aisha would act as Rangers for the battle to come. In a column of white they teleported into the war zone.

When they arrived, they easily located their fallen friends. In their condition the Gem Coin Rangers couldn't stop Jason and his companions from removing their Gem Coins.

"It's Morphin Time!" Jason called confidently.

"Zeo Ranger I, Crane!" Kimberly cried.

"Zeo Ranger II, Bear!" Aisha yelled. It had been decided that she would take the Yellow power.

"Zeo Ranger III, Ape!" Trini cried. She didn't mind being blue instead of yellow. In fact it helped ease her feelings of taking Aisha's spot.

"Zeo Ranger IV, Frog!" Zack called. Zack was just glad to feel the Power again. He didn't care about colour.

"Zeo Ranger V, Falcon!" Jason called.

"All right Rangers." Jason declared, snapping his team back to attention. "Let's teach Minion not to mess with the Power Rangers..."

Across the street, which was starting to resemble a building site, a blur of red light shot out of the crater where the town's most prominent jeweller shop had once been. Ninjor and Minion had taken their combat to ever more violent extremes. Unable to defeat the Blue Morphin Master on his own, Minion had cheated by calling in Brasso and Silvo. Together the three evil warriors had overwhelmed the heroic mentor and while they had been unable to destroy him, he needed to rest before continuing the fight.

"Well," Minion said as he emerged from the crater, leaving Silvo and Brasso inside the hole to make it look as if he had beaten Ninjor on his own. "That was... disappointing. I had hoped to break a sweat."

He could imagine the looks on the Rangers' faces as they realised their powerful friend had simply been shrugged off. Ninjor had proven to be an incredibly skilled warrior and had they continued one on one Minion had little doubt that he would have succumbed to the other's superior skill. Even facing three opponents, Ninjor had managed to hold his own up until the point where Silvo had grabbed him. From there on the odds had been too great.

"Fire!"

He looked up as the combined power of the Gem Coin Blasters slammed into him, throwing him back into the mountain. This time the rock did not take the impact and crumbled down upon Minion.

"Fire again!" Jason ordered. His helmet somehow disguised his voice, making him sound like Tommy.

The others obeyed, maintaining fire until the cannon's energy was drained. Then they allowed it to cool before pumping more shots towards the ailing villain. Their shots were having some effect by now, slipping past Minion's magical shielding and knocking him around with the concussion of each shot. They kept firing, switching to their Gem Coin Pistols and finally their swords.

Had Minion thought of it he would have ordered Silvo and Brasso to attack, knowing that with their brute force he could overpower the five teens. But his ego got in the way as he tried to fight back against the Rangers.

"Combine weapons!" Zeo Falcon ordered.

The Rangers did as they were told, clipping their Gem Coin pistols onto the back of the Gem Coin Blasters. They then attached their Gem Coin Swords to the front on the barrels. Then they each loaded a different cartridge and fired at the same spot.

A speck of dust rolled down the side of the new crater left by the Rangers' weapons; the explosive rounds Zack had chosen had proven effective. As the dust moved, it nudged other grains, causing them to follow suit, exposing the superheated soil beneath to cool air and causing steam to rise into the sky. More dust rolled off the mound left by their combined blast, the steam throwing globs of dirt into the sky. Columns of thick black smog erupted into the air, turning the sky dark. A huge mushroom cloud formed overhead and television and radio signals became scrambled as static electricity built up in the area. There was a second explosion as they struck a gas line, practically tearing what was left of the street to pieces.

A lone figure rose from the dirt and looked around, struggling to clear his head and cautiously taking stock of his body.

"He's still there," Aisha said disbelievingly.

"No, something's different," Trini told her.

"He's laughing," Aisha said, suddenly nervous.

"This has been fun Rangers," Minion chuckled, clearly amused. "The more you suffer the better I feel. And right now, I feel evil."

Minion laughed; a chilling laugh heard throughout the world that caused humans, villains and henchmen to pause for a moment as a shiver travelled down their spine. It seemed that while the blast had done very little to his body, and it seemed that his sanity was so far gone that nothing would damage it further.

He stomped forward, Sword of Ragnarok gripped firmly in his hand. The enemy was close to death, he could sense their fear as he approached. He ran his hand along the edge of the sword, sharpening it with the resistant material in his glove. Then he leapt into battle, using the sword to put an end to his foes. The Rangers put up a good fight, but Minion was more skilled and far more powerful than their average opponents, and the teens were not used to their powers. The Sword of Ragnarok crackled with destructive energy as he slashed it across Zeo Ape's chest.

The Rangers continued to fight, with Zeo Falcon taking the initiative as he charged at Minion, who in turn raised his sword to meet the Red Ranger's initial blow. As Jason parried the clone's counter thrust, Aisha took a swing at his knees with her sword. The clone lost his balance allowing Jason to slip inside his guard and land a blow with the end of his sword on the villain's left cheek. The Rangers rapidly followed up, delivering three more slashes as they interchanged between attacking and retreating back into open space.

Zeo Frog and Zeo Ape's blows were slightly mistimed, but while they did not land with maximum impact, Green's punch knocked the clone off balance and Blue's kick forced him to stumble back onto the ground.

"Fire Gas!" Zeo Crane called, launching a flame capsule from her Gem Coin Blaster, resulting in a fluffy mass of flames engulfing the stunned villain.

"Final Flash!" Zeo Falcon called, shooting a ray of destructive energy from the tip of his sword. He followed the blast until he was close enough to use the weapon to cut the villain down. With his determination fuelling his efforts, Jason powered through the clone's weak defence, powering up the sword to deliver his final blow.

Minion vanished only to reappear in the same spot once the blade had moved on. Jason landed a powerful knee to his opponent's chest. Jason ducked as the other Rangers fired, their blast sufficient to distract Minion so that Jason could sneak another kick at the villain's knees.

Minion rose defiantly as the Rangers turned their attention to him, the weapons aimed at his head suggesting what they had in mind would not be pleasant.

He could sense their indecision about whether they could destroy him and lurched forward. He managed to wrestle Zeo Crane's weapon from her grasp. The others responded quickly, using both their pistols and their swords in an attempt to bring Minion down. He responded by using his freshly won sword to force the Rangers to shift position. A series of kicks and rapid slashes took down the Rangers giving him the advantage but only for a short time before the Rangers recovered.

Kimberly leapt over Minion's head, twisting as she did so to deliver an underside down kick to the back of his head. Zeo Frog and Zeo Ape had once again drawn their side arms and fired them as soon as Kimberly was clear.

The battle raged on, neither side able to gain a clear advantage. Minion was stronger and able to take the Rangers down easily, but they had the strength of numbers, which meant as one of them was thrown aside, another could take his place. The Rangers were exhausted, but didn't dare to give the other an edge. And all the time the city was taking the brunt of their combat.

By this time Sam and David had arrived and managed to retrieve Trey and Ninjor. They had also revived Tommy, Rocky, Adam, Kat and Tanya. While Trey and Ninjor rejoined the action, Tommy and the others looked on from what was supposedly a position of safety.

Minion blasted the Rangers, hoping to take them down. He in turn was hit by a series of shots as the Gem Coin Rangers jumped for cover. As Gold Ranger charged in with his own attack and Ninjor swooped from the sky on his floating cloud to snatch the villain's stolen sword from his grasp.

"This isn't over Rangers," Minion promised. He lifted his hand and unleashed a final bolt of black lightning at the unmorphed teens.

The blast hit as he expected it to, throwing them into the air. And while some like Tommy were lucky enough to land safely, Rocky was not so fortunate. The youth hit the ground with a sickening thud. His body spasmed after the impact; it was the falling concrete that damaged his back.

"That will do for now," Minion announced before leaving. It seemed that he had regained the advantage.

After securing Rocky in the hospital, away from those who would take advantage of his injury, the Rangers had regrouped back at their Reefside headquarters.

"What's the verdict?" Tommy asked.

"The Zeo Crystal will need to be repaired at a molecular level," Billy told him. "We don't have the means to do so."

"So we're still down to one full Ranger," Jason pointed out.

"Man, we need Zordon back."

"I may have a way to achieve that Rangers," Ninjor announced. He tapped something into a computer console, a primitive piece of machinery compared to those in the Power Chamber; Zordon had obviously never bothered upgrading this place. An image of a small world appeared on the screen.

"Phaedos!" Travis explained. "Surely you jest?"

"Nobody has ever sought the Great Power and succeeded," Trey added, recalling the legends, the promises and the tragic stories of the mutilated corpses discovered on the planet.

"I have faith in the Rangers," Ninjor said. "With the Great Power all things are possible; reversing the damage caused by Minion and his forces would prove easy."

"So we could bring Zordon back?" Aisha asked.

"Yes Rangers, you can bring Zordon back," Ninjor answered patiently although he continued muttering, "not that bringing him back is that big a deal, just a matter of repairing the transmitter."

"You are sending them to their deaths," Travis argued.

"Those who sought the Great Power before were unprepared and wanted it for selfish reasons," Ninjor explained.

"And how do you prepare for such a quest?" Travis asked. "The greatest warriors went to Phaedos and none returned save those who changed their minds."

"They were great warriors," Trey said as he looked up at Ninjor's unreadable face, "but they were not Rangers."

"Trey is right," Ninjor announced. "And with a little training we have eight fine upstanding candidates just waiting to be made Rangers."

"You mean us?" Kim asked, her eyes expressing her excitement at the thought.

"Can you think of anyone else?" Ninjor asked.

Kim quickly shook her head. She remembered her time as a Ranger fondly. She was thrilled at the chance to live that life again.

"Jason, Kimberly, Zack, Billy, Sam, Trini, Aisha and David will come with me to seek out their new powers," Ninjor announced. He looked at the potential Rangers. "I think this will go better than it did last time."

"You guys get the Great Power," Tommy decided, "and we'll hold Minion back for as long as possible."

"Ninjor, what about the Zeo Crystal, can we fix it?" Trini asked.

"Of course we can," Ninjor said, "but not yet. With the Great Power all things are possible, repairing the crystal will be easy." ~Although at this rate we may need to choose which miracle we wish to perform.~

"I've completed a diagnostic of the Gem Coins and while they remain unstable, they can be safely utilised until we restore the Zeo Crystal," Billy told them. "The only problem is that you will be one Ranger short."

"We'll manage as best we can," Tommy promised.

The others agreed. It was going to be a dangerous time, but the sooner Jason and the others gained their new powers, the sooner the Earth would be protected.

As the others teleported from their makeshift headquarters, Travis set himself the task of finding keeping watch. He didn't have any powers, wasn't even a Ranger and was there only because he had once been a part of Trey. He would anything to help, just as the other Rangers would find a way to survive. Because if they didn't, there would be nothing left for Ninjor and the others to return to.

Zyuella

"Kim, look out!" Billy called as he ducked another monster.

The eight teens had no sooner arrived at their destination than they were attacked. Eight lizard-like creatures had taken them by surprise; each armed with a spear.

Kimberly leapt out of the way, narrowly avoiding the lizard's tail. Landing on one foot she pushed herself into the air, performing a spin kick that would have made Tommy jealous. For some reason, despite being unable to morph, the Rangers were able to execute moves they had only ever managed successfully when the power was flowing through them.

"Come on you overgrown handbag," she heard Aisha call.

Looking over to where the former Ranger was fighting she could see the lizard was having problems. Aisha kicked it from behind and quickly rolled away as it turned around. Once again behind her opponent, she kicked it a second time.

Jason meanwhile had not bothered with fancy kicks. Instead he was trading fists and solid kicks with a powerful looking lizard. He pulled away as he saw the tail swinging towards him, waiting for the correct opportunity and then stomping on the tip of the tail. "Hi-yah!" He threw the lizard to the ground, driving his fist into its skull just above the eyes.

Zack had gone back to the techniques that had given him the best results as a Ranger. Distracting his opponent with his footwork, he waited until the lizard had lost interest in fighting him before kicking it in the head. A few extra kicks to the creature's mid section and it keeled over.

In a pocket dimension composed of neither light nor darkness a small group watched the former Rangers in battle. One of them had worked with the Rangers before. Two had been watching over the Rangers at various times in their careers. The final member of the group was a powerful ally of Rangers throughout the Universe, who had been earmarked to one day act as their mentor, had events turned out differently.

"They are good," the first watcher said.

"I told you they were," the second piped up. "I only served with three of them, but I believe Zordon has chosen correctly."

"As do I," a female voice said. "We will train them, but we must be sure they are worthy before they take the final step. If we are mistaken we must find out before they receive their powers. Afterwards we will not be able to remove them."

"Then it is decided," a fourth, deep voice said. "We will wait until they have completed this challenge before introducing ourselves. We will train them to use their powers without the aid of Zordon and then we will test them. If we are correct there will be eight new Rangers."

The pocket dimension returned to silence as four of the most powerful beings for good watched the Rangers finish off their first trial.

Working back-to-back David and Sam had formed a good team. While David drew the lizards towards him, Sam would catch them by surprise.

"Ready?" David asked.

He got his answer when he felt Sam step into his hands, onto his shoulders and then launched into a bicycle kick. The first lizard didn't even realise what was happening until Sam landed, using a reverse chop to bring the creature down.

David slammed his fist into the side of his opponent's head. Turning his back on the lizard he pulled its chin over his right shoulder, holding it in place by positioning his arms around its neck and dropped to his knees. With an effort he dragged the semiconscious form back to its feet before repeating the move. This time though he turned his body as he descended, causing the lizard to rise into the air slightly.

Unexpectedly, the lizard Sam was fighting managed to knock him off his feet. Sam fought back as best he could until the lizard man collapsed. Behind it was Trini, offering her new friend a hand up.

"What happened to yours?" Sam asked.

Instead of answering, Trini pointed to where Billy was beating two lizards simultaneously. "Do you think we should help?" David asked as he helped Sam up. He noticed the looks on his friends' faces and added, "I meant the lizards."

"Billy's pissed!" Jason said as he walked over with Kim and Aisha.

"You can't blame him," Zack said as he also joined his friends.

"Heeyah!" Billy cried. The Blue Ranger had been through a great deal recently; first having his world taken from him and then captured while a duplicate infiltrated the Rangers and almost cost them their lives. "And don't you ever try that again," he told the last lizard as it collapsed to the ground. The workout had done him almost as much good as the restorative seeds that Ninjor had given him.

"Congratulations Rangers," Ninjor said as he moved to greet them. He waved a hand around the lizards and they vanished. "I of course expected nothing less from Zordon's chosen. I of course am Ninjor, Keeper of the Temple of Ninja Powers; I'm also a legend throughout the Universe."

"Congratulations indeed," a deep voice boomed. "Know that I am Saurian, Enforcer of the planet Zyuella."

To Kimberly the newcomer looked very familiar. She realised that his red armour was similar to Ninjor's appearance whenever he grew and transformed.

"I am Thalian, Keeper of the Dairon Temple." A white-faced humanoid said.

"And I am called Dulcea." She was dressed in very little. She smiled as Sam, David, Jason, Zack and Billy struggled to pick their jaws off the ground. She knew that she looked good even after thousands of years, but to see that reflect in a young man's eyes for even a brief moment was a great reinforcement of her confidence. "If you wish to quest for the Great Power you will need to convince me that you are worthy." She glared at Saurian as she said that.

"Zordon has provided you with all the lessons a Ranger needs to know," Thalian stated, "but his captivity has prevented him from teaching you some of the things _you_ need to know. That is why you are here."

"Come," Saurian said. "We will talk more when we reach my temple. The testing shall begin at dawn tomorrow."

The Guardian had been defeated and he was not happy about the situation. Not only had Minion stolen the Sword of Ragnarok, but an ingrate known only as the Master had managed to steal a far more dangerous artefact. The Guardian was bound by honour and duty to ensure that such crimes did not go unpunished. However, he was unable to leave his post protecting other treasures that might one day be needed.

Instead and with great reluctance he decided to choose others to act for him. He would grant them the appearance and powers of the temple's defenders and send them on a mission to retrieve the Sword of Ragnarok and to stop the Master from ever unleashing the power held within the box he had taken. If he did so then the Guardian would not need to worry, because at that point he would no longer exist.

**End of Part**

Disclaimer: I do not own the Power Rangers, they belong to the respective copyright owner. No money is being made from this piece of writing.

**The Quest for Power Part 1 - The Trials Begin**

Zyuella,

"Wow, this place is amazing," Zack whispered as he took in his surroundings.

"Affirmative," Billy agreed. "A fully configured architectural configuration within a magical base."

"He means he can sense the Power," Trini guessed.

David silently nodded. The power within the walls was easy to sense.

"Are you surprised to find such power here, in a place that was obviously built as a conduit to the Morphin Grid?" Dulcea asked.

"I guess not," Billy answered as he continued to study the runes carved into the wall.

"You are a wise man Billy, but be careful not to allow your mind to completely dominate your actions. Sometimes the greatest power is found deep with your heart."

"Now Dulcea, Billy is young and naturally curious. It is only right that he asks questions and tries to learn as much as possible. He is a natural Blue," Thalian reminded her, a slight teasing tone in his voice.

"Perhaps if we stopped standing around and actually showed them why we came here first, we could get on with this thing," Saurian growled.

"Yes, you're right of course," Ninjor interceded. Only the Rangers heard him add: "for once." There was a pause, a clearing of throats as the mentors realised they were supposed to be the adults. "We have a surprise for you, Rangers. This temple is extremely receptive when it comes to the power of the Morphin Grid, it allows communication with others bound to the Power."

"I don't understand," Kimberly admitted. "That just went over my head."

"I believe Kimberly that Ninjor means that in this temple, I may speak with you."

"Zordon?" Jason, Billy, Zack, Trini and Kimberly responded.

For David, Aisha and Sam the voice was familiar, but for the others who had been there the day Kimberly and Billy had been turned into punks, this was the Zordon they had seen in the Viewing Globe. This was not the head that could only be seen through a Plasma Tube, this was Zordon, the noble Morphin Master.

"Yes Rangers, I am here. In these temples I am able to leave my time warp for brief periods," he explained.

"It is good to see you again, Zordon," Dulcea said. "I have missed you." The moment passed, the emotion lost as she returned to business. "Take a seat guys, we have a great deal to discuss."

"Allow me," Thalian offered. He placed a finger to his forehead and eight chairs appeared in front of Zordon.

"Thank you, my friend. You have come here, Rangers, to seek out new powers and then the Great Power to reverse the damage Minion caused. But first you must know what you are seeking, so I ask you Rangers, how much do you know about the Ranger Powers?" Zordon asked.

"Only that the powers take the form of either a set of Power Coins or the Zeo Crystal," Jason answered. The others nodded although Billy looked as if he wanted to add something.

Zordon sighed; there was obviously a lot he would need to teach his Rangers in the future, especially if they succeeded in this plan.

"In that case, your minds will be open enough to accept what I am about to tell you," Zordon said. "The Ranger Powers you are used to have been drawn by Power Coins and the Zeo Crystal. However, despite the differences in the powers and the ways they have been used, all Ranger powers come from the same source: an extra-dimensional pool of energy that seeps into this universe through a universal energy field that links all things together. Over the last few years you have come to know this Morphin Grid.

All the powers you have held regardless of whether they originated with the brute force of dinosaurs, the grace and skill ninja, the raw power of the Zeo Crystal, or even the mixture of sources used for the Gem Coins, came from that extra-dimensional pool via the Morphin Grid."

"So this extra-dimensional magic, what is it exactly?" Trini asked.

"Many refer to it as the Power and on some worlds it is even a religion. On Earth, I believe the word magic would prove adequate even though on your world the majority of the population cannot touch the Power naturally; I have heard it manifests itself as miracles and unexplained phenomenon such as telekinesis and telepathy."

"Why are we unable to touch the Power?" Jason asked.

"In a way you can," Zordon explained. "Earth is a unique planet. The planet itself contains great power and magic. It also contains a high percentage of Iron, which counters the effects of magic. As a result magic is overlooked in the day to day lives of humans and is not taught in the ways as it is on other worlds."

"When I first picked my Rangers I had a number of requirements," he continued. "Firstly, they had to be willing to accept the rules of the Power. There were others on Earth who would have been able to hold the Power, but might have abused the Power. Secondly, they needed to be able to form and act as a team. When I first ordered Alpha to find you, the computer searched for a group of friends. Finally, I required teenagers who had the potential to touch the power."

Aisha took the opportunity to ask the question she had been wondering about since the day that she had first become a Ranger. "Zordon, why did you choose teenagers to be Rangers?"

Zordon smiled. He knew the other Rangers had often discussed the issue, but none of them had yet come to the right conclusion. "The first reason is that as I said I needed humans with the potential to touch the Power whose minds were not closed to the possibilities of doing so. In addition it was important that those I selected were old enough to understand the responsibility the role of Ranger entailed. By selecting teenagers I not only fulfilled both of those requirements, but also found a group whose lives would be able to help when needed and not get stuck in other activities."

"To go back to my original point," Zordon continued. "The power within the Morphin Grid is often subdivided according to how it is used; the Power of course is ultimately neutral and had never been proven to have its own intelligence. The two dominant divisions are often recognised as the Light Side and the Dark Side. They are both the equal and the opposite of each other although I believe that the Dark Side cannot exist without the light to cast it."

"So when Tommy was under Rita's spell he drew energy from the Dark Side?" Jason asked.

"No," Zordon replied. "Although Rita's spell made him evil, he was still using the Light Side powers through his Power Coin. If he had been truly evil, the Ranger Powers would have left him. The energies from the different sides of the Grid can only focus through certain materials. The gold used in the forging of Power Coins can only channel the Light Side energies. I have heard that Zedd once found a similar substance that acts only in the presence of Dark Side energy."

"What's the third division?" Trini asked, realising Zordon had not mentioned it.

"The third division is perhaps the most complex," Zordon explained. "At its simplest it is plain magic unaffected by the impurities of emotion or desire. Those who draw from it are either neutral in their allegiances or calling upon powers that cannot be strictly classed as either good or evil." Zordon explained. "There are many who use the Shadow Side without realising that that is where the power comes from. As far as I know only one race has ever been able to successfully wield the full power of the Shadow Grid to the extent where they could be called Masters."

As always what went unsaid was as important as the information Zordon gave to his students. The Shadow Side of the Morphin Grid actually overlapped the Light and Dark Sides of the Morphin Grid. There were many shades of shadow and while some of its practitioners could be as evil as Master Vile, others could be as pious as Ninjor.

Zordon noticed that the Rangers were hooked on his every word, but also realised he needed to get to the point if they were to succeed before it was too late. "What I am going to tell you now is a little known secret about the Ranger Powers. You are aware that in the past the Rangers have used the Dino, Thunder and Ninja powers. What you have now come to realise is that these different powers are all variants of the same power, each representing a different aspect of the Power. The Dino powers represented the body and relied on brute force. You will remember no doubt that the first time you used those powers you felt as though you could move mountains. The Thunder powers represent the mind. They are the mystical powers that rely as much on out thinking the enemy as they do on overpowering him. The Ninja Ranger powers use skill and speed as opposed to brute force. The Ninja powers set traps and confuse the enemy to win. And Zeo? Zeo represents a more technological side of the Power as opposed to the mystical.

Dino, Thunder and Ninja are aspects and as you know, each aspect is often further divided into colours." The time had come for revelation number two. "There are an infinite number of colours available and each means something dependent upon the philosophy of the Power and the world on which the powers are used; Neon Green is often a sign that the race has difficulty with understanding colours. In the case of the Dino, Thunder and Ninja powers drawn through Power Coins, there are nine colours.

Each colour of the Grid is often associated with a spirit animal. Although there are unlimited spirit animals and colour is not a limiting factor, it is not unusual to find that most colours fit one of three spirit animals.

Jason and Rocky were suited to the Red colour. Although many assume that red is the colour of the leader, it is mainly the colour that represents a team player. The Red spirits are the Tyrannosaurus, Dragon and Ape. Jason is the Tyrannosaurus, a powerful leader who is able to work with his team. He also tends to tackle his opponents head on Rocky however is a Dragon. As such he was the center, around which the team is formed. Rocky preferred to think things out before attacking."

"Billy was drawn to the Blue colour. Blue represents a creative and powerful mind, not just in terms of knowledge, but also in terms of mental powers. Blue spirits also have a desire to belong although sometimes have difficulty relating to others. The Triceratops, Unicorn and Wolf represent the Blue Powers. Billy is the Wolf aspect of the Blue Power. He prefers to study his enemies and determine their weaknesses before charging in."

"Trini was suited to the Yellow Power. She could have managed either the Sabre-toothed Tiger, Griffin or Bear. As the Yellow Ranger she was the peacemaker, looking out for the weaker members of the team. However like Billy, she prefers to study her problems first and would have been at her best if linked to the Bear."

"What about me?" Aisha asked.

"I will get to you in a moment," Zordon promised, before continuing with his lecture. "Zack and Adam are both natural users of the Black Powers. Both possess a joyful spirit and seek to lighten their team's mood in battle. For Zack this is due to his own personality, but Adam does so because of his shy nature. The Mastodon, Lion and Frog represent the Black Power. Zack is the Lion, a playful and slightly wild spirit, whilst Adam is the more reserved Frog."

"Kimberly and Kat were Pink Spirits, the colour of a nursing spirit that is protective of all those around and pure of mind and body. The Pterodactyl, Firebird and Crane all represent the Pink Power. Whilst Kimberly is more likely to think and then act, Kat will study her opponents in the same was as Billy and Trini. That is why Kim excelled as the Firebird and Kat was able to slip into her role as the Crane."

"The White Ranger represents the healer," Zordon explained. "Although Tommy has held the White Power, he did so only to access the powers of a Ranger. The White Rangers normally possess a pure spirit and are immune to spells. In addition they can heal their fellow Rangers and possess certain extra mental abilities. The White Powers are represented by the winged flying dinosaur known as the Winged Raptor or Drago, Tiger and Falcon."

"Sam and Tommy are both Green Spirits. The Green Power is at the opposite end of the Light Side," Zordon explained "Those with a Green Spirit constantly feel the pull of both sides of the Morphin Grid. That is why both Tommy and Sam were able to be place under Rita's spell. The Dragon, Minotaur and Panther represent the Green Power. Sam is Dragon, whereas Tommy is closer to the Light and is therefore the Panther."

"Finally, there is the Purple Spirit. Purple is the colour of unity. Those with the Purple Powers are able to combine the various attributes of the other Rangers. Aisha is a Purple Spirit. She is pure of heart; capable of acting on her own when she needs to; and has a protective attitude towards her fellow Rangers. The Stegosaurus, Spider and Hawk represent purple."

Zordon looked at his young students. He knew his lecture had raised many questions in their minds and he intended to answer them.

"I know you have some questions, so allow me to explain. Firstly, the ninth colour is undefined, often posing as one of the other colours. It is hidden deep within the Morphin Grid and will only be revealed when eight Rangers reach their full potential and need the power of a ninth. It is the power of the Trickster, mimicking the other Spirits and hiding amongst them. I know you will wonder why if there were nine colours there were only ever six Rangers at a time. As I have already mentioned, one of the colours is unknown, but the others are simply related to not having the coins. The original Purple Coin was lost, the White Coin was mine to create and I did so only to allow Tommy to become a Ranger again. With the Green Coin in the hands of Rita and then sabotaged, I never got to create a Green Ranger."

Jason had listened to everything Zordon had said. He had allowed the others to ask questions when he felt they were necessary and now understood the inside workings of the Ranger Powers. What he needed to know was why Zordon felt the need to tell them all this. "Zordon, why are we here?"

"Jason, Kimberly, Aisha, Trini, David, Sam, Zack and Billy, you are here because I believe that the eight of you will prove successful in the task I am about to set. Seven of you have proven yourselves exceptional Rangers and David has shown signs that he too would be a successful avatar of the Power. I have revealed to you the truth about the Morphin Grid and explained to you the aspects. Now I ask that you accept that although these aspects are individually powerful, it is only when unified that they will allow the true power of a Ranger to be unlocked.

Very few have ever held all three aspects of the Power. Most have been given their correct spirit early on and have never changed. On Earth though Billy, Kimberly and Aisha have used all three levels to some extent. Zack, Trini and Jason have touched two aspects even if one was only in passing. There is therefore a high chance that this group could integrate all three aspects to unlock the true Ranger powers."

"How do we get them?" Jason asked.

"First, you must realise that you will be a team. The Power Rangers have always been a team and this is perhaps your greatest strength," Zordon explained. "And secondly, you will be divided, trained and tested to find and recognise the different aspects of the Power within you. Then you will be taught to direct and use your new powers before being tested to prove yourselves worthy of your new Power Coins. I would never force you to do anything that you feel uncomfortable doing. But, if you are prepared to accept the powers, please step forward."

"Excellent," Thalian declared as the Rangers took a step forward. "Take the rest of the day to really get to know yourselves and each other. We will resume early tomorrow. Oh and Ranger, be sure to rest."

Saurian's Temple, Zyuella

Eight hopeful humans stood awaiting their first test. Saurian had warned them that the training they would receive was intended to make up for the gaps in their training and then to stretch them to the peak of their abilities. It would be at that time that they would be able to tell whether or not the Rangers had what was needed to succeed. Their days would be long and tedious, but during time they would learn whether they were deserving of the powers they sought.

"We shall begin the training soon, but first you must be divided," Saurian told them. "Some of you are connected to one aspect of the Morphin Grid already and your training will take place with those aspects in mind."

Thalian stepped forward to look at the hopeful Rangers in front of him. "Zachary Taylor and Kimberly Hart, you two will accompany me to Dairon." He held out his hand to both of the former Rangers. Kimberly and Zack took his hand and vanished.

"Trini Kwan and William Cranston, you are both to accompany me to the Desert of Despair," Ninjor said. Billy and Trini stepped forward and vanished.

"Sam Revilo and Jason Lee-Scott, you will remain here with me," Saurian said. Above him a door opened in the temple and the two boys followed him in.

"And that just leaves us," Dulcea said to David and Aisha. "Since both of you have only recently discovered your true colours I will teach you together?" She smiled at them and held out her hand. "Come on, let's go."

"Where are we going?" David asked.

"To Phaedos," Dulcea replied. "Relax David, no harm will come to you so long as you are under my care."

In a flash they all disappeared.

**End of Part**

Disclaimer: I do not own the Power Rangers, they belong to the respective copyright owner. No money is being made from this piece of writing.

**The Quest for Power Part 2 - Trial of Strength **

Zyuella

Zyuella was a warm world untouched by civilisation for as long as anyone could remember. The planet was made up of a harsh ecosystem where the stronger animals preyed on the weak and those that could not out power the predators relied on brains and speed to get out of their way. It was a place where the dominant life forms were dinosaurs and one of the few places where even the simplest animals could touch the Morphin Grid. Saurian looked out over his world pleased that after so long he finally had some students. In the past he had been a great warrior, proudly fighting in the war against evil. Now he was retired, a teacher knowledgeable in the ways of the Morphin Grid, especially where it involved the application of brute force.

He raised his head to the sky, his dark skin absorbing the Sun's rays. He opened his eyes wide, hoping that he would be inspired as to how to test the two Rangers in his care. In the time they had been with him he had trained them in the ways of the warrior. Swordsmanship, unarmed combat, climbing and survival techniques had all been part of his course. They had learnt quickly, taking advantage of the dimensional wells inside the temple where hours of time passed faster than it did in the outside world. But Saurian knew despite the potential these Rangers showed they were soon to be tested and that should they succeed they would need further instruction before they could claim they were ready to survive the quest for the Great Power.

Saurian needed to be sure they were worthy of the power they stood to gain if they succeeded. Zordon had told him a great deal about the Rangers, but even the White Morphin Master had admitted to having some doubts when he had first selected the teens. If they succeeded and then succumbed to the power they wielded, nothing would stop them. ~With the Great Power all things are possible, including dominance over the Universe.~

But how to test them. He knew it was not enough for them to be able to touch the powers they had used in the past; Jason and Sam needed to prove they were complete in touch with the Power. That they trusted it and allowed it to guide them as much as they used it to further their aims. Most importantly he needed them to prove to him that at the end of the day there was something more important to them than becoming Rangers.

~I need to push them to break the rules of the Power,~ he thought. ~Tempt them to take the easy option and see how they respond.~

The question of course was how? He did not believe a simple offer of power would do the trick, unless the power was one the Rangers had been led to believe was theirs'. He remembered from his conversations with Zordon that Sam was reliant on the Green Power to exist. Maybe when faced with no alternative Sam would opt for the easy way out. Saurian hoped he would be proved wrong. Luckily he had separated Jason and Sam as soon as they had entered the temple. Both believed they were seeing each other on a regular basis, in truth they had never been in the same place at the same time since training had started.

Jason looked around his room. Admittedly large enough for him to move about in and furnished with a bed and chair, none of the space inside was wasted. On the end of the bed he found a pair of plain grey pants and a T-shirt that showed that among their other feats the Morphin Masters had successfully created the perfect embodiment of blandness. He changed into the clothes provided for him, dumping his nightclothes into the receptacle - they would be cleaned and returned for him by nightfall - and sat down on the chair provided while he waited for Saurian. The Morphin Master had made a habit of visiting him each morning to discuss the day's training. It seemed like they had been in the temple for weeks, but Jason knew that was likely a side effect of the time disturbance.

After a long wait during which his breakfast had been delivered, there was a knock on the door and Saurian entered the room. He nodded his approval when he saw Jason was dressed and seemingly ready for the day ahead. As was the protocol they had developed between them, Jason indicated for the Morphin Master to sit.

"I trust you are ready for the testing," Saurian said as he took a seat on the bed. "Your training has been shorter than I would have liked kid. Two years maybe, but two weeks is too short a time."

"I am ready," Jason said.

"Good lad," Saurian replied. "Being ready is all you can be. There's no prize for second place in this; I can award one set of powers to one Ranger. It's you or Sam for the power, and position as leader of the Morphin Rangers. You're neck and neck at the moment, this test is winner takes all."

"I have to compete with Sam?" Jason asked.

"Only five can seek the Great Power," Saurian explained. "David and Aisha were preselected by Zordon. Thalian, Ninjor and I will decide the remaining three Rangers. Billy and Trini will be competing for the role of Blue Ranger, Zack and Kimberly will be competing for the role of Black Ranger and you and Sam will be competing for the role of Red Ranger."

"What about the three Rangers who are not picked?" Jason asked.

"They will eventually be given the powers of either the White, Purple or Green Ranger and act as backup while the others do the fighting." Saurian smiled sympathetically as he turned to look Jason in the eye. "I know it's not fair kid, but that's the way things are. That's why I kept you apart from Sam; to face each other in combat is one thing, but to face a friend in combat is another. Of course, you've been in that position with Tommy before and he turned out to be a suitable leader for the Rangers. I'm sure Sam would make a good leader as well, eventually."

With that Saurian stood and left Jason to think about his words. Once outside the door, he took a few deep breaths. Lying to Jason had not been easy. He hoped the teen had fallen for the act enough to genuinely pass the test. He reached out with the limited empathy he possessed. He was a warrior, used to fighting his way through evil armies with only the aid of his battle-axe, not testing the emotional state of a teenage human.

He could sense the boy's inner turmoil and knew that soon Jason would start hearing the voices of his darker thoughts, an effect created by the high levels of stress and the trace chemicals that had been placed in his food. If Jason could overcome those thoughts then he would be worthy of the powers Zordon had sent him in search of. ~And perhaps then I will be able to forgive myself for this deception.~

When he was finally calm, Saurian set off for Sam's room, hoping the Green Ranger's latent magic - for Sam had become so reliant upon the Wizard of Deception's wand and his Power Coin, that he had failed to notice his own abilities - did not allow him to detect lies. In the case of the Green Ranger it was even more important to ensure he was worthy of the Power. The Green Rangers had always walked the line between good and evil. Over the years, many had been lost when they stepped over the line. With the powers Sam would encounter, such a loss of self would prove disastrous.

Sam lay back on his bed waiting for Saurian to summon him. When he had entered his room, he had put on the pants and top Saurian had provided. Then he had settled back to wait. Eventually Saurian entered the room and took a seat next to the bed.

"Are you prepared for the test?" he asked.

"As ready as I can be," Sam replied.

"That's what Jason said when I asked him as well," Saurian smiled. "It's a shame really that I cannot choose both of you to become Rangers."

"How do you mean?" Sam asked.

"There can only be five Rangers at this time. We need to select those best suited to the task at hand. Therefore, we're not having a Red Ranger; you and Jason will be competing for the Green Coin."

"What happens to the loser?" Sam asked.

"Well in Jason's case, if he loses, he will just wait until we have the power to create a Red Ranger and then rejoin the team. With you it's a little bit more difficult because your existence is linked to your coin, which is in the hands of the enemy. It's a tough break kid, but if you lose we can't risk them using the coin to control you. We have to arrange for you to be placed into a sleep chamber until we can get your coin back for you." Saurian turned to look Sam in the eye as he made his final comment. "Of course you have proven yourself to be a valued ally to the Rangers, so I wish you every success. And rest assured, Jason has held the Green Power Coin before and I'm sure he will use it as well this time as he did then."

Saurian could sense Sam's anger. Whereas Jason had been confused, Sam was furious with Zordon for sending him in search of a power, knowing he could lose everything he valued including his freedom.

"Of course, at the end of the day, victory is what counts. I have already told Jason and now I'm telling you, during the trials ahead, anything goes."

Without saying another word, Saurian stood and walked out.

"The test is set," Saurian said, holding the palm of his hand outwards. "One believes his role as leader is at stake, the other believes his existence is forfeit to failure." He closed his hand again. "Let the test begin."

Jason glanced over at Sam as they stood at the start of the assault course. It hurt him to see Sam dressed in red, a colour he had always felt was his.

"Ready," Saurian said raising his hand. "Set, go!"

The two boys set off through the maze Saurian had arranged for them. Up the long cargo net, across the balance beam, over the rolling tree trunks and down into the swamp below.

Saurian watched from his vantage point high above the forest. Both Rangers believed they were running against each other. In truth they had never started to move. The only running was happening in their minds.

Sam took a moment to catch his breath. He was a few seconds ahead of Jason and determined to win. Seeing Jason dressed in Green had been hurtful. *You know you could use your magic to get ahead a bit,* a voice said. *Use the spell you used on Zordon and Saurian will never know that you cheated.*

Sam was tempted for half a second. The voice was not the one he normally heard. This voice was more seductive. He considered using a small spell just to slow Jason down. Then he shook the idea away. ~Being the Green Ranger is not worth that.~

Sam started to run again as he heard Jason approaching. He quickly waded through the swamp, careful not to let the murky water drag him under. With a splash, Jason landed just in front of him, having jumped from above. Sam realised Jason had seen him in the swamp and had assumed it was safe.

Jason landed in front of his friend and kept moving, struggling to gain as much of a lead as possible. He heard a moan behind him and looked around. Sam had lost his footing and was sinking into the swamp.

*Leave him,* a voice said. *A leader must be strong. The others need you. It's worth the loss of Sam to save Earth.*

Jason ignored the voices and looked for a way to help his friend. He knew wading back into the swamp could lead to them both being sucked under. His last conversation with Zordon came to mind and Jason found himself wondering if all three aspects of the Morphin Grid were within him. Reaching down he found the Tyrannosaurus. He reached further until he felt the Red Dragon. From there it was a small stretch to seek the power of Ninja within. The Ape bounded into being, filling his mind with the knowledge he needed to rescue Sam.

Bending his knees, Jason leapt into the branches of a nearby tree. In his mind he could see how the Ape would accomplish its task. Standing on the branch he grabbed a vine, tied it down and then used it to lower himself into position above Sam.

"Grab my ankles," he told Sam.

He saw the former Green Dragon Ranger reach up to grab his ankles. When he felt Sam grab on, Jason pulled them back up to the branch.

"Thanks," Sam said.

"Come on, let's finish," Jason said.

Working together the two friends easily negotiated the rest of the obstacles, at the same time learning about their spirit animals. At one point a huge white dragon, which bombarded them with fireballs attacked them, causing both Rangers to duck. Drawing on the power of their own Dragon powers, Jason and Sam managed to overpower the beast.

Together they finally finished the course, exhausted and in need of rest. They looked up to see Saurian watching them.

"Congratulations to both of you," Saurian said to both of them. To Jason he added, "You know with the Red Ranger powers on the line you took quite a risk by going back to help him."

"Congratulations to both of you," Saurian said to both of them. To Sam he added, "Allowing Jason to rescue you showed you must have a lot of faith in your abilities to win later on. With the Green Ranger powers on the line I would have done anything to win."

"We'll break for half an hour and then begin the combat test," Saurian told them.

"The purpose of this test is very simple," Saurian explained. "These are simulations of all the foot soldiers that Rangers throughout the Universe have faced at some point. You are both armed with a variety of weapons you can summon at any time. You may not use energy weapons however. If you are hit by one of their weapons you will lose points, but their blades are blunt."

Sam and Jason stood back to back. Each had chosen a sword as their first weapon. Sam quickly calculated the number of foot soldiers he would need to destroy in order to win the contest.

"Begin!" Saurian instructed.

Zordon's rules for combat buzzed in their head. **NEVER ESCALATE A BATTLE UNLESS FORCED TO DO SO.** Both Sam and Jason stayed in place, waiting for the attack.

From the sidelines, Saurian smiled. Both Rangers had learnt their lesson well. He almost hated to finish the test, but knew it was essential for them to go through the entire trial. The test was to see if the Rangers would abandon a teammate to get ahead. He was almost certain now that Jason was as pure as the Power required. Sam was still an unknown factor; Saurian sensed great anger and bitterness. If Sam decided to cheat, Saurian needed to know.

From out of nowhere a group of Putties charged. Sam rolled to the left, jumped up, swinging his sword as he did so and neatly took off the head of the nearest Putty. Jason had done almost the same, but instead of standing up he sliced the Putty through the waist.

From there on in there was no holding back. Each time they were attacked, the two Rangers fought them off. Within a few minutes they had killed many of the henchmen and knocked out a lot more. Jason jammed the blade of his axe into a Cog's chest and turned around to see Sam strike four of the Z-Putties in their chests at the same time with a bo-staff.

Down to the last five opponents, Sam was one point ahead. He successfully ducked the Quantrons, smashing them with a pair of Nunchuks. He watched as Jason did the same to another two. All that was left was one Tenga, one of the easier opponents. Selecting a bow and arrow, he took aim.

The Tenga sensing danger flew into the air, picking Jason off the ground and flying to a great height. *Shoot it anyway and you win, * a voice said. Without a second thought Sam threw down the bow and arrow. Instead he concentrated on using his own magic to grab Jason and guide him back to Earth. Once he was sure his friend was safe, Sam turned his attention back to the Tenga in time to see it flying for his neck.

The bird dropped to the ground, a blade emerging through its neck where Jason had stabbed it. Once again Saurian walked over to them.

"Once again you have both excelled yourselves," the ancient teacher told them. "There will be one more test. I will call you when it is ready."

With that he transported Jason and Sam back to their rooms and prepared for their final challenge. So far both Rangers had performed exactly as he had hoped. Not only had Sam refused to cheat to win, he had used his magic even though he knew it would cause him to be disqualified. Now if they passed the final test Earth would have its new defenders.

Sam sat alone thinking about what Saurian might have in store for them next. It was no longer a question of whether he became Green Ranger again, it was a question of whether he would cease to exist. He had survived two hundred years in the past in order to protect the Morphin Grid. When time had finally caught up with itself, Sam had reluctantly allowed himself to be drawn back into battle. Now after all he had done he was facing his own doom, not from an enemy but a friend.

*He doesn't have to win,* a voice said. *Use your powers against him and there is no way he will survive the final test. You deserve to be the Green Ranger. Why should Jason take what is rightfully yours?*

Sam pushed the voice away. He had no intention of doing anything that would hurt Jason. ~Being a Ranger is not worth Jason's life,~ he thought. Had it only been a month or two before that he had wished for death?

*What about your own life?* the voice asked. *If are separated from the Green Power Coin you will cease to exist. Use your powers and beat Jason. He's taken the power of the Green Ranger from its rightful holder before. Don't let him do it again.*

Sam didn't dignify that argument with a response. He was a Ranger, one of those destined to protect the Earth from harm and he would do whatever he had to ensure that the planet remained free from evil's grasp. And if that meant that Jason had to be the Green Ranger, so be it. ~There is always another way,~ Sam thought. ~I won't kill to remain a Ranger.~

Sam had been so lost in his thoughts he had not noticed Saurian enter the room. The ancient master took his time to watch Sam struggling against his own desires. The boy was strong willed, but the thought of cheating in some way was growing stronger. Saurian decided Sam had debated with himself long enough.

"It is time Sam," Saurian said solemnly.

Sam followed Saurian out of his room and deep into the depths of the temple. For what seemed like another eternity they descended until finally Saurian stopped in front of a large stone door. From out of the air he plucked a double-edged sword and handed it to Sam.

"Your opponent waits within. Remember the rules of this combat: only fight to win; never trust an opponent and a Ranger without power is not a Ranger. Good luck, Ranger."

The stone door rolled open and Sam stepped through. Behind him he could hear the stone door close again. Sam looked around and recognised the scene. It was the tournament where Jason had first fought against Tommy. Sam checked around and discovered there was only one other person in the room.

"Hello Jason," Sam said in a cold voice, noticing that his opponent was still wearing green.

Jason said nothing, choosing instead to walk onto the mat and take up a ready stance, his own sword ready to strike. Sam walked onto the mat, and held his own sword out ready for action.

*Strike!* the voice said in the back of his mind. *Kill him before he attacks you. Use your powers and strike!*

Sam ignored the voice once again. For a moment he had been tempted, but seeing Jason waiting for him he decided to hold back and wait for his friend to strike first.

Jason followed Saurian down the steps of the temple, far below his room towards the place where Sam would be awaiting him. He had been wondering how he could defeat Sam and still be able to call himself worthy of the prize. ~Is being the leader so important to me that I need to beat up a friend to prove it?~

*Of course it is,* a voice said. *Tommy took your role from you before, why should Sam get to do it again?*

~There has to be another way. Fighting just to be a Ranger is wrong. I could defend Earth without my powers.~ Jason was tempted to give in and just fight, but he knew there was always an alternative.

Since Zordon had first selected them to be Rangers, Jason had always been the center of the team. He had been the one who had helped Billy with his martial arts, he was the one who had given the others the strength to carry on when Zordon had been missing, and he had been the one to free Tommy from Rita's spell and bring him into the team.

Then Zordon had tossed him aside, demoting him so Tommy could be leader. Jason had accepted his role until Zordon had insisted he surrender his powers to go to the Peace Conference. The conference had been worth the time he had spent there, but Jason wanted to be where he could make a difference. And being a Ranger meant he could make a difference.

*And now you're going to let somebody come along and take it away from you, again? Fight, do whatever you have to, but win!*

Saurian finally stopped in front of a pit. He held out his hand and produced an unpowered version of Jason's Power Sword. Jason took the weapon, reassured by the familiar feel of the weapon in his hand. "Your opponent is down there," Saurian said. "I know you don't want to fight Sam, but remember the Rangers need a leader, they need a Red Ranger and they need you."

Jason nodded and climbed into the pit. Once inside he saw it was a tunnel. Following the tunnel to its end he found himself in the Youth Center, or as near a mock up of the Youth Center as Saurian had managed to create. The whole area was empty except for Sam working out in the far corner. Jason noticed Sam was still wearing his red uniform, paying no heed as he continued to kick the punching bag.

*Strike him now!* the voice said. *If you catch him by surprise you will be victorious and can return to Earth. Tommy and the others need you. They won't hold out forever. Strike him!*

~No,~ Jason thought to himself. ~I took an oath only to use my powers for defence, never attack.~

That decided he noticed Sam turn towards him and walk across to the mat. The would-be Red Ranger had drawn a sword and was waiting for Jason. Jason walked over the mat and took up a defensive stance, ready for action.

Sam slowly worked through his kata, waiting for Jason to make the first move. Despite the voice in head he felt compelled to wait until he was attacked. Eventually Jason lunged, a fierce powerful blow to his ribs. Sam twisted at the hip, dropping his own sword and grabbing hold of Jason's arm as he followed through. Using his body for leverage he threw Jason to the ground. He used a quick kick to disarm his opponent and then backed off.

Sam watched as Jason recovered his sword, a sinister grin appearing on his face. ~He wants these powers so bad he's willing to kill for them.~

*Or die trying,* the voice said. *Fight back, he doesn't deserve the Green Power if he would kill to get it.*

Sam thought about what the voice said. It was true; Jason was attacking him with no sign of magic. Why shouldn't he fight fire with fire? He deserved to be the Green Ranger, why not use his powers to obtain what was his."

**"Now that you are part of the team, you must swear to uphold three rules or lose the protection of the Power. Never use your powers for personal gain; never reveal to anybody that you are a Power Ranger; and never escalate a battle unless you are forced to do so." **Zordon's words came flooding into Sam's head. He suddenly knew what he needed to do, not to win, just because it was right.

"I won't fight you, Jason," Sam said. "I won't kill for the Green Coin, I won't kill for my own needs and I won't fight my friend. If you want the Green Power Coin, it is yours. I'll find another way to help the Earth."

That said Sam walked away. In a flash of light he found himself outside the temple. Saurian was standing on the steps, a solemn look on his face. Sam felt his fears grow, especially when Jason did not appear with him.

Jason parried Sam's thrust. Swinging around he tried to reach under his opponent's blade, but to no avail. With each block Sam made Jason angrier until finally the former Red Ranger snapped. Deciding it was best to disarm his opponent, Jason lashed out with the flat edge of his sword, catching Sam across the face.

As expected he saw Sam lose his footing and struggle to regain his balance. At that point Jason launched himself into the air, landing under Sam's guard and catching him with a forearm. He swivel-kicked the sword from Sam's hand before rolling away to reclaim his own.

*Now!* the voice said deep in mind. *Do it now!*

A picture of his loved ones formed before him. All of them were screaming, begging him to become the Red Ranger and help them. He saw Tanya and Kat screaming as some unknown monster struck them. Tommy, Rocky and Adam replaced them, their throats slit. Finally Emily, his girlfriend appeared, begging him to take the power and become the Red Ranger she knew and loved.

~Emily?~ the image remained in Jason's mind. Something was wrong. Emily had never known he was a Ranger and she hadn't arrived in Angel Grove until the Zeo Rangers took over.

He looked at Sam kneeling before him begging for mercy. He remembered a battle from his time as Red Ranger. A monster had disguised itself as Tommy, trying to convince them they could never stand up to Zedd. Jason had seen through the disguise, knowing Tommy would never give in to fear.

"You win," Jason said, throwing his sword down and walking away.

Behind him he heard a howl and turned in time to see Sam being attacked by a black Ape. *Don't just leave him,* the voice said. *Finish him and you can be the Red Ranger once again.*

"Never!" Jason cried angrily. "I will not use my powers to attack for my own means. I will not kill unless provoked. And I will not allow a teammate to die unnecessarily, either by an action on my part or a refusal to act."

Without thinking he ran in front of the Ape and called on his spirit animals to defend the Green Ranger. The other Ape backed down and Jason turned to his friend. "If being Red Ranger means I have to kill a friend for nothing more than power, I don't want it."

That said Jason turned and walked back into the corridor. In front of him there was a bright flash and he found himself teleported to the temple front where Sam and Saurian were waiting. Saurian's face was grim and Jason feared the worse.

"Well," Saurian said. "You have both failed to claim the Morphin Powers. I find neither of you worthy of holding the Power. I strip both of you of any powers you might have had before coming here. I realise that this will mean you can no longer defend your planet, and in your case Sam will lead to death if you leave the temple. I therefore invite both of you to stay here until the battle is over and Earth is either safe or destroyed."

Jason and Sam exchanged a look. Both of them had failed and both of them were looking to the other for inspiration.

"Can you send me back to Earth?" Sam asked finally.

"Yes," Saurian replied. "But you will last only an hour on Earth."

"Send me back," Sam said sternly. "If I am going to cease to exist, I would rather do so fighting to help my friends. I may not be a Ranger, but I still have my magic."

"Me too," Jason said. "Tommy and the others are off planet seeking the Zeo Crystal, at least we can cover for them while they are gone. If I'm not going to have new powers the least I can do is return home and buy some time for the others."

A smile spread across Saurian's face. "Congratulations, you have proven yourselves to be true and worthy of the Power. You have upheld the rules, proven yourselves loyal and have shown that even without your powers you are willing to fight for the forces of good. I pronounce thee Rangers."

In front of Jason a Power Coin appeared. As he watched, the insignia of the Tyrannosaurus, Red Dragon and Ape formed on one side of the coin. On the other side of the coin was an etching of Jason's face. This was his power, never to be taken or used by another.

"Jason Lee-Scott, you have proven yourself to be a leader. You a strong warrior in body and spirit, always willing to help those under your command. It is with this in mind I restore to you the power of the Red Ranger."

The Power Coin seemed to fold in on itself, forming a small golden ball. The ball floated into Jason's hand and a morpher formed around it.

"Sam Revilo, you have proven yourself to be selfless and true. You have ignored the call of your darker nature even though you knew it would ensure your survival. It is with this in mind that I grant you the power of the Dragon, Minotaur and Panther and break your bond with your old coin. Now take what is rightfully yours, Green Ranger."

Sam did as he was told, watching as in front of him four coins formed. The first three contained the symbol of the Dragon, Minotaur and Panther with the Dragon glowing brightest. The fourth coin showed the image of Sam's face. The four coins merged, forming a golden ball, which floated into Sam's palm. A morpher formed around the ball.

"Call on your powers and make the ceremony complete," Saurian urged. "In the words of an old friend of mine: It's Morphin Time!"

"Green Ranger Power!" Sam called.

"Red Ranger Power!" Jason called.

"Tyrannosaurus!" Saurian called. He appeared in a slightly heavier version of Ninjor's armour. "Come, now you need to make sure you know how to use these new powers and discuss your new Zords."

In a flash of light the three powered beings left the temple to enjoy the rest of the planet and discuss their future. Sam and Jason had passed the test, Saurian hoped the other Rangers were also up to the task.

**End of Part**

Disclaimer: I do not own the Power Rangers, they belong to the respective copyright owner. No money is being made from this piece of writing.

**The Quest for Power Part 3 - Trial of the Mind**

Thalian's Temple, Dairon

"Today you will have the opportunity to do something new," Thalian promised as he regarded his two pupils. They had trained hard over the last three weeks in the shadow of the temple. "Today you will take the challenge of the North Challenge. If you succeed, you will be deemed worthy of the Power and gain entrance to the Temple of the Mind's Eye," Thalian said. The bright sun reflected off his shoulder armour.

"I still say it looks more like a castle than a temple," Kimberly noted.

Thalian smiled, not the forced smile of a teacher trying to deal with a child who shouts out during class, but a deep friendly smile that spread all the way to his eyes. "Of course you do." He had learnt over their time together that Kimberly could be very set in her opinions. He was looking forward to seeing her reaction when she got her first look at the temple after being inside. "I meant of course the Castle of the Mind's Eye. All you have to do to pass your tests, is reach the main chamber inside the tower."

Unlike the rest of the temple, which was large and impressive, complete with stone pillars and long steps, the tower was made of dull grey stones; it was tall and square walled without decoration. Behind the spot where Thalian stood, was a simple doorway. To each side of the entrance was a moat, filled with green ooze.

A map appeared in his hand showing a picture of the temple. "Those who into the tower would go must choose above, between or below."

"What does that mean?" Zack asked.

"There are three entrances," Thalian explained. "One is on the roof, one is below the moat and one is behind me. Each will lead to the main chamber and each has its own challenges. The question is which will you choose?"

Without saying another word Thalian disappeared, leaving Zack and Kimberly to find their own ways in. If they were true Rangers it would take them a while, but they would eventually find the answer. Deciding to help them on their way, he had left them with was a small clue. "This task is as simple or as difficult as you decide it should be."

Finding no obvious entrances or secret methods of opening the temple door Kimberly and Zack had split up to see if they could find any entrances elsewhere. Thalian watched from the temple entrance. He had expected nothing less from two of Zordon's chosen. They had been taught to assume that the obvious way was wrong, meaning they had not followed him through the middle door.

He had no question they were worthy of the Power. He had watched them during their training and had been amazed at how they'd adapted to his teachings. He had watched them during the time they had used the Power of Thunder. He had seen them both grow wiser. If it had been his choice, he would have given the power to all of them without testing. Well, nearly all of them.

There was one whom Zordon had sent who caused Thalian concern. The feeling was weak, but no less evil and strangely familiar. He had watched over Kimberly, Zack, Billy, Jason and Trini, and he knew them to be pure. That meant that the problem was with one of Zordon's other choices.

David had never been a Ranger, but Thalian could sense a level of purity within him equal to Zordon. Tanya had been chosen to replace one of the Rangers and Thalian knew the Morphin Powers would not accept anyone unsuitable. Sam was another matter. Thalian had seen the trouble the Clone of the Green Dragon Ranger had caused when Rita and Zedd had created him. He secretly wondered whether Sam had truly conquered his dark side.

~Stay alert,~ he told himself. He had expected the Rangers to miss the easy option and to go searching for a way in. Now he needed to check they passed the three tests they were required to fulfil. ~Good luck Rangers,~ he thought. ~You might need it.~

"Great, just great!" Kimberly muttered as she climbed her way up the side of the tower. She had soon realised how little Thalian's advice had helped. Walking around the side of the tower, she had noticed a set of footholds carefully carved into the walls. She had started to climb as quickly as possible, knowing the climb was going to be a long one.

As she reached what should have been the halfway point she looked up to see how much further she needed to climb. ~That's impossible,~ she thought to herself as she saw how far she still needed to climb. Despite climbing as quickly as possible she had hardly covered an eighth of the wall. Sighing she resumed her climb, hoping that she had enough energy to keep climbing.

~I'm not going to make it,~ she thought to herself. She looked up again and noticed how much further the top seemed to be. *So give up now,* a voice in her head said. *Why do something when you KNOW you will fail?*

Kim ignored the voiced and kept climbing. Despite the wall becoming steeper and the footholds smaller she kept going. She knew the others were relying on her. She had missed being a Ranger and having her friends around her. Especially Tommy. She had known almost as soon as she arrived at Gunther Schmidt's compound that she had made the wrong choice. She had left the man she loved and the friends who meant more to her than anything behind, just for a chance at a dream that might never happen.

After a few months she had sent Tommy the letter, not having the nerve to face him herself. There had been no new boyfriend, Kimberly had simply noticed how Kat had been attracted to him and did not have the heart to come between them. ~Why should he have to wait for me, when there's already somebody he could be happy with?~ Once the letter had been written Kimberly soon realised it was a good decision.

Being away from Tommy had made her realise that they had never really had a future together. Tommy could be fun and friendly and he was one of the gentlest people she knew, but there was always a shadow in the back of his eyes. A secret darkness that kept him held back always scared to get close in case he hurt her.

~For Tommy,~ she thought as she kept going, moving faster. The climb seemed to become easier, the footholds closer together as though her determination was helping her.

~The top has got to be within reach,~ she thought, knowing she had already climbed a long way. She looked up and noticed how close the top she was. ~Almost there.~ She looked a second time and noticed that the top had moved even closer.

Zack climbed down the stairwell that had appeared. It was obvious he would be trying to enter from below. At the bottom of the ladder he found himself confronted by a blank wall. Looking around he found a button and pushed it. The wall moved to reveal a room at the end of, which was written the word ENTRANCE next to a small door at the right far right-hand side.

Zack's first impulse was to run across the floor as fast as possible to reach the temple. With an effort he suppressed that urge, deciding instead to try the cautious approach. On the ground he noticed some stones and he began throwing them on the floor ahead, which had suddenly transformed into a chessboard pattern.

The first stone had no noticeable effect. The second was equally disappointing, only creating a hollow thud. He tried the third and fourth rows, once again nothing happened and he was almost tempted to go ahead and cross. He had one last stone in his hand and without thinking threw it across the floor. As it hit, a laser beam blasted the floor from above in rapid fire, destroying the stones as it did so.

With a low grinding sound a stone rose from the ground next to him. Zack carefully read the words engraved on the stone: IF YOU ARE READING THIS YOU HAVE ALREADY SHOWN YOUR INTELLIGENCE BY NOT GETTING KILLED. TO CROSS SAFELY FOLLOW THE PATH OF THE BLACK KNIGHT, EVER FORWARD FOUR TIMES.

Figuring the riddle referred to chess, Zack quickly found his way to the black square on the right-hand side. ~Two forward, one across,~ he thought. Slowly he moved across the board, somehow knowing he could only go forward and could only move four times. ~This is too easy,~ he thought. ~Something must happen soon.~

CRACK!

As if on cue a loud noise sounded behind him. Zack turned around to see the floor he had just stepped on collapse into a pit. On the wall was carved: YOU DIDN'T THINK IT WOULD BE THAT EASY, DID YOU?

From the corner of his eye Zack noticed a black Knight moving towards him, sword drawn, ready for action. He rolled forward as it struck the floor, cautious in case the floor gave way. Forgetting the words on the stone, Zack ran for the exit. The knight was in fast pursuit. As Zack reached the exit, a wall of flames rose from the floor, the heat causing him to retreat.

YOU DIDN'T THINK IT WOULD BE THAT EASY, DID YOU?

The words were now scorched into the floor beneath him and the knight was still closing. ~Zack,~ he thought to himself, ~you need to find a new day job.~

Ducking the knight's charge, Zack ran around the board, trying to shake his pursuer. ~Come on Zackman, he's not so tough.~ He looked around and was surprised to see the knight had shrunk. It was no longer as fierce and seemed to be moving slower.

~This will never work,~ Zack thought as he attempted to distract the knight with his dance steps. For a moment the knight followed his steps, then it attacked.

"Okay, new strategy," Zack said to himself. He looked around trying to find a weapon or anything he could use as a lever. All he saw was the stone on which his original challenge had been written. ~That's it.~

"Hey ugly!" Zack called, drawing the knight towards the back of the board, making sure he was on a white square. "Let the challenge resume."

He quickly followed the move a knight would make in a chess game. He moved forward two squares and one to the left. As he had expected the floor behind him gave way, as did the floor to his left. The knight who had been chasing him fell into the chasm, allowing Zack to complete the test and enter the next room.

Kim finally made it to the top of the temple and climbed over the battlements. She rolled onto the cold hard floor happy to be one step closer to her new powers. In front of her she could see the small wooden door leading inside the tower. Carved into the wood were the words: YOU DIDN'T THINK IT WOULD BE THAT EASY, DID YOU?

The door creaked as it changed to form a face. It seemed to snarl at her. Kimberly took a step back, just to be on the safe side. A dark shadow appeared over the roof, taking the form of a pterodactyl with white specks for eyes.

"Cease," the door creature said. "To enter you must get past me, by answering my questions three."

Kim took a deep breath. "I can do this," she told herself. "Go ahead," she told the face.

"In the morning I move on four legs, in the afternoon I walk on two legs and in the evening I walk on three legs. Tell me now, what am I?"

"You're a human," Kimberly said. "In the morning of its life a human crawls on four legs. Later it is able to walk upright on two legs. And in the evening of its life, a human walks with the help of a cane, the third leg."

"Correct!" the door said. Behind her the shape was becoming more solid and changing to a link pink colour. "Unfortunately one won't do, so answer for me riddle two. How many sides has a circle?"

Kim was tempted so say "none," remembering from the maths that Billy had taught her that a circle had a circumference. Then she thought about the question, visualising the circle in her mind. "Two," she said at last. "An inside and an outside."

"Correct!" the pterodactyl, said, now a bright pink. "Speak one more true and you may walk through."

~This one will be difficult,~ Kim thought. ~I don't know if I can do this.~

"What is Kedjenr of Finra's famous recipe for ice?"

Kimberly's face went blank as she struggled to understand the riddle. She had no idea what he had said. At least she assumed the door was male. She had no idea who Kedjenr of Finra was or what he put in his ice.

The pterodactyl swooped at her, knocking her face down to the floor. She looked down at the floor below her, just making out the words written on the stone: YOU DIDN'T THINK IT WOULD BE THAT EASY, DID YOU?

~Come on Kimberly, think! What do you use to make ice?~ The answer was so simple she almost dismissed it outright. ~But what else could it be? It has to be right!~

"Water!" she shouted, knowing he would have to accept the answer.

"I am forced to accept that as a correct answer," the face said. "Three answers have you, you may go through."

Kimberly turned to look at the pterodactyl as it flew into her head.

Thalian had known Kimberly would find the answer. In fact there was no such creature as Kedjenr of Finra. The whole thing had been a test of Kimberly's confidence. He hoped she had learnt the lesson ready for the next test.

Zack had also impressed him. He had not been sure whether the Black Ranger would be able to beat his first test, but as soon as Zack decided he could beat it, he had to succeed.

With the first test complete, now came the more difficult tests to beat. Both Rangers had emotional baggage that the tower would attempt to use against them. They could fight against it, but first they had to realise it was part of the test. Their faith in their friends and their believe in themselves were al they needed. Thalian hoped they would figure that out themselves.

Zack walked along the plain grey walled corridors, constantly on the look out for the next challenge. He seemed to be in a maze that did not follow the rules a student at the Peace Conference had taught him. Compared to the corridor the long hours of protocol and research seemed exciting.

But he had been called back to action. Back to the friends he had missed in Geneva and the family he had never wanted to leave. Zordon had not given him a chance to choose whether or not he left for Geneva. Instead he had been sent with the others to retrieve the Sword of Light and pass on his powers.

For a time everything had been all right. Zack had thrown himself into his work for the Peace Conference determined to make the best of a bad situation. Then Jason had left and Zack had never felt more alone and jealous in his life. Why did Jason get to be a Ranger again when he had wanted it just as much? When Zordon had asked him to return, Zack had jumped at the chance.

And now he was trapped in a seemingly endless maze. He used his intelligence and stopped walking, deciding to work out how far he had walked. Once he had the answer, he came to the conclusion the exit was around the next corner. He wasn't sure how he knew, he just knew that when he rounded the corner he would have passed the test.

Standing up Zack walked around the corner and exited the maze. Before him was another wooden door, the entrance to the third and final test.

"Hey, where are you going?" a familiar voice asked.

Zack turned to see Jason, Billy, Sam, Kimberly, David, Tanya and Trini all decked out in their new Ranger uniforms. Each of them had removed their helmets and placed them under their arms.

"Yeah, we have all the powers we need Zack," Trini told him. "There's no need for you to finish the test. We can all just return to Earth and you can go back to the Peace Conference"

"But what about my powers?" Zack asked.

"We don't need you Zack!" Billy shouted. "The Rangers have never needed you. The only reason you stayed around was because you were in the Youth Center at the same time as us. Otherwise, there would only have been four Rangers."

Zack choked back the tears, trying hard not to believe what Billy was saying. This had been his worst nightmare since being called back.

"You were never one of us," Jason said.

"Yeah," Kimberly agreed. "Give it up and go home."

"No!" Zack said firmly. "I came here to get some new powers to protect my world from the forces of evil. Now if you won't have me, that's fine. But I'm going to complete this quest."

Zack moved towards the door. As expected Jason moved to intercept and Zack found himself eye to eye with his former leader. ~This isn't happening. Jason is my friend!~

"You're not Jason," Zack suddenly realised. "And if you're not Jason then I can fight you and win."

A loud banshee like a scream filled the room as Jason and the other disappeared. Zack took a final look around before walking through the door and into an even worse nightmare.

The second test for Kimberly was a long empty corridor. On the far wall she could make out the words: YOU DIDN'T THINK IT WOULD BE THAT EASY, DID YOU?

Now she knew there was a trap set for her. She looked carefully at the walls and could make out the thin outlines of laser emitters, not powerful enough to shoot at her, but evidence of a trigger mechanism. Above them she could see a series of holes possibly indicating where something could be released.

"There's got to be another way," she said out loud, knowing that if she had to her gymnastics would allow her to avoid the lasers, ~If I could only see them.~

Kimberly looked up at the roof and spotted a set of rungs sunk into the concrete. ~I can make that jump,~ she thought. Lowering herself to the ground, she sprang upwards, reaching out to grab the first rung. Swinging hand over hand, she moved across the ceiling, using all her strength to take up as little space as possible.

About halfway over she detected a movement. Without warning the rung she was holding broke away, threatening to throw her to the floor. Kimberly acted quickly, hooking her foot around the nearest rung and hanging upside down. Her hair passed through one of the lasers, causing the room to shake. As she looked down the lower parts of the wall closed together. Then at high speed they opened again revealing an empty space where the floor had once been.

~Time to stop hanging around,~ Kim thought.

Reaching backwards she grabbed the next rails and recommenced her journey across the ceiling. Finally she reached the end of the corridor and landed on the floor. The wooden door was right next to her and she reached out to open it.

"Kimberly!"

Kim turned around towards the new voice. On the platform just behind her stood Tommy. He fixed her with his puppy dog eyes and gave her the smile that had melted her heart so long ago.

"Hey beautiful," he said, running his hand through her hair.

"T-tommy, what are you doing here?" Kim asked.

"I've come to take you home Kim," Tommy told her. "I never loved Kat, I just missed you. Come home and we'll find a place to settle down."

"What about the Rangers?" Kim asked, taken aback by the way her dreams were coming true. She had hoped she still had a chance with Tommy.

"They can manage," Tommy said. "As long as we're together, nothing else matters. Let's go." He attempted to kiss her, but Kim pulled away sharply.

"Who are you?" she demanded. "I know Tommy Oliver and he is devoted to his duty as a Ranger. He would never give up being a Ranger for his own selfish reasons."

The Tommy look alike retreated slightly as Kimberly looked at him sternly. "Please Kim, don't go!"

Kimberly opened the door and walked through, realising that she no longer loved Tommy Oliver. That he had been a small piece of her life. They might be friends forever, but they could never be together. He was devoted to his duty, but she needed somebody who would not need to close her out on a regular basis.

~Two down, one to go,~ Thalian thought. Both Rangers had come to terms with some of their feelings. Zack had realised his friends would never turn their backs on him. Hopefully one day Zordon would reveal the true reason why he insisted Zack, Jason and Trini had gone to Geneva. Kimberly on the other hand was starting to understand her feelings for Tommy. She still had some way to go, but had at least admitted the truth to herself.

Now the Rangers would need to show they could cope if they were to lose something valuable to both of them. The tower had discovered what made both of them special and was about to take advantage of it as part of the test.

~Be strong Rangers,~ Thalian thought. ~The Power will be yours if you are true to yourselves.~

~I'm old!~ Zack realised as he walked into the room. His skin had shrivelled like an old prune, his eyesight had grown poor and every move hurt due to arthritis.

He looked around at his surroundings and found himself in a nursing home. He caught the attention of a young nurse who walked over to him.

"There you are Mr Taylor, we've all been worried about you. What with the monster alarms."

"You know me?" Zack asked, confused.

"Of course we do Mr Taylor," the nurse said cheerfully. "Don't you remember? The others brought you here when you failed your quest for the new powers."

"Others?"

"Yes Tommy and Jason. They were very concerned about you and told us you were once a Power Ranger." The nurse looked around to ensure nobody could overhear them. "Of course, apart from the director and myself nobody is aware of this small fact. Your secret is safe and I am sure the others will be able to save you once again."

"Thank you," Zack said as the nurse helped him sit down. "Is Minion still on the loose then?"

"Of course not Mr Taylor. The others dealt with him as soon as they got back. I don't think you need to worry about him again." As she spoke the nurse wheeled Zack around the nursing home towards his room. Normally Zack might have noticed that he had not been in a wheelchair when he had sat down. Right now, Zack was too scared to think straight.

Of all the things Zack had valued, his youth and ability to have fun had been one of them. His time as a Ranger had made him even more aware of how precious life was. Now it was gone. He was too old to help his friends, have fun or even remember what it had been like to do so.

As the nurse entered Zack's room she made a quick check to ensure everything was as it should be. She caught sight of the tape player Zack had stored in one corner, a collection of his favourite music nearby in a neat pile.

"Now Mr Taylor, you have been warned that policy forbids the playing of loud music of any type. I suppose your friends smuggled this in?"

"Yeah, I guess so," Zack replied.

"Well I'm sorry, Mr Taylor, no music allowed." That said the nurse turned and left the room, leaving Zack alone with his thoughts.

Angel Grove High School had always been the place where Kimberly was the center of attention. She had many admirers who would watch her closely when she was in the hallways. Today though nobody seemed to be looking at her. In fact, most of the students were going out of their way to avoid looking at her.

"Miss Hart," Mr Caplan called from down the hall. "Haven't you forgotten something?"

Seeing the blank look he received, the principal reached into his pocket and produced a brown paper bag. He handed it to Kimberly who looked at it questionably.

"For your head," Caplan explained. "Put it on."

"You must be joking," Kim retorted.

"Young Lady, put that bag over your head or you will be removed from the premises."

Kimberly looked at the bag again; thinking it was a prank and put it over her head. Around the corridor students sighed in relief.

"Thank you, Miss Hart," Caplan said. "You may go to your lessons now."

Kimberly did as she was told, leaving the lockers and heading to the girls' toilets where she could see what was on the bag. Once inside she looked in the mirror and was amazed to find it was nothing more than a bag.

"I tell you, if Mr Caplan hadn't stepped in with that bag I could have vomited."

Kimberly ducked into a cubicle as two of her classmates entered. One was Aisha and the other was Trini. They were talking about someone and for a moment Kimberly was tempted to join in. Until that was, she realised they were referring to her.

"I can't help feeling sorry for her," Trini said. "I mean, if it hadn't been for that accident during the quest to Dairon, she would still have her looks."

"I know," Aisha replied. "I just can't bring myself to talk to her. Do you think she remembers what happened?"

"I doubt it," Trini replied. "Zordon made sure she had no recollection of the events that happened. Unfortunately it means we have to leave her alone or she might start to remember."

"It's just that she looks..."

Kimberly lost the rest of the conversation as Trini and Aisha left. Gingerly Kimberly walked outside and looked in the mirror. Taking a deep breath she lifted the bag, looked in the mirror and fainted.

*You're old,* a voice said, waking Zack from his sleep. *You're weak. Why don't you give up now and go back home. It's not too late. Zordon can turn back time so you never took the test. All you have to do is agree.*

~No,~ Zack replied.

*Why not?* the voice asked. *You gave up your youth to become a Ranger. You served well and held Rita and Zedd at bay for a long time. And how does Zordon say thank you? He sends you away from your home and your friends without even asking what you wanted.*

~Zordon had his reasons,~ Zack thought, trying to convince himself.

*Face it Zack, you're washed up, yesterday's Ranger, ready for the scrap heap.*

Zack thought about everything that being a Ranger had cost him. The fact he had to lie to his parents and friends, constantly worrying when the next strike would come. And even when Rita didn't attack, he still had to deal with growing up. Except every time he had a problem somebody would create a monster to make it worse.

Then Zack thought about what he had gained. As a Ranger he had learnt to have confidence in himself. Jason had even taught him karate to help him in battle. Billy had helped him with his homework. Kim and Trini were always there when he needed someone to talk to or cheer him up. In fact, being a Ranger had secured him five of the closest friends he had ever had. Before becoming a Ranger he had had a strong friendship with Jason, Kimberly, Trini and Billy, but as Rangers that friendship became stronger.

Then Tommy had joined them and he had another friend. The six of them had been inseparable over their time as Rangers both in fighting and in the other aspects of their lives. And now when he had had a chance to become a Ranger again, he had failed.

~Wait a minute! If Zordon can arrange for me to travel back before I took the test, I could still help the others without powers.~

*Why?* the voice asked. *You're old.*

~I'm as old as I feel,~ Zack thought. The idea of shouting with his thoughts was a new notion and Zack was amazed how forceful he could be.

Zack noticed that as he started to become positive, so he started to get younger. His mind started to work overtime, calculating why this had happened. Then he realised, ~Failing and not being able to be a Ranger is my worst fear.~

Suddenly things started to make sense. Throughout his journey, things had gotten more difficult every time he had been negative about his quest. The chessboard had been a test of his ability to think quickly. His confrontation with the others had been based around his fear of rejection. And this was based on his fear of failure.

"I haven't failed!" he cried out loud. "And I'm not going to fail."

He watched as his body reverted to its previous form. In front of him the room change and a door appeared in the far wall. On top of the door were the words: IT'S AS SIMPLE AS THAT!

Zack turned the handle, opened the door and walked into the main chamber. Inside he saw Kimberly arrive through the other side. She too was smiling. Thalian appeared in the center of the room and looked at both of them, nodding happily.

~I'm hideous,~ Kim thought as she regained consciousness. Her face was horribly disfigured and twisted. She began to wonder what had happened to her that made her so ugly.

*But you've always been ugly,* a voice said. *Why else would Tommy have left you for Kat?*

Kim knew it was true. Although she had written the letter, it had been as a precaution against Tommy dumping her. She knew Kat had been desperately trying to get her hands on Tommy since the day she arrived in Angel Grove. Kat was tall and blonde, while she was a short brunette. She seriously doubted had it come down to a choice that Tommy would have chosen Kat.

~No,~ Kim thought. ~You left Tommy because you didn't want him be lonely.~

*Yeah right,* the voice said. *You knew you'd lose him because you're nothing but an ugly, worthless piece of human excrement.*

Kimberly sank to the floor as the word ate away at her. She knew they were true and nothing she could do would change that.

~Crap!~ She thought. ~Come on Kim, you know that looks are not everything. And if you lost them trying to help the others, so what?~

She started to think more clearly; suddenly realising this was one of her deepest fears. She had always been known for her looks and although a fine athlete, it would have been her face she was judged by. In that moment of time Kimberly understood what had been happening. The three riddles had been a test. She could have given any answer ass long as she believed it was true. The image of Tommy had been based on her desires and she had conquered them. Now the tower was testing her abilities to conquer her fears.

~I am not ugly!~ She thought. ~And if I am, then I am not going to let my looks rule my life.~

In the mirror Kimberly saw her face revert to its normal appearance. The room changed into an empty room with the familiar door. Above the door were the words: IT'S AS SIMPLE AS THAT!

Kimberly walked through the door to see Zack already they're waiting for her. Thalian appeared and seemed to smile as he gestured for them both to come closer.

Kimberly and Zack had recovered from their ordeals and had spent the last hour talking with Thalian. It turned out the Temple of the Mind's Eye chose their tests by selecting either fears or desires they may be carrying as well as a simple test of will. Thalian also revealed that had they walked through the middle door, they would have been in the main chamber without testing.

"Of course if that had happened you would not have received your powers," Thalian explained. "A true Rangers knows the obvious is usually either a trap or the path to evil. You were true to yourselves."

"Now, it is time to receive your powers," Thalian told them.

"Stop!" a deep voice boomed. "Do not take the Ranger powers. Come to me and I will give you all the power you could want." An old man in a long red robe stood before him.

"No, come to me and I will give you the power to crush Minion without endangering your friends," a light female voice called.

Zack and Kimberly exchange looks and then looked at Thalian. The Morphin Master shrugged, suggesting it was their choice whether they accepted or not.

"I don't want power," Kimberly said. "All I need is the power to protect my planet. And as for you," she said pointing at the woman.

"Rangers are a team," Zack finished.

"Good choice, you have overcome temptation and proved yourself worthy avatars of the Power," Thalian told them. "Now step forward and claim that which is yours."

Zack watched as Thalian flipped four coins into the air. For a moment they moved around. Then they stopped as though waiting for Thalian to tell them what to do. "Zachary Taylor, you have proven yourself to be the embodiment of the Black Ranger. You have overcome your fears and shown that you are capable of studying an opponent before acting. Because of this I grant you the power of the Black Ranger."

On the four coins images started to engrave themselves. On the first coin appeared the Mastodon; on the second coin appeared the Lion; and on the third a picture of the Frog appeared. The three coins joined, waiting for the final coin to join them. On that coin a picture of Zack appeared. It grew larger and thinner. Before too long it was able to fold around the other three coins to form a small golden ball. As Zack held out his hand, the coin landed in his palm. Zack examined it and could make out all four Aspects.

"Kimberly Ann Hart," Thalian said next. "You have proven yourself to be true to yourself even when the truth is unpleasant. You are the confident heart of the team, willing if necessary to fight whatever the cost. From this day forth you will be the Pink Ranger."

Kimberly found herself surrounded by the animal spirits of the Pterodactyl, Firebird and Crane. As one they flew into her chest, emerging again as a coin formed in front of her. As they hit the coin, their features became engraved on the surface. Then Kimberly's face was etched into the coin's surface. In a flash the coin was transformed into a golden ball and came to rest in her hand.

"You are both now and forever Power Rangers," Thalian told them. "Now I sense Jason and Sam have both succeeded as well. We should return to the Zyuella and join them in training. It's Morphin Time!"

"Black Ranger Power!" Zack called.

"Pink Ranger Power!" Kimberly called.

"Griffin!" Thalian called. Silver armour grew around him to make him appear similar to Ninjor. Then the armour changed colour to yellow.

**End of Part**

Disclaimer: I do not own the Power Rangers, they belong to the respective copyright owner. No money is being made from this piece of writing.

**The Quest for Power Part 4 - Trial of Spirit**

Temple of Ninja Powers

In three columns of light Billy, Trini and Ninjor appeared inside the grounds of the temple. They were tired and dirty having spent the last three days on one of Ninjor's nature hikes. Ninjor had removed his battle armour and now appeared before them as a deep tanned American with long black hair. This was not his true form, but like any other master his powers allowed him to appear in a form comfortable for humans to look at.

Billy and Trini were both wearing black uniforms made from some sort of animal hide. Billy's had a small badge on the left breast, a leftover from the previous owner.

For Trini it was a chance to once again back up her words with actions. The Peace Conference had been important to her and she had learnt about a wide variety of countries and people. But there had been times when she understood how Jason had felt. More often than not debates broke down into deadlocked arguments requiring hours or days of negotiation for even simple compromises.

"Congratulations Billy and Trini, you have excellent training during your time here," Ninjor said in his unique voice; without his armour he sounded even more bizarre. "Jason, Kimberly, Zack and Sam have already taken their tests, and have passed. I felt that you needed to learn a little more, before subjecting you to my tests, but now it is time. To gain your new powers you must simply repeat the journey Billy and his friends took when they first came to this place, with a few minor changes to keep things fair of course."

"I am afraid that you must each face the challenges ahead alone and unaided. Billy has already walked through the Desert of Despair and would find the path too easy. Therefore, I will send Trini to the Desert of Despair to prove herself worthy of the Power. And for you Billy, I believe the Caves of Self will provide a more interesting challenge."

In two columns of yellow and blue light the two hopeful Rangers left for destinations unknown. If either Billy or Trini had been upset by the fact they were to be separated, then they his it well from Ninjor. Billy had looked almost relieved that he would be alone. Ninjor assumed that even after all the time he had had to think, the former Blue Ranger was still feeling responsible for the destruction of Aquitar. ~It's a natural enough reaction,~ he thought. Billy's grief was still influencing the boy's decisions and would be something Billy would either deal with or be consumed by.

Trini had seemed slightly nervous at being alone, but that was also to be expected. The Rangers had always been a team and this was the first time Trini would not have her friends to turn to. Ninjor knew that Trini would be strong enough to cope. After all, she had been with the Rangers when they had started. She had probably witnessed some of Rita Repulsa's scariest creations and remained as a Ranger. He knew Trini would soon discover that no Ranger is ever truly alone.

When the lights had disappeared, Ninjor returned his attention to playing his part in the final test. The Rangers could pass some of the other tests providing they had the strength of character and determination to pass his test. Having ensured his props were ready Ninjor decided it was time to learn his lines. "To be or not to be, that is the question. Whether it is nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows... Wrong part, ah here we are... Be gone, I have no time to deal with outsid..."

Despite his sacred duty to protect the Temple of Ninja Power, Ninjor was not the type to allow himself to become a workaholic, at least not anymore, and he was still capable of being witty when he wanted. Life inside the Temple was lonely and Ninjor was used to making himself laugh. Whether anybody else would find him funny was a question he had never even considered asking himself.

~Good luck Rangers,~ Ninjor thought. ~Power willing you will soon be returning to Earth and putting and end to evil.~

Billy appeared outside the Caves of Self and looked around. On the ground in front of him were the remains of several creatures, nonhuman in origin. ~This isn't going to be easy,~ Billy thought as he entered the cave.

The first thing that Billy noticed was the darkness of the cave, or rather the lack of darkness. The cave seemed to be illuminated by small crystals hidden within the cave all. Somehow they managed to illuminate the way ahead, giving Billy a clear view of the way ahead. The crystals also allowed him to pick out the jagged edges of the floor, causing him to tread carefully.

As he moved slowly forward, he kept his eyes open, searching for any sign of the first test. He stopped abruptly as the ground ahead opened into a wide chasm. Warily he looked for some way across and found none.

~This is illogical,~ he thought as he kept searching. ~There has to be some way across or there would be an alternative route.~

Trini had heard the Rangers tell of their experiences in the Desert of Despair and believed she knew what to expect when she arrived. She quickly dismissed that thought when she arrived and found the real Desert of Despair to be a whole lot worse. The cold wind howled with the sound of a thousand lost souls.

She could feel the heat of the sand even through her uniform's boots. The sun beat down causing her to sweat and she had not even begun her journey. Deciding it was better to keep moving than be roasted by the hot sun Trini began her trek through the desert towards the Temple of Ninja Powers. She had no idea where the temple was, but somehow felt compelled to follow the sun.

Slowly trekking across the sand, she found her progressed slowed by the sand under foot. The dry thin powdered grains caused his feet to sink below the surface. The wind whipped her eyes, blowing sand into her face. Nevertheless, she struggled onwards into the sandstorm determined to reach her destination.

Billy examined his surroundings. There was no evidence of concealed doorways or secret controls to activate a bridge. The ceiling and walls had no notches carved into them. Billy wondered if perhaps the chasm in front of him was as deep as it looked. Gathering some small stones, he threw them into the gap. The first few stones disappeared into the darkness with no evidence of hitting a surface below. The fourth stone however seemed to float in the air.

~There's something down there,~ he thought to himself as he tried to get a better view. Billy reached out and touched the stone as it hovered in space. Then he moved his hand to one side and could still make out a solid surface. ~This can't be real,~ he thought.

No sooner had the thought entered his head than the effect was felt. The stone, which had until that time been hovering in the air, fell into the chasm below. The hardness below Billy's hand was also gone and he realised the bridge was real as long as he believed it was real. ~So to cross this chasm, I must have faith in myself that I can cross and faith that the bridge will support me,~ he thought, ~Almost a leap of faith.~

"I can do this!" he shouted, more to himself than anybody who might be listening. Taking a small run up he leapt into the air, landing safely on the invisible bridge and kept running until he could see the ground beneath him again. He turned back to see the way he had just journeyed and could just make out the path barely visible against the darkness below.

Once he was rested, Billy resumed his journey, deeper into the cave, knowing that he had to complete his quest or die in the attempt.

*But death is such a tempting option, isn't it?* Billy was not sure how he heard the voice. It might have been telepathy or even empathy. Either way he was forced to listen as it continued to speak. *Just think, if you die you can be with Cestria again. Why live without her when you can join her now? Just give up and you will be free.*

It took a lot of effort, but Billy was able to overcome the temptation and continue his quest. It worried him he had come so close to giving in when his journey had barely even begun.

For Trini it was impossible to tell how far she had travelled or even where she had stepped just seconds before. The sand beneath her moved almost as soon as she did, covering her footsteps and leaving no evidence she was ever there. ~How long am I going to be here?~ She wondered.

*Forever,* an unknown voice said. Trini looked around, but could find nobody and knew the voice was in her head. *No single person has ever crossed the Desert of Despair. Only a team can complete the journey, but nobody wanted to come with you.*

Trini pressed on, realising that the voice was trying to slow her. *Even on Earth nobody wants to be with you. Why else do you think Zordon banished you to the Peace Conference? Why else do you think Jason left you there and returned to Angel Grove? Why else would Billy leave for another planet? It's because you drove them to do so. You are weak, Trini Kwan, weak and useless. Nobody wants you back, but they had to send you along so they could say they tried, but even if you succeed, Zordon will take your powers away again as soon as he can.*

The words were having an affect not only on Trini, but also on her environment. The Sand became watery and less substantial. It was no longer able to support her weight, causing Trini to start to sink. All the time the voice kept talking to her, telling her how useless she was and how she should just give up. Trini stopped moving. Not because every movement drove her deeper into the sand, but because she started to lose the will to complete her mission.

*Give it up,* the voice insisted. *You don't need the Rangers and they definitely do not need you!*

Images started to flash through her mind, showing all the times she had been in trouble in battle, waiting for her team-mates to help her out, all the times she had fallen victim to a monster attack or let her fears overcome her. The picture of her disappearing from the Island of Illusion drove her deeper into despair.

*Why not just let yourself sink into the sand and disappear, like you did on the Island?*

~But I didn't disappear on the Island of Illusion,~ she thought. ~Quagmire helped me remember when I faced my fears and I was able to overcome them.~

The thought helped to filter out the voice for a short time, long enough to form her defences. "That's enough!" she shouted angrily. "Zordon did not send me to the Peace Conference just because he did not want me around. He knew I could make the world a better place in more ways than just being a Ranger. And Jason did not leave me there because he hated me; he did so because Tommy needed him and he would do anything to help a friend. And Billy left for Aquitar so he could live. If once he was there, he found love then that was the way it was meant to be."

As she spoke, Trini could feel herself lifting from the sand. "And so what if I get the Power and Zordon takes it away. If he believes I am not capable of being a Ranger I would not put the team at risk by arguing. If he believes the situation no longer requires the Yellow Morphin Ranger then my job is done. Either way, I am going to do my best until evil is defeated or Zordon takes my power. And no doubts are going to stop me!"

When she was at last able to move forward, Trini did so as quickly as possible, determined she would not stop until she was clear of the danger.

In his temple, Ninjor had finished preparing the last of the Power Coins. With each Ranger requiring four different coins, each of which needed to be able to form together to create their morphers, Ninjor had been severely tested in regards to his skills. But making Power Coins and morphers was what Ninjor excelled at. He had tried to become an active fighter again, but since the Rangers had moved to the Zeo Powers he had felt obsolete.

He turned from his work and studied the small Viewing Globe that allowed him to check the progress of those attempting to reach him. Both Billy and Trini had completed their first test. Billy had opened his mind to accept that the bridge was there and Trini had come to terms with her own feelings of isolation. So far both were well on track to once again becoming Rangers. Of course for Billy the test was just starting. Now he had to face not only his fears, but his own anger as well.

The shift in the Morphin Grid was phenomenal. Never had Ninjor felt so much good power in such a small area. He knew that if successful Trini and Billy would soon be joining their friends.

Billy found the cave ahead of him was starting to show signs of life. Along the walls tree roots were sticking out and in some places blocking his route. Algae and Moss were growing; suggesting the ground must be water based and open to sunlight at some point during the day. The scientific analysis allowed him to keep his mind off the voices in his head.

They had given up telling him to quit and were not trying to build his anger concerning Cestria's death along with various other matters. Although he tried not to let the voices get to him, some of the things they said made sense. Who had been responsible for the death of Cestria? He had a strong suspicion it was Minion.

As he grew angrier, Billy noticed a faint blue glow in front of him. He reached out and gripped something solid. As he pulled it back, he found it was a silver cylinder approximately twelve inches in length. On the top were three buttons. Tentatively Billy pressed the first button and a blue beam of light shot from the top of the cylinder to form a blade of light almost as long as Billy's arm.

~It's a Lightsaber,~ Billy thought in amazement. Carefully at first, but gaining confidence all the time Billy practised a few simple strokes. He could feel the power behind the blade, which was not hot, just deadly.

He pressed the middle button and felt the cylinder grow longer to allow a firm two-handed grip. It was the final button that shocked him. As he pressed it a second beam of light shot from the base of the weapon forming a second blade. Billy tried a few practice swings and was surprised at how easy it was to use the blade. He then deactivated the weapon and placed it into his subspace pocket.

He carried on deeper into the cave. He stopped as he sensed an overwhelming presence in front of him. Although he had only a little skill, Billy's telepathy told him that the thing in front was evil. However, being a Ranger meant Billy could not destroy somebody for that reason only. If he did, he was no better than those he fought against.

Billy walked further into the cave until he could make out a pair of red specks in the darkness. He recognised them as the eyes of his most hated enemy. Although he had never fought Minion properly, Billy felt he knew him and had reason to hate him. A deep red light came into being and Billy knew Minion also had a Lightsaber.

*Go, kill him!* the voice said. *He killed those you love. He deserves to die. Kill him now!*

Billy buried the thoughts deep inside and activated his own weapon. He had no intention of killing unless he had to. Personally he hoped he would be forced to do so.

Without warning Minion charged forward, his weapon striking the stone walls where Billy had been just moments before. Billy brought his own blade around to block and started to fight back. He used his anger to power his blows, forcing Minion back. Suddenly he felt compelled to activate his second blade, swinging it in a wide arc to slice through Minion's weapon. But Billy was not finished. He used his blade to force Minion to his knees. Then he switched to single blade mode and brought it upward ready to make the killing blow.

*Do it,* the voice urged. *He killed your wife. Kill him and be at peace.*

"No!" Billy shouted. "Cestria would never want me to murder somebody just for revenge. He is defeated and I will not become a murderer."

*So be it,* the voice said. *But if you won't kill him, he must kill you.*

Minion's weapon suddenly reappeared fully restored. He jumped to his feet and lashed out at the former Blue Ranger. Billy ducked under the blade, bringing his own blade upward to slice off the creature's head.

"I said I would not murder him, but you forced me to do so. I regret having to kill anyone even Minion, but I would do it again."

The voice fell silent knowing that Billy had gained control of his rage and the fear of losing control. He had passed the second test and now it was the time for him to prove being a Ranger was not all he cared about.

Trini could see the temple not far in front of her. She ran forward as fast as she could, hardly daring to hope she had finally escaped from the desert. As she got closer, she heard someone calling for help. The door of the temple opened as the cries got louder.

Trini found herself torn between her desire to gain her powers and the cries for help. If she got the powers, she could go back and help. She would only be a short time and then she could help. The powers would make her stronger, giving her a chance to help. And if came down to a choice between one cry for help and the chance to help save her planet, surely the needs of the many would outweigh the needs of the few, wouldn't they?

"No," she told herself. She spoke out loud, trying to make herself listen to reason. "I cannot justify omitting to help someone just because there's a chance I might be able to help everybody else. The ends do not justify the means."

That said she turned and ran towards the source of the cry for help. She arrived to find a young girl sinking into the sand.

"Grab my hand," she called.

The girl did so and was pulled to safety. Then, she disappeared as if she was never there. Trini shrugged and returned to the temple. The doors were once again closed, but this time she ignored them. The temple was an illusion designed to test. Now she refused to believe it and walked through and into the final test.

Ninjor sensed both Billy and Trini approaching. He was pleased that Billy had managed to control his anger. It would probably take time for him to come to terms with Cestria's death, but at least he would not break the rules in her name. Ninjor was glad; such an act would not only have serious repercussions for Billy, but would dishonour Cestria's memory.

Now it was time for Ninjor to ensure that Billy and Trini would be able to fight as Rangers. The task was simple enough: create a few attackers and get the Rangers to fight them. Last time Billy had been to the temple, Rita and Zedd had saved Ninjor the trouble of creating some foot soldiers by sending the Tengas.

Still, there was nothing he could do but go ahead with his plan and hope that the Rangers were as good as he thought they were.

Billy and Trini reunited in a rocky valley. Together they started searching for the temple entrance. "Typical," Billy said. "Where's a good butt kicking when you need one?" Seeing the look on Trini's face he explained that the first time they had found the temple because the Tengas had been kicking their butts and one of them happened to stumble on the right place.

As if on call a bunch of blue skinned ninjas appeared. "You asked for it," Trini told him. Billy's reply went unheard as he threw himself into battle.

After a few minutes both Rangers were tired. The attackers were armed with wooden clubs and it was difficult to get close enough to fight them. It was then that Billy remembered he still had the Lightsaber from earlier.

"Trini, duck," he called as he activated both blades and started to wade through the attackers. Their bodies crumbled as quickly as their clubs and soon enough they retreated altogether.

"Congratulations," Ninjor said, stepping out of the rocks. "You have both proven yourselves worthy of the Power. Rest now and then we shall finish the ceremony."

Billy and Trini took the invitation and collapsed to the ground to rest.

Ninjor stood before his two young Rangers. Both had succeeded in passing the tests, as he had known they would. Now all that remained was to give them their powers.

"Trini Kwan, you have overcome your own doubts and were willing to give up the power in order to save a life. You understood that the ends never justify the means and have proven yourself a worthy fight. It is due to this that I grant you the power of the Saber-toothed Tiger, Griffin and Bear. You are now and forever the Yellow Ranger."

When Ninjor finished speaking, he placed four coins in her hands. Four of them showed her animal guides. The last coin showed the image of the Yellow Ranger. Instinctively she closed her hand and felt them change into a single ball. When she opened her hand again, she found it bore the images of all her powers. Concentrating, she summoned her morpher and placed the ball inside where it resembled a singe Power Coin.

"Now for you William," Ninjor said. "You have once again proven yourself worthy of the Ninja Powers. You controlled your anger in battle, had the foresight to use a different weapon when the need dictated and you showed you are able to trust your instincts. I restore to you the powers of the Wolf, along with the Triceratops and Unicorn. You are once again the Blue Ranger."

As he had done with Trini, Ninjor placed the four Power Coins into Billy's palm. Billy closed his hand around the coins and then reopened it to reveal his Power Ball. Once again a morpher formed around the ball.

"Okay," Ninjor said. "Let's morph and then we can start the real training. It's Morphin Time!"

"Blue Ranger Power!" Billy called.

"Yellow Ranger Power!" Trini called.

"Wolf!" Ninjor called, activating his battle armour. "Right, let's train," he said as he led them into the temple.

**End of Part**

Disclaimer: I do not own the Power Rangers, they belong to the respective copyright owner. No money is being made from this piece of writing.

**The Quest for Power Part 5 - Trial of Worth**

Phaedos

While three weeks had passed for Ninjor, Saurian and Thalian's trainees, for David and Aisha it had been much longer. While their friends trained in areas that altered the flow of time, on Phaedos the ancient ruins that extended for miles had been enchanted to distort time while they were inside its influence. Therefore they had more time to train and in Dulcea's opinion they needed every moment of it. Dulcea had drilled them constantly, forcing them to reach beyond their limits before she allowed them to embrace the Power.

"You have both trained hard over the last few weeks," Dulcea told them. "You have covered many of the subjects that you need to know, but time has run out. If you spend any longer in this place without the protection of the Power, you will be unable to leave. So before I can teach you further you must prove yourself worthy of the powers. Then we can join the others on Zyuella.

You will be teleported to the Maze of Shilratha. From there your task is to reach the center. When both of your trials are completed, you will be teleported to your final task."

The landscape around them changed. Aisha was teleported to one end of the maze while David was sent to the other end.

David ran off along his path, following the markers.

David ran along lightly, it would be a long run so he was pacing himself. He jumped a couple of hurdles and dodged a patch in the path he thought might have had a pit under a thin covering of branches and dirt. The path was by no means smooth; he jumped fallen logs and had to be careful of branches and roots. Finally he came to the first real obstacle, the bank of a lake. There was a light purple kayak on the bank with a paddle and life vest. David put on the vest, grabbed the paddle and jumped into the kayak. He knew how to paddle from a short group of lessons. The one time his father had taken him overseas they had gone kayaking. The experience was one of David's favourite memories. As he paddled, he wondered how large the maze could be if it had room for a river?

David reached the far side and dragged the kayak up a bit onto the land. He had had to battle with the current and pass many logs, but he'd made it over. He took off the vest and ran off again along the path. Suddenly a gigantic spider leaped at him from its hiding spot beside the path. David dove and rolled under it, without thinking he picked up a fallen branch. David gripped it in his right hand, found his inner calm, becoming one with the weapon as Dulcea had taught him. Then he attacked, the branch jamming into the spider's open mouth and down its throat. He didn't need to do more as the spider was suddenly more concerned with the obstruction in its throat than catching the human. David backed away from the thing and began running again, dropping the branch as he ran.

David had only run for a bit when he saw something odd ahead; he ran up and stopped. A plant lay in the path, and David had to dodge as it reached its tentacles towards him. Instead of panicking though he looked deep inside, summoning the fire as Dulcea had taught him. Fire erupted around him and David ran on as the plant cringed back quickly, leaving a wide path clear.

Eventually David reached another body of water. He'd had to scale one wall of the maze only to find that the ravine on the far side was an illusion. He had crossed a raging river by using stepping stones hidden under the surface, fought and beaten a number of natural predators. Now it appeared that he had to sail across. David jumped in the boat, fixed a hole in the bottom, and angled the sail so that it caught the wind and set off on the next part of his quest.

Everything was going fine until a long tentacle shot out of the water beside the boat. David reacted by burning it quickly. He'd been expecting something, but not this. The kraken slapped at him with another tentacle, David picked up one of the oars he had found and shoved it under the water, hard into the beast. The tentacle didn't even flinch away; he tried again, same result. Another tentacle rose from the water, soon followed by what looked like the kraken's dark brown back. The entire beast turned until one huge grey and black-eye looked up at David.

"Hello there, I mean you no harm."

It blinked once and stirred its tentacles.

"Please, let me pass," David said hoping it would let him alone. He wasn't sure if the Power's ability to translate other languages extended to animals.

The kraken rolled again, now the other eye peered at him. Then David noticed a great slash near the eye, and what looked like a spear in it. David understood instantly what the kraken wanted. He pulled on the weapon and waited while the spear rose out of the cut and dropped down into the water. The cut healed quickly and the gash was replaced with a pinkish scar. The kraken shifted again and slowly a tentacle curled around the boat. David held on tight as he and the sailboat were raised high above the water and lifted across the lake where they were set down again on the shore.

"Thanks!" David called and the tip of a tentacle waved idly and David waved back before hurrying on.

It was dark; the high hedges formed a canopy blocking out most of the sun. The trail was narrow and rough, just when he was beginning to wonder if he'd missed the next obstacle David saw a small clearing up ahead. He sprinted towards it but didn't enter, he cautiously looked around and a glimmer of gold to his left caught his eye. Looking closely David could make out the form of a horse in the trees, no, horses didn't grow that big; it could only be a unicorn. Smiling grimly David ran into the sunlight, keeping to the left side of the clearing. Just as he reached the center, the unicorn leaped out from hiding with a shrill neigh. A jet of light shot from its horn, David ducked and the blast knocked over the tree behind him. The unicorn turned and kicked, flicking out its tail of flames. A hoof struck out, David dived and rolled, and coming to his feet he saw the unicorn rear, screaming angrily it tilted its head down and dove at him, intending to spear him on its horn. David dodged again and jumped away from its flying mane of golden fire. The unicorn pivoted with amazing speed and kicked with both hind legs, turning its neck and an angle to shoot another jet of power at him. David dodged the kick and ran, the unicorn in close pursuit. He remembered a place not far way where there was a patch of quick sand. As he approached, he leapt into the air and watched, as the unicorn kept moving.

The ground beneath its hooves turned gave way and in moments the unicorn was up to its neck in the stuff. David stopped it from going farther under but left it in the quicksand. He let the unicorn thrash itself to exhaustion. David waited calmly, catching his breath, knowing that it would take a long time to tire it. Surprisingly though before the unicorn reached the point of desperation, it started to float out of the sand, using its horn. Finally it was standing again, panting, exhausted from fighting the quicksand. David waited, knowing there was no point in running now he had tricked it once. Finally it lifted its head a bit, looked at him for a moment, and then charged.

David waited until it was a few feet away then he brought up his right hand, palm forward. The unicorn stopped in a shower of dried leaves, dirt, and hot breath and sank the tip of its horn deep into his hand his hand. David gasped in pain but forced himself to stay still. For what seemed like hours but really just minutes David waited, scarcely daring to breathe, time seemed to stand still. How long they stood like that David didn't know, but suddenly the unicorn stepped back and lifted its head to look him right in the eye. As the horn slid out of his palm the cut healed, leaving only a tiny scar so small David couldn't see what it really looked like in his palm. All he could see was a small white dot, no bigger then the tip of a quill.

"I won't hurt you, I just want to pass." David said softly, now that he really got a good look at it he could see that it was a very young unicorn, though it was very large for its age. It couldn't have been long away from its mother. The fact that it was alone probably meant it was a stallion, chased away from its herd by a stronger, older, stallion. David continued to murmur encouraging things to it as he walked forward and petted it lightly on the shoulder. He could feel the unicorn tense under his hand, ready to kill him in a second. David gave it a last rub and walked on, he knew if he ran it might chase him and it could run a lot faster then he. He left the clearing and walked on through the woods, suddenly he heard hoof beats and the unicorn trotted up beside him. David sped up a bit, so did the unicorn, he reached out and rested a hand on its shoulder and broke into a run. They ran along the dark path for nearly twenty minutes, sliding down steep slopes and jumping logs and wading across small streams. David slowed as he saw another area where the maze grew wider. Only no light penetrated this one so he couldn't really see what might be lurking about. The unicorn stopped and moved off the trail, hiding itself in the bushes, stamping about nervously. David looked around carefully, if the unicorn was nervous it meant something bad was here.

Peering through the underbrush David saw a large cave, the path led right in. He nervously walked in. Instantly three wolves came around behind him. David could tell that there were more, the rest were hiding in the shadows, not approaching him in the light because he could see them. He knelt at the end of the pool of light, right where it met the shadows and waited. David let his eyes adjust and saw a small pup, no doubt the youngest in the cave, its mother licking it as the pup whined and yelped. David looked around, besides the pup and its mother there were nine adult wolves and four other pups. David waited; slowly the mother rose and approached him, and sat a few feet in front of him. The pup ran around her and sat just in front of her on her front paws. Copying its mother. A large light grey wolf rose from its position lying in the back. It came up to David sniffed his hand when David held it out. The other adults slowly came forward to do the same, tails slowly began to wag, and David reached out and stroked the large grey. This was the pack leader and he wanted to be friendly to him. The pups ran forwards and jumped about their elders' feet, yipping at David.

For the first time David appreciated the lessons his father had given him. He felt an affinity with the wolves just as he had with the unicorn, but it was not as equals. In some ways he admired them but there was an overwhelming sense that they were looking to him to make the first move as troops waited for their commander to give an order. David finally stood and walked towards the back of the cave, four of the wolves followed, the leader, the pup he'd noticed, its mother and another, a small black wolf, well, as small as an adult wolf got. Certainly a bit bigger than any normal wolf.

David got up and made his way through the cave, following a trail of small red flags that glowed. He had to squeeze through small spaces and get across a river all the while the wolves followed him. But they stopped once they entered the chamber that the river ran through, and they refused to go farther. David glanced at the river, it was about twenty feet wide, and the water looked black, obscuring the bottom so that David had no idea how deep it was. He found a long pole, ten feet long, and leaning out over the river, dipped it in. The whole thing went under.

David jerked back as he felt the pole shake and jump in his grip, as if something had grabbed it. He tossed in a leaf that was swept away in seconds. The current on the surface was about ten-mph, to fast for him to swim, and probably faster deeper down. David looked up and down the river, edging back nervously. Some creature in there had ripped off the bottom foot of his pole. No bang from an underwater rock left tooth marks and could have splintered the wood like that.

"What do I do? What's in there?" He asked the wolves, kneeling beside them. The black wolf lay down and dragged itself along the floor on its belly. Then it stood and came back. David thought hard, what animal dragged itself with its front paws? He looked hard at the track in the mud the wolf had made. Then it hit him, a snake; a large water snake could make a track like that. The wolf had been imitating a water snake as best it knew how. He examined the pole and found that near the bite mark the wood looked like it had been sprinkled with acid, it was greenish and flimsy, pitted in places.

David's mind jumped at the thought of a snake that contained a poison, which could damage wood, his stomach churned with fear and cold dread. He thanked the wolves, and they turned back the way they had come. The pup stopped to lick his hand before following its mother. Leaving David to deal with this dilemma on his own.

Finally David stood and examined the surrounding area. Dulcea would not have given him an impossible task, just a difficult one. The water was deep and fast flowing so he could not make progress through it. And vaulting over to the far side was not an answer since the snake seemed to have an appetite for anything that moved beneath the surface. He looked at the maze itself. If he followed the bank far enough he would find the edge of the maze, but that would take time. Then he looked up and realised that the bushes that had made up the walls of the maze still existed above him. There the branches intertwined to create a canopy, but would not hold his weight if he tried to use it to cross. The branches did give him an idea though. He could tie them together to form a bridge, using an axe crafted from a stone he found near the water.

With part of the obstacle conquered he made his way across the tree, the axe grasped firmly in his hand. He stopped halfway across when he noticed a movement just beneath the surface. He braced himself as the snake emerged from the water, his axe already swinging towards the creature's head. Then as the head was sliced off he started to run again, not looking back until he was clear of the obstacle.

Thirty minutes, one wooden sword fight with a faceless figure and an archery contest with the same figure, a walk across a bridge made with one rope for his feet and one for each hand, a climb down a tree, for the cliff face was made of smooth ice and parachute drop off another cliff to land in a field, and David finally saw the end of the test. The red flags abruptly ended not too far ahead. Then a misted figure appeared ten feet ahead and solidified into one of creatures David had seen during his time as Mondo's captive. David reacted without thinking, confident that he could triumph after all he had been through. He summoned all his inner strength and forced it into a single punch. It was not until the figure collapsed that he realised he had not used his fist, only his mind.

David glanced around; a red line ran cross the ground, he'd emerged at a right angle to where he'd started, along the edge of the maze. He turned and looked at the maze, realising that it was not just a hedgerow, as he had first believed. The walls had been made from different materials, even stone. He ran towards the line and the maze vanished behind him while he waited for Aisha.

The towering hedges cast black shadows across the path, and, whether because they were so tall and thick or because they had been enchanted, the sound of the surrounding area was silenced the moment she entered the maze. She tried jumping up to look over the tops of the hedges, but when she did so they simply grew taller and beyond her reach.

After about fifty yards, she reached a fork. "Here goes," Aisha said, and she took the left one.

Aisha sped up. Her chosen path seemed completely deserted. She turned right, and hurried on until she reached a sword in a stone. She reached out and pulled it from the rock before moving on. She kept looking behind her. The old feeling that she was being watched was upon her. The maze was growing darker with every passing minute as the sky overhead deepened to navy. She reached a second fork.

"Let's see," she whispered to herself. She pulled a coin from her pocket and then flipped it. The coin landed heads up meaning that she had to take the left path since somehow she knew the center was to the Northwest. She took the left fork but intended to go right again as soon as possible.

The path ahead was empty too, and when Aisha reached a right turn and took it, she again found her way unblocked. Aisha didn't know why, but the lack of obstacles was unnerving her. Surely she should have met something by now? It felt as though the maze were luring her into a false sense of security. Then she heard movement right behind her. She turned but there was nothing there, a thick hedge had grown in her path, blocking her retreat. She shook his head and dived out of sight, along another path.

She hurried off again. Then, as she turned a corner, she saw ... a figure gliding toward her. Twelve feet tall, its face hidden by its hood, its rotting, scabbed hands outstretched, it advanced, sensing its way blindly toward her. Aisha could hear its rattling breath; she felt clammy coldness stealing over her, but knew what she had to do...

She couldn't run so instead she turned to fight, holding her sword at the ready. The creature was making her feel depressed as it moved closer, but she was too stubborn and summoned the happiest thought she could. The sword glowed as she advanced towards the creature, her happiness unbearable for a dark creature.

There was a loud crack, and the figure exploded in a wisp of smoke. Aisha wished the happy feeling could have stayed, she could have used the confidence...but she moved on, quickly and quietly as possible, listening hard, her sword ready to strike.

Left ... right... left again . . . Twice she found herself facing dead ends. She somehow knew that she was going too far east. She turned back, took a right turn, and saw an odd golden mist floating ahead of her.

Aisha approached it cautiously, pointing the sword at it. This looked like some kind of enchantment. She wondered whether it was dangerous. What would happen if she walked through the mist? Was it worth chancing it, or should she double back?

There was silence. She stared all around her. She took a deep breath and ran through the enchanted mist.

The world turned upside down. Aisha was hanging from the ground, with her hair on end. It felt as though her feet were glued to the grass, which had now become the ceiling. Below her the dark, star-spangled heavens stretched endlessly. ~When did it become night? How long have I been here?~ She felt as though if she tried to move one of her feet, she would fall away from the earth completely.

~Think,~ she told herself, as all the blood rushed to her head, ~think. . .~ But not one of the skills she had practised had been designed to combat a sudden reversal of ground and sky. Did she dare move her foot? She could hear the blood pounding in her ears. She had two choices - try and move, or stay, and get rescued and disqualified from the task.

She shut her eyes, so she wouldn't be able to see the view of endless space below her, and pulled her right foot as hard as she could away from the grassy ceiling. Immediately, the world righted itself. Aisha fell forward onto her knees onto the wonderfully solid ground. She felt temporarily limp with shock. She took a deep, steadying breath, then got up again and hurried forward, looking back over her shoulder as she ran away from the golden mist, which twinkled innocently at her in the moonlight.

She paused at a junction of two paths and looked around for some sign of the finish . . The end was somewhere close by, and then she would find her powers and become a Ranger once more. Then she would help the others ensure that Minion paid for his crimes.

She met nothing for ten minutes, but kept running into dead ends. Twice she took the same wrong turning. Finally, she found a new route and started to jog along it, the moonlight waving, making her shadow flicker and distort on the hedge walls. Then she rounded another corner and found herself facing another beast. It was enormous. Ten feet long, it looked more like a giant scorpion than anything. Its long sting was curled over its back. Its thick armour glinted in the light from Aisha's sword, which she pointed at it.

"Yah!"

The blade hit the beast's armour and rebounded; Aisha ducked just in time, but could smell burning hair; the acidic blade had singed the top of her head. The beast issued a blast of fire from its end and flew forward toward her.

Aisha yelled. The sword hit the beast's armour again and ricocheted off; Aisha staggered back a few paces and fell over.

She tried again. The creature was inches from her when it froze - she had managed to strike it on its fleshy, shell-less underside. Panting, Aisha pushed herself away from it and ran, hard, in the opposite direction - the damage was not permanent and it would take too long to kill it. She expected it to would be regaining the use of its legs at any moment.

She took a left path and hit a dead end, a right, and hit another; forcing herself to stop, heart hammering, she concentrated on the center again, picturing it in her mind's eye, backtracked, and chose a path that would take her Northwest.

She had been hurrying along the new path for a few minutes, when she heard something in the path running parallel to her own that made her stop dead. She waited and then moved on, continuing to use her mind to pinpoint the center, making sure she was moving in the right direction. It was just a matter of time now. Her desire to reach the end was now burning stronger than ever, but she could hardly believe what she'd had to face to get this far. Aisha sped up. Every so often she hit more dead ends, but the increasing darkness made her feel sure she was getting near the heart of the maze. Then, as she strode down a long, straight path, she saw movement once again, and the moonlight hit an extraordinary creature.

It was a sphinx. It had the body of an overlarge lion: great clawed paws and a long yellowish tail ending in a brown tuft. Its head, however, was that of a woman. She turned her long, almond-shaped eyes upon Aisha as she approached. She raised her sword, hesitating. She was not crouching as if to spring, but pacing from side to side of the path, blocking his progress. Then she spoke, in a deep, hoarse voice.

"You are very near your goal. The quickest way is past me."

"So ... so will you move, please?" said Aisha, knowing what the answer was going to be.

"No," she said, continuing to pace. "Not unless you can answer my riddle. Answer on your first guess - I let you pass. Answer wrongly - I attack. Remain silent - I will let you walk away from me unscathed."

Aisha's stomach slipped several notches. It was Billy who was good at this sort of thing, not her. She weighed her chances. If the riddle was too hard, she could keep silent, get away from the sphinx unharmed, and try and find an alternative route to the center.

"Okay," she said. "Can I hear the riddle?"

The sphinx sat upon her hind legs, in the very middle of the path, and recited:

"In my life I bring light and warmth;  
yet in death I take both.  
What am I?"

"A star," said Aisha, pacing up and down.

The sphinx smiled broadly. She got up, stretched her front legs, and then moved aside for her to pass.

"Thanks!" said Aisha, and, amazed at her own brilliance, she dashed forward.

She had to be close now, she had to be. ... Her mind was telling her she was bang on course; as long as she didn't meet anything too horrible, she might have a chance. . . .

Aisha broke into a run. She had a choice of paths up ahead. "Where?" she whispered again, wondering why she couldn't see the end anymore. She dashed up the path to the left and saw light ahead.

At the end was a statue, gleaming on a plinth a hundred yards away. Suddenly a dark figure hurtled out onto the path in front of her.

She was shocked when it attacked her and dropped her sword. She blocked the many punches he threw at her, finally shifting her weight so that he flew passed. She turned and saw something immense over a hedge to his left, moving quickly along a path that intersected with his own; it was moving so fast her opponent couldn't move in time - "Look out!" Aisha bellowed. "On your left!"

Her attacker looked around just in time to hurl himself past the thing and avoid colliding with it, but in his haste, he tripped. Aisha saw his weapon fly out of his hand as a gigantic spider stepped into the path and began to bear down upon him. She was tempted to leave him to his fate, but somewhere deep inside she knew that was not the right thing to do.

"Hey!" she yelled; the sword hit the spider's gigantic, hairy black body, but for all the good it did, she might as well have thrown a stone at it; the spider jerked, scuttled around, and ran at Aisha instead.

She tried again and again, but it was no use - the spider was either so large, or so magical, that the weapons were doing no more than aggravating it. Aisha had one horrifying glimpse of eight shining black eyes and razor-sharp pincers before it was upon her.

She was lifted into the air in its front legs; struggling madly, she tried to kick it; his leg connected with the pincers and next moment she was in excruciating pain. She could hear her former attacker yelling something too and realised that he was egging the creature on. She regretted helping him, but knew in her heart she would do it again if needs be; she was not the sort of person to abandon someone to that fate. She raised her sword as the spider opened its pincers once more and sliced across its face.

It worked - the pain she caused made the spider drop her, but that meant that Aisha fell twelve feet onto her already injured leg, which crumpled beneath her. Without pausing to think, she aimed high at the spider's underbelly, as she had done with the beast, and threw her sword over arm. She had no doubt that her weapon would kill the beast, even if it left her defenceless. The spider keeled over sideways, flattening a nearby hedge, and strewing the path with a tangle of hairy legs.

She waited for the attacker to return. She was too hurt to fight and had lost her only weapon. But no attack came since the spider had crushed her other attacker when it collapsed. He was alive but helpless. Soon both he and the spider vanished and revealed the finish.

She stood, just barely and staggered towards the statue. As she touched it her wounds were healed and she was dragged back to the start of the maze where David was waiting.

"What do we do now?" Aisha asked after they had both rested.

"How about leaving this place while you still can?" a voice asked.

They turned and David's mouth dropped at the sight of a bikini-clad female holding a long staff. She twirled the stick dangerously, her eyes never leaving the would-be Rangers.

"We're here on a quest," Aisha explained, unsure who they were talking to, but under the impression that this was a good planet.

"I do not care about your quests," the woman snapped, her accent faintly familiar. "Leave now before it is too late, this is your final warning."

"We're the Power Rangers, sort of," David tried.

The woman's response was to attack them, catching both teenagers off guard. Her foot landed in David's chest, knocking him to the ground while she fought Aisha. As such Aisha was forced on the defence against an aggressive opponent, who seemed intent upon hurting her. The woman's staff hooked the back of Aisha's knee and took her down to the ground. Aisha looked up to find the tip of the staff heading towards her throat.

David stayed down while Aisha kept their opponent busy, as he caught his breath he studied their fighting techniques and waited for the right time to attack again. When it appeared Aisha was in danger though he threw himself into action, grabbing the staff as he flipped over and attempted to wrestle it from her grasp. Aisha rolled aside as he kicked the center of the staff and broke it in half. But instead of dropping the weapons, she used both halves to batter the two Rangers.

"I'll distract her," David suggested.

Aisha nodded and started to circle around their opponent while David caused the distraction, in this case the distraction was getting beaten by a pair of sticks. When she was in position Aisha, jumped on the woman's back, locked her legs around the woman's knees and her arms around her chest. The woman tried to throw her, by Aisha's grip was firm. The distraction allowed David to lunge forward with a speed he had not shown before. He gripped both sticks and twisted, throwing their opponent to the ground.

They both hesitated, trying to reason with their attacker rather than continue fighting. Each time she attacked they tried to restrain her without causing injury. They sensed she was not evil and they had no intention of taking a life without good cause. She took advantage, disarming David and then knocking both Rangers to the ground. They moaned from the impact and tried to negotiate again.

"I have seen enough," the woman said. "You pass."

At once a sense of calm passed over the two Rangers as they were transported back to their starting point. The woman was transported with them and while they didn't know when her features changed, she now looked like the Dulcea they knew.

"Well-done Rangers," she said. "I believe you have earned the name."

David and Aisha nodded, but waited for their former attacker to finish.

"You have both shown the fighting skills and intellect needed to become a Ranger. Neither of you could best me, yet you did not yield, nor did you attempt to kill. You have both shown the characteristics needed to protect their planet and were you not Rangers, I would take you as my apprentices."

"So you're not a Morphin Master then?" Aisha asked.

It had been confusing that while Dulcea mentioned the Power many times, she rarely related it to being a Ranger.

"I am a follower of the Power, the Master Warrior of Phaedos and protector of the Great Power," she answered. "But I am more than qualified to train you to become Rangers. That is why you were not expected to win our battle. The test was only to see if you would surrender or attempt a killing blow. You showed great character and will make excellent Rangers."

Later that day Dulcea, David and Aisha gathered inside the ruins of the sacred grounds. Dulcea smiled as she regarded her young students. Both had come a long way in a short time and she knew the hardest part of their journey lay ahead of them in the future.

"You have both taken the tests required to decide your worthiness for the Ranger powers and you have both passed. As the Master Warrior, I grant you the powers of the White and Purple Rangers."

She turned to the fire and poured a bag of golden dust into the flames. In the heat David could see a golden ball form, surrounded by creatures resembling the Wing Raptor, Tiger and Falcon.

"David Trueheart, you have proven yourself as part of a team and as an individual. You have shown honour and determination, but have never taken a life where you could avoid it. You showed intelligence by figuring out your options before moving and then striking with a decisive blow. You have faced danger head on where many might have waited for assistance and shown the determination to overcome such obstacles. Finally you showed that you were willing to sacrifice yourself for your teammates, knowing that to do so would ensure a victory. The Winged Raptor, Tiger and Falcon will serve you well. Reach into the flames and seize your destiny."

David reached forward quickly; remembering what he had learnt and grabbed the ball. The fire did not burn or cause any inconvenience. As he pulled the ball out, he opened his palm and looked at the images engraved upon it. The Falcon, Tiger and Winged Raptor were pictured, along with the image of his face.

Next Dulcea turned her attention to Aisha. "Aisha Campbell, although you have not faced the same tests, the maze you braved was an equal challenge. You have shown yourself capable of logic and reasoning. In your tests you did not fear or question your instincts as they guided you to your destination. In the final combat you showed great determination and teamwork. In your time as a Ranger on Earth you have shown yourself to be a team player, capable of acting and thinking as necessary. I grant you the powers of the Purple Ranger."

Once again Dulcea poured the contents of a small bag into the fire. The flames licked around the dust, melting it into a new form. As the flames danced Aisha could see the Stegosaurus, Medusa and Chameleon.

"Reach forward and accept your destiny," Dulcea prompted.

Aisha reached into the flames and pulled out her ball. Opening her palm, she could make out the images of the Stegosaurus, Medusa and Chameleon, with her face on the reverse side.

"Now it is time to accept your powers and make the metamorphosis. It's Morphin Time!"

"White Ranger Power!" David called.

"Purple Ranger Power!" Aisha called.

Having never been a full Morphin Ranger, David was surprised by the flow of energy through his bodies. Aisha had experienced the rush before, but this felt stronger. Whether it was the time, she had spent without the Power that added the boost or whether it was because she was finally in her correct colour she would never know.

"It has been my honour to train you, Rangers," Dulcea continued, "but it is time to move to the next stage of your training. We will travel to Zyuella to reunite you with your friends. Then the eight of you will begin the last quest: for the Great Power."

Thanking Dulcea for her help the two newest Rangers join their teacher as they left Phaedos.

**End of Part**

Disclaimer: I do not own the Power Rangers; they belong to their respective copyright owners and are used here without permission. No money is being made from this fic.  
Authors Note: This is an alternate universe from the television show with an alternate timeline.

**Close Encounters of the NEGAtive Kind**

Minion was feeling playful as he circled his opponent. He realised that the human despite wielding the powers of a Masked Rider was inexperienced and at the end of the day, only human. Unlike Dex, who was a skilled combatant regardless of whether he was wearing his armour or just dressed in his civilian clothing, Jesse was still learning and relied a great deal on his Combat Cycle. Currently he was without his motorcycle and slowed by the heavy brace he wore around his leg.

"No tricks, no super powers to save you, isn't this nice?" Minion asked, the Sword of Ragnarok poised in readiness to strike.

In the time following the disappearance of Jason and the other he had been attempting to wear the Gem Coin Rangers down, grinding them into the ground with his constant attacks. And while the Rangers were being distracted, his forces were securing other places of power around the globe. But now his plans for the Rangers had taken on a new sense of urgency as he had sensed a shift in the Morphin Grid. New Rangers had arisen somewhere with powers on a level he could not believe. In his heart, the twisted organ that shifted the black sludge that passed as blood through his veins, he knew that it had something to do with Jason and the others that had disappeared. His priorities had shifted from simply humiliating the Rangers to ensuring that when Jason and his friends returned, there would be nothing left for them to protect.

He lunged forward and smiled when Jesse sidestepped and rolled forward before trying to catch him with a backhand. The boy had spirit and refused to just accept death. Minion spun around and Jesse ducked, allowing the blade to move over his head. With a dismissive wave of his fingers he blasted the human across the length of their make shift arena. He almost laughed at the look of surprise on his opponent's face.

"I'm a villain, I cheat," he explained as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Now, transform so there can have a real battle."

Jesse's hands moved to his Ecto-Accelerator, triggering the release mechanism as he did so. "Ecto-phase, Activate!" The buckle flipped open, unleashing a thick tar like substance that swirled around him before coating his body in the resistant material. His armour was not as solid as Dex's because he lacked the Edenite's insect heritage. Instead he was dressed in a black rider's outfit with a dark visor that helped protect his face.

"Very good," Minion mocked, clapping as he walked around the helmeted warrior. "Now your opponent... WD-Unit 16."

The Validium-based robot took its place in the makeshift arena, waiting for instructions.

"Now for the added touches," Minion said. He lifted his arms and started chanting, creating a small breach in the barrier with the Dark Dimension as he summoned the memory of his champion.

"No," he heard the Masked Rider whisper as the Validium soldier was transformed. "We destroyed him."

"I brought him back," Minion answered. "Just to destroy you. You should feel honoured."

Before him stood a black machine with an orange pattern on its chest. It had a cone shaped head and a white cloak. Most importantly for Jesse, it carried a serrated disk the size of a motorcycle tyre that could slice through a target with ease.

"Cykill," Jesse breathed, remembering the problems the machine had caused him less than a year before. It had been Cykill that could claim responsibility for Jesse becoming a Masked Rider, as well as his damaged leg. He recalled how Dex had finally destroyed the evil chopper using Super Gold to shatter the protective plating.

"Win and live, fail and die," Minion told him.

Jesse moved cautiously, trying to hit and run. But Cykill was too fast for him and his blows proved more than the junior Masked Rider could manage.

"Rider Kick!"

Energy flowed through Jesse's leg, taking advantage of the extra bulk provided by his leg brace. He back flipped, catching the machine with his energised foot. Cykill's head was snapped back by the impact.

"Stealth mode!"

His armour shifted, phasing to fit in with the background as he tried to circle and attack his foe.

"Er where'd he go?" Cykill asked, confused.

"He used his stealth-mode you fool," Minion answered. "He's invisible!"

"Oh," Cykill said. A plume of noxious smoke filled the area and when he heard the Masked Rider cough, he threw the disk in the Rider's direction.

"Aargh!" Jesse cried, his stealth mode proving useless as blood poured from his severed arm.

"Cease!" Minion commanded, moving swiftly to stop the blood pouring from the Mask Rider's arm. He didn't want the youth to die just yet. "Your purpose here is over," he told Cykill. At once the WD-Unit resumed its original appearance and returned to its previous duties.

Jesse was going into shock, even with his powers he had not been able to handle Cykill and yet another part of his humanity had been taken. But he was alive and even in his dazed state he was recalling all the training that Dex had given him. He looked around even as his armour failed, searching for a way out in case the opportunity arose.

"Take him back to his cell," Minion said, dismissing the human as having no further value. Some of those he had collected had already been auctioned off to other factions, those who were looking for ways to take advantage of a situation. "Oh, and do something about his arm."

As he stared at the blood on the floor, he imagined that it belonged to Tommy and friends. But then reality asserted itself and he had to settle for the thought that soon he would have a chance to make that fantasy a fact. He looked at the Sword of Ragnarok, admiring the blood he had taken from the Rangers during their last confrontation. That along with Arcana's dying creations gave him a fresh idea to humiliate Tommy all the more.

"Maybe Arcana's plan can work, with a few adjustments."

Angel Grove

"Ah, you've come at last, Power Rangers," Minion observed. "And it only took half the street to draw you out."

When he had appeared, Minion had used a shockwave to lay waste to the street, which now resembled the aftermath of a gas explosion. The shop windows had been shattered, but the buildings were for the moment still standing. It was a token gesture on his part, but guaranteed to draw the Rangers out from wherever they were hiding.

"We're going to stop you Minion," Tommy warned.

"You and what army, Tommy?" the villain sneered. "Or did you mean the little friends who ran off with Ninjor? Oh yes, I know about them, they've done well to regain their powers." He smirked that he had surprised Tommy with that observation and his obvious dismissal. "By the time they return this little world and everybody on it will be gone," he promised. "Unless you stop me."

"Don't bet on it," Tanya warned. "We're the Power Rangers and you're going down."

"I never lose a bet," Minion told them.

That was the end of the conversation as he attacked with a ball of dark fire. Zeo Frog jumped, surprised at the sudden power in his lower legs that propelled him out of its path.

"Caught you napping Adam, not a good sign."

Then he was attacking again, his energy blasts striking every time as he somehow seemed to know where they were.

"Adam, fallback!" Zeo Falcon ordered, moving in to cover his friend's retreat. His sword was already swinging although it never landed. Minion blocked the blow and with a brutal kick, sent him crashing into the rest of his team.

"That worked real well," Zeo Bear grimaced, helping her leader to his feet.

"To think, I once considered you a threat," Minion growled as he regarded them. "You even managed to hurt me once. Speaking of which..." he paused, sidestepped left and swung his sword just above the ground. The Golden Wave that had been heading in his direction shot off into the air. "How is Trey?"

The Gold Ranger tumbled forward, rolling to regain control of his fall before springing back to his feet. Minion was waiting for him as he came back to the vertical, sword connecting with his armoured chest plate. Sparks flew as the Gold Ranger was thrown aside.

"So much for Earth's greatest defenders," Minion mocked. "Your days are over and like every other person on this planet, you will soon welcome death."

He changed his grip on his sword, never taking his eyes off the Rangers as he did so.

"One chance Rangers, surrender and I will make this quick."

In answer the four Gem Coin Rangers raised their swords and Gold Ranger readied his Golden Power Staff.

"Have it your way," the villain said as they charged forward.

Even as the Rangers were starting to move, he had fired off five balls of dark energy, knocking them in all directions.

"Pistols!" Zeo Falcon yelled. "Four point formation."

The Rangers fought bravely, but they were underpowered and Minion with his more brutal approach, seemed to have no problem throwing them aside. Zeo Bear managed to get close enough to use a piece of chain she had found as a weapon. The metal linked closed around his sword and with a short jerk she managed to disarm him as he cuffed her. The Sword of Ragnarok slid across the ground as he threw her into the wall of a building. As Adam had proven during a previous battle, their new powers were not as suited to physical impact and as a result, she stayed down.

"NO!" Zeo Frog cried, firing shot after shot at Minion's head. He was disappointed though as the villain held his palm up and shots were absorbed into his body. Before Adam could fire again, Minion unleashed the captured energy and sent him hurtling into another wall.

Dodging Zeo Crane's energy bolts; Minion picked the girl up and threw her into a lamppost. The impact snapped the metal as only Zeo Falcon and Gold Ranger remained.

"It's time for a Gold Rush!" Gold Ranger cried.

"Not this time," Minion said. Black tendrils shot from his fingers, grabbing the Ranger as he moved forward. As Minion closed his hands, Trey was thrown around before plunging into the asphalt. Laughing coldly, Minion turned towards the last Ranger.

Taking a deep breath, Zeo Falcon gripped both his own sword and the one he had picked up from where Tanya had dropped it and fought the growing sense of unease. Minion was playing with them, but it seemed likely that he had something else in mind besides taunting.

"It's over Tommy," Minion said. "Once I destroy you, this planet will be next on my list. By the time Jason leads his little friends back here, it'll all be over. Give it up now and maybe I'll make it quick."

"Not a chance, Minion. Rangers NEVER give up."

"If that's your choice," Minion conceded, "die with it."

Suddenly Minion was on the attack, producing a small dagger from somewhere that he tried to skewer through Zeo Falcon's chest. Panicked the Red Ranger used both his swords to block, leaving himself open as Minion unleashed a burst of dark lightning and knocked Zeo Falcon through the remains of the sidewalk.

"And now, the real fun begins," he said.

"Guys we have to keep trying," Tommy said. "If we fail, Minion will take over the planet. Are you with me?"

The others groaned in response. Adam and Tanya were barely coherent; Trey and Kat were not in much better shape and even Tommy had to admit that battling Minion in their condition would be suicide.

"As amusing as that would be, I have a better idea," Minion commented as he looked at the Rangers. He had thought that faced with their destruction they would just give up. He placed his palms together, fingers pointing toward the sky. When he pulled his hands apart, a black ball of energy appeared, splitting into six multicoloured crystals.

"I was going to save this for the next world I conquered," he admitted. "But we'll see how you like them. As you can see I've taken Arcana's little scheme one step further, combining it with the blood you have shed in our previous encounters and a spell I learnt from the Wizard of Deception - oh I see you remember him Tommy - to create my own little team of Rangers. You can thank Arcana's Billy-clone for his fine research while inside the Power Chamber. The uniform templates he stole from the computer have proven invaluable. But I assure you these Rangers are all mine."

Not quite true. He had thrown in the Wizard of Deception's spell to keep the Rangers off balance, but in truth these Rangers had not been created using that spell. They were not even Rangers, well not really. They were a gift from his master, the souls of the Rangers' counterparts in universes where they had succumbed to the darkness, harvested at the moment of death and transferred to Minion's possession. With the application of a little genetic engineering he had managed to provide new bodies for the twisted souls to possess. Even the clones that he had used to capture Billy, and the duplicates he had used to replace him, had been destroyed and replaced with his improved constructs.

"We need to morph," Tommy said. The others nodded their agreement, retreat was no an option. "It's Morphin Time!"

"Zeo Ranger I - Crane!"

"Zeo Ranger II - Bear!"

"Zeo Ranger IV - Frog!"

"Zeo Ranger V - Falcon!"

There was an unmistakable pause as Trey readied himself. "Gold Ranger Power!"

They moved to attack again, but stopped as the light from the crystals became blinding.

"Yes, it would be sad for this world not to have one last glimpse of its heroes before they die," Minion said as the light faded, revealing six very human shapes. "Now say hello to my little friends."

The light finally faded and the Rangers' jaws dropped. Before them stood what appeared to be five Zeo Rangers and the Gold Ranger. They were almost identical to the costumes the Rangers remembered except instead of gold, they had silver highlights.

"Enjoy Rangers," Minion called before vanishing. Neither side was certain whom he had been addressing.

"Well well well, what do we have here?" the Red impostor asked. Its voice sounded distorted, almost computerised.

"I can't believe it," Zeo Bear said before taking a step backwards.

"They look just like..." Zeo Frog started, trying to make sense of what was happening.

"But they can't be," Zeo Falcon said.

"Ah, but we are Rangers," Blue said.

"And we're here for one reason and one reason only," Yellow continued.

"To destroy you!" Gold said pointing to the Gem Coin Rangers.

"Attack!" Red commanded.

The fake Rangers charged the Gem Coin Rangers. Soon they were able to spread the Rangers out so they could not help each other. They stood face to face with their Ranger counterpart, except for Blue who stood next to Gold, head cocked thoughtfully as he sized up Trey.

As Pink traded blows with Zeo Crane; it was obvious that the imitation Rangers had the edge. She punched Zeo Crane in the chest several times, before following up with kicks to the lower abdomen and a punch to the face.

Zeo Crane fought back, aiming her pistol and firing. Pink laughed as she faded out of sight.

"Where'd she go?" Zeo Crane asked out loud.

"Here," Pink said appearing behind her opponent and unleashing an energy arrow. Zeo Crane was thrown to the ground as the arrow made contact.

Zeo Bear faced off against her opponent, each exchanging and blocking the other's blows. Although they were evenly matched in skill, the impostor had the advantage in terms of strength. Suddenly Yellow jumped onto Zeo Bear's shoulder, using it as a springboard to leap inside a warehouse and onto a pile of oil drums.

"Gem Coin Blaster," Zeo Bear called drawing the slightly heavier weapon.

She managed to squeeze off six shots before noticing they were having no effect. Her opponent responded by drawing her Zeo Pistol and firing. The shots struck the ground surrounding Zeo Bear throwing her to the floor.

Gold Ranger and his counterpart had already started using their weapons, Golden Power Staff against the massive golden hammer that his opposite number had summoned from somewhere. Gold ducked Trey's blow, back handing him with his hammer, allowing Blue to move in from behind. Gold Ranger rolled back to a distance where he could use his weapon effectively.

"Time for a Gold Rush!" he called.

Bursts of gold energy struck the impostors causing them to pull away slightly. Trey kept firing until he was sure nothing could have survived.

"Not bad Gold Ranger," Gold said from behind. He smashed his hammer into Trey's chest just as Blue unleashed a burst of energy. They paused, enjoying the sparks and then attacked again, Zeo Swords sparking on the Gold Ranger's back.

Zeo Frog found himself facing off against Green, both masters of their art. Zeo Frog ducked a kick and attempted a low leg sweep. The duplicate was taken off his feet, but managed to perform a move similar to break dancing to spin back to his feet again.

In the duplicate's hand a double-sided axe appeared. Zeo Frog drew his Gem Coin sword and the two enemies recommenced their battle. Zeo Frog found it increasingly difficult to counter his opponent's blows. The look-alike was able to use both blades on his axe effectively, drawing Zeo Frog's sword aside with one stroke and then slashing the open chest with the back swing.

The duplicate made a quick movement converting his axe to a version of the Cosmic Cannon and fired. Zeo Frog was thrown through the air to land in the warehouse next to the fallen Zeo Bear.

Of all the Rangers Zeo Falcon was the only one who was managing to hold his own. He had fought his duplicate using both unarmed combat techniques and his sword. Tommy realised that maybe the time he had had to fight against Sam had given him the experience to know how to exploit his opponent's weaknesses. Of course Zeo Falcon knew that would only last as long as the duplicate chose to fight fair. Red was fresh to the fight and seemed stronger. Tommy knew he would weaken before the duplicate, but that thought gave him all the more desire to beat his opponent quickly.

Red drew its version of the Zeo V Power Sword. The sword looked almost identical to how Zeo Falcon remembered it, except heavily armoured and black. The duplicate used the dark sword's to blast Zeo Falcon. While Zeo Falcon struggled to defend himself from one blast, the duplicate drew its Zeo Pistol and fired.

"Regroup," Zeo Falcon called as he moved away from the advancing duplicate.

The other Gem Coin Rangers joined him, each in various states of injury. Zeo Frog and Zeo Bear were struggling to stand and Zeo Crane was holding her arm, which had been injured by her duplicate.

"You were right before," Red said as his fellow duplicates joined him. "We're not Rangers."

"Then who are you?" Zeo Falcon demanded.

"Oh you'll find out soon enough," Red told him.

To emphasise the point the six impostors raised their hands to the sky. Blue lightning struck each duplicate transforming them into their true forms. The uniforms turned black and converted into alien-looking suits. Metal plating formed over the body in their Ranger colours. Each Ranger had white gloves and boots with black hands and feet. On their belts were golden N insignias. On the top of their helmets were black spaces each showing a different coloured crystal. Each helmet had flared sides giving them an almost demonic appearance. On their chests were golden coins.

"We're the Nega Rangers," Nega Red told them.

"We're faster than you," Nega Green said.

"Smarter than you..." Nega Blue said.

"Stronger than you..." Nega Yellow told them.

"But we're evil!" Nega Pink finished.

"Now we'll show you what a Nega Ranger can do!" Nega Gold called.

The Nega Rangers drew their weapons and attacked again. This time there was no messing about. The Nega Rangers brutalised the Gem Coin Rangers, knocking them about, trying to destroy them. Zeo Falcon picked himself up off the ground in time to be hit by yet another blow from Nega Red.

Once all the Gem Coin Rangers were grounded the Negas placed their hands on the Rangers' heads. Slowly at first but quickly speeding up they began to drain the Rangers' power.

"Now," Nega Red told the fallen Rangers as he raised his sword ready to impale Tommy, "we finish this."

Travis had not accompanied the Rangers despite being able to use Rocky's Gem Coin Transformer. Instead he had stayed in their Reefside fallback command post or Ranger Ops as Adam had dubbed it. He had witnessed the ease with which Minion had trashed the Rangers

Then he had lost sight of the others when Minion had teleported them. He had been confused when the image had cleared to reveal the Gem Coin Rangers fighting what appeared to be the Zeo Rangers. At that point he knew he had to do something because whoever these new Rangers were, they were about to destroy his friends.

Joining the battle as a Ranger was not an option. The Rangers were losing badly and by the time he arrived... there was no way that he could fight six of them even if he used Rocky's powers. So this was not a matter of joining his friends in combat, it was a retrieval mission.

"Pyramidas, online!"

The sword descended toward Tommy at the same time that the other Nega Rangers delivered what should have been the final blow to their intended targets. Gold lightning rained down on them before they could make contact, forcing the Nega Rangers to pull away from their targets. The Gem Coin Rangers barely had time to appreciate the reprieve before they were teleported away leaving six angry Nega Rangers in their place.

Prison Section, Minion's Island

Minion walked through the corridors gloating over his little trophy collection. The energy drain was complete; the residual magic in their bodies had been removed. The genetic neutralisers had suppressed any mutant abilities. They were as human as they were going to get. Now they were both his guests and more importantly, his playthings.

The first set of cells contained the young heroes known to the world as the Beetleborgs. They had been drained of their powers along with most of their life force; there was a good chance that even if they survived they would never be able to fight again, even the abilities that they showed in their civilian lives. Minion had been tempted to let the machine finish them. The idea of seeing every cell in their bodies drained of life until their frail human bodies were reduced to piles of dust was almost too good to resist, but not quite.

Minion had left them alone as they were drained, choosing to pick on his other guests instead. They were currently held in a cell, their hands and ankles bound and their armoured suits were held in safekeeping. The cold stone floor was far from comfortable, but compared to what some of his prisoners were going through, they were lucky.

Moving on to the next part of the cells, Minion smiled. This cell contained the VR Troopers and the first generation Metal Hero Servo, from whom their powers were derived. Each Trooper had been drugged and when they awoke, Minion planned to try out some modifications on their Virtualisers. Several relays in Servo's energy circuits had been removed preventing him from breaking free.

Ryan Steele awoke to find himself in chains. Barely able to stay awake he mentally ran through a check of his body. All his limbs were present and accounted for and he had only slight trouble breathing. Trying to stand Ryan winced as his ribs twinged with pain. In his mind he recalled the powerful mutant that had defeated them and the sting as the monster's tail had struck him.

Ryan spent a few minutes resting while he tried to assess his situation. He was chained and somehow his Trooper armour had been deactivated. A crystal had also been positioned near to his chest and was starting to glow a dull blue. .

To his left lay Kaitlyn and JB, both unconscious and neither showing signs of coming around soon. In front of him was their captor, dressed in black with glowing red eyes.

"Well well," the black masked being said. "We have a live one. I'll be back later to play."

Minion continued on his way, leaving Ryan to wonder what was going on. The next set of cells contained heroes his forces had taken from around the world. Iron Man and his Avenger allies, Spider-Man cocooned in his own webbing, a group of leather clad school females and several others he wouldn't bother to identify. He smirked when he passed the cells containing the remnants of the JLA and the Teen Titans, they had never really been a threat to him. Of course in all cases he ensured his prisoners were secured in such a way that they could not break free. Ensnaring Wonder Woman with her own lasso had been a nice touch in his opinion and far more merciful that what his servants had done to the rest of her people.

He punched in a code and opened the cells on the far side of the room. Inside were his favourite trophies, the former Zeo Rangers. This was Minion's favourite part of the Prison.

"Minion?"

He turned to see the Nega Rangers, his creations. Looking at them up close he was pleased with his creativity. Their twisted appearance would only help to instil fear in any who faced them.

"So you succeeded," he said after he was finished studying them. "Did they scream?"

"They escaped," Nega Gold admitted.

"Fools!" Minion snapped, his enjoyment forgotten at the thought of the Rangers surviving.

"They ran like cowards," Nega Blue told him. "Rocky didn't even show up."

A volley of dark lightning dealt with the outspoken Ranger. "Idiot, Rocky has already been dealt with, I only asked you to destroy five Rangers and you had superior numbers. How dare you fail me?"

He watched for a while as they suffered before ending the punishment. Seeing his own creations suffer was not as fun as torturing his prisoners.

"Enough. Seek out the Rangers and this time... finish them. Now go, find them."

He almost laughed as they blurred away. It was good to see that despite their outward appearance, they feared him.

"Perhaps a little more power will make up for your lack of intellect."

The Nega Rangers glowed as Minion poured his energy into them, changing them and extending their awareness of the world around them. Right now they were simply extensions of his magic, created from a a sample of his unusual genetic material, reshaped to mimic that of the humans they were modelled upon. For his protection he had bound their existence to his own. They would not be able to destroy him, but if they performed the tasks he had given them, they would be allowed to steal what they needed from their defeated foes. As an added bonus he had calculated that they only needed to feed on the residual energy of one Ranger each. Maybe it was time he told them that and gave them something to aim for.

"I release you," he said. The effect was immediate as the energy flow behind him and the Nega Rangers ceased. At the same time they dropped to their knees as their bodies were ravaged by an energy backlash. "Do you feel that Nega Rangers, the sudden pain? You are dying, very very slowly. The pain you feel is an echo of the stress that you are placing on the Morphin Grid, the only reason you have not been destroyed is because you are protected by the Earth's magic."

"What would you have us do master?" Nega Gold asked. There had to be a way to survive.

"Nega Gold or Gold Ranger... to the Morphin Grid you are one and the same, but the Grid can only sustain one. Gold Ranger has the stronger bond, so if left to fate, you will be the one to fade away. Same goes for the rest of you: vanquish the Rangers or be destroyed."

Minion looked down at his creation. Like all the Nega Rangers, Nega Gold did not have a gender and could appear as either male or female. At the moment Minion could detect an air of masculinity about the Nega Ranger, probably due to its link to Trey. If and when it destroyed the Lord of Triforia it would be able to choose. There were other Nega Rangers that had yet to define their identity. When the time came they would make a fine army.

"Already you know that you can drain the Rangers' energy," Minion continued. "When you destroy your chosen Ranger their power will be yours and your pain will end."

~And so will mine,~ he thought, remembering that so long as the Rangers survived he would be forced to endure untold torment.

"Go and draw out the Rangers. Attack their homes if you have to," Minion replied. The Negas knew who the Rangers were and Minion decided he would take advantage of the situation.

Minion waited for the Nega to disappear before turning his attention to more important tasks. He had allowed himself to be distracted by the Nega Rangers and needed to turn his attention to more important matters. He looked at the sword in his hand and resolved to do some research. If his prediction was correct, then the Power Rangers would be returning to a ball of ash.

Mindless carnage. It was something the Nega Rangers were starting to enjoy. Having decided that threatening innocent humans, would encourage the Rangers to make an appearance they had raided Angel Grove High School, taking the few students who had not been kept home, hostage.

"Rangers!" Nega Pink called, holding a young girl in front of her. "Either you show up by the count of ten or we start killing one of these pathetic humans every ten seconds."

Nothing happened and for a moment he thought maybe the Rangers had seen sense and realised just how futile fighting the Nega Rangers would be.

"One!" .

Nega Red finished his rounds of the school ensuring every human was accounted for. He stepped into the classroom where Miss Appleby used to teach the Rangers English. He could sense the laughter from some of the lessons over the years. He could feel the good in the room from a teacher whose love was teaching and her students.

Growling angrily Nega Red summoned his Nega Sword and began to trash the room. He did not stop until the room was levelled. "Now that's a classroom," he said looking at the scorched hole he had made in the blackboard with his sword.

"Two!"

Nega Yellow found her way into the Principal's office. She summoned her Nega Daggers and began redecorating the room. The five knifelike blades slashed into the walls and furniture as she took out her aggression on the office.

"Three!"

"It's done," Adam said, not sounding at all confident.

Reconfiguring their powers was a job that needed Billy or preferably Zordon and Alpha to work. The Gem Coin Rangers had had to make do and even now he couldn't guarantee that the changes would work. Still as he pressed the button and activated the new weapons' program they heard an affirmative beep from the computer, telling them that the process was a success.

The Rangers exchanged looks and teleported into battle.

At that moment, Wally West, the super hero known as the Flash, was in trouble. It had been a seemingly simple challenge, or so Wally had believed. A chance for freedom had been offered and he was willing to take the opportunity, secretly planning to somehow free his companions and then make Minion pay for all that he had done. Exactly why the villain had turned from manic rage to playful captor was unclear, although the Teen Titan, Raven, had suggested it had something to do with his desire to humiliate Earth's heroes; apparently Raven had taken to reading more and more books about the human psyche in the hopes of controlling her emotional problems.

So he had agreed to the speed test as Minion had called it, despite warnings from the Martian Manhunter. But then Wally had never been the most cautious of men. The test was relatively straightforward: all he had to do was avoid the laser beams for half an hour and then he would be allowed to walk away.

"Begin," Minion had said as Wally had rashly accepted the challenge.

And only then as the arena had appeared around him had he realised that Minion had not revealed all of the challenge. For one thing the lasers were mounted to the arms of WD Unit as well as the walls and ceiling. Secondly, they did not all fire one at a time and there was a randomness to their pattern that made it difficult to evade all the shots.

He had started out well, using his speed to create a whirlwind of force that sucked the WD-Units together and then threw them out again. Even when the machines reformed, they were no longer armed; the lasers were not made from Validium and were lost as the molten metal knitted itself back together.

He continued to move, avoiding the laser blasts while leading the robots into danger. It seemed no matter how badly they were damaged the machines were capable of repairing themselves. At least that was the impression he got until one of them was cleaved completely in half. At that point both halves remained inert.

Outside the arena, Minion adjusted the controls. He wanted to break his prisoners, to let them see the fate he had planned for them. At his command the WD Units returned to a state of inactivity as he focussed on the room's mounted lasers. To begin with he used multiple shots to direct the hero to where he wanted him and then over a few minutes, reduced the arena to the size of a long tunnel and positioned all the lasers at one end.

"I could be ruthless about this," Minion said, making a show of powering all the weapons at the same time. "But I won't do that." At the press of a button the emitters shifted to so they ran up the left-hand wall and along the ceiling.

Wally knew what was coming when the first emitter was activated, producing a solid beam of energy from floor to ceiling that would chop anything in its path in two. Then the beam started moving toward him and Wally had to squeeze to the left in order to avoid it. A second beam, this time stretching left to right followed and soon the other emitters followed, alternating between one orientation and the other. When they had all passed him, they returned from the other end, Minion having shortened the beam and sent two emitters at the same time.

This continued for ten minutes until Minion grew tired of playing. The Flash was good, but had not escaped unharmed. He was covered with small cuts where speed had not been enough to avoid the cutting beams. He looked at the clock and saw that half an hour had elapsed.

"Time's up," Flash noted. "You promised I could walk away."

"Actually," Minion replied, adjusting the controls so all the emitters were activated, creating a grid of obliterating energy. "I said you would be set free. Alas, in either case I lied. You will not walk away and freedom is not even a remote possibility."

He pushed the button, sending the grid speeding along the corridor. Flash turned and started to run in the opposite direction, not that he had far to go before he collided with the wall. He turned, hoping to find a way out of his predicament. But as he soon discovered, there was no way out.

"Stop this," Captain America cried as he saw the beams get nearer and nearer their target.

"But of course," Minion said, stopping the movement and then cutting all but one of the beams. The amassed heroes looked on in confusion until that beam finished slicing through Wally's legs. "No Wally West, you will not run away. In fact, you'll never walk under your own power again."

"Don't worry about him too much," Minion warned. "He will soon be out of his misery and you will join him."

"Fou.."

Nega Red's count was interrupted when he found himself on the receiving end of the Gem Coin Cannon's blast from behind. A microsecond after he sensed the blast his hostage was teleported to safety.

"So, you came," Nega Pink said turning towards his attackers. "Now the fun begins."

"Not today," Zeo Falcon replied.

Six Gem Coin Rangers stood ready for action. Six? Nega Red counted again wondering where Zeo Ape had come from. So far as he knew Rocky was still in hospital under the watchful eye of Lita Kino, the Rangers' Psychologist. He shrugged when he realised it was Travis using Rocky's powers; it didn't matter. Now it was time for a rematch.

"Get them!" Nega Red called.

What followed was almost a repeat performance of the last encounter between the Gem Coin Rangers and the Nega Rangers. The two sides fought back and forth, through the classroom and into the open air. All the time the Ranger kept careful watch of where their opponents were in relation to each other.

"Now!" Zeo Falcon called. "Plan A."

Minion watched the events taking place and was quickly able to see what the Rangers had in mind. They had worked to separate the Nega Rangers then teleported to a place where they could use teamwork to take out one opponent at a time.

~Not very sporting,~ Minion mused. ~Still it is within the rules and does make a sound strategy.~ "Nega Rangers, play along with the Rangers' plans."

The Rangers' strategy seemed to be working. Already they had separated and apparently destroyed the Pink and Green Nega Rangers. Pink had put up a good fight, managing to keep all the Rangers at bay until Zeo Frog managed a lucky shot with his hand-held cannon. She had screamed loudly and dissolved into a puff of smoke.

Nega Green put up an even better defence, managing to injure Zeo Ape in the fight. An arrow from Zeo Crane's bow caught him in the neck, apparently damaging his breathing to the point where he destroyed himself.

"Oh Rangers," Minion called as his image appeared in the sky. He had decided that this game had gone on long enough. "My Rangers have a big surprise for you." His head turned as the ground shook.

The Rangers stumbled as a new Zord made from Validium stomped across the city.

"Cyclopsis," Zeo Falcon breathed.

"Do you know what that thing is?" Kat asked.

Tommy considered his answer for a moment before nodding. "Not as well as Jason might. Cyclopsis was Goldar's War Zord. Rita resurrected shortly after I lost my powers the first time. Rita sent the population of Angel Grove into another. Cyclopsis came close to beating the others that day. If Alpha had not discovered the Zord's weakness, the Rangers may have been lost."

"I have heard of Cyclopsis," Trey said. "If Minion has truly resurrected him, we may have a problem."

"Enough discussion." Minion's face appeared on the Viewing Screen. "You have five minutes to defeat Cyclopsis, or I will instruct the Nega Rangers to level Angel Grove building by building."

"Can you remember how to defeat Cyclopsis?" Tanya asked.

"They just switched modes until the computer locked up. Then they called in the Ultrazord."

"We don't have multiple modes," Zeo Bear pointed out.

"We don't have an Ultrazord either," Tommy replied, "We'll have to improvise. Attack Bikes, Power Up!"

As the bikes skidded to a halt the five Rangers climbed on. Zeo Ape climbed into the sidecar of Zeo Crane's bike and prepared himself for whatever Zeo Falcon was planning.

"Switch to Sentinel Mode!" Zeo Falcon instructed.

Using the multiple weapons that Zordon had stored in a secret vault Alpha had managed to design some humanoid shaped robots using the weapons and attack bikes. Weapons and bikes combined to form a single giant robot, slightly smaller than a Megazord. With Zeo Falcon in the center each Ranger felt a strange connection to the machine.

"The autopilot should keep Cyclopsis busy for a while," Zeo Falcon said. "Let's get the Ninja activated."

"We need the Ninja, now!" .

"Stick to single attacks," Gold advised.

The remote Wolf Zord moved so fast that Cyclopsis didn't see it coming until it was too late. The powerful hind legs drove the Zord into the air where it made contact with Cyclopsis arm. The Zord's jaws clamped shut around Cyclopsis.

Zeo Frog guided his Zord forward and directed it to open its mouth. The Frog's tongue wrapped around Cyclopsis allowing Zeo Frog to direct a burst of electrical energy into the War Zord's body. Starting the recall system, he used the tongue to pull Cyclopsis towards the Zord. .

The combined assault allowed Zeo Ape a chance to get close. The mighty machine leapt onto the War Zord's back, wrapping its arms around the neck. The machine summoned both of its swords and stabbed them into the back of the War Zord's neck.

"Hold him steady," Zeo Crane called.

Bolts of pink energy struck the War Zord in the chest causing it to fall over. The Crane flew around to move in for a second assault. Once again Zeo Crane armed her lasers and prepared to fire.

Zeo Bear had moved her machine behind Cyclopsis's body. As the Crane fired again it knocked the War Zord over the Bear and onto its back.

The Falcon Zord dived; its talons extended outwards. Mini missiles fired from the wings, striking the War Zord in the chest and shoulders. While the missiles did no real damage, they distracted Cyclopsis long enough for the Falcon to sink its talons into the metal warrior and lift it into the air. .

"Fire!" Zeo Falcon ordered pressing the button on his control stick.

It took Zeo Falcon a moment too long to realise something was wrong. Cyclopsis had used its telekinetic powers to trigger the torpedoes inside the Zord. As they exploded, the Falcon dropped the War Zord to the ground as Zeo Falcon attempted to regain control.

"I'm down," Zeo Falcon reported, shaking his head to clear the cobwebs.

"You can join us later," Zeo Crane told him over the communicator.

"Ninja mode!" the Rangers called.

The arms and legs of the Ape detached from the body, the legs of the Bear split away from the body and legs and head of the Wolf retracted into the body. The bodies of the Ape, Bear and Wolf joined together to form the upper torso and arms of the Ninja. The legs of the Ape joined and connected to the base of the upper torso to complete the main body.

Meanwhile the Frog had transformed into a pair of legs, joining with the Bear's legs, which had transformed to make two feet, to form the lower body. The arms of the Ape had converted into fists, which connected to the arms. .

Finally the body and arms merged with the legs, allowing the Crane to slide into place as the head. The fully charged Power Sword appeared in the Megazord's hand. In a single movement the Power Sword moved across Cyclopsis's body carving a diagonal slash in its body.

While the Ninja was forming, the remote Sentinel was using every weapon at its disposal to keep Cyclopsis off balance, a strategy that seemed to be working. As long as the War Zord was trying to stay upright, it could not fight back. Then the operator gained control slamming the Sentinel to the ground and crushing it underfoot. The Ninja arrived in time to prevent too much damage being done.

Cyclopsis responded by extending a blade from each arm and attacking the Megazord. Combining the energy weapons with his blade Cyclopsis parried the machines' attacks. With a quick movement it disarmed the Ninja and moved to make a killing blow.

With a loud screech the Falcon descended on Cyclopsis, its weapons firing to push it away from the Ninja. Cyclopsis rolled away to allow the Megazord to stand up again.

"Docking now," Zeo Falcon said, activating his Gem Coin.

"Ninja full power!" the Rangers called as Zeo Falcon appeared in the control room and took his position.

Thrusters fired on the back of the Megazord's back, flying into the air, Power Sword in hand. Cyclopsis responded by firing the cannons positioned beneath its breastplate. It then fired its wrists on the end of solid steel cables, which wrapped around the machine's body in a similar way to what the Frog had done earlier. High voltage electricity pulsed through the cables, into the hands and finally into the machine.

Turning to the right Cyclopsis released the Ninja at the peak of its spin, throwing the Ninja to the ground with a crash. Energy bolts shot from various points on Cyclopsis's body, causing further damage to the mechanoid.

"Pyramidas fire!" Gold Ranger called from inside his personal Zord.

The Ninja flew into the air and landed on the apex of the Pyramid where it could channel the large machine's energy. Already charging its power cells, Zeo Ape braced himself for the attack ahead.

"Make it look good," Minion told the three pilots of Cyclopsis just before the Rangers' machines fired.

The three pilots did not respond verbally, but nodded to show they understood. Cutting the shielding to minimum power, the pilots braced themselves to take the blast. As the blasts stuck the War Zord, its shielding collapsed, causing Cyclopsis to explode.

Watching from his island, Minion smiled behind his mask. He had seen the power behind the Rangers' last attack and suspected the blast drained Gem Coins of all but a small portion of their power. Now it was time to show the Rangers what happened to those who failed to anticipate Minion's moves.

"Cyclopsis, reactivate and finish those ridiculous Zords!"

Slowly the Validium drained away and reformed to become a more powerful version of Cyclopsis. Inside the cockpit the three operators reappeared, ready to finish the Rangers.

The two blades slid out from the arms ready to strike again. The chest panels slid down to reveal the rows of cannons and the hip compartments opened, ready to fire the Validium missiles Minion had constructed. A ball of energy formed on its horns and was fired as a single sphere of fire.

With its first strike Cyclopsis destroyed the Ninja. Missiles and energy bolts ripped the machine to pieces. As Pyramidas hovered in place, a Validium blade chopped through the armour. The machine was slow to react having used all its power in the barrage. Piece by piece it was chipped away by the War Zord's blades. Trey at that point made the decision to dislodge his attacker and order Pyramidas to retreat. He teleported to join the other Rangers, who had ejected before the Ninja was destroyed.

"What happened?" Zeo Ape asked as the remains of the Ninja started to disappear.

"Automatic recall," Zeo Falcon explained. "It's to stop the Zords destruction from shutting down the Morphin Grid. First time they used it was when Cyclopsis nearly destroyed the Dinozords."

"Shame you can't teleport away Tommy," Minion scoffed. "Now you're going have to meet the three pilots of Cyclopsis. I take it you remember Nega Green and Nega Pink."

The two supposedly deceased Nega Rangers stepped forward. Both were laughing as they imagined what they were going to do to the now Zord-less Rangers.

"And of course where would they be without the other Nega Rangers?" Minion asked.

The Rangers watched as Nega Red, Nega Yellow, Nega Gold and Nega Blue joined with their comrades. The Nega Rangers drew their weapons and prepared to finish their weakened opponents.

"The Zeo Crystal is gone, the Zords are gone, the friends who left on a quest for new powers are dead, you have no way to get back to Power Chamber and even if you could Zordon cannot help you." Minion seemed to grow more confident with every passing second. "I'll give you one chance to surrender before I order my servants to do it the hard way."

"We'll never surrender," Zeo Falcon replied angrily. "We'll either defeat you or die trying."

"You won't have to defeat me, Thomas," Minion replied. "This isn't a fight anymore, it's now a slaughter."

As he spoke, he pointed to a group of figures floating above the Rangers. They could not see their faces because of the bright light behind them.

"Now!" Minion ordered.

The figures dropped from the sky, one of them driving both feet into Zeo Crane's head. Another swung on one foot to catch Zeo Bear with a back kick and punch to the chin. The third ducked to avoid a kick from Zeo Ape before he swept the legs out from him and drove his elbow into the Ranger's face. After trading blows with Gold Ranger he delivered a kick to the Ranger's, winding him while the last one and concentrated on Zeo Falcon.

"Hello Tommy," the dark red uniformed warrior said. He wore the uniform that Jason had worn when he had first wielded the power of a Ranger.

"Do you like my newest creations, Tommy?" Minion asked. "Seven new evil Rangers to complete my Nega Rangers."

The two warriors started to fight, Tommy powered only by his reserve energy from the Morphin Grid and his opponent powered by the dark side of the Morphin Grid. Although not as skilled or powerful as the real Jason, Tommy's opponent used his anger to fuel his punches.

"You don't want to do this," Zeo Falcon said. "Don't let Minion use you."

"Minion is not using me," the other replied as he knocked the Gem Coin Ranger down again.

"You obviously weren't listening when we told you the first time," Nega Red said as he walked forward. The two evil Red Rangers joined hands, combining their powers. Tommy looked around to see that the Gem Coin Rangers were surrounded.

"We're faster than you," Nega Green said.

"Smarter than you..." Nega Gold said.

"Stronger than you..." Nega Yellow told them.

"But we're evil!" Nega Pink finished.

"Yeah?" Tommy asked preparing to make their task as difficult as possible.

"Yeah," Nega Red replied, imitating the voice.

The evil Rangers fired as the other Red Ranger that delivered the final word on the subject: "and we cheat."

"Stand down," Minion called as he arrived, stepping over the now demorphed Rangers. With a gesture he summoned their Gem Coin Transformers and crushed them. He summoned the Golden Power Staff, but being unable to use it, discarded it. He never noticed when it disappeared back into Trey's subspace pocket. "You have done well."

Raising his hand lines of energy flowed from the fallen Rangers into his creations, recharging their bodies.

"Silvo!" Minion boomed. "Take these fallen Rangers to the cells and make them comfortable."

Silvo appeared in a flash of silver, picked up the fallen Rangers and left.

Phaedos

Dulcea looked up from the fire as she sensed some sort of disaster on the planet Earth. Could it be that those left to protect the planet had fallen? She hoped not. Jason, David, Sam, Kimberly, Aisha, Trini, Zack and Billy were ready to seek the Great Power and would begin their trek to the monolith the next morning. She could only hope they reached it in time because if the sensations she was receiving were an indication, at this rate they were not going to have a world to return to.

She shivered as she thought about Minion. In many ways he reminded her of some of the villains that she had fought against before taking on the role of Master Warrior. He didn't really care about the conquest of worlds. He was an evil creature who would never find the satisfaction in conquest that he would gain by destroying planet after planet. Stopping him soon was the only way they could prevent countless deaths.

"Sleep well Rangers," she whispered as she stared across the flames at her sleeping charges. She hoped that with the Great Power on their side the Rangers would be able to undo all the harm Minion had caused. Somehow she doubted it because the only way to guarantee such a drastic reversal would be to destroy Minion completely. She knew in her heart that none of the Rangers she had met would be able to commit what amounted to ruthless murder. Yet if they didn't, she doubted the Earth would survive.

Torture Cell A, Minion's Island

Three days had passed and Minion decided it was time to see how his guests were coping. He ignored the VR Troopers and the Beetleborgs, the strange warrior known as Servo and a group of teenage hackers who had been dragged into things for some reason; the various super heroes that constituted what remained of the JLA, the Avengers and of course Spider-Man. He overlooked the injured Jesse, knowing that even if he could transform, the Masked Rider's powers had been damaged. Dex on the other hand would still provide some entertainment. First though he had his old adversaries, the Gem Coin Rangers, to pay his respects to.

This was Minion's favourite part of the Prison Dimension. He had altered the flow of time in the dimension so a few hours would seem like weeks to the Rangers trapped inside. All six of the Rangers he was holding in his prison were undergoing various forms of torture.

First off was Tanya. Minion had trapped her at the bottom of a long tube. Then he had sealed the sides, top and bottom of the tube so she only had a limited air supply. Then he had started to pump in a drop of water every thirty seconds. It was a slow torture. Tanya knew she could not escape and that eventually she would drown, but not before the dripping water drove her insane.

Next in line was Trey. Minion had decided to place the Lord of Triforia on a version of the rack and was gradually stretching the Gold Ranger until he was torn in half by the rack. Minion had but found the idea too unimaginative. Therefore, he had added his own subtle changes. .

The rack had been modified so Trey was now seated with his hands tied to a series of pulleys. His legs and ankles were strapped to a set of bicycle pedals. The idea was that a small motor operated ropes attached to his arms would tighten the ropes and stretch the Lord of Triforia unless he pedalled fast enough to counter the effect. Minion had made an additional change. The system was now racheted so that if Trey stopped pedalling, he would be stretched, but even if he then started to pedal as fast as he could the ropes would not loosen.

It was the ultimate no-win situation. Sooner or later the Triforian would tire and when he did he would be stretched.

Adam had been strapped into a chair. On his forehead a metal device had been fastened. As Minion pressed a button, the device sent a signal to the muscles in Adam's leg, causing it to twitch. The sensation was not painful, but after a few hours of constant twitching Adam would be driven insane. Minion had seen the evidence of what constant exposure to the device would accomplish. Even the most iron willed prisoner would crack under the strain.

The device had been created years ago for use by bounty hunters wishing to interrogate captives to find their prey. Minion had been lucky to find a working model in Zedd's castle. Obviously Zedd had had dealings with either the Varox or the Bounty Hunters' Guild. He was not sure which but knowing Zedd, he was willing to beat the Bounty Hunter had not been paid for his work, or lived to tell about it.

Minion had modified the next cell especially for Kat using the technology he had gained from elsewhere. The room was set to play out random dangers at random intervals, stimulating her pain receptors without the physical injury. Minion had no intention of damaging Kat's body. He wanted Kat to be his personal slave and if she survived, he would enjoy breaking her further.

Minion planned to leave her a few more hours and then offer her a chance to end her pain. He doubted she would take him up on the offer first try, but faced with a life of pain or a life as his slave he suspected she could be persuaded to choose the latter.

Tommy's torture was simple but effective. He had been tied with his hands above his head and had a WD-Unit punching him at regular intervals. Each blow cracked his ribs causing him to scream in agony. But Minion had programmed the machine to allow enough time between blows for the youth's healing to take effect. For the robot it meant a few seconds of action followed by long periods of waiting. For Tommy it meant constant and nearly unbearable pain.

Travis's torture was perhaps the cruellest. He had been secured so he had a view of all his friends being tortured. Minion had injected him with a drug to paralyse his body and bound his limbs just in case. Travis could see and hear everything, but could not move any part of his body to help or even turn away or shut his eyes. Tears ran down his face from having to watch his friends being tortured, knowing he was free to intervene but unable to help them. He continued to sob, broken at the sight of his friends suffering knowing he had failed them.

"What's the matter Travis, can't you stand to see your friends suffer?" Minion asked softly. "You know, you could save them. Just swear total and undying allegiance to the forces of darkness and I'll let them go."

"Go to hell!" Travis spat. Struggling to speak due to the effects of the drugs.

Minion did not reply. He simply turned and nodded to the WD-Unit in front of Tommy. The machine understood the unspoken command and punched Tommy in the face, cracking his skull.

"You had better not say things like that Travis," Minion hissed. "Or I'll instruct the WD-Unit to crush his skull. I'll leave you to consider our offer," Minion told the distraught Ranger. "See you soon."

Minion walked over to where Tommy was hanging. Using some of the many fighting techniques at his disposal, he kicked Zeo Falcon several times in the chest and stomach, smiling in satisfaction as he heard the Ranger's ribs crack. When he finished, he cut the bonds holding Tommy's arms, then continued to kick and punch the fallen Ranger. He lifted Tommy to his feet and delivered a sharp kick to the Ranger's neck.

"Wait six hours and then resume," he said to the WD Unit as he teleported away.

Six hours was nowhere near enough time for Tommy to heal, but that was the idea. Minion promised himself he would return to beat Tommy a bit more when the other boy was awoke.

Minion enjoyed having so many prisoners because it gave him the opportunity to try as many forms of torture as possible before they died. They were his playthings and when they ceased to amuse him, he would toss them aside and move on to the next victim. This time he had not been creative, just brutal in his plans. He had placed the surviving members of the JLA and the Teen Titans together in the arena, surrounded by WD Units. If they defeated their opponents, he would let them go. He had no intention of allowing them to win.

He had deliberately made the stadium larger this time and provided the heroes with some cover. He mentally ran through those present and was satisfied they would be lucky to survive let alone triumph. The Flash had already proven how far Minion was willing to go; the human Masked Rider had proven that he could be merciful. What he had done to the Martian Man Hunter had shown them his vicious side, while slicing off John Stewart's fingers had shown his intelligence.

So who was left? Batman, Wonder Woman, Hawk Girl of the JLA - for there was no way the Green Lantern could defend himself at that moment - and Robin, Starfire, Changling, Raven and Cyborg for the Teen Titans. Some of them he had allowed to remain conscious, others he had deliberately incapacitated to prevent them from using their powers. In the end he decided that Wonder Woman, Hawk Girl and Cyborg would suffice. If this worked well, he would be sure to try it again with the Avengers.

Wonder Woman looked on as the WD Units surrounded them. She already knew that they could not trust Minion to keep his word. If he wanted them dead, they would die, and if he chose to spare them it would only be exchanging death for more torment. And the villain had already taken so much.

Themyscira was gone, the civilised world of the Amazons lost forever all due to Minion's. She remembered how his robotic army had fought their way through the island's inhabitants. And now Diana, last surviving daughter of her race found herself pitted in one of the villain's twisted games. She promised herself that she would not be another victim of his evil; she would not go easily, and like Wally she vowed to fight him.

Hawk Girl was angry and more than a little confused. She had once believed that she had known what evil was, her people having abandoned a dark entity long ago. But it seemed that Minion had shown her a new kind of evil, the type that from Batman and Robin's reactions, was uncommon but not unheard of on Earth. She held her mace at the ready, vowing that the first machine to cross her path would be scrap metal. Next to her she sensed Cyborg tense. The battle was about to begin.

When the robots attacked, the three heroes went on the offensive. Hawk Girl's energised mace smashed into the chest panel of one WD Unit as Wonder Woman used her lasso to throw one of the WD Units into its neighbouring machines. Cyborg unleashed blast after blast from his sonic cannon, using his vice like grip to wrench arms from torsos.

Minion had to admit they were an impressive combination. Wonder Woman's strength combined with Hawk Girl's anger and Cyborg's strong will, which Minion had to admit was exceptional for him to have survived all the hardships he had endured, allowed them to take down a good portion of his forces before the overwhelming numbers started to catch up with them. He was amazed when he saw Cyborg rip the bladed weapon from one unit and use it to slice the head off another. He had been hoping that what he had done to the Flash would have weakened their resolve, but if anything they fought harder.

"Open fire!" he commanded.

Validium bullets sprayed from the units' hands, causing Hawk Girl to cease her current tactic of lifting opponents from the ground and dropping them from higher up, and duck for cover. Cyborg and Wonder Woman worked together, she deflecting the bullets with her bracelets while he returned fire. When a WD Unit went down, it stayed down; Minion wanted to see how close they would come to victory before springing his surprise.

Batman watched the battle from his cell. There was little in his utility belt that could help them although the first aid kit had allowed them to wrap the cauterised stubs that were John's arms. The Green Lantern was still in a bad state, Flash was comatose.

In the next cell Robin had given up trying to break free from the cell and had instead turned his attention to other opportunities to escape. Starfire was in a state of shock, whatever Minion had done to her when he had insisted on separating the aliens from the rest of the JLA and Teen Titans, she had been almost catatonic when she had returned. Exactly what they had done to the J'Onn was unclear, but while he was alive, he was definitely not conscious; Raven had not been seen since she had been taken.

"Look," Changling called, transforming back to his normal appearance for the first time since they had seen what had happened to the Flash. The brutality and callous nature of the attack had hit all of them, but Changling had lost somebody whom he viewed as a big brother.

"Look out, they're changing," Batman said as he watched the broken WD Units pool together into a new larger warrior.

"Oh no," Robin said, eyes widening as he saw the thin tubes appear from the Centaurian's body.

The WD Units fell back behind the larger robot and the three heroes were getting more and more nervous.

"Fire!" Minion ordered.

The many tubes unleashed a volley on miniature projectiles at its opponents, shredding anything in their path. Diana tried to block them but even her swift reactions could not avoid every projectile. As soon as the first bullet pierced her skin, the small point allowing it to easily break her skin, she started to slow. More projectiles were fired, most missing but some actually managed to strike their target. Eventually the blood loss was too much and she fell.

Cyborg had not been so lucky. His metallic parts were shredded by the tougher metal and it was only through chance that his human organs were not damaged. He continued to fire bravely, daring the machine to attack again and again.

Hawk Girl Had been hit, her wings damaged and her flight terminated. She had managed to land a single blow, which was more than her companions had accomplished. Still, like Wonder Woman and Cyborg she was beaten and as the massive metal fist made contact with her skull, it seemed the fight was no longer her problem.

"Cease!" Minion called. He didn't want the Centaurian to kill them, the pain didn't fade as much when he just killed them. He needed to break them first, all of them.

He walked into the arena area and made a point of examining the bodies. Hawk Girl would survive although like the Green Lantern and Masked Rider, recovery would prove difficult. Cyborg on the other hand would be lucky if he ever recovered from his injuries. Minion considered using Validium to repair the damage, knowing that in doing so he would have control over Cyborg. Oh the damage he could cause. Finally he came to Wonder Woman. The pile of bullets surrounding her spoke of how hard she had fought to survive. A quick scan of her aura revealed that she was alive. The pool of blood surrounding her raised questions about how long she would take to recover.

Later

Minion looked inside and was pleased with the results. Katherine, Trey and Tanya had been removed from their various tortures and strapped to tables. Minion wanted them to regain some strength before the torture resumed. Adam had been left attached to a machine referred to as the Twitcher.

Minion moved over and studied the boy's face. Adam's left leg had been twitching relentlessly due to the stimulation provided by the machine. The constant movement was causing continuous discomfort, preventing the former Ranger from concentrating on anything but the pain.

Next Minion moved on to where Tommy was still suspended and undergoing the continued care of a WD-Unit. Minion studied the boy's wounds and could tell the Ranger's healing was starting to fail.

"Is it painful Tommy?" Minion asked.

Taking his finger, he traced the still bloodied wound from where the robot had switched from fists to spiked blades. Soon if there was no let up Tommy would be crippled for the rest of his life. Minion nodded to the WD-Unit to intensify his assault. If Tommy survived another hour Minion decided, he would stop the torture. But, he doubted Tommy would live that long.

Finally Minion moved to where Travis was sitting, still drugged and unable to help his friends. Minion looked at the Triforian and could see he was broken. Tears streaked down his face caused by the hopelessness of his situation.

"Don't worry Travis," Minion told him. "Soon it will end, for all of you."

Turning around he left the cells and once again entered the arena, which had been set up to act as a training area, it still looked similar to the theatres used in Ancient Rome. Lined up in the center of the zone stood the Nega Rangers. Minion walked along the line of troops, carefully inspecting them to ensure they were ready for action. All the Nega Rangers had been training; ready for what Minion had promised would be their toughest test so far.

"Bring in the next one," Minion ordered.

Silvo appeared, dragging Dex, the veteran Masked Rider behind him. Dex was perhaps the most dangerous captive that Minion had taken; Masked Riders were troubleshooters, commandoes and trained to an exceptional level. As such Dex was dangerous before he used his powers and more so when he activated his armour. Since he had already taken steps to ensure Dex's fellow Rider had been sidelined, he decided on a similar fate for the Edenite. He injected the former Prince of Edenoi with a stimulant to revive him. Minion knew Dex would prove resistant to torture due to the make up of his powers and training. For that reason he had not bothered, deciding to simply drain his life force. Now though he had a different idea. Minion was going to use him to test his Nega Rangers.

For Dex it was an opportunity to escape. He didn't stand a chance in a fight against more than one Nega Ranger. Dex knew that and felt no shame in the fact. Being able to recognise and work with his limitations had allowed the Masked Rider to triumph in the past. He simply solved those things within his control and found alternatives to those he could not. Right now escape was a priority.

Once free he would summon help, but first he needed to get away from Minion.

"Now, transform into Masked Rider," Minion said.

Dex knew better than to help Minion with his plan, but he also knew that his powers would give him a better chance of escape. His assessment of the area was such that he was confident that he could escape. He refused to end up like Jesse at the hands of this madman. Thinking of the kid upset him, he could only hope he was still alive, somewhere.

"Ectophase Activate!"

Green energy sparked from Dex's belt buckle, focussing the power of the Morphin Grid through a crystal. Following a small prickling sensation, which reassured him that the process was working as it checked his blood to ensure he was the correct avatar, the buckle seemed to fly off. Even as the energies used Dex's insect-like heritage to charge forms from civilian to warrior, the buckle became his mask and joined with his flesh, forming the green armoured exoskeleton and the antenna-crested helmet of the Masked Rider.

"Nega Red, Nega Green, attack!"

Masked Rider knew he could not outmatch two of Minion's Nega Rangers. He had seen them in action and had a fair idea of what they could do. As he started to move around, he wondered if maybe he could outsmart them. Jumping, diving and turning to avoid each blow, Dex waited until Nega Red was open and Nega Green was in the wrong side to help.

"Rider Kick!" he called, focussing all his energy into a missile like drop kick. Normally he would aim for the head or chest. Knowing these areas would be protected, he decided to aim lower. His feet glowing red, the Masked Rider slammed into Nega Red's groin, hoping that Minion had thought to retain some semblance of human anatomy in his creations. He rolled to the side as Nega Green attempted to cleave him with his Nega Axe. With nothing to hit the weapon continued to head downwards until it connected with Nega Red.

"Electro Saber, activate!" Masked Rider called.

From the buckle-like box on his belt he drew the Electro Saber. The glowing blade seemed to hum as he made a downward arc through Nega Green's shoulder, causing him to scream as the blade tore through the top layer of his armour.

"Masked Rider Super Blue!"

His buckle started to glow as the Masked Rider costume turned blue, giving him the ability to turn to liquid at will. He knew Minion had predicted this action, but hoped he had overlooked the next possible action. Transforming to a liquid, he pretended to head towards Nega Red. At the last possible moment he veered off and directed himself toward Minion.

The irresistible force of Masked Rider Super Blue collided with the immovable object known as Minion and the immovable object won. Super Blue bounced away from his opponent, hoping that the attempt had convinced Minion of his intentions. It had worked; Minion thought Super Blue that was trying to destroy him and was unprepared when Super Blue headed into one of the air ducts and freedom.

"Unleash the hounds!" Minion shouted angrily as he watched Dex emerge on the island. There were no Rangers to help the Masked Rider this time. Minion was certain that Dex had just forfeited his life. He watched as three of the WD-Units took on canine forms and after howling, they ran off in pursuit of their master's foe.

Minion turned back to where Nega Red was helping Nega Green to stand, having knocked him away in anger. The symbol of the Vulture on his chest glowed red as his leg regenerated. The Toad on Nega Green's chest glowed as his shoulder was restored to normal.

Earth

It was time to end this game. The other Rangers would be returning soon and he wanted to be ready for them. That meant that first he needed to ensure the Gem Coin Rangers were truly broken. He walked past most of the prisoners. Their time would come later.

"Release them," Minion said, gesturing to the various devices the Rangers had been strapped to.

Bronzo did as he was told, throwing the Rangers to the ground at his master's feet. Minion waited for the Rangers to recover enough to hear his words.

"For the last few days I have tortured you all and enjoyed every moment of it. But now, I think to myself am I being fair? I've had many opportunities to kill you and I have not allowed any of you to take a single shot at me."

Reaching into subspace, he pulled out a collection of fully charged blasters. He threw them to the ground in front of the Rangers.

"For a count of six I will drop my defences and allow you to take as many shots at me as you wish. I should warn you one would be enough to kill me. Should you succeed you will be teleported back to Angel Grove and from there you can go wherever you wish."

He looked at the Rangers lying on the floor, each displaying various states of comprehension. Travis's face was a blank. The boy - for at that moment any man who had been forced to witness the acts committed against his friends would be reduced to a whimpering child - had withdrawn so far into himself Minion doubted anything would draw him out again. Tommy simply stared, his face filled with a mixture of fear and hatred.

"I can see you all need a little encouragement. Travis here will do. Here's the deal, when I reach six either you will have shot me or this poor Triforian."

"No," Tommy begged. "Don't do it."

"One..." Adam stared stupidly at the weapon in front of him.

"Two..." Trey reached out to the blaster. He wondered why everything was suddenly moving in slow motion.

"Three..." Kat's fingers touched his blaster and stayed there, unmoving. He wondered suddenly why he'd put them there.

"Four..." Tommy tried to reason things out. He had the blaster in his hand; all he had to do was shoot. So why couldn't he?"

"Five..." Tanya realised she was terrified, afraid of failing, afraid of dying. Sobbing, she let the gun fall.

Minion had not lied to the Rangers. A single shot would be enough to kill him. All the Rangers had to do was fire. ~I hope I have not underestimated them,~ he thought as he reached six. The Rangers only had second left. A simple movement and it would all be over.

Around the world the people watched the events unfolding inside Minion's sub-dimension. The images formed in the sky, on computer and television screens. The people of Earth watched as their former heroes the Gem Coin Rangers were subjected to their most crushing blow ever. Although to the viewers elsewhere the teens were still morphed, their faces and names obscured.

The signal Minion sent out was transmitted to the various villains attacking Earth. On Eltare and the other council worlds the officials looked on as the story started to unfold.

In front of their very eyes, people around the universe watched the Gem Coin Rangers valiantly fight against Minion. They saw the Rangers lose in battle thanks to overwhelming odds. They even saw the torture the Rangers had been forced to go through.

Then to the horror of those watching from outside, Minion changed his tactics once again. Deciding that death was not a suitable punishment for the Rangers, he decided to leave them as mere shells of the once proud protectors of Earth and sworn enemies of evil.

The images showed Minion walking past his prisoners. He ignored various heroes, who were disguised to protect their identities and moved to where the Rangers were being held.

"Bronzo, release them," Minion said, gesturing to the various devices the Rangers had been strapped to.

As the people watched Bronzo did as he was told, throwing the Rangers to the ground at his master's feet. They watched as Minion waited for the Rangers to recover enough to hear his words. At the same time he allowed the audience to see what had been done to their heroes.

On Triforia the Trent, Trey's family and his subjects watched as their beloved Gold Ranger was tortured on the rack, resisting the urge to scream in agony until his limbs were almost ripped from their joints.

Jed Danielson watched the red clad youth being constantly punched in the ribs, his bones cracking from the impact. He noticed the grey clad youth sitting on the floor, his hands secured so he was unable to help his friends. While Jed did not like the Power Rangers - for he was an educated man who understood just how much power that particular group of show-off college students held and feared what would happen if they turned against the people they appeared to protect - he would never wish such treatment upon anybody.

Chelsea Oliver however knew she was watching her brother being beaten. She broke into tears as she saw the WD-Unit strike him repeatedly. She felt a hand on her shoulder and looked round to see Ernie standing behind her. From the tear in his eye she could tell he was as worried about the Rangers as she was.

"For the last few days I have tortured you all and enjoyed every moment of it," Minion was saying. "But now, I think to myself am I being fair? I've had ample opportunity to kill you and I have not allowed any of you to take a single shot at me."

Reaching into subspace, he pulled out a collection of fully charged blasters. He threw them to the ground in front of the Rangers.

"For a count of six I will drop my defences and allow you to take as many shots at me as you wish. I should warn you one would be enough to kill me. Should you succeed you will be teleported back to Angel Grove."

He stopped talking; apparently trying to see whether the Rangers would respond to his offer. When there was no reply he seemed to grow irritated.

"I can see you all need a little encouragement. Your friend here will do. Here's the deal, when I reach six either you will have shot me or this poor Triforian will be dead."

"No," the Red Ranger begged. "Don't do it."

It seemed so weird to see the proud and noble leader of the Power Rangers begging. The outrage felt by millions was concentrated on one being and his name was Minion.

"One..." The Green Ranger seemed to move and then change his mind.

"Two..." The Gold Ranger reached out to the blaster. Trent, watching from Triforia could see he straining to prevent himself from sinking into despair.

"Three..." Pink Ranger's fingers touched her blaster and stayed there, unmoving.

"Four..." Red Ranger held the gun in his hand, his finger on the verge of pulling the trigger.

In Angel Grove Hospital, Rocky watched as his friends seemed unable to fight back. Could Minion really have hurt them so badly that they were incapable of fighting back? It sure looked that way. ~Come on guys,~ he prayed, ~you have to snap out of it.~

"Five..." The Yellow Ranger dropped her ground. Those who could see her face were able to see the tears. Those who could see only her mask could hear the sobbing noises behind.

"Six..."

Just as the population of thousands of world throughout the universe were about to write the Gem Coin Rangers off, the Green Ranger raised his blaster and took careful aim. The other Rangers followed his lead and aimed their weapons as well. People throughout the world watched anxiously as they wondered whether their heroes could beat the odds.

Minion pushed the former Gold Ranger's head forward and placed his small dagger close to Travis's throat. One quick jerk of his arm and it would all be over. His eyes glowed brightly as he made his viewers wait to find out what would happen.

A flash of light, the sound of blaster fire and it was all over. The images faded leaving billions of living beings wondering exactly what happened.

**To be Continued**

Disclaimer: I do not own the Power Rangers; they belong to their respective copyright owners and are used here without permission. No money is being made from this fic.  
Authors Note: This is an alternate universe with an alternate time line.

**The Final Quest**

Phaedos

Dulcea, the Master Warrior of Phaedos, stood proudly watching their eight teens as they sparred together, building the skills and trust that every team needed. She had been impressed at how quickly the group had merged after spending most of their training divided into pairs under a single tutor. She could see the way that the more experienced Rangers acted to protect David, the newest and most vulnerable Ranger. She swelled with pride as once David's skills became evident, the others allowed him to share the burden.

Alas their training was not yet complete and time had run out. The night before she had sensed a dangerous shift in the balance of power. Something had happened on Earth and those left to defend the planet… she could sense that something tragic had occurred.

She stepped around the fire and at once the sparring stopped. The Rangers stood before her, dressed in the uniforms she had instructed them to wear for their trek into the jungle. They were simple garments made of cloth with hard soles around the boots. By wearing them the Rangers were reminded of their focus for the task ahead and more importantly, were limited only to the Power Disks they had formed on completion of their earlier quests. In the past she had known groups enter armed with all manner of weapons; the armaments had not helped and she had been forced to remove the remains afterward to avoid polluting the jungle.

"You have come far in such a short period of time," she said. "Zordon would be proud of you, rest assured that Ninjor, Saurian, Thalian and I couldn't be prouder. And now the time has come though you have much to learn, for you to enter the jungle and seek the ancient monolith, and the Great Power. Then you will return to Earth and Power willing, put an end to Minion's evil."

"The journey is harsh and not without danger," Thalian warned. "Though you may opt not to enter the jungle, once you do so you will need to survive if you wish to exit again."

"If you choose to give up, we can retrieve you from danger," Ninjor advised, "but you will forfeit all access to the Power and will never again be Rangers."

"At the monolith you will face a test of your worthiness," Saurian told them. "Pass and the Great Power will be yours, fail and death is all that awaits you."

"Knowing this, do you wish to go?" Dulcea asked.

The Rangers exchanged nods and as one turned to their mentors. It was Jason who spoke, once again assuming the role of commander, a role he had been born for. "You bet we do," he told her, "Tommy and the others need us."

Dulcea nodded, even more confident that they had made the correct choice.

They started on their journey. Jason led with Billy and Trini close behind, Zack and Kimberly followed, and then came David; Aisha and Sam stayed at the back, alert for any ambush. The trip seemed uneventful. Actually, it was boring.

Billy was nervous. He had studied all the information he could find on Phaedos and the quest for the Great Power. Unfortunately there had not been much information to hand. Very little was known about the quest because only a few had lived to tell the tale. He was certain though that Dulcea would not have told them the journey would be dangerous just to test their courage.

Trini seemed to sense his thoughts. "This is too easy."

Since they had trained together in Ninjor's temple the bond between the two had deepened and although Billy tried to rationalise his feelings, there was something more than friendship about the way he looked at her.

"Affirmative," he muttered back.

"When do you think the attack will come?" she asked.

The Rangers were not naive enough to take the peace for granted.

"From what I was able to read, there are many trials on the quest and they change each time. Dulcea told me there have never been eight people questing at the same time, at least not together."

"This place is alive," Sam commented. "I can feel the magic."

"How much further to the Monolith?" Kimberly asked.

Billy studied a map. "Two, maybe three hours at this pace." He paused as the map changed. "Although it appears that can change at any time."

In a few more minutes, the six Rangers came to a clearing, with a cave sunk into a rocky promontory, and a flat, treeless area in front of the opening. Suddenly Zack stopped. "Do you hear that?" he whispered.

Kimberly shook her head. "I don't hear anything."

"That's just the point," Billy realized, his eyes narrowed. "No birds, no insects, no nothing."

Sam nodded. "There's something here."

In unison, the teens turned towards the cave opening, as a low, breathy hiss became audible. Then, slowly, a huge snake slithered into the light. It had a head the size of any one of the Rangers, and a body thick as a tree-trunk. Sizing up the Rangers with cold red eyes, it seemingly licked its lips. Billy swallowed.

"Snakes," he muttered. "Why did it have to be snakes?" Suddenly the creature lunged at David, who barely escaped as it tried to encircle him in its coils.

The snake struck again, and this time David was not fast enough to escape. Once it had him in its grasp, the creature began to apply pressure.

"Hiyahh!" Jason wound up, launching a kick into the snake's side. The reptile ignored him, however, concentrating solely on its prey as Zack and Aisha joined in with their own kicks.

"We can't make a dent in this thing!" Kimberly cried as she bounced off its scaly skin.

"We have to keep on trying!" Trini responded, wishing that she had her Power Daggers to hand. Beating at the snake's head with a tree branch seemed to have little effect, even when Sam joined in.

Meanwhile, Billy was frantically scanning the area for anything he could use against the snake. Suddenly he saw something glimmering inside the cave. Entering the cavern, the teen genius examined the crystal stalagmite carefully. "Some sort of clear crystal," he mused. Touching the point, he let out a muffled cry. "Sharp, too," he added, sucking on his finger.

Billy grabbed the sides of the spire carefully.

"It's not part of the floor- that's a weaker granite-type rock," he realised. "Got to- shift it." He began to pull at the rock.

"Somebody- get me out of here!" Zack yelled. "I think I- heard my ribs creak!"

"Got it!" Billy cried, as the stalagmite cracked into his hands. Holding it by the base, he ran and leaped onto the back of the snake. "Lights- out!" Billy puffed, bringing the spire down, piercing the snake's skin at the back of the neck. The diamond tip cut through the scales, and the snake fell dead, releasing Zack.

Taking a few deep breaths, the Black Ranger looked up at his best friend. "Thanks, man," he drawled. "Next time, why don't you see if you can't cut it a little closer?"

Billy laughed, and hauled his friend to his feet, careful not to jar his friend's bruised ribs. "Come on," he said to the group. "One down, one to go."

"We're almost there," Sam told them a while later. He could sense the magic.

"Through those trees." Billy agreed after checking the map.

The Rangers entered the clearing which held the entrance to the Monolith. They slowly spread out while walking towards it.

Standing in front of them were eight stone gargoyles, their bodies shaped to appear roughly humanoid. David eyed them cautiously, noting the obvious theme as he did so. One was a falcon, the next a crane, a third a bear and the fourth a panther; fifth a chameleon, sixth an ape, seventh a frog and finally a wolf.

The gargoyles moved in on the Rangers. The crane leapt into the air and flew over Kimberly, landed and then kicked her in the back. The ape rolled forward until it was right beneath Jason's feet, grabbed his ankles and then used its feet to grab Jason's neck and letting go of his ankles, threw Jason into the pool beneath the waterfall.

The falcon rushed David, who managed pull himself out of its attack and land a solid kick to its back. Sadly he was kicking stone and the attack proved less than successful. The gargoyle slid into his legs, knocking him down. Quickly gaining its feet, the falcon reared its leg back and kicked David in the torso. The frog, in a series of quick bounds, moved on Zack. Springing into a series of roundhouse kicks it caught Zack in the side of the head, but before it could follow up it was hit by the chameleon. Zack looked around to see Aisha watching as the two stone monsters smashed. Nodding in agreement, the two took off to help David.

The bear quickly closed on Trini. She sidestepped its rush and stuck her leg out, tripping the bear. The bear rolled forward and turned, then rushed her again. She stood her ground and waited for the bear to come to her. When it got close enough, she grabbed its lead arm and using its momentum swung the bear into the ground. Next to the waterfall she could see Jason fighting back against the ape, using brute force to knock his opponent about.

Billy and Sam switched opponents, each using their knowledge of their teammate to out think their new opponent. When Billy leapt over his opponent, he managed to grab the figure's hood and brought its face down into the dirt. He stayed down as the panther stood in time to be on the receiving end of Sam's flying kick. He rolled back to his feet in time to intercept the wolf.

Together the Rangers surrounded the surviving gargoyles and together the eight of them attacked as one, vanquishing their opponents and completing their quest.

The Rangers turned when they heard a grinding noise coming from the entrance of the Monolith. A bright light appeared and then eight beams of light streaked out and went towards the Rangers. The Rangers were then enveloped by the lights.

When the lightshow ended, the Rangers found themselves in their Ranger uniforms, finally united as a team. They could feel the new power coursing through them, so similar to their morphing powers yet separate.

"I feel amazing," Zack managed after a while. The experience was too much for him to sum up in just a few words. It was too much for any of them to describe.

"Congratulations Rangers," Dulcea said as she emerged with Ninjor, Saurian and Thalian.

The eight fully powered Rangers gathered at the ancient ruins. Before them were Saurian, Thalian and Ninjor, all dressed in their battle armour.

"Congratulations indeed," Ninjor said. "Now that you have all gained your powers the team has been unified. I feel this is going to be the beginning of something truly special."

"What about Zords?" Jason asked.

"I can answer that," Saurian told him. "When you first became Rangers your Zords were second hand. Now they have been specially built, for you. The Dino, Thunder Shogun and Ninja Zords have been distributed to you. In addition you will find that sometimes it is not necessary to call on the Zords."

Thalian nudged him, silencing the powerful warrior with a glare. "They're meant to figure that out for themselves, remember?"

Saurian sniffed and continued. "If you need to use more than one set of Zords, then Sam and Jason will control all the Dino Zords, Kimberly and Zack will control the Thunder Zords, Trini and Billy will control the Ninja Zords and David and Tanya will command the Shogun Zords or Battle Borgs."

"In addition, I will be on call should you need us," Ninjor told them. "Now Rangers it is time for you to return to your world and help out those who have been covering for you."

"One thing before we go guys," Jason said holding out his hand. One by one the other Rangers placed their hand on top, Sam in the center and David on top of the pile. Together they all started to chant, "Go, go, go…"

The chant increased in speed as their arms moved up and down. Finally they all cried out, "Power Rangers!"

The quests were over, it was time for the new heroes of Earth to return home.

**To be Continued**

Disclaimer: I do not own the Power Rangers, they belong to the respective copyright owner. No money is being made from this piece of writing.

**Light in the Distance**

Earth

She couldn't take much more. Just like Travis she had been forced to watch others being tortured. But whereas Travis had only been forced to see his teammates suffer, she had been forced to watch as Minion had first beaten her teammates. There had been no turning away from the things he had done to some of the female heroes he had captured. And after he had sliced off Flash's legs, he had thrown them into the invisible bubble where she resided, watching all the action.

She was on the verge of a mental breakdown; the only thing keeping her from losing control was the threat her powers posed should that happen.

"Release them," Minion said, gesturing to the various devices the Rangers had been strapped to.

Bronzo did as he was told, throwing the Rangers to the ground at his master's feet. Minion waited for the Rangers to recover enough to hear his words.

"For the last few days I have tortured you all and enjoyed every moment of it. But now, I think to myself 'am I being fair?' I've had many opportunities to harm you and I have not allowed any of you to take a single shot at me."

Reaching into subspace, he pulled out a collection of fully charged blasters. He threw them to the ground in front of the Rangers.

"For a count of six I will drop my defences and allow you to take as many shots at me as you wish. I should warn you one would be enough to kill me. Should you succeed you will be teleported back to Angel Grove and from there you can go wherever you wish."

"I can see you all need a little encouragement. Travis here will do. Here's the deal, when I reach six either you will have shot me or this poor Triforian."

She regarded the Rangers on the ground. They were teenagers, barely out of high school if she guessed correctly. And here Minion expected them to attack him after all they had been through? No, she quickly realised that was not what he had in mind at all. Minion knew they would not attack, was counting on their experience proving sufficient to stop them from lifting a finger to aid Travis. He wanted them to see their friend's death and know that there had been a chance to save him.

"No," Tommy begged. "Don't do it."

Silently she echoed the Red Gem Coin Ranger's plea.

"One..." Adam stared stupidly at the weapon in front of him.

"Two..." Trey reached out to the blaster. He wondered why everything was suddenly moving in slow motion.

"Three..." Kat's fingers touched his blaster and stayed there, unmoving. He wondered suddenly why he'd put them there.

"Four..." Tommy tried to reason it out. He had the blaster in his hand; all he had to do was shoot. So why couldn't he?

"Five..." Tanya realised she was terrified, afraid of failing, afraid of dying. Sobbing, she let the gun fall.

She sensed that Minion had not lied to the Rangers. A single shot would be enough to kill him. All the Rangers had to do was fire. But there was the problem, after all they had endured and at such a young age, they lacked the enormous act of will to keep fighting.

Just as the blade made contact with Travis's skin, Adam managed to pull himself together enough to start to raise his blaster and fire. The other Rangers spurred on by his lead aimed their weapons as well, but it was too late. As he reached six, Minion extended his hand toward the Rangers, allowing the black tendrils that stretched from his fingers to surround them, preventing them from firing. Then with utmost glee he drew the dagger across Travis's throat, laughing as Travis collapsed to the ground.

Blood pooled across the ground, the Rangers watched in horror as their friend was brutalised while they were incapable of helping him. They struggled against their magical restraints, trying desperately to keep Minion from causing further harm, assuming it was not too late. Minion reached down and picked up his dagger, taking a moment to sample the blood. Standing back up, he drove the Sword of Ragnarok through the fallen Triforian's abdomen, more innocent blood coating the deadly blade.

She was speechless. She had seen many criminals in the past, but this was just cruelty. Magic was one thing, but to kill so coldly and with his own hand on the weapon, spoke of the horrors Minion would inflict on the Earth once he was finished with the Rangers.

"Bastard," she hissed, struggling to maintain a grasp on her emotions, knowing that only Minion would hear her.

"Now, now," Minion warned, focussing his words directly to her. He mentally tightened the magical grip around her; "if you don't have anything nice to say," and here he sent a surge of dark energy through the tendril that held her in place, "DON'T SAY ANYTHING!"

He moved to strike her and stopped, realising that if he killed her then his plans would fail. He needed her out of control and as powerful as she could be. When he was done here, he planned to give her to some of Rita's underlings and once Goldar had enjoyed her for a few days and assuming she survived, she would be ready for the grand finale.

"One down, five to go," he said, watching the Rangers' faces. Yes, he could see their pain. It seemed that whatever tortures he inflicted upon them physically, it was nothing compared to how he could hurt them mentally. "Tomorrow we will try again with a special guest," he promised. "Silvo, take them to the cells. And you witch, have a date with a monkey."

Reefside Next Day

Eight columns of light heralded the arrival of Jason, Sam, Billy, Trini, Kimberly, Zack, Aisha and David, all freshly returned from their successful quests for new powers. They had been expecting some sort of welcome home, but instead found the fall back Operations Center deserted.

"What happened here?" Jason asked as he studied a monitor that showed Minion's forces were roaming through most of the world's largest cities.

"Looks as if our friends may have experienced odds they were unable to compete against and as a result paid the inevitable price," Billy said.

"In other words, they lost a battle and Minion won," Trini translated.

"All right," Jason said, taking charge. "We need information. Billy, you take Trini, Zack and Aisha. Go to the Power Chamber and see if you can get Alpha and Zordon on line." During their time in the various temples, the Rangers had learnt that Zordon was alive. "The rest of us will head to Angel Grove and see what we can learn."

"How much further Billy?" Trini asked as the four Rangers dropped into another service shaft.

So far they had discovered that when Zordon had redesigned Power Mountain to use the teleportation system instead of relying on doors and long corridors he had failed to foresee a time when the teleportation system might be offline. Given that the various rooms were now inaccessible except by squeezing through a number of small passages, the decision was proving inconvenient.

This meant in order to get to the power generators the Rangers first had to trek through two miles of service ducts, climb down a ladder and then trek another quarter of a mile to the lower control room. After that they still had to find their way down another six miles to the bottom of the mountain.

There was a rapid descent device designed for Alpha to use, but none of the Rangers liked the idea of falling feet first down a tube for seven miles with only a cargo net at the bottom to stop them. Especially when they knew that the tube had been designed for Alpha and was therefore covered with oil on the inside. Billy could not imagine that Alpha enjoyed the idea of falling that far either. Therefore he assumed the little android had found an alternative method.

Finally they found their way into the lower control room. Billy, surprised to find the room intact and operational, quickly checked the computer to see if there were any other areas that could be used.

After a short time Aisha and Trini had managed to isolate one of the hefty power cables, no doubt planning for when they tried to restore the Power Chamber. With the use of the seemingly independent power supply, they managed to restore some of the basic Power Chamber functions such as internal communications. Billy took the opportunity to advise Jason on their progress.

"Short range teleport is still offline, but we have scanners back. We can start a search now and transmit the results. We should all be able to stay in touch now."

"Understood," Jason replied.

"At last," Minion stated, looking at the broken teens before him. "Your friends have returned," he told Tommy, prodding the boy with his foot, enjoying the whimper as his toes touched against a broken rib.

The Red Gem Coin Ranger looked up at him, his expression a beautiful mix of relief and suspicion. Minion smiled to himself, he was the one responsible for the Rangers doubting themselves. Surely they had felt the massive surge of magical energy that had heralded Jason's arrival.

"Since your friends are back ahead of schedule we'll have to move ahead with the timetable," he announced. "You have two hours to decide who will be the next to die, or I will choose."

With that he walked out.

"Okay Billy, give it a try," Trini called as she finished working on Alpha's damaged circuitry.

"Powering up now," Billy replied from the console that he had jury-rigged to repair the small droid.

Alpha had been so badly damaged during the destruction of the Power Chamber that the Rangers had been unable to attempt repair. Now with a desperate need to access the computer systems, they had patched his databanks into the Power Chamber's computer system.

"1010101010 1001 001001" the computer said as it slowly powered up and interfaced with Alpha.

Billy adjusted the controls and tried again. This time the results were more favourable.

"Ai-yi-yi-yi-yi, Rangers!" Alpha cried. "You're safe!"

"Alpha, are you okay?" Kimberly asked.

"I don't..." Alpha went quiet as if trying to recall what had been going on. "Ai-yi-yi-yi-yi, my body is malfunctioning."

"Um Alpha, your body was kind of destroyed," Kimberly explained.

"Alpha, we need to know what's been happening on Earth," Jason said, interrupting the discussion. They would worry about Alpha's body later. "Can you access any of Zordon's satellites?"

It took a while because Minion's forces had damaged most of the Morphin Master's observation satellites. In the end the android was forced to tap into local news computers and pull out any stories concerning the Power Rangers. "Oh no, Travis!" he called as he attempted to feed the footage into the small monitor.

"How could they just lie there?" Zack asked, noticing that the other Rangers had barely lifted a finger to help.

"After all they've been through I would suspect Minion surmised a lack of aggression on their part," Billy explained. "This was just another phase of the process. They watched him kill a comrade, imagine how they feel."

The others didn't need to imagine. For Jason and Billy knew Trey quite well. The Red Ranger had spent time with Travis after the Tri-union had failed, and while there were differences, Travis had proven himself every bit as noble as Trent and Trey.

~What happened to him when he died? ~ Jason wondered. ~Did he go to an afterlife or did his essence simply return to Trey? ~

"We don't know that he died," Aisha pointed out. That was true, the transmission had ended before the scene had played out. Did Travis survive? Somehow the other doubted it.

"Alpha, was there anything else?" Jason asked.

"I'm just checking the police computers," Alpha replied. "Oh, ai-yi-yi-yi-yi, somebody broke into the Angel Grove Hospital and kidnapped a patient."

"Rocky," Kimberly realised.

David had yet to say anything, he was staring at the image of his brother, clearly hurting, urging him to move.

Minion sensed that the time was right. The Rangers had returned from their quests and now he had his opportunity to crush them just as he had the Gem Coin Rangers. He knew that fully powered Rangers combined with their Gem Coin wielding friends had a slight chance of defeating him. It was not something he wanted to happen. Minion knew the answer was to make an immediate strike and that would mean he had to reserve as much power as possible.

"Silvo, Brasso, come here!"

His two servants appeared before him as always. He looked them over; both were strong and capable warriors and he had no doubt each would give the Rangers a fight to remember. But Minion also knew the Rangers would defeat them.

"Lower all the barriers apart from Stone Henge. It's time to send the Rangers a little welcome home present. Shi'nom, Elder of Darkness, I summon you."

"Yes, my lord," Brasso and Silvo replied, both vanishing to complete their next mission.

"Who is that?" David asked.

The alarm had sounded, warning the Rangers that Minion was aware of their presence. On the screen a humanoid giant with a brown cloak and blue markings around his eyes, was storming his way through a Canadian city.

"Rangers, this is Shi'nom, an Elder of Darkness trained by Master Vile," Alpha explained.

On the screen giant Shi'nom was walking through buildings, happily trashing anything in his way. Lightning bolts from his staff levelled tall buildings while the people ran for cover.

"We need to take care of Shi'nom before he trashes the city," Jason said. "It's Morphin Time!"

"White Ranger Power!"

"Black Ranger Power!"

"Pink Ranger Power!"

"Blue Ranger Power!"

"Yellow Ranger Power!"

"Red Ranger Power!"

"Purple Ranger Power!"

"Green Ranger Power!"

This was the first time that they had morphed as a team, the first time they would discover their new uniforms. They were pleasantly surprised. Their costumes retained the dinosaur theme of the original Rangers of Earth, but their boots and gloves remained in their Ranger colours. Their helmets were identical in shape despite their varying colours, each shaped to resembled that of the original Red Ranger's helmet. The diamonds on their chests were white, or black in the White Ranger's case, and held a gold circle in the center where their chosen animal appeared. A series of smaller diamonds ran up the outside of their arms and legs. The tops of their boots, edge of their gauntleted gloves and belts were gold and they each wore a Blade Blaster on the right-hand side of their belts.

Green Ranger kept his traditional shield and protective bands, White Ranger had a similar shield and the diamonds on his arms and legs were slightly sharper. Both Rangers had a sheath on their backs, Green to hold his Dragon Dagger and White to contain his weapon, which he had called the Drago Sword.

It was then Pink Ranger asked the question the others had not considered. "Guys, we have like four sets of Zords and one monster. Which set do we use?"

"Well technically the only Zords we have are the Ninja Zords," Blue Ranger replied. "The Thunder and Dino Zords will take time to be recreated and Shogun Zords and Battle Borgs need to be redesigned."

"Okay," Red Ranger said. "We need Ninja Zord power, now!"

A beam of light shone from each Ranger's chest into the sky, combining at a distant point and calling forth the Ninja Zords from the Temple of Ninja Powers. In the sky above eight Zords appeared, not the prototype Ninja Zords the Gem Coin Rangers had been forced to use, these were the fully functional Ninja Zords that the original Ninja Rangers of Earth had used. The Rangers felt themselves being teleported into their Zords.

"All right Rangers log on," Red Ranger said.

"This Zack, back in black and ready to attack," Black Ranger said from inside the Frog.

"Billy here, all systems nominal," Blue Ranger reported, glad to be back in the Wolf again.

"Bear Zord powered up and ready," Yellow Ranger called in.

"Hey, who put this Michael Bolton tape in this Zords stereo?" Pink Ranger said from inside the Crane, realising she shouted "Kat, why?"

"Hawk Zord ready for action," Purple Ranger called.

"Panther Zord online." The Green Ranger's comment was more to himself than to the Red Ranger.

"Whoa!" The shout came from David who was the only Ranger who had never operated a Zord before. As a result he was finding it difficult to keep control of the Falcon.

"David relax and let the Power guide you," Yellow Ranger advised.

White Ranger did as he was told and found he was able to regain control. "White Ranger back in control, Falcon Zord ready for action."

"Bring them together," Red Ranger said. "Ninja MegaFalconzord!"

"Ninja Battlezord!" Green Ranger called.

The Crane started to fold to form the head while at the same time the Frog transformed to become the legs and the Bear converted to become the Ninja MegaFalconzord's upper body. The already modified Ape and Wolf joined onto the Bear to form the arms as the Crane linked on to become the head. Then the whole upper body joined onto the Frog as the Falcon Zord linked onto the back. Hands formed over the Ape and Wolf's heads.

The Panther Zord transformed to stand upright on its hind legs. The head rotated downwards to become the chest and the front paws became the arms. The Hawk Zord's wings and head folded into the body as the Hawk Zord joined onto the shoulders of the Panther to become the head of the Ninja Battlezord. The Panther's tail converted into a Power Sword as Purple and Green Rangers slid into the cockpit ready for action.

What followed was a fast paced high impact battle. The Ninja MegaFalconzord held Shi'nom's staff to one side allowing the Battlezord to use its sword. With a cry of pain Shi'nom struck back with an assault of lightning bolts. It took a while for the Rangers to shake off the effects of Shi'nom's attack as he charged them.

"Battle Strike!" Green and Purple Rangers called.

The Ninja Battlezord gave a short spin and drove its Power Sword into Shi'nom's chest. As it stopped spinning the Zord ducked out of the way as the Ninja MegaFalconzord descended using its double power punch. Shi'nom exploded as the Zords celebrated their victory.

Devils End, England.

The Master stood over the altar hidden in the caverns under the old church. Once before he had tried to use the power within the caverns to gain control over a being of near infinite power. He had failed. This time, the Master had taken no chances. He had found an object that would allow him to access the demons of a distant realm and turn them to his bidding. Now if he could just solve the box's puzzle.

Power Chamber

The alarm sounded as it detected yet another disturbance in Angel Grove. Alpha adjusted the monitor view, using the subroutine he had developed during the last few hours. Although the android wanted his body back, the direct link to the computer made things much easier. On the monitor Billy and Kimberly stared at the familiar figure running from a pack of metallic hounds.

"Its Dex!" Alpha cried, recognising his creator's grandson.

"Alpha, can we teleport him here?" Trini asked.

"What's going on?" Jason asked. He had been arranging the rebuilding work with Billy.

"Who is that?" Zack asked.

"Dex," Kimberly and Billy said together.

"Dex is the rightful Prince of Edenoi and holder of the Masked Rider powers," Billy explained. "We met him a few years ago and helped him to fight off an attack from his uncle."

"And now he needs your help again," Alpha said. "Please Rangers, I owe Lexian so much."

"Of course," Jason agreed. "It's Morphin Time!"

"White Ranger Power!"

"Black Ranger Power!"

"Pink Ranger Power!"

"Blue Ranger Power!"

"Yellow Ranger Power!"

"Red Ranger Power!"

"Purple Ranger Power!"

"Green Ranger Power!"

In eight columns of coloured light the Rangers teleported to save the alien who would prove to be a valuable ally in the future. As they directed themselves to surround the Masked Rider, they appeared and burst into action.

Pink and Blue Ranger stayed with the weakened Prince whilst Red and Green Rangers battled the now humanoid hound and Yellow, Purple, White and Black Rangers battled the WD Units that had appeared.

"Billy, how do we beat these guys?" Yellow Ranger shouted.

"Try the weapon I have been working on," Blue Ranger suggested.

Yellow Ranger did as her friend suggested and a silver pistol appeared in her hand. Not sure what to do, she pulled the trigger and was thrown backwards by the force of the shot. Orange powder covered the WD Units, leaving a trail of red dots on the Validium skin.

"Strike three dots and they're down," Blue Ranger called.

At first Black Ranger was going to ask whether it was that simple, but when he looked at the Troopers in front of him he realised the dots were in different places on each Trooper.

"Let's improve the odds Rangers," Red Ranger called, noting they were outnumbered, especially with two Rangers covering Dex. "Billy, Kim, get him out of here."

In columns of pink, blue and clear the two Rangers teleported their friend to the safety of the Power Chamber.

"Power Sword!" Red Ranger called.

The more powerful version of his original weapon appeared at his command. Although Jason had lost some of his impulsiveness during his time at the Peace Conference and as Gold Ranger, the Red Ranger had lost none of his skill with a sword. As he attacked the hound, Green Ranger waited for an opportunity before calling on his own sword.

"Dragon Fire!" he called as he pointed the sword towards the henchman. A ball of green fire emerged from the tip of the sword engulfing Brasso.

"Black Ranger Thunder Clap!" Black Ranger called.

As he kept three WD Units away using his unique fighting style black clouds started to form over the Troopers' heads. Lightning bolts shot from the cloud, striking multiple points on each Trooper's body. As three dots were hit a chunk of metal fell away from the Trooper, leaving it deactivated.

"Power Daggers!" Yellow Ranger called. The sharp and deadly daggers appeared in her hands.

Aiming carefully she threw them at two of the WD Units advancing on her. The daggers bounced off the metallic skin and returned to her hand. She threw them again with similar results. The third time she threw them her plan became evident. With three spots hit the WD Units shut down.

"Rolling Thunder!" she called.

Yellow clouds surrounded the WD Units and as she brought her hands together the clouds released their full power. The WD Units crumbled from the head to toe.

Purple Ranger meanwhile was making use of her distance attacks. Striking out with her Power Whip she ensured none of the WD Units could get close enough to use their superior strength. She still had to duck when one of the Troopers decided to use a javelin against her. Drawing her Blade Blaster she targeted the dots on each Trooper and fired. One by one the Troopers shut down.

White Ranger had quickly discovered the hidden abilities of his sword. After making a series of movements, it generated a collection of magically charged arrows, which shot toward the waiting targets.

Brasso had appeared sometime after the fighting had started. He prided himself on his skills with his personal weapon. So far he had used it to block, trip and stab the Green Ranger. Despite their improved battle skills they were no-match for him. In a flash of silver Silvo appeared beside his fellow soldier.

"I didn't think I'd be seeing you again Green Ranger," Silvo said.

Sam winced as he remembered the last time they had face each other. But this time he was a full Ranger and he had the advantage. The Green Ranger was in full control and soon Silvo realised that he was defeated.

Stronger and now impervious to Brasso's spear, Red Ranger still maintained his speed advantage over the Validium henchman. As Brasso lunged forward with his spear Red Ranger moved to the side, lifted his opponent into the air and let him drop to the ground. The Power naturally enhanced each punch or kick he landed. As he lashed out with a thrust kick, Brasso was sent flying into the back of Silvo.

"No!" Minion shouted. "They shall not win. Silvo, Brasso, use the hound as raw material and grow!"

Black light surrounded Brasso and Silvo as they started to grow larger. The fallen WD Units vanished as the two henchmen tried to flatten the Rangers with their feet.

"Billy, Kimberly, we're going to need you," Red Ranger called. "We need Ninja Zord power, now!"

As Blue and Pink Rangers reappeared next to their fellow Rangers a beam of light shot from their chests. In the sky above the eight Ninja Zords appeared, answering the calls of their respective Rangers.

"Okay Rangers, bring them together," Red Ranger instructed. "Ninja MegaFalconzord!"

"Ninja Battlezord!" Green Ranger called.

The Crane started to fold to form the head while at the same time the Frog transformed to become the legs and the Bear converted to become the Ninja MegaFalconzord's upper body. The already modified Ape and Wolf joined onto the Bear to form the arms as the Crane linked on to become the head. Then the whole upper body joined onto the Frog as the Falcon Zord linked onto the back. Hands formed over the Ape and Wolf's heads.

The Panther Zord transformed to stand upright on its hind legs. The head rotated downwards to become the chest and the front paws became the arms. The Hawk Zord's wings and head folded into the body as the Hawk Zord joined onto the shoulders of the Panther to become the head of the Ninja Battlezord. The Panther's tail converted into a Power Sword as Purple and Green Rangers slid into the cockpit ready for action.

Green and Purple Ranger insisted they be allowed to take on Silvo. Both had been on the receiving end of his strikes in the past and enjoyed the opportunity to get even. That left the Ninja MegaFalconzord to deal with Brasso.

Brasso charged the large Zord with his spear, hoping the run it through with a single blow. The MegaFalconzord responded by lifting off the ground, extending its left leg out fully and performing a three-hundred-and-sixty-degree spin. The spin caught Brasso in the side of the head, throwing the henchman to the ground.

The Battlezord and Silvo were equally matched in size. As Silvo tried to slip his sword beneath the Battlezord's defences the Zord responded with a punch to Silvo's chest.

"Battle Strike!" Green and Purple Rangers called.

Silvo had seen the effects of the Battlezord's attack and wanted no part of it. In a flash of silver he left the area, leaving Brasso alone against two powerful Zords.

Brasso knew he was outnumbered and decided a change of tactic was required. The metal skin appeared to melt as it transformed. Spikes appeared around the shoulders and knees. The spear in his hand transformed into a trident, which he threw at the rapidly approaching Zords.

The trident struck the Ninja MegaFalconzord in the chest producing a shower of sparks. Blue Ranger checked and reported they had suffered slight damage, but not enough to slow them. Brasso followed up by firing the spikes on his shoulders at the Battlezord.

"Take us airborne," Red Ranger said.

Pink Ranger took control of the Ninja MegaFalconzord and launched the Zord into the air and acted to divert Brasso's attention, allowing the Battlezord to attack.

"Battle Strike!" the Green and Purple Rangers called a second time.

As Brasso looked back towards the Battlezord the other Rangers took the opportunity to move in from behind and grab hold of his arms. Now locked in position Brasso fell victim to the Battlezord's sword. As he staggered away the MegaFalconzord launched into the air to finish its opponent, driving both fists into the henchman's body to destroy the Brasso.

Power Chamber, A few hours later

After securing Dex in the medical bay at Reefside, the Rangers had contacted the Stewart family in Leewood to tell them he was safe. Dex rarely stayed there, but it gave him an address to use while on Earth. Billy had gone to find a way to coat any future WD Units they encountered with the chemical to highlight their weaknesses. Jason, Sam and Zack had gone to try the Simulation Deck elsewhere in the Reefside building, leaving David, Aisha, Kim and Trini together. Trini excused herself saying something about tracking Billy down. David and the others hung around the Power Chamber for a while before leaving for their homes.

With the Rangers gone the rebuilding of the Power Chamber continued. Alpha used the opportunity to transmit a signal to guide the other Zords to Earth. He just hoped they would not be needed.

Minion's Island Two Days Later

He was behind schedule and Minion was getting impatient. He had refrained from attacking the Rangers for a couple of days, giving them a chance to come to terms with their victory over his WD Units. At the same time he had slowed the torture of the Gem Coin Rangers in case he needed them. The loss of Brasso had been a severe blow and highlighted a need to deal with the new Rangers quickly.

~Or at least their Zords,~ he thought. ~Yes, Zords make the Rangers. Take the Zords and the Rangers will fall.~

"Silvo, come here!"

"Yes master?" Silvo asked.

"Go to London; I want the city levelled. Take eight Nega Rangers with you, and if the Rangers dare to show up, let them experience what the Nega Rangers can do."

"As you wish," Silvo said as he vanished.

Minion's mind returned to more pleasant tasks, such as breaking the former Zeo Rangers. Killing them was still not enough. Minion wanted them to suffer more and to go on suffering long after he had finished with them. Perhaps it was time to test them again.

"Bronzo!"

"Yes Minion?" Bronzo asked as he appeared.

"Recover the remains of Brasso."

"As you command," Bronzo said disappearing.

Silvo led the Nega Rangers on a firelight tour of London. Making their way toward the Houses of Parliament, they took the opportunity to destroy some local landmarks. Their activities did not go undetected by Alpha who sent the Rangers into action.

"Hold it right there!" Red Ranger ordered.

"What do you want?" Nega Red asked. "We already beat your friends."

"You beat a team of half-powered Rangers," Blue Ranger shot back.

"And now you get to face the real thing," Black Ranger added.

"Because you have no idea who we are," Yellow Ranger stated.

"We're the Power Rangers," Pink Ranger told them.

"And you are history," White Ranger finished.

Green Ranger didn't need to say anything. He drew his blade Blaster and waited for the uncertain Nega Rangers to attack. After a moment's hesitation the Nega Rangers moved.

At first the battle was similar to the first fight between the Gem Coin Rangers and the Nega Rangers. Then the Rangers started to fight back, shifting the battle in their favour.

"Power Sword!" Red Ranger called.

After a brief battle with Nega Red he took his opponent of his feet and drove the Power Sword into Nega Red's armour. Nega Red collapsed to the ground; the Power Sword still embedded in his chest. Before Red Ranger could celebrate Nega Red pulled the sword clear and threw it to the ground before striking his enemy with a backhand.

Yellow Ranger and Nega Yellow circled each other cautiously, trying to figure out the other's skill and range of attack. Whilst Yellow Ranger relied on Kung Fu, Nega Yellow swift strikes to throw the Yellow Ranger around. As Nega Yellow grabbed her though, Trini teleported away. Seconds later she kicked Nega Yellow in the back of the head.

White Ranger was the most inexperienced on the battlefield and was having trouble fighting against Nega White. When the battle changed from strength to mental powers, David realised just how much he needed to learn.

"Concentrate White Ranger." David had been struck so hard by Nega White's barrage he had forgotten what Dulcea had taught him. "Just let the Power guide you. See your enemy's power and deflect it with your mind."

White Ranger did as he was told, imagining a circle of white light protecting him from Nega White's attack. With a slight nudge he sent the power flowing the other way.

White Ranger looked around as he heard the shouts of Green Ranger fighting his Nega Ranger counterpart. Nega Green had drawn a weapon resembling the Dragon Dagger and was swiping wildly at Green Ranger. The Green Ranger responded by using his magic powers to strike the Nega Ranger with electricity. Both of them performed a flying drop kick, striking each other in mid air. Both fell to the ground, neither one moving.

Somehow Black Ranger had been driven back towards the Thames. He knew that was not a good idea, especially if there were more Nega Rangers lurking around.

"Power Axe!"

Using his dance moves to keep the Nega Ranger guessing Black Ranger finally attacked, striking Nega Black in the hip. Converting to Cosmic Cannon mode he opened fire.

Nega Black laughed as he pulled out his own axe and swung at Black Ranger. Zack ducked, grateful that his armour was stronger than the original Ranger uniforms. A second blow from Nega Black almost decapitated him. As the Nega Ranger prepared for a third attempt Black Ranger used his powers to summon a new attack of his own.

"Black Ranger Thunder Clap!"

Black Ranger used the disruption caused by his attack to open fire with his Cosmic Cannon a second time. This time Nega Black fell down.

"We have to keep them away from the Parliament," Blue Ranger shouted as Purple and Pink Rangers moved to his side.

For Blue and Pink Ranger it was a team they had perfected during their early days as Rangers. Purple Ranger complemented the team by following Blue Ranger's lead. Together they provided cover against Nega Blue, Purple and Pink's assaults, allowing Pink Ranger to aim and fire her arrows.

Nega Blue and Purple copied their counterparts whilst Nega Pink returned fire. It became obvious the Nega Rangers were not as seasoned as the Power Rangers were. Although they were able to work together, they had not mastered being able to read each other's moves. The result was Nega Pink being struck when Nega Purple failed to cover her.

"Enough playing," Nega Blue said, his voice sounding like Rocky. "Nega Guns!"

Together the Nega Rangers charged; their blaster shots burning into the Rangers' armour. Launching into the air, the Nega Rangers pounced on their Ranger counterparts.

Pink Ranger discovered that at close range Nega Pink was the better fight. Nothing she did seemed to penetrate the Nega Ranger's defences. Nega Pink casually dismissed Pink Ranger with a flick of her wrist.

Purple Ranger and Nega Purple were involved in a match of whip versus Nunchuks, both of them aware of the other's intentions. Purple Ranger remembered that Nunchuks were used as a bludgeon for close attacks. If Nega Purple got close enough and decided to use the weapon in that way, Purple Ranger would not be able to defend herself.

Nega Purple was equally aware of the threat from Purple Ranger's whip. Twisting the handle of her weapon, she revealed a set of spikes set into the handle. With the blades fully revealed they resembled a small chain mace.

Purple Ranger saw what was coming, but it was already too late to react. The chain mace cut into her armour allowing Nega Purple to disarm her opponent.

"Heeyah!"

Blue Ranger drove his shoulder into Nega Purple, driving her away from Purple Ranger and giving his teammate time to recover. Noticing that Nega Blue was in pursuit Billy decided that a change of uniform was in order.

"Ninja Ranger Power!"

Once in his ninja outfit Billy called on his ninja powers to help him. After Earth Swimming to a position under Nega Blue he emerged, Power Lance in hand. Spinning the lance as he emerged caused Nega Blue to collapse to the ground.

Nega Blue punched Billy in the stomach as he got to his feet. "We're not done yet Blue Ranger," he promised. "We're going to have a lot of fun together you and I. Right before I finish you."

"Not today you won't," a voice said.

Nega Blue turned to see the other Rangers with their Blade Blaster drawn and ready to fire.

"Nega Blue, withdraw," Silvo ordered as he vanished along with the other Nega Rangers.

"I'll be back Billy," Nega Blue said as he vanished. "You can bet on it."

This was not how Minion had planned things, the Rangers were not supposed to win their first battle, let alone a fight against his Nega Rangers. He had made the mistake of allowing the prisoners to watch the battles and could see a glimmer of hope in their expressions. Even when he had strung the body of Travis in front of them, he had been met with looks that promised payback instead of the despair he had hoped for. It was becoming obvious that they still believed that he could be stopped even if they died in the process. Perhaps it was time to remind them of how brutal he could be.

"I hope you're watching all this," he said to his captive. He could feel her lack of control, made obvious as the hairs on his neck stood on end. This would push her over the edge and then the Rangers would pay. Then his pain would end.

"And now we return to our earlier discussion," he told the captive Rangers. "Have you made your decision? Any of you willing to give up their life so the rest can live for an extra day or two?"

They didn't answer, he could see the determination in their eyes as they stared up at him. Tanya was scowling at him in disgust; Trey looked murderous.

"Why can't you just give up Rangers?" he asked. "Why do you force me to take such actions? Does it make you feel better to know that I have to torture another innocent just to make the might Tommy Oliver admit defeat?" He turned to Silvo. "Bring them!"

With the Rangers in tow Minion teleported to Stone Henge. It was night there, the moon was high, offering the only illumination. For Minion the atmosphere created by the darkness would only add to their despair as he used magic to light selected areas of the ancient monument most notable a large stone altar he had erected.

"You refused to choose, so I chose for you," he told them, gesturing to the large stone where Rocky had been place, his arms and legs bound to the rock. He tossed a blaster in front of each of the Gem Coin Rangers. "I trust you remember the routine here. I count to six and then I kill your little friend, unless of course you shoot me first. I suggest you don't make me waste my efforts in repairing his previous injuries."

It had not taken much effort to repair the damage to Rocky's back, a tiny burst of magic had been sufficient to jump-start his Ranger healing. He hoped that seeing their friend in good health would make it even harder for them when he died.

He summoned the Sword of Ragnarok and pulled his smaller dagger from its hiding place. As he started to count it occurred to him that this time the Rangers didn't appear scared. If anything they appeared determined. Still, it was too late to reconsider.

"One..." He watched as the Rangers showed little sign of moving.

"Two..." Adam twitched, a slight movement that seem insignificant.

"Three..." Adam's movement was shown as he shifted his weight and fired. The other Rangers joined in, their shots targeted directly for his head and chest.

"No more deaths," Trey said coldly as he levelled his blaster and fired again.

Had Minion been an honourable creature he would have been dead. Fortunately for him his word meant nothing and while freely given, he had shown time and again that he would break his promise at a moment's notice. Just before the energy bolts reached him, a dome of Validium appeared, absorbing the shots before disappearing back into the ground.

"I had hoped for more," he said dismissively. The dome disappeared, replaced by WD Units that gripped the Rangers' arms and held them in place as Minion moved to the stone.

"Not this time!" Tommy growled. "Zeo Ranger V - Falcon!"

His Gem Coin Transformer had been lost, destroyed by Minion within hours of their captivity. Yet somehow Tommy managed to draw on the Power once more, shaping it with his will to form his uniform and Gem Coin Blaster, which he rapidly aimed and fired.

The others followed suit, calling on their powers, much to Minion's dismay. Trey concentrated on the Golden Power Staff and was relieved when it appeared in his waiting hand.

"Zeo Ranger I - Crane!"

"Zeo Ranger II - Bear!" As soon as she had transformed, she blasted the bonds holding Rocky, Allowing him to join the action. If they were going to die, they would go down fighting

"Zeo Ranger III - Ape!" He didn't know what his friends had been through. He wasn't even aware of what had happened to Travis. He was just fighting to stop Minion.

"Zeo Ranger IV - Frog!"

"Gold Ranger Power!" Trey called. He was doing this for Travis. The death had had a deep effect on him, but now was not the time to break down. He was probably the one who realised that they would all need a lot of help was it was all over.

Minion couldn't believe they were fighting back. They were not supposed to be able to fight back. They had been weakened, humiliated and tortured beyond compare. So why did they keep coming back?

Once again the Rangers were acting as a team and overcoming the odds in order to fight him. Despite their exhaustion their anger drove them onward. They seemed immune to his powers as they attacked with both their Gem Coin Blasters and their swords. Realising he was losing and suffering from the pain in his head, Minion was growing desperate.

"Silvo, Bronzo, WD Units, destroy them."

The henchmen attacked as Minion tried to gain control over the pain. The Rangers were free, their friends had returned and if he didn't do something the Earth would soon be saved from his invading forces. He cried out as that last thought sent a wave of agony through his body. His sanity, questionable to begin with, seemed to take a holiday as he was transformed into the unicorn-horned wolf-headed armour that he had worn when claiming the Sword of Ragnarok.

Yes, the sword, it was time to reveal that weapon's greatest and final power. When he was done, the Rangers would never challenge him again. A flash of light signalled the arrival of Jason and the others, but his concentration was elsewhere as he teleported once again, this time to Angel Grove Park.

When Alpha had detected the sudden surge of energy, the Rangers had been astounded to see their allies fighting back against Minion. They had teleported immediately, ready to help them as necessary. As they arrived, Minion had retreated, robbing them of the chance to destroy him. But with Silvo, Bronzo and the WD Units on the scene the battle was far from over.

"Billy, do it!" Red Ranger instructed as he summoned the Power Sword and charged into battle.

Blue Ranger produced a small ball of glass and threw it at the Validium-based warriors. The glass exploded, covering those involved in the battle with red dust that ate away the protective oxide layer and left behind the exposed and potentially brittle Validium. Drawing his Blade Blaster he fired three shots and put his first WD Unit down. That was the signal for the others to become involved.

"Hit three dots and they're deactivated," Zack told the Gem Coin Rangers.

With that the battle was joined.

Jason and Tommy found themselves facing Silvo, the more powerful machine having designated the Red Rangers as the most important targets. The red gas had affected Silvo just as it had the WD Units, meaning that once they hit three of the exposed weak points, he too would shut down.

Tommy selected a flame pellet, which exploded on impact and no matter how Silvo tried, it could not be extinguished. Meanwhile Jason's Power Sword kept the Validium warrior from fighting back. He tossed Tommy his Blade Blaster and ducked as the Red Gem Coin Ranger fired.

Bronzo was a coward, there was no denying that fact since it was an essential part of his personality program. So when it appeared that the Rangers had the upper hand, he had wisely chosen to duck out of the conflict. But before he did so he had ensured that he had a reason to retreat and collected a sample of the dust. Then he would develop a counter measure and the Rangers' new attack would prove useless.

He teleported back to Minion's island and was surprised to find that his master had gone to Angel Grove instead. However there was someone on the island, an unwelcome guest in the cellblock.

Figuring he could handle one intruder, Bronzo summoned the island's remaining WD Units to assist him and set off to seize the trespasser.

The Master was frustrated. The puzzle was a complex mathematical structure, but at times it seemed as if it made itself more difficult for him to solve. The first face had been simple, but the fourth was causing him serious problems. There was another way to reach the other side of the doorway that the box represented, and that was to force Minion to continue with his suicidal scheme. And the way to do that was to tip the odds in the Rangers' favour.

"I have a proposition for you," he stated, not bothering to introduce himself. "I can restore you, all of you - well most of you," even he couldn't help the dead or the seriously injured, "if you agree to fight Minion and his forces."

They nodded, some eagerly while others had to force themselves to acknowledge his offer. Upon their agreement they were bathed in pink light as their bodies were healed. At first he had wanted to reverse the damage, but healing it proved a less stressful approach.

He was finished just in time as Bronzo entered to find a collection of angry super heroes all itching for a fight.

"Let's do this," Batman growled. The revitalised JLA charged forward, Flash leading the way with his freshly regenerated legs.

The Master laughed as he watched them go. Soon they would discover that there was no quick fix for the injuries they had suffered. The Flash's legs, like Green Lantern's hands were gone, the replacements the Master had provided were temporary at best, but would last long enough to put pressure on Minion.

"Titans go!" Robin cried. This was the first time they had a crack at Minion's forces.

"Beetle Bonders, Beetle Blast!" Jo, Roland and Drew called.

"Ectophase Activate!" Jesse yelled.

"Trooper Transform!" JB, Ryan and Kaitlyn called. Servo was on his feet, his circuit damage repaired.

"Avengers Assemble!" Captain America bellowed, leading his team ready for the attack.

The other prisoners stayed back, their willingness to fight diminished by their ordeal. Minion it seemed had managed to break some of Earth's heroes.

Hawk Girl's mace crackled with energy as she slammed it into the nearest WD Unit. While she chose to take them down one or two at a time, the Flash raced around the machines, creating a vortex that threw them into the air. Green Lantern generated a scythe that he used to slice his way through the opposition. Woman Woman's lasso turned one of the WD Units into a spinning weapon.

Starfire had learnt early on that her powers could not harm the Validium-based warriors directly. However that did not stop her from aiming at the surrounding area and using the environment to damage the machines. Changling changed rapidly between oversized rhinoceros and a large bird capable of lifting the machines into the air. Cyborg with his repaired body used his sonic blasts to scatter the WD Units out, making them easier targets. With his staff at the ready, Robin pitched the WD Units into Changling's path.

Batman found himself in a bad position as two WD Units had transformed their hands into axes and were attempting to cleave him in two. An electrified Batarang took care of one unit and he managed to use one of its axes against the second. The third however had aimed for his back.

"Not so fast, chrome dome," Spider-Man drawled as he threw a ball of impact webbing at the machine. "Try a little web in the eye."

The web slinging hero tied the machine's feet together and with a little help from Batman, it toppled over.

Henry Pym pressed a button on his wrist, injecting himself with a growth chemical. When Lord Zedd had first attacked the Earth, one of his bombs had failed to explode. Henry had taken the container, analysed its contents and then found a way to alter the effects to allow the subject to either increase or decrease in size. Although it worked as a gas, he preferred to use it as a potion injected into his arm. The result was that Pym could grow through the use of a potion, transforming himself into the ten-foot tall Goliath. Although he could grow taller, he needed all his strength for the fighting.

Janet Pym refrained from using her variant of Dr Pym's formula. She did however activate her bio-electric generator, creating a field of energy that allowed her to produce wings and emit a powerful sting effect. Although ineffective against WD Units and less potent when she was human size, she managed to get the robots' attention.

Then they attacked together. She switched between sizes and acted as a distraction while his greater strength and size allowed him to smash his way through the robots.

Iron Man drove a fist into one WD Unit's head, breaking both the robot's skull and his hand in the process. The energy emitters in his gauntlets cut through the machines' outer shells. Tony was feeling vengeful, knowing that for all those prisoners who had broken free, there were others who were in dire straits on other parts of the island.

"Watch your back, big shot," Hawkeye warned as one of his acid-filled arrows pierced the chest of a WD Unit that had been sneaking up on the Avengers' paymaster.

As the two hardheaded heroes bantered back and forth, they layed waste to any robots that dared to cross their path. Vision and the Martian Manhunter had formed a different sort of partnership, phasing through the WD Units, shorting their circuitry as they went. Then as Vision altered his density to that of hard diamond, J'Onn used his impressive strength to leave a hole in one of the Validium unit's chest.

Captain America, first generation super soldier and, if the government could actually prove his origin, wanted fugitive, threw his mighty shield. The Adamantium disk didn't cut into the Validium, but the weight of the spinning shield helped to clear a path in much the same way that Robin had done.

"Lightning Fist Command!" Servo called, energising the plasma cells in his hand. His punches left holes in any WD Units he touched. And this time there was no surprise villain to attack him from behind.

Blue Trooper summoned his sword and attacked Bronzo. Blue Beetleborg was hot on his heels. Together the two warriors pressed in on the leader of Minion's forces.

"Laser Ray!" White Trooper snapped. She fired off as many shots as possible, covering JB as he shifted into position.

Green and Red Beetleborg were helping by forcing the WD Units into range, using their weapons to cause as much damage as possible.

"VR Techno Bazooka!" JB called.

He fired off a shot, which ripped through the WD Units. He and White Trooper joined Red and Green Beetleborg and their Masked Rider comrade to destroy the rest of the machines.

"Stinger Drill!" Blue Beetleborg bellowed as he and Blue Trooper finished Bronzo, ending the battle.

"Skybase Command!" JB called. It was time to get out of there.

The assorted heroes were transferred to the ship and relative safety.

"Professor?"

"I'm online Ryan, it is good to see the four of you are safe."

"We need a trace on Minion," Servo stated. The professor complied. Then they set course for Angel Grove and a final showdown with Minion.

Minion could sense the odds were against him. Somehow Silvo and Bronzo had fallen and from what he could tell, most of his Validium Troops had either been deactivated by the Rangers or buried when the VR Troopers had destroyed his beloved island.

"It doesn't matter," he tried to convince himself. "Nothing matters, this is the end of the Power Rangers, the end of all this silly resistance. I hope you survived Tommy-boy because everything you value is about to come to an end."

**To be continued**

Disclaimer: I do not own the Power Rangers; they belong to their respective copyright owners and are used here without permission. No money is being made from this fic. Parts of the action and dialogue from Jeremy Ray's Earth Crystal story were used in this chapter.  
Authors Note: This is an alternate universe from the television show with an alternate timeline.

**The Final Battle**

Minion was on the brink of a mental breakdown. The Rangers had taken everything from him; his sanity, his life, his freedom and now it seemed that they had robbed him of his prisoners. He had vanished after the Morphin Rangers had shown up to save their friends and had returned to his island. He was relieved to find that the assembled heroes had not torn his base apart. To make sure, he had raised a magical barrier to prevent any more intrusions.

He was in constant agony. The pain, which he realised was a result of a microchip inserted next to his pain receptors was unending. So long as he was fighting the Rangers and winning the pain was subdued. However the moment it appeared that he was losing the battle and as a result the pain chip started stimulating his pain receptors.

"Silvo, Brasso, Bronzo!" he called. There was no response. The Rangers and their pesky friends had destroyed his servants. It seemed his WD Units were gone too, leaving him without even the most basic foot soldiers.

He was reaching the point where most villains accepted that they could not defeat the Rangers and committed themselves to sending down second-rate monsters in the hope of one day being successful. He had tried the direct approach; he had tried to use the Elemental Beasts and had even pressed his attack at the first sign of a weakness. In the end though he had failed to emerge victorious.

But Minion was different. He believed himself superior to all who opposed him and even if he could not express those thoughts of superiority in the way that he wanted to, he was incapable of settling for the mediocre existence of a failed villain. So how would he prove himself different? Simple, he would do to the Morphin Rangers what he had done to the Zeo Rangers. He would break them in the same way and then continue with the plan. And that meant the first step was to draw them out.

"The Rangers and their friends will not stop me," he mused out loud.

The Heroes of Earth had an annoying habit of disrupting his plans despite having better things to do, such as rebuilding their bases of operation. He almost wished he could revive some of the old Earth-based villains to help him, but that was not a possibility. ~Nor,~ he thought, ~would it be a wise idea to give others an opportunity to interfere.~

"Hello Minion," the Master said as he emerged from somewhere, disrupting the villain's plans.

"You!" Minion snarled angrily. "You told me the Sword of Ragnarok would provide me with victory."

"And so it shall my dear fellow, you just need to know how to use it," the Master said softly, placating the volatile villain. He pulled out a small device, a dimensional disruptor he called it; when activated the device emitted energy on a wavelength known to disrupt the fabric between this universe and what lies beyond, collapsing local space in the process. "Just fuse this with the sword and you will find that it truly lives up to its name."

The device was unstable, artificial entropy in a crystalline structure. When used on a small scale it could drop a city into the sea. When amplified through an universal energy field such as the Morphin Grid, its reach was unlimited. The Sword of Ragnarok with its ability to pierce the dimensional fabric and physically connect to the Morphin Grid was the perfect tool for such a purpose. For Minion it would represent victory, but for the Master who had the means to counter the effects, it was a way of disposing of Minion.

When he left, the device had been fitted to the Sword of Ragnarok and the Master had a confident smile upon his face.

JLA Watchtower, Coast City USA

Long ago when the JLA had been founded, it had been suggested that they position their headquarters in space. International tensions and a flat refusal on the part of Wonder Woman, despite Bruce Wayne's funding, had put an end to that suggestion. Instead the Watchtower had been erected in the home city of the original Green Lantern, Hal Jordan. Shaped like a lighthouse to bring hope to the world, the tower had withstood countless disasters, even the destruction of the city it overlooked.

Today it was a mess, a reminder of how badly they had fared against Minion and his forces. The light, once a beacon of hope and an answer to the prayers of the innocent had been extinguished. And even John's half-hearted attempt to imitate the beacon with his ring had failed.

"Home sweet home," Wally joked again, trying to lighten the mood. It was a poor attempt and probably attributable to the pain medication he had been forced to take for phantom pains in his legs. It seemed that while some injuries were repairable, others were not.

John watched his teammate and felt a pang of sympathy. True he and Wally didn't always see eye to eye, but they were united in their loss. His hands had reappeared, just like Wally's legs and he felt the pain from where Minion had cut them off, just as he knew Wally suffered. But it seemed that the cursed ring that he had been forced to carry refused to let him go just because he was hurting.

What would they do now, what could they do when the moment they had been released from the VR Troopers' ship, the JLA had split up? John could understand it to some extent, they all needed time and a chance to ensure their loved ones were safe before returning to deal with a situation that grew more and more dangerous by the moment.

J'Onn and Hawk Girl looked out over the battered city. They could see the damage, could sense the hurt that Minion had caused. They knew that despite their hopes to the contrary, Minion was still out there and needed to be dealt with. It could be denied that despite all he had done to them and the fact they had barely escaped with their lives, they would have to face the villain again. The only problem was that some of them were in no condition to fight.

"Wow," Zack whistled.

It was amazing how quickly Alpha had been able to work seeing how he lacked a suitable body and was forced to act by the electronic possession of low technology service droids. Still with the little machine in charge the repair process was well and truly underway.

Normally the Rangers would have expressed their amazement at just how much Alpha had accomplished, but at that moment there was an uneasy silence in the Power Chamber where the Zeo Rangers had made a startling if understandable decision.

"We're leaving," Tommy said. He spoke not only for himself, but the whole of his team. ~Or what's left of them.~

"Tommy, it wasn't your fault," Kimberly said, trying to be the voice of reason.

"She's right man," Jason agreed. "You shouldn't give up. I know what Minion did hurt you, but we need you. He's still out there and the Earth is still in danger. We need your help to stop him."

Billy and Trini remained silent. They had feared that at least one of the Zeo Rangers would react this way when they learnt of the abuse Minion had forced their friends to endure. In all their time as Rangers his pupils had rarely lost and almost always fought back. But this was different. Minion had not only defeated them; he had done so several times in a matter of weeks. Then he had tortured all of them, some worse than others.

Billy had no doubt though that it was Travis's death that hurt the most. The acting Blue Zeo Ranger had not been subjected to physical pain, but had been broken by watching his fellow Rangers endure everything that Minion had done to them. And then Minion had reversed the stakes and forces the Zeo Rangers to watch as he ended Travis's existence.

Adam was in the worse state emotionally. He had been the one who had come closest to saving Travis, but his movement had been too late and his aim had been affected by his injuries. His miss had cost them all the life of a comrade and as a result the naturally shy boy had withdrawn from everybody since they had arrived in the Power Chamber following their escape. He had yet to look any of the Rangers in the eye, definitely a bad sign and today, after being allowed to return to his home, he had been slow to respond to his communicator.

Billy wanted the Zeo Rangers to remain, they were his friends after all, but knew it had to be their choice. In an attempt to ensure that they at least considered their options he made a suggestion.

"Tommy, I know you and the others have been through a lot and agree that you need time away to consider your future involvement with the Power Rangers. I would suggest that before you go, you wait for Alpha to bring Zordon back or at least talk to Lita. Maybe they can help you put things in perspective."

It had been a good try, but the Rangers knew Tommy and the others were still too upset to be useful as Rangers. Tommy and the others knew it as well and had already decided their future.

"There is no need to surrender your powers," Billy told them as they were about to hand back the Zeo Transformers he had restored for them. "I suggest you take time to consider your future before giving up your powers. Should you wish to return or need us, the Power Chamber is always open to you."

"Thanks Billy," Tommy said as the Zeo Rangers left for their separate destinations, all of them determined to do some serious thinking.

"Well guys, I guess we have work to do," Jason said when the others had departed. "Minion's still out there and we need a plan."

Oliver Residence, Angel Grove

Tommy walked through the blood stained streets as he had every night since his time as Green Ranger. The dreams did not disturb him anymore because he understood they were formed partially by his guilt over what he had done under Rita's influence and partially by the spell Rita had used after he broke free. It was a spell he only felt while asleep, a spell that ensured he would never be able to forget what he had been.

Tonight the dream was different. At first Tommy had failed to notice the lack of bodies that usually covered the ground, but then he saw he was not dressed in the Green Ranger uniform he normally wore either. He was dressed as the Red Zeo Ranger and drenched in blood, his own blood!

"Ah, there you are Tommy," the unmistakable voice of Minion said. "I thought you might be missing some things so I brought them with me."

Holding his hand out Minion turned slowly, revealing the dead population of Angel Grove. At the top of the pile, impaled on thick wooden stakes were the other Power Rangers.

"You did this?" It was more of a comment than a question, Tommy already knew Minion was responsible.

"Affirmative," Minion said, starting to sound like Billy. "But I couldn't have succeeded without the help of the Zeo Rangers. If you had fought better and shot me when you had the chance, these people would still be alive. So you see Zeo Falcon, it is your fault that these people are dead, not mine. I didn't do this, YOU did because YOU failed."

Tommy's powers started to fade as Minion's words hit home. Confidence was one of the things a Ranger needed and right now Tommy's confidence was shattered.

"You let everyone down Tommy," the dead body of Trini said.

"We had faith in you Bro," Jason's scarred and bloodied corpse said. "Look where that got us."

"You could have saved me but you didn't have the courage," a younger voice said. Tommy recognised the voice, but hoped it was not true. From out of the thinning mist stepped a boy Tommy recognised as Fred Kellman. His neck was broken, causing his head to hang at an awkward angle. Minion smiled at the younger boy and placed an arm over his shoulder. "I don't want to be a Ranger anymore, I have a new hero now."

"Nooooooo!" Tommy cried as he saw Fred transform to become a smaller version of Minion.

"You did it Tommy," the corpse of the Ranger known as Kimberly said. "Rita made you the Green Ranger to destroy us and as the Red Ranger you succeeded."

The scene changed and Tommy found himself inside the original Command Center. The normally comforting Alpha Five scurried away as Tommy arrived, leaving him face to face with Zordon.

"Thomas Oliver, you have failed the people of your world, failed to protect your team of Rangers and failed to earn the trust I had in you. You have injured many with your antics as Green Ranger, you put the team constantly at risk with your failing powers and you have proven that you cannot defend the Earth. I have tried to help you, but even though you have had more sets of powers than any other Ranger, you have still failed time after time."

Zordon stepped from his plasma tube, but Tommy could still not see his body. In his hand was the Sword of Light, which he pointed at Tommy's chest.

"Thomas Tyler Oliver, I hereby strip you of any and all powers that you hold be they past, future or present. Never again will you be allowed to squander and abuse either the Morphin Grid or the Zeo Crystal. It is to ensure the safety of everybody that I now take you life."

The Sword of Light pierced Tommy's heart. He did not even have the chance to scream as he collapsed to the floor. He looked up, using the last of strength to see his killer.

"The world is better off without you, Tommy," Zordon said. "Never forget that."

"NO!" Tommy cried a second time, sitting bolt upright in bed. He looked down at his chest and was surprised to find it covered in blood. A small puncture wound had reopened, probably from where Minion had beaten him. Knowing he would not be able to get back to sleep Tommy walked downstairs to the family room and sat on the sofa.

It was then that he noticed he was still shaking. Whatever that dream had been it, had been too real. He heard the sounds of somebody coming downstairs. Two people in fact.

"Tommy?" his mother asked, concerned. "Are you okay?"

Tommy was still shaking too much to answer the question. His mother stopped, wondering what could have happened to cause her son to act like a scared rabbit.

"It - it's okay, Mom. Just a nightmare," he managed at last. He tried to force a smile, but none was forthcoming.

"Are you sure?" his father asked. He had never seen Tommy like this before. Sure in the time since moving to Angel Grove Tommy had nightmares. But nothing had ever shaken him like this.

Tommy nodded, unable to speak further. Everything the Zordon in his dream had said was true.

~They're better off without me,~ he thought. ~I'm a liability.~

He had committed terrible crimes during his time as Green Ranger. He had worked for Rita and caused destruction throughout the city. He had been lucky not to kill somebody during his first use of the Dragonzord. He hadn't cared about the buildings Dragonzord had damaged. All that mattered was the will of his empress. Then he had captured Jason and almost killed him. It had taken all his will power to keep from murdering the Red Ranger.

~But I did resist,~ he thought. The words offered little comfort. Had he captured Jason a day later he would have killed him without a second thought.

Then Jason had released him from Rita's spell and given him the chance to make amends. He had become the Green Ranger under Jason's command as a way to make up for what he had done. But he couldn't even do that right. He had allowed Rita to light the Green Candle and steal his powers.

Instead of crawling away and hiding under a rock, Tommy had stayed on in Angel Grove and agreed to help the Rangers, thus regaining his powers. But now they were temporary and he put the team at risk every time he went into battle. Too stubborn to give up and let Jason take the powers he had squandered the remaining power and then run away.

Zordon had trusted him to become White Ranger and leader of the Power Rangers. ~But did he do it because I was a worthy candidate or because he was desperate and couldn't find a decent White Ranger?~

Tommy's stubbornness had led to the loss of the Thunderzords. The powers that could not be taken by evil were destroyed just because he refused to listen to reason. If it had not been for Ninjor, Earth would have been finished. Even with Ninja powers Tommy had failed to stop Rito from destroying the Power Coins. ~Another set of powers lost because I failed to protect the coins.~

As Red Zeo Ranger he had allowed Gasket to take control of his mind. He had led the Ranger into battle against Minion and caused the Zeo Crystal to be destroyed. If not for his failed leadership and blind faith in his friends, the fake Billy would not have been able to betray them. ~Jason would not have been deceived.~

And recently, with millions of people watching, he had failed to help Travis. The Triforian had perished and Tommy had done nothing. Once again his failure had cost somebody their life.

Tommy had lost count of the number of people who had died during a monster attack either because of the damage caused when the monster grew, or the innocent who was crushed when something fell on top of them. He had been to Angels Rest and had counted the number of people killed after he became a Ranger. He knew only a few of them by name - Fred Kellman had been a kid in his classes - and a few on sight, but the rest were faceless strangers he had let down.

~Maybe they would be better off without me,~ Tommy thought.

His Zeo Transformer appeared and he considered whether to simply send it back to the Power Chamber and let them select a new Red Ranger. He had no doubt the Rangers would need the Zeo powers again in the future, unless the Zeo Crystal could be repaired. Tempting as it was to walk away, part of him just couldn't let go. With a sigh he sent the device back to where he had summoned it from, unaware that he was being watched.

Sam teleported away unseen, he knew Tommy would work things out, but he was determined to be there when Tommy felt like talking. Using his magic he cast a spell to force Tommy back to sleep and then teleported away.

Rocky lay back on his bed, trying to work through his feelings of the recent events. He felt as guilty about Travis as the others, but for a different reason. Had he fought harder or better there was a chance he would have been there instead of Travis; the Triforian had been picking up his slack. And then as a real kick in the teeth, while Travis had been killed, he had been healed. Perhaps if he had been left with a broken back he would have felt better about himself.

He should have been able to fight Minion in some way instead of lying in a bed like an idiot while his family had gathered around and brought him presents. Oh his recovery had amazed his mother, just as his sudden depression had raised a number of eyebrows. The Earth needed the Blue Zeo Ranger even if he were using the makeshift Zeo powers, of that he had no doubt. The question in his mind was, did the Zeo Rangers need Rocky DeSantos?

He needed somewhere he could go, a place where he could shout if he wanted to without attracting the attention of his siblings or his mother. One place seemed to be perfect, the family cabin. The place had been abandoned since his father's death and was only visited by Rocky and his older brother Pedro. In a flash of blue light he teleported from his room to a storage area under the cabin.

The room was large enough to hold a small gymnasium. In the corner was a set of weights and a mat on which to practice. In the center of the room was a punching bag, perfect for what he had in mind.

Starting slowly with a few gentle kicks, Rocky allowed his anger to be released under control. He kicked the bag repeatedly until it finally split open and fell to the ground. Now he was starting to feel better Rocky was determined to work through his feelings.

He walked over to a set of old chairs the family had been meaning to burn. He laid into the furniture, reducing it to a pile of splinters. Then he moved on through tables, chairs and even the walls in places. It didn't matter. Everything in the storage room was surplus to requirements. He tried as hard as he could to find a reason to remain a Zeo Ranger, but he couldn't think of anything that he had left to bring to the team.

~Perhaps it is time to hand over to someone else.~

He continued his frantic workout, growing ever more emotional by the second. In his mind he knew that surrendering now would prove he was a coward.

In his mind he could imagine what his father would say if he could see him now. "You make one little mistake and then run away. No wonder you couldn't save Travis. You're a coward, a weak-minded fool and everybody knows it. Adam has no faith in you. He couldn't even look you in the eye. You can't quit and you can't stay. You're hopeless."

As he finished his workout, Rocky sank to his knees, his eyes filled with tears. He had let them all down. Everybody that had had any faith in him had been let down by his actions. He tried to dry his eyes, but the tears kept coming. The last few days had finally caught up with him and no amount of exercise could prevent the inevitable breakdown.

It was then that he felt a firm hand on his shoulder. He looked around to see Jason looking down at him. He knew he could not hide the tears from the Red Ranger, but the look on Jason's face told him he didn't need to.

"We need to talk," Jason said.

Gently but firmly the Red Ranger helped his friend back to his feet. He had known that the Zeo Rangers would separate and try to sort things on their own. He had also known that they would find the events of the last few days difficult to deal with. So he had instructed his team of Rangers to make themselves available should the others need them.

David and Sam would be there for Tommy if he needed them. Kimberly and Trini were there for Kat, Billy had gone to see Adam, Aisha was with Tanya and her aunt in Kenya and Zack had gone to Pyramidas to check on Trey. Somehow Jason did not see the Black Ranger being able to get through to the Gold Zeo Ranger, but Zack had taken the recovering Dex with him and Jason hoped that would be enough.

They had found their new powers and had completed the quest for the Great Power, an accomplishment that only a few could boast, but Minion was still out there and until he was finally destroyed, their quest was worthless. While he was still capable of causing damage there was no point in trying to fix the damage. And as strong as their new powers seemed to be, Jason felt confident that in the end it would take all they had to achieve victory. ~Damn, I'm starting to think like Billy.~

He had tracked Rocky down to the house and had intended to refrain from interfering, but having seen the state that Rocky was in, he decided otherwise.

Ko's Garden, Near Angel Grove Park.

Adam sat alone in the garden, happy for the seclusion. He knew none of the other Rangers would think to look for him there, except maybe Billy. Not that he expected any of the Rangers to want to talk to him, especially the other Zeo Rangers. He had watched them as Minion had tortured them. He had seen every blow the WD Unit had inflicted on Tommy, he had heard Trey scream in agony when he had grown too exhausted to pedal. And what had they done to him? They had tickled him.

Oh sure there had been more to the Twitcher than just a feather on the end of a stick. The electrical current could be targeted on any muscle and would cause it to twitch uncontrollably. It was a continuous and unstoppable twitching that slowly went from being annoying to painful and then, maddening.

He couldn't even bring himself to look Rocky in the eye. The other teen had been hospitalised by Minion, only to be dragged back into danger because Adam had not been brave enough to sacrifice his life. The Blue Ranger had almost been killed and despite the knowledge that he had done something that time, Adam still felt he should have done more.

His dad had always said the Power Rangers caused more problems than they solved. Adam was starting to agree with him.

"Power Coin for you thoughts," a voice said.

Adam turned around, recognising the voice as Billy. He wondered how the Blue Ranger had known where to find him, but soon suppressed the thought. Knowing Billy as well as he did, he suspected the Blue Ranger had simply visited anywhere the Green Zeo Ranger would go for solitude.

"I don't think they're worth it," Adam replied.

Billy didn't say anything, knowing that if he pushed his shy friend too hard he would simply withdraw further into himself. In addition Billy was not sure if he wanted to talk about Minion. The idea that the enemy who had almost killed his friends was his clone was not something Billy found easy to deal with. Seriously, how many times did they have to defeat him before the villain finally stayed dead? He was starting to think there was something else keeping the villain in the Mortal Realm.

It was even more difficult for Billy to accept that Minion was really his clone because of Cestria. Minion had been responsible for her death and the death of the Aquitian Rangers. Minion had cost him his home and his friends.

They continued sitting and waiting, long into the night.

In a lone column of yellow light Aisha arrived in her own village. She made her way to where she knew her aunt would be and walked in.

"Ashala?" she asked nervously, not sure if her aunt would remember her after ten years.

"Aisha!" the older woman cried happily as she greeted her niece. "Why are you here? Have you returned to us? Is the danger over... no, something else then, what is it child?"

"It's about Tanya," Aisha told her.

She quickly explained the events of the last few days and the events in the Power Chamber. Ashala nodded, her expression turned grave as Aisha explained the humiliation Minion had inflicted. Finally she agreed to let Aisha talk to Tanya and pointed to the outcrop not far away where she knew Tanya would be sitting.

Aisha found Tanya sitting where Ashala had said, her head in her hands looking out over the land below. She hardly acknowledged Aisha's presence as the other girl sat next to her and placed a hand on her shoulders.

Tanya was feeling a mixture of emotions. She felt guilty that she had been unable to help Travis, she knew that was down to fear as much as her own injuries. The reason did little to eliminate the guilt she was feeling, but she knew there was little point in letting the guilt eat away at her. She had failed, but it would never happen again. The strongest feeling she had at the moment was a feeling of isolation. She was no longer a part of a team she loved, Minion's most heinous act had been to shatter their bonds and he had been doing so since the day he had first appeared. That hurt more than anything did.

She missed Adam and Rocky, but knew if they had Aisha back they no longer needed her. The three of them had been friends for years before Tanya had arrived and the teen knew that they would welcome their old friend back with open arms. Where then did that leave her, Aisha's replacement?

Like the others she had been tempted to give up her Zeonisers, but she knew that was all that was tying her to the Rangers. If she gave them up, what was left?

Kat had decided there was no point in leaving the Power Chamber. Sooner or later the other Rangers would track her down and then she would have to talk to them. She was especially worried in case she ran into Kim again. Although Kimberly had broken up with Tommy and the couple had since made their peace, Kat had always felt a little guilty about attempting to date him.

It had taken a while, but eventually Kat had started to feel the attraction fade. She soon understood that what she felt for Tommy had been love, but not the type on which they could build a lasting relationship. At the time she had first met him she was under Rita's spell. She had been attracted to the darker side of Tommy.

After she had broken the spell, the side effects had taken a while to fade. Then Tommy had received the letter and had looked so hurt she had felt drawn to him again. Only recently had she seriously started to think twice about Tommy. The appearance of David had prompted her to question whether her feelings were real. Seeing someone so like Tommy and yet so different had opened her eyes.

She had intended to sort her feelings for him later, but the fight with Minion had gotten in the way. Now everything had changed again.

She reached over to the light and turned it on. She flinched as she felt the change in heat created by the bulb. Despite her wounds being healed her nerves had been left extremely sensitive to outside stimuli. That had been why she had been unable to help Travis. Even though she had tried to help, every move was so painful she had been unable to pull the trigger.

She had been helpless, nothing more than a victim of evil as she was when Rita had controlled her. ~But when I was with Rita, I broke the spell,~ she thought. ~Why couldn't I have found the strength to pull the trigger?~

The answer was simple and she knew it. When Rita had controlled her, she had simply had to fight against the spell. But with Minion she had not been under a spell, she had been convinced that movement was too painful. Her mind was stronger than any spell and when used against her it was a powerful weapon.

"Kat?"

Kat looked up as somebody entered the room. In front of her, wearing a pair of white jeans and white T-shirt was David Trueheart, Tommy's brother and the newest member of the Power Rangers.

"Are you okay?" he asked sitting down next to her.

Kat smiled weakly. She had liked David for a long time. He was a good friend and she had always been able to open up to him. He looked so much like Tommy, but was totally different emotionally. Whereas Tommy had a dark side to his nature, David had a lighter character.

Kimberly and Trini had watched over Kat for a while and then decided she needed to talk to someone else. And from the looks of things the female Rangers had the right idea as slowly she started to open up, telling him everything she was feeling. In return David did not judge or comment; he simply listened as the Pink Zeo Ranger poured her heart out.

The Power Chamber  
Two Days Later

"Ai-yi-yi, this is so exciting," Alpha exclaimed as his head was finally lowered onto his new body, the interlocks on the nick clicking into place and the wiring made contact.

"Borrowing some of Doctor Pym's technology to speed up the repairs was a good idea," Trini commented.

Billy and Jason nodded. The Avengers had already used their technology to restore their headquarters at Mount Rushmore and had loaned some of their more useful devices to the other heroes. In a time of war repairs were essential. Billy had even suggested unleashing the small robots on the Zeo Crystal to correct the flaws in its damaged structure. That idea had been put on hold while the computer double-checked his calculations.

"And now the Power Chamber is back, maybe we can bring Zordon back online," Zack said.

"I can't wait," Kimberly said.

The others nodded. They needed their mentor back, maybe he could make the Zeo Rangers see sense.

"Alpha, start the probe," Jason instructed.

"Co-ordinates locked in Rangers, contact has been made, awaiting response."

"All we can do now is wait," Billy told them.

Somewhere.

"The time has come, the end of the Power Rangers is nigh!" Minion exclaimed, enjoying the opportunity to sound dramatic.

He had finally decided on how he was going to draw them out. It was a simple and well-tested method of sending a few monsters to distract them before making his appearance. Then he planned to crush the meddling teenagers and prove that the Earth was without hope.

~I wonder how they will die,~ he mused. ~Will they go slowly or will I be lucky and slaughter them in a few minutes?~ He shrugged. ~Oh well, either is fine.~

There were a few steps he would need to take before he could begin, first he needed a means of bringing monsters out of the Dark Dimension. Fortunately the bodies from his early attacks had yet to be cleared away as local governments took time to clean up. He used one of those corpses to bring his loyal servant Arcana back to life; as a dark wizard who was familiar with death magic, he was able to possess an animated corpse.

"Arcana, mighty wizard and servant of darkness, I command you, appeared."

He watched as the selected corpse mutated to fit its new owner's requirements.

"I want you to bring forth three monsters," he said. "Use your own conduit, but make it fast."

"Yes Minion," Arcana slurred.

Producing a knife he sliced his arm, allowing the thick oozing blood to fall on the ground. When Minion examined it closely he was surprised to discover that it was the same slime Arcana had used to produce his duplicate of Billy.

"Arise my duplicates and take form. Eye Guy, Syren, King Sphinx, come forth and avenge your defeats."

Power Chamber

A small buzzer sounded, warning of an incoming message. Alpha excitedly moved to the correct console and activated the restored Plasma Tube.

"Ai-yi-yi, welcome back Zordon."

The tube bubbled and then Zordon's head appeared, looking around the restored Power Chamber in amazement.

"Thank you, Alpha, it is good to see that you are intact. Now tell me, what has occurred in my absence?"

Alpha explained all that had happened, from the Rangers' successful return from Phaedos, something that pleased Zordon immensely, to the Zeo Rangers' defeat and subsequent treatment by Minion. He explained how the Rangers had returned from Phaedos and plugged him into the computer, allowing him to supervise the repairs.

Zordon was surprised by what he had heard. The Zeo Rangers had faced so much and yet they had not given up entirely. That they had made allies in the process was another surprise. While the Rangers had had a working relationship with the JLA and the Avengers in the past, they had had little contact with the VR Troopers and Beetleborgs. ~Perhaps some good will come of this,~ he mused. ~Earth has never had more protection than it does now.~

A new alarm sounded, warning that an attack was underway and reminding those present that Minion was still out there and there was still work to be done.

"Contact Jason and his team," Zordon instructed.

"What about Tommy?" Alpha asked.

"The Zeo Rangers need time to come to terms with all that has happened. We will not call them unless necessary."

Alpha nodded reluctantly and set about pushing the relevant buttons.

The eight Morphin Rangers had agreed to meet at the Youth Center. It was a chance to relax and discuss their concerns for their friends. They were in the middle of consuming their orders when their alarms sounded simultaneously. Ernie smiled a knowing smile to himself as he watched the teens run out of the door. ~So Jason and the others are back in the game,~ he thought. ~Good for them.~

Eight coloured streams of light streaked through the air high above Angel Grove. Just a very few seconds after leaving the Juice Bar, the teleportation beams entered the Power Chamber.

"Zordon!" Zack greeted.

"It's good to have you back Zordon," Jason smiled.

"Yeah, we missed you," Kimberly added.

"Thank you, Rangers and congratulations on the successful completion of your quest," Zordon rumbled. "I am afraid I did not call you here just to tell you that I have returned. Minion has unleashed three old monsters on Angel Grove."

"Are you sure it's Minion?" Trini asked. They had so many enemies now it was worth checking.

"I am afraid so," Zordon answered. "Behold the Viewing Screen."

"Talk about recycling," Kimberly said.

"These guys are old," Zack said. "But, we've beat them before."

"Yes, however I sense that they are made from a different material this time, which might alter their abilities."

"Divide and conquer," Jason decided. "Are the other Zords ready yet?"

"All the Zords are now complete," Alpha reported.

"Dragonzord, Titanus and Tor have been rebuilt to match your new Zords' technology," Zordon told them.

"I suggest we utilise our strengths and divide our attacks appropriately," Billy said.

"Exactly Billy," Zordon agreed. "You along with Jason, Kimberly, Zack and Trini shall pilot the Dino Megazord against Eye Guy. When you have defeated him, you will be able to help the others. Aisha and David can combine their Zords to form the Dino Stegazord. I suggest the two of you go after Syren. Sam will need to battle King Sphinx alone until you are ready to join him.

"It's Morphin Time!" Jason called.

"White Ranger Power!"

"Green Ranger Power!"

"Purple Ranger Power!"

"Black Rangers Power!"

"Pink Ranger Power!"

"Yellow Ranger Power!"

"Blue Ranger Power!"

"Red Ranger Power!"

With an overwhelmingly loud crackle of electricity, the Rangers teleported out of the Power Chamber.

"Aye-yi-yi!" Alpha cried. "Good luck Rangers."

"There it is," Billy said.

"We have to be really careful," Kimberly said. "No matter where we're at, he can see us."

"Just remember his weakness," Trini said.

"His main eye," Billy agreed.

Eye Guy suddenly turned around so that his main eye was facing the five Rangers crouched down behind the hill.

"He's seen us!"

Who gave the warning was unclear as the ground around them started to explode.

"Attack!" Kimberly cried. With a resounding hi-ayah, the Rangers leapt into battle.

"Siek-yiah!" Sam cried. He suddenly appeared out of thin air and executed a perfect Power Kick at King Sphinx. Next he kicked him in the chin with his left foot before using a right-footed kick to the monster's chest to give him the momentum to back flip away. As the monster shook off the attack, Sam moved around so he was behind the monster. He leapt onto the shoulders of King Sphinx, dropped back and side kicked the monster in the back. King Sphinx was forced forward and tripped over. Sam ran up to the monster, grabbed it by the shoulders, and high-kicked it.

"You've made a fatal mistake," King Sphinx growled as two powerful wings unfolded from his back.

"She's pretty," David observed.

The pretty human looking monster with long pink hair and black dress, fishnet knee socks and carrying a small fan smiled shyly and waved at the young Ranger before blowing him a kiss.

"Men," Aisha muttered as she pushed her teammate out of the path of the exploding kiss. "First rule of dealing with pretty monsters, keep your brain in your head and not your pants. Get down!"

David looked at her, unsure why she was panicking, but did as she said as Syren was transformed, her beautiful body replaced by that of a scaly bird that breathed fire at the Rangers.

"That's her true form?" David asked.

"Remember your mythology," Aisha replied, "mermaids, sirens and veela, all beautiful until they fail. Then things get ugly."

"Anything else I should know?"

"Yeah she can..."

Aisha's words were drowned out by the high-pitched scream that echoed down the street, shattering windows as it did so.

"... shatter things with her voice," she finished lamely. "Follow my lead."

Aisha flipped over the monster and side-kicked her in the chest. Before it could react, the Purple Ranger dropped down to the ground and swept her left leg beneath the monster. With an inhuman shriek, Syren hit the ground, giving Aisha time to roll away.

"Hi-yah!" David cried, leaping into the air. He landed on top of the bird-headed monster just as she climbed to her feet. David grabbed hold of her shoulders and pulled her to the ground with him. Aisha cartwheeled over to Syren and kicked her off of David.

"Thanks," David said as she helped him to his feet.

"Not a problem," Aisha said.

She ran up to the monster, pushed off with her left leg, and high kicked it in the chest. She landed on both feet as Syren stumbled backwards. The pretty monster tried a new tactic, shifting appearance and winking at David seductively. To Aisha she whispered, "Prepare to die!"

"Power Bow!" Kimberly cried. She jumped into the air and fired two pink arrows at Eye Guy. The two arrows pierced an eye on each of Eye Guy's shoulders. He bellowed in pain and immediately clamped a heavy, eyelid over his main eye.

"Power Lance!" Billy shouted. Kimberly flipped out of the way as Billy ran past her. The Power Lance was held out before him like a ram. Just as the Power Lance was about to pierce the main eye, Eye Guy grabbed the weapon and flipped Billy over his head. "Whoa!" Billy cried. He let go of the Power Lance in midair and landed several feet away, in a painful pile.

"Billy!" Kimberly cried. She immediately ran to help her fallen comrade.

"Power Daggers!" Trini called, spinning the weapons in her hands. She rushed at Eye Guy, flipping into the air to position herself as s he slashed at the monster as s he passed overhead. Screaming in pain, Eye Guy tried to hit the Yellow Ranger, but Trini had learnt that speed was important in battle and made sure she was not there.

"Cosmic Cannon!" Zack shouted. He converted the Power Axe to its alternate mode. "You're goin' down, Eye Guy!" he taunted. He rolled to the left and then the right, allowing the monster to easily track his movements and wonder what he was up to. Then he stopped, bringing the weapon into position as he fired.

"NO!" Eye Guy screamed, both of his hands coming up to protect his center eye.

"You got his main eye!" Kimberly cried.

"I got his main eyelid," Zack corrected.

"More than I did," Billy said slowly, groggy from being slammed into the ground.

"Can you hit his main eye with an arrow, Kim?" Jason asked.

"One way to find out," Kimberly said, raising the Power Bow.

Sam tumbled backwards. King Sphinx's wings were flapping rapidly, and the Ranger was unable to roll away from his windstorm in time. "Dragon Sword!" he cried, reaching behind his back, unsheathing the Dragon Dagger and watching as it was magical altered into the larger blade. The sword grew in his grip with a flash of green light. Stabbing the blade into the street, he was able to lift himself to his feet.

"Try this for size!" he yelled, throwing the sword toward his opponent. However, the wind was pushing against it so hard, the sword barely moved.

"Okay, change of plan," the Green Ranger decided, snatching his sword back. "Dragon Fire!" From his hunched position against the wind, he dragged himself to the upright position, moving the sword in a slashing motion as he did so. The sword glowed green as he completed the move and a ball of fire shot out of the blade. It moved through the wind with the greatest of ease and struck King Sphinx in the chest. He stopped flapping his wings and hit the ground as Sam repeated the move. However, when the monster ducked, he leapt into the air and brought his blade down in a powered slice.

King Sphinx pulled a sword out of the air and blocked the blow. He kicked Sam and slashed at the Ranger with his sword. Sam let out a yelp as the sword caused his uniform to spark. With an angry bellow, King Sphinx punched Sam, sending him rolling.

"One more time then," Sam commented, drawing more power from the Grid and combining it with his own magic. "Siek-yah!" He unleashed the flaming ball, and watched as it made contact.

Aisha and David charged at Syren. While Aisha leapt into the air and attacked her with a knife-edge chop, David settled for a more ground-orientated assault. His Drago Sword was accurate and kept him at a safer distance than his teammate.

"Power Whip!" Aisha cried, selecting the more robust bullwhip for her attack. The whip coiled around the monster, holding her in place. "Electrify!" Aisha called and a large burst of electrical energy flowed along the length of the whip.

"Laser Arrows!" David called as he moved the Drago Sword in the appropriate motion. Six energy arrows formed, pointed just to the left of the bound monster. "Fire!"

At that moment Aisha jerked the whip, releasing the monster, but sending her spinning into David's attack. Syren screeched, folding her wings over her head to protect herself from the attack.

"Eeeeeeyaaaaaa!" Syren screamed. With a sudden burst of energy, she ran at the Purple Ranger, grabbed her, and threw her over her head.

Aisha screamed as she flew over the monster and into her partner, knocking him to the ground.

"Yes Arcana, this is perfect," Minion cried as he watched his monsters lose. They were doing exactly what he needed them to do and the whole area was resonated with magic. Soon he would find the desired point and then it would be the end of the Power Rangers. "Try this on for size Rangers," he snarled. He nodded at Arcana who threw three balls of dark energy into the air.

Kimberly let the arrow fly. Eye Guy attempted to cover his main eye up. Suddenly a ball of darkness sank into his body. With a triumphant bellow, Eye Guy shot straight up into the air, hundreds of feet tall. Kimberly's arrow hit his foot and bounced off.

"Oh no," Kimberly said.

"We're gonna have to go for the Megazord," Billy said.

"Let's do it," Jason said.

"Mastodon Dinozord Power!"

"Pterodactyl Dinozord Power!"

"Triceratops Dinozord Power!"

"Saber-toothed Dinozord Power!"

"Tyrannosaurus Dinozord Power!"

A brilliant flash of blue light exploded in the air above them. King Sphinx landed back on the ground, but he was no longer his normal six feet.

"Oh man," Sam muttered. "Time for Dragonzord!"

He lifted the magical blade, allowing the notes of the powerful flute to carry through the air.

"Guess we need the Zords," Aisha commented.

David gestured for her to go first and she gratefully accepted.

"Stegazord!" For some reason it sounded better than calling out Stegosaurus

"Raptor Zord!" Again the name had changed, but it seemed to fit.

From their assembled hiding places the Zords came. Had Power Mountain been as safe as they had once believed then they would have been held in the Zord Bays. Instead the Dinozords had been hidden somewhere close to where Titanus was known to reside. Hearing the call, the machines swiftly raced to meet their operators.

"Dinozords!" the eight Rangers shouted in perfect unison, despite the fact that the three battles were occurring miles apart. "Power up!" The Rangers jumped into the air and teleported into the cockpits of their Zords.

"Those are the Dinozords?" Kimberly asked. Part of her was impressed with the more robust and dynamic appearance of the Zords, another part was a little apprehensive of the remodelled machines.

"Affirmative," Billy told her as he watched the Triceratops charge towards him. "These Zords have been designed to fight individually as well as in Megazord mode."

That was true, the redesign had focussed on making the Pterodactyl and Triceratops more useful. The Pterodactyl was more delicate with adjustable wings to improve mobility. The Triceratops had legs instead of just tank treads. The body frame was hinged at different points, making it as versatile as the beast it had been modelled on. The Tyrannosaurus had also undergone an overhaul. While it had always been highly mobile and capable of battling individually, the upgraded version looked more fearsome, its huge mouth ready to tear through anything that got in its way.

"This is awesome," Zack commented. While the Mastodon was still slow and plodding, the body had undergone some minor modifications to make it easier to control, and an accelerator to aid its charge attack.

The Saber-toothed Tiger leapt forward. Like the Mastodon it had not changed that much. Like all the Zords its body was made up of multiple sections of material as opposed to single sheets of metal, allowing the machine to move more like the animal it had been based upon.

"Rangers, log on!" Jason laughed as he appeared in the cockpit of his machine. It was just how he remembered it.

"Zack here. All systems go."

"Billy here. Let's finish him!"

"Trini here. Ready for action."

"Let's get this bugeyed freak." That was from Kimberly.

"All right Rangers, let's show him the power of these new Zords," Jason said before directing his machine towards Eye Guy.

The Rangers decided to try out their individual attacks. Billy led the way, charging the monster with the Zord's horn, and then bucking the machine's head back to pitch Eye Guy into the air. He pulled a lever on the control panel to launch the two smaller horns at the monster. The horns were attached to chains and wrapped around Eye Guy, holding him as Billy tried to charge its main eye with the large horn. Before the machine made contact, Eye Guy launched the eyes surrounding his body, breaking the chains and throwing the Triceratops off course.

The Mastodon was the next Zord to attack, using its formidable tusks to bully the monster before whacking it across the head with its trunk. Using its freezing mist, it managed to trap Eye Guy in a block of ice. Zack moved his machine away and allowed Trini to have her shot.

The Saber-toothed Tiger was more agile than Trini remembered and she used its newfound versatility to bash the frozen monster. Trini extended the Zord's claws and swiped at Eye Guy, the ice shattered and the monster staggered back as Trini urged her Zord to sink its teeth into one of its eyes.

"Jason, he's yours!" Trini called as she moved out of the Tyrannosaurus's path.

The large red vicious Zord attacked, claws and teeth lashing out at its prey. When Eye Guy tried to fire an energy pulse from his main eye, Jason used his Zord's tail to smash the monster in the face. The Tyrannosaurus Zord's tail started to spin, drilling its opponent. Inside the Zord, Jason smiled and reached for the control. It was time to finish this.

That was when the duplicate decided to drop the illusion.

The winged monster was not doing well. Dragonzord was a powerful machine and too heavy for the monster to blow away with his wings. In desperation King Sphinx took to the air, challenging Dragonzord to follow, forgetting that the powerful machine could not fly.

Dragonzord let out an electronic roar, the lights on its chest panel alternating. It fired several rockets from its fingers, narrowly missing its target. King Sphinx dived, his sceptre in hand, but as it approached, the Zord turned, presenting the monster with the spinning end of its powerful tail.

King Sphinx gave a cry of anguish and then reverted to its slime state.

Giant Syren was all beast, with no outward sign of beauty. When she attacked, her talons were fully extended. Luckily David and Aisha were already inside their Zords and on the attack. The Stegazord charged its solar energy cells. It came to a halt in front of a mangle car, twitched its tail and sent the vehicle smashing into the monster.

The White Ranger followed up with his Zord, grabbing the monster by her shoulders and lifted it into the air, dropping it in an uninhabited area.

"Ready to finish this?" Aisha asked.

David grunted an affirmative as he moved his machine into position.

The Raptor Zord swooped from the sky, grabbed the Stegazord as it shuffled along the ground, lifted it into the air and after gaining a little momentum, released it. The Stegazord used the momentum and launched into a forward spin, its sharpened spikes ploughed into the monster, cutting the creature's body as it did so.

Syren responded angrily by unleashing a fireball at the two Zords.

"Time for Plan B," Aisha sighed.

"Dino Stegazord formation!" they called together.

Once again the Raptor Zord lifted the Stegazord into the air, but this time David and Aisha activated a new protocol allowing the Raptor Zord to reform around the rapidly reshaped Stegazord to form the arms and legs of a new gestalt machine with the Stegazord providing the head and the body; the head, torso and tail of the Raptor Zord formed the Stinger, one of its main weapons.

"Tail Attack!" White Ranger ordered.

The machine performed a forward flip, bringing the end of its tail around to deliver a sharp blow to Syren.

"Dino Stegalaser!" Purple Ranger commanded.

The Zord bowed its head and fired an energy beam at the ground. As it returned it head to its normal position, the laser travelled along the ground, approaching Syren and gaining in intensity. When it finally connected, Syren exploded and the Dino Stegazord set off to find the rest of the Rangers.

Red lights flashed in the Power Chamber; shrieking alarms filled the air. "Aye-yi-yi!" Alpha cried. "Zordon! Something is wrong, the computer is picking up abnormal readings from Angel Grove Park!"

"I believe Minion has used this attack as a diversion," Zordon answered. "However, until the Rangers are finished with his monsters they will be unable to stop him."

Things were not going well for the other Rangers. The two blobs had joined and then at Arcana's command, taken on the shape of a giant centaur with a large helmet and carrying a powerful mace. Already it had proven its speed by racing past the Triceratops, Mastodon and Saber-toothed Tiger, knocking each Zord over as it did so. An uppercut had knocked the Dragonzord flying and its mace had almost taken a chunk out of the Tyrannosaurus's hide.

The Pterodactyl had saved the day, the Zord's high speed and precision allowed it to distract the monster while keeping a safe distance. It brought the other Zords enough time to recover, at which point the Rangers had decided that they needed to pool their resources.

"All right, guys, let's bring 'em together!" Red Ranger called.

"Right!" the others responded.

A flash of lightning arced across the sky, transforming the Zords into the forms that the Rangers were familiar with. As they changed, they started to merge to form the Megazord's Tank Mode.

The Triceratops and Saber-toothed Tiger transformed, merging with the Tyrannosaurus while the Mastodon split into head shield and cannon components before joining with Tyrannosaurus from in front and behind. Then the Pterodactyl slotted into place behind the Tyrannosaurus's head, completing the procedure.

The Dino Tank rumbled forward, its energy cannons firing as it did so. The monster appeared to be unharmed as it batted the blasts away.

"Let's show him some Megazord power!" Jason cried, pressing the activation buttons.

"Megazord Sequence has been initiated," they heard the computer reply as the Pterodactyl and Mastodon head were ejected from its position. The machine pivoted, the Saber-toothed Tiger and Triceratops forming the legs and feet while the Mastodon cannons were transformed into arms. The Tyrannosaurus head folded down, allowing the Megazord's head to replace it as the Pterodactyl formed the chest shield.

"Megazord activated!" the computer announced as the Megazord's eyes lit up.

The Dino Megazord summoned the Power Sword and then rushed at the centaur. The Megazord slashed at the monster, but it spun aside and retaliated by firing balls of fire at the Megazord. The massive machine lurched.

"That was a serious hit!" Trini complained as a red light on the control panel before her lit up.

"Another hit like that and some of our systems will start going off-line!" Billy warned

"We have to take him out now!" Zack encouraged.

Megazord turned around and slashed at the monster again, narrowly avoiding the mace when it swung towards them.

"Mammoth Shield!" Kimberly cried, reacting to the monster's next move before the other. The shield appeared in time to block the fireball attack.

Sam moved Dragonzord into position, taking a swing at the centaur's head. He felt certain that the helmet protected the beast from the Megazord's attack. The creature deflected Dragonzord's tail attack and reared up on its hind legs to kick the Zord over again.

Dragonzord stood back up, activating its weaponry and launching a barrage of finger rockets at the monster. Then as the centaur shifted around, Sam directed his Zord to follow up with a tail drill attack along the monster's flank.

The other Rangers activated the Power Sword, bringing it around for a devastating blow to the monster's helmet. The headpiece exploded, splintering into pieces across the ground. They tried for a second shot, but the centaur brought its mace around to strike the Megazord's hand, causing it to drop the Power Sword; its next shot was deflected harmlessly by the Mammoth Shield, but the opportunity had been lost for now.

Working together the two Zords battered their opponent, driving him backward as they wore down his defences. Of course their ultimate goal was to destroy his weapon before he could use it again. A blur of white and purple alerted them to the Dino Stegazord's arrival. David and Aisha directed their Zord to grab the centaur's tail, distracting the beast while their friends put their own plan into action.

"Mega Dragonzord mode!" they called.

The Dragonzord transformed and landed on the Megazord's shoulders. Then as the Dino Stegazord withdrew, they fired their energy blast, ending the monster as it raised its mace for one last attack. At the last moment it shifted back to Eye Guy.

"We got it!" Zack shouted.

"No we didn't," Kimberly said, looking to where the slime had reshaped itself. "Main eye, remember?"

When the smoke cleared, only the center eye remained, floating above the ground. The Mega Dragonzord fired again and this time there was nothing it could do. The battle was over.

"All right!" the Rangers shouted, sharing their customary high fives.

The time was right, the Rangers had proven themselves in battle and were feeling confident in their abilities. Now was the moment when he could crush their confidence just as he had done with the Zeo Rangers. Certainly their Zords were impressive and their new uniforms were shiny, but how hard could it be to defeat another set of teenagers? He decided to use his second favourite method of drawing out the Rangers, and attacked the city himself.

Power Chamber,

The Rangers had arrived back at the Power Chamber and were celebrating their victory when the alarm sounded. They exchanged knowing looks; a stream of constant attacks was one of the tactics Minion had used against the Zeo Rangers.

"It's Minion," Billy said after checking the Viewing Screen.

"Let's get out there," Jason said. "It's Morphin Time!"

"White Ranger Power!"

"Black Ranger Power!"

"Pink Ranger Power!"

"Blue Ranger Power!"

"Yellow Ranger Power!"

"Red Ranger Power!"

"Purple Ranger Power!"

"Green Ranger Power!"

"Teleporting now," Alpha told them.

In eight columns of light the Rangers teleported away, heading away to avenge their friends. Before they reached their destination, the Rangers had already summoned their Power Weapons for combat.

"Power Axe!" Black Ranger called, appearing next to Minion and swiping at him with his axe in single-handed mode. "Cosmic Cannon!" he added converting his weapon and throwing it into the air.

"Power Bow!" Pink Ranger shouted. She fired two arrows and then struck Minion with her bow before throwing it into the air to join the Power Axe.

"Power Lance!" Blue Ranger said as he struck Minion in the chest. He used two more blows and then split the lance in half, jabbed Minion with both parts before throwing it into the air to join the Power Axe and Power Bow.

"Power Daggers!" Yellow Ranger said. As she threw her daggers, Purple Ranger appeared behind the villain with her weapon. "Power Whip!"

"Drago Sword!" "Power Sword!" "Dragon Blade!" White, Red and Green Rangers called.

The three Rangers attacked at the same time, forcing Minion to reach down deep and draw the power from his Dark Dimension. After blocking each blow Minion turned to face his adversaries. He could sense their strength and was impressed by their potential. For the first time he was being truly tested, so much so that he was forced to expend a large amount of power to protect himself.

"That was a nice try," he told them, "but if you believe you can defeat me you are mistaken and I will be happy to correct your oversight. It's time you felt the full power of Minion."

"Finish the Power Blaster!" Red Ranger called, sliding the Power Sword into position.

Green Ranger stuck his sword onto the base of the Power Blaster's barrel. Purple Ranger slotted the handle of her whip into place under the sword and David placed the Drago Sword at the front like a bayonet.

"Fire!" all eight Rangers called.

Eight beams of coloured light burst from the Power Blaster, but before they could touch Minion the villain moved.

"Power Cannon!" the Rangers called as the Power Blaster disassembled and the weapons were placed back in subspace. The blast had a similar effect, as the construct proved he had the sense not to challenge their power directly.

"Pathetic humans," Minion hissed. "Do you really believe you can defeat me?"

"Power Sword!"

The Power Sword was thrust towards Minion's chest, but deflected by the Sword of Ragnarok. The battle resembled the fight between Red Ranger and the original Green Ranger a few years before. Jason remembered how he had defeated Tommy on that occasion and tried the same trick with Minion. The plan worked in disarming Minion, but Jason found the Sword of Ragnarok impossible to destroy.

"Fool, the sword is an instrument of destruction, it cannot be destroyed!" Minion crowed.

From a distance Purple Ranger attacked, using her Power Whip to strike Minion in the small of his back. White Ranger was already airborne, using his momentum to bicycle kick Minion. As he landed, he used the Drago Sword to cause more damage.

Yellow Ranger handed her Power Daggers to Pink Ranger and Black Ranger handed his Power Axe to Blue Ranger. As Pink Ranger fired the Power Daggers, Blue Ranger fired the Cosmic Cannon. Black Ranger had taken Blue Ranger's Power Lance and used it to fight Minion at close range.

"Thunder Clap!" Black Ranger called.

"Rolling Thunder!" Yellow Ranger called.

Once again Minion was engulfed in lightning, this time with the added noise of thunder. Minion dropped to the ground from the assault. As he regained his footing, he failed to notice Green Ranger moving into position under his knees. Red Ranger delivered yet another punch and sent Minion over the Green Ranger.

"Surround him!" Red Ranger called. "Blade Blasters up!"

Surrounding Minion on all sides, the Rangers fired. Their blasts ripped into the villain. After their first try to destroy him failed, Red Ranger realised they needed a new plan.

"Time for..."

"No!" Minion interrupted. He had underestimated the Rangers, he could see that now. They were dangerous, far too risky to play with. He needed to destroy them quickly. Perhaps it was time to reconsider his goal of conquering the Earth. After all, there was the rest of the Universe at his disposal. "I have given you all a chance to take your best shots, but now I am tired of playing with you. It's time to grow up!"

Minion suddenly grew to full size and drew the Sword of Ragnarok once again. He made a slicing motion and moved the sword in a small circle. He drove the large blade into the ground until only the handle of the blade could be seen. The device he had been given shattered as the ripped through the physical world and then the dimensional barriers. Minion's magic poured into the sword helping it to cleanly cleave its way through the barriers. But it was his rage and hatred that gave the sword its purpose to destroy everything.

As Minion fed his power into the sword, it bled into the Ley Lines that crisscrossed the planet and into the Morphin Grid. The sword was now connected to two vast energy conduits, one of which extended through all reality. As the device shattered the destructive power it contained was sent throughout reality, overloading the conduits and exploding out through tears in the very fabric of time and space.

Meanwhile the cuts Minion had made before plunging the sword into the planet had opened.

"What have you done?" Billy queried.

"I have put an end to this battle one way or the other," Minion told them, his voice echoing over the city. "Allow me to introduce you to the source of my power, the Dark Dimension, right here on Earth."

"But the Dark Dimension is too large to exist here," Billy protested.

Minion laughed as he imagined the look on Billy's face as he realised what that meant. The Dark Dimension had a greater density and therefore a greater gravity than the Earth. And for every moment it was open the Dark Dimension drew more of the Rangers' world into itself. And in the process, the pull of the gravity would rip the planet to pieces.

"There is no way for you to win," Minion continued. "Should you fall in battle I win; should by some miracle you manage to defeat me, the Earth will be ripped to pieces as it is sucked into the Dark Dimension where I rule supreme. Either way, I win."

"Or we can stop you and close that rift," Jason yelled back.

Raising his sword Minion prepared to crush the Rangers. He was prevented from doing so as a charging Dinozord lifted him off his feet. The Triceratops shook its head, jamming its horn further into Minion's side.

"When did we summon the Zords?" Red Ranger asked as the other Dinozords arrived, Dragonzord bringing up the rear due to its bulk.

"Zordon must have sent them," Trini guessed.

"Alright Zordon," Jason cheered. "Rangers, let's go!"

Even in his weakened state Minion still managed to hold his own against the Zords. He summoned the Sword of Darkness from the Dark Dimension and used it in place of the Sword of Ragnarok.

Billy had quickly decided that the horn on Minion's wolf mask was an energy conductor and as such, a possible weakness. The Rangers tried to zero in on that target.

Minion managed to free himself from the Triceratops's horn, only to find himself on the wrong end of the Pterodactyl's talons. The Saber-toothed and Mastodon were close behind as the Stegazord moved into position to trip the villain as the yellow Zord pounced. Minion blasted the three Zords away as the Raptor Zord swooped in and pulled him into the sky.

David allowed the Power to guide him as he directed his Zord to circle while gaining altitude. When he reached the desired height he made the Zord swoop toward the ground, picked up speed before releasing Minion and then pulled out of the dive. While he was skilled enough to roll away from the villain's blast, he failed to dodge a building, grounding his machine in the process.

The Dragonzord lurched forward, combining the experience of the Green Ranger and the machine he had been created to pilot. The fight with Minion moved back and forth as it had on previous occasions. Sam activated one of his machine's rarely used attacks, firing a boomerang shaped bolt of energy from the Dragonzord's forehead. Shortly after that he remembered why he didn't like that weapon as Minion batted it back at him.

~Why did I bother?~ Sam wondered. He wasn't sure that attack had ever worked.

While Dragonzord tried to recover from its own attack, the Tyrannosaurus closed the distance, mauling Minion with its claws and teeth.

"Take this!" Minion growled, throwing a ball of dark energy. Dragonzord, returning the favour from earlier, intercepted the shot and sent it hurtling back at the villain.

"Time to turn this up a notch," Jason observed.

A flash of lightning transformed the Zords, making them ready to merge.

"Not this time," Minion warned.

He drove a glowing fist into the side of the Mastodon and struck the Stegazord across the back with his elbow. While the machines' self-repair programs would deal with any damage, not that the new Dinozords were that easy to damage, but the shock rendered both machines immobile.

"So was there a point to that?" Kimberly asked.

"Of course there was a point, foolish girl," Minion answered. He could sense the small tear he had created between the Rangers' plane and the Dark Dimension growing. Soon they would see the reason he was guaranteed to triumph and the Earth would be lucky to survive. "The Mastodon Zord is essential for either the Dino Megazord or Dragonzord Battle Mode. Without the Stegazord there is no Dino Stegazord formation. With two blows I have robbed you of your ability to merge your powers.

"Switch back!" Jason ordered.

Following his orders the Saber-toothed Tiger, Triceratops and Pterodactyl reverted to their new forms, making them more effective in individual combat. Meanwhile the Tyrannosaurus had engaged Minion in battle again, using its tail to stand on while it kicked the villain in the chest. Minion staggered back as the Zord followed up with a head butt, never noticing as Dragonzord moved in from behind with a powerful tail smash.

Minion tried to fight back, bringing all the power and techniques he had mastered into play. The Rangers controlled their Zords expertly, compensating for their lack of a Megazord by coordinating their individual attacks. And as they did so they allowed the damaged Zords a chance to rejoin the battle.

The Raptor Zord swooped, plucking the Saber-toothed Tiger from the ground. With Trini operating her Zord's teeth and claws, and David using the Raptor Zord to keep the yellow Zord in the air as it attacked. David pulled the lever, allowing the Saber-toothed Tiger to drop onto the villain, mauling him as they fell to the ground.

"Mastodon, back online!" Zack reported.

"Ground Breath Attack!" Jason called, shifting a slider on his control panel to the right.

The Tyrannosaurus shot a burst of yellow energy from its mouth into the ground, causing a line of smoke to explode upward from the ground toward Minion. A purple energy screen appeared in front of the villain, protecting him from an attack that had in the past seen the end of Shell shock and Rita's Giant.

"While he's distracted, let's bring them together, Battle Mode!"

The Rangers formed the Megazord, this time foregoing the Dino Tank stage. Instead the Mastodon formed the arms immediately, the Saber-toothed Tiger and Triceratops moved into position as legs, and the Pterodactyl slotted into place as the chest; the Megazord's head was already in position as the machine came to a stop and stood upright.

"Power Punch Missiles!" the Rangers called.

The Megazord lurched forward, launching a fist from the end of its arm, which flew toward Minion and exploded against his chest. The fist then regenerated on the Megazord's arm, ready to continue the battle.

"Power Sword!" the Rangers called, preparing to finish the battle.

The Megazord swung its sword, slicing through Minion's horn, just as they had hoped. His armour started to spark, having lost its ability to regulate the Morphin Energy that Minion had used to create it. With an angry growl, Minion turned and vanished with a swirl of his cloak.

"Rangers, return to the Power Chamber at once," Zordon ordered before they could celebrate. The Rangers exchange worried glances and teleported away.

It had started on Aquitar; a few small tremors marked the beginning of the destruction, but just minutes later there was panic as the planet started to shake itself apart. The seas boiled as great chunks of the planet were swallowed by a black void that had appeared in the sky.

On Triforia the Royal Advisors tried to organise a mass evacuation of the Triforian System. The system's suns had disappeared, throwing the planets into chaos. Trent tried to send a message to Trey on Earth before it was too late. The planet was destroyed before the message could be sent.

On Onyx the Executive Council of the UAE had decided to meet to put an end to Minion and the impostor who had boasted of his success. Some of the assembled villains seemed to sense what was to come; Lord Zedd even tried to escape before it happened, but in the end they too were swallowed by the void.

The devastation continued, ripping its way through worlds, whole star systems and even galaxies without slowing. Only Earth seemed unaffected by the devastation that had been unleashed by Minion. Far away from Earth, the Master was busy, still seeking the answer to the puzzle box that for some reason evaded him.

A beeping noise alerted him that something was wrong. He checked the readings, frowned and then started flipping controls. The destruction that Minion had unleashed was running away from him; it should never have become self-sustaining. It seemed that he had miscalculated, but no matter, with the energy he had already collected he was capable of shifting outside of time and space; regardless of what happened, he would be safe. His smile of victory vanished when his ship started to disintegrate.

After the Rangers teleported into the Power Chamber, they simultaneously pulled their helmets off.

"Rangers," Alpha said. "You are safe."

"Zordon, what's going on?" Jason asked. The message had sounded urgent.

"During you battle Alpha and I were checking Minion's boast," Zordon explained. "What we found was deeply disturbing. Alpha, enlarge the image for the Rangers."

"What is that?" Kimberly asked when the computer focussed in on the white reflective globe mounted on the handle.

"The computer has failed to identify it," Alpha told them. "However it is agitating the sword and accelerating the damage."

"Somebody has assembled this device and given it to Minion," Zordon continued in a concerned tone. "It is beyond the technical knowledge of his known allies." ~I hope.~

"Couldn't Minion have built it?" Trini asked.

"Minion has not had the time to do so, nor does he have the knowledge to tune such a device."

"So either Minion found somebody to do it for him," Zack suggested.

"Or somebody decided to help him," Aisha finished. "Who?"

"Not Rita or Zedd, that's for sure," Zack noted.

"Quite true Zachary. I believe that whoever has been aiding Minion has done so to further their own scheme. I do not believe those motives involve conquering the planet. I also believe that Minion's benefactor expected Earth to be the first casualty."

There was silence.

"Zordon, what has happened?"

"Behold the Viewing Screen," Zordon told them. "What you are seeing is a map of this galaxy."

The Rangers stared as the lights representing planets and stars started to disappear.

"No way," Zack breathed.

"The device was used on Earth with the Sword of Ragnarok; Minion clearly expected the rift he opened between this universe and the Dark Dimension to cause the destruction of the Earth. Minion did not know that the Earth's natural magic would resist his attempts, reflecting the energy waves into Morphin Grid, and in the process amplifying it. The result is that similar rifts have opened on worlds throughout the galaxy and possibly beyond."

"Ai-yi-yi, the process is growing faster," Alpha complained.

"For every world and star consumed, the Dark Dimension can feed more power through the sword and into the device."

"So how do we stop it?" Sam wanted to know.

"I am afraid it is too late to stop," Zordon said. "It would seem that Minion has won."

"Zordon, you can't mean that," Aisha said.

"I am afraid that it is true Aisha, the destruction has become self-sustaining."

"Couldn't we use the Great Power?" Trini asked.

"The Great Power can only repair the damage that has been caused, it cannot stop the destruction from occurring," Zordon explained.

"What if we destroyed the sword?"

"The sword cannot be destroyed," Alpha wailed. "It is made of an unknown material that is immune to our weapons."

"The destruction is moving beyond our galaxy," Billy observed. It wouldn't be long in his estimation before the effects turned inwards and the Earth fell victim.

"What's going to happen, Zordon?" Tanya asked fearfully.

"Minion's intention was to drive the Earth into the Dark Dimension," Zordon explained. "As it does so the magic of the planet will turn the Earth against itself. The worst disturbances will probably begin close to the sword. However, because Minion's aims were not the same as the one who aided him, they have provided us with a solution. Should the Sword of Ragnarok be sucked into Dark Dimension, it will lose its ability to draw from the Earth's power and its connection to the Morphin Grid. It would then be possible to attempt to seal the rift and repair the damage it has caused.

"But the sword cannot be moved," Zack guessed.

"Affirmative," Billy agreed, looking over a printout. "The device is bound to the sword, the sword is buried in the Earth and protected by a barrier Minion put in place."

"So we need to destroy Minion," Kimberly said.

"Just one problem," Zack observed, looking at the world map. "We can't find him."

"We have to do something," David protested.

"First we need to make sure everyone stays safe?" Jason said. "Alpha, contact Tommy and the others; we need them here."

"Yes Jason, right away." Alpha activated the signal to the Gem Coin Rangers.

In his home, Tommy heard the beep of his communicator and ignored it. His mind was already made up that the Rangers were better off without him.

In Ko's Garden Adam had the same thought. He was determined he would never let a Ranger down again and the way to do that was to surrender his powers.

In Pyramidas Trey heard the call to action and struggled with his conscience about the best course of action. He knew he couldn't give up, but part of him just wanted to go home.

Rocky was still on the bed where Jason had left him. The Red Ranger had understood when Rocky did not want to answer the call, Rocky was sure he would understand if he stayed away.

Kat and Tanya also chose not to answer their communicators. Both were certain they did not belong to the Rangers and both were scared of what morphing again would mean.

"No response Zordon," Alpha said.

"Alpha, teleport them here. The Earth needs them and I am afraid we have no choice."

In six flashes of light the former Zeo Rangers and Trey appeared. None of them looked pleased to be back.

"I realise you have been through a great deal," their mentor rumbled. "Were it within my power I would ensure you never experience such torment again and Travis would be here with us. But that is not within my capabilities. The Earth needs you now and I ask you to look within and find the courage to fulfil your duties. You must first travel to Dimension Z, a place closely connected to this world and retrieve the Orb of Hope."

The six Rangers nodded and teleported away on their quest.

"Orb of Hope?" Aisha asked when they had gone.

"Trust me Aisha," Zordon replied. "It is for the best. Alpha, tell the Orb Keeper to expect the Rangers and to unleash Harmonia upon their arrival."

"Ai-yi-yi," Alpha muttered as he did what he was told.

"Oh no, look!" Kimberly cried.

The Viewing Screen was starting to show disasters breaking out all over the world, early signs that the planet was being drawn into the Dark Dimension.

"There must be something more we can do," Trini said.

"We can warn people," Jason said. "Encourage people to get in their basements or something."

It would make very little difference to the outcome, but at least they were doing something. Anything, no matter how small a gesture it seemed was better then nothing.

"That is an excellent suggestion," Zordon said. "First you must morph and go warn various television studios. If you go and extend the warning in person, it will carry more weight than if I were to warn them through our radio systems. Then you should go help in Angel Grove as much as you can while I try to find a solution."

"Let's go guys," Jason said. Eight bursts of light floated out of the Power Chamber. "It's Morphin Time!"

"White Ranger Power!"

"Green Ranger Power!"

"Purple Ranger Power!"

"Black Ranger Power!"

"Pink Ranger Power!"

"Blue Ranger Power!"

"Yellow Ranger Power!"

"Red Ranger Power!"

The Rangers teleported to Alpha's coordinates, leaving the robot to worry. "Ai-yi-yi, Zordon," Alpha said. "What should I do?"

"Begin a scan for Minion. Finding and destroying him is the only way this destruction can be stopped."

Dimension Z

The six Rangers appeared in a dimension filled with lush green forest. Tommy found this surprising since he had assumed Dimension Z belonged to Lord Zedd. Slowly they made their way through the jungle, avoiding the obvious traps until they reached a tall temple.

"Shall we?" Rocky asked.

The others nodded and together they started to climb the steps. At first the climb was easy, but as they got higher it became more difficult to climb. They could have morphed, but the Rangers did not feel they deserved the Power anymore.

"That's far enough, strangers!" Looking up the Rangers could see a woman in a long white gown looking at them. "I am Harmonia, protector of the Orb of Hope. Identify yourselves or face my wrath."

"Zordon sent us," Tommy said simply.

"So, you are Rangers?"

Although they all shook their heads, Harmonia could see they were silently thinking they were. "Why are you here?"

"Zordon sent us to collect the Orb of Hope," Trey told her.

"To collect the Orb you must each prove yourselves worthy," she told him. "First morph and then enter the temple one at a time."

"It's Morphin Time," Tommy said without enthusiasm.

"Zeo Ranger I - Crane."

"Zeo Ranger II - Bear."

"Zeo Ranger III - Ape."

"Zeo Ranger V - Falcon."

"Gold Ranger Power."

In five columns the Rangers were teleported into the temple leaving Adam outside, still struggling over whether to morph or nor. Harmonia sighed. "At least five of them are willing to morph." Adam was going to be a problem, but she had ways to get him into the temple.

"Billy and I will go to the Juice Bar," Kimberly said after the Rangers had finished their news broadcast. It would be relayed out to multiple organisations and shown as soon as possible.

"I'll go to Angel Grove Hospital," Zack said.

"I'll go with you," Trini offered. The two teens took off running.

"The wind is really starting to pick up," Aisha observed. The sky was a sickeningly shade of grey, and heavy, ominous thunderclouds sat just above the city. "We have to hurry."

"David, there are some nursing homes near here," Jason said. "Let's go warn them."

"Right," he agreed.

"I'll go see if I can help at the high school," Aisha said.

"We'll meet up with you later," Kimberly said. She and Billy promptly took off for Ernie's.

Dimension Z

Tommy found himself teleported into a room similar to the place where Minion had held Travis. As he looked around, he realised he was on the floor with a blaster in front of him.

"Five!" Tommy recognised Minion's voice. Sure enough, as he looked up he could see Minion holding Travis in the hold he had before. He reached for the blaster and then remembered that the blaster was only set to half power.

~This is an illusion, ~ he thought. ~There is no way to change what happened, so give up now and let him die. ~

That was an easy option for Tommy. For a moment he even considered doing just that and allowing his friend to die.

"No," he said as much to himself as anybody else. "I won't let somebody else die because I failed."

"You failed last time," Minion said.

"Last time I was hurt, I had not powers and I was scared," Tommy admitted. "But I will never let anybody do what you did to me ever again. I am Zeo Ranger V - Red and you're history!"

Red Zeo leapt at Minion, careful to avoid striking Travis in the process. The Zeo V Power Sword made contact and Minion vanished into red smoke. The captive changed and Tommy realised it was not Travis. For a moment he had been willing to let another innocent die, but he had conquered his fear and now he knew what he had to do. Touching his belt, he teleported away.

Kimberly and Billy had just stepped into Ernie's when a powerful boom of thunder shook the entire building. There was no rain, but plenty of thunder and lightning. They had demorphed to avoid a panic.

"Ernie!" Kimberly shouted, running up to the bar. "You have to get everybody in the basement."

"What?" he asked, still wiping the counter down.

"There's a major storm headed this way," Billy said. "They expect it to level everything in Angel Grove."

"They who?" Ernie asked. "They haven't said anything about it on the news."

"The Power Rangers, that's who," Kimberly said. "And they haven't aired it yet because the Power Rangers haven't got to the television studios yet."

Ernie's face suddenly went pale. "You got it," he said. "Hey! Everybody! We have to go in the basement! Come on!"

"What do we do Billy?" Kimberly asked. "Where do we go?"

"I don't know," he said. "I guess we should go and warn people in the streets."

Ernie ran back up to the bar. "You guys," Ernie said, "be careful." He smiled a knowing smile and followed the crowd of teens to the basement.

In a flash of pink and blue light, their Ranger armour moulded itself around the body of the two teens, increasing their muscularity, reflexes, strength, and fighting ability. "Let's go," Kimberly said. They ran out into the rapidly increasing storm.

"The wind's really picking up!" Billy shouted.

"Billy! Look!" Kimberly screamed, pointing to the left.

They both watched in terrified awe as a heavy, black funnel cloud lowered itself to the Earth.

Aisha ran down the halls of Angel Grove High. Class was still in session, as sixth period had yet to end. She wondered briefly if she should handle the problem in her civilian guise. "Aisha," she thought to herself, "you are supposed to be in Africa. They are going to have questions as to why you're here. Save yourself the trouble and remain morphed."

The Purple Ranger hurried into the main office, startling the secretary. "Can I help you?" she asked.

"Yes," Aisha said. "A major storm is about to hit Angel Grove. You need to warn the students." Suddenly, the entire building began to shake. "Or an earthquake," Aisha added.

"The Rangers are on the move, master," Arcana reported.

"They should have given up by now," Minion snarled.

He reached out to the Moon and the Machine Sky Base, grabbing as many of his competitors' forces as possible. He would stop the Rangers, one way or the other.

Kimberly and Billy watched as the tornado slowly melted away. Its damage, however, had already been done. Several blocks of suburbia were destroyed, along with countless innocent lives. "Oh my God, Billy," Kimberly sighed.

Just as suddenly as it came, the rain stopped. The lightning remained, but the torrential downpour ceased.

"Destroy - the - Power Rangers," a robotic voice said.

Billy and Kimberly turned around to see an army marching toward them. Cogs on the front line, Tengas behind, Putties and Super Putties close behind.

"This day just keeps going from bad to worse," Kimberly said.

"This is Billy. Kimberly and I need help. We've got an entire army about to attack on the north side of Angel Grove," he said into his wrist. "Can anybody hear us?" Billy asked frantically. "Hello?"

"It's not working!" Kimberly cried. "Zordon! Alpha!"

"Looks like we're on our own," Billy said.

"Well, if anybody can do it," Kimberly began.

"We can," Billy finished.

"Ai-yi-yi Zordon!" Alpha cried. "I don't think those are ordinary earthquakes! And people are dying by the thousands! Ai-yi-yi Zordon! What are we going to do! Population has already dropped to 3.6 billion! Ai-yi-yi yi-yi-yi-yi!"

"Calm yourself, Alpha Five," Zordon said. "We are doing all that we can do. Check the temperature of the Earth below Angel Grove."

"Right Zordon," Alpha said, hustling over to a nearby console. The scan took only a few moments. "Ai-yi-yi! Temperature has already risen forty-seven point three degrees! Molten rock is being forced up to the surface! We're doomed!"

"Is the molten rock coming up from beneath Power Mountain?" Zordon asked, his voice very calm.

"No, Zordon," Alpha said. "Fortunately, the spell you cast ten thousand years ago is still holding. This mountain is rock solid."

"Then there is still hope."

"I certainly hope so," Alpha said woefully.

"Dear God," Zack said.

He and Trini stood at the mouth of the Hospital Parking Lot. They were both soaked to the skin, but that really didn't seem to matter at the moment. The two teens just stared at the smoking pile of rubble that had once been Angel Grove Memorial.

"Those poor people," Trini muttered in a very small voice. She fought back the tears that tried to break free.

Suddenly, a terrible crack of thunder deafened them both. A multi-forked lightning bolt struck the rubble. Trini dropped to her knees with both hands over her ears. A raging inferno sprang to life almost immediately.

"There's probably severed gas mains around here," Zack said.

"Let's get out of here," Trini said, jumping to her feet. A giant red fireball exploded behind them.

Aisha screamed as the office split down the middle. She watched in stunned horror as the receptionist and her desk full into the gaping chasm that formed right down the middle of the office. The Purple Ranger lunged at the falling woman, but it was too late.

"No!" Aisha screeched. She crawled away from the gaping schism in the Earth as molten fire began to bubble out of it.

Jason and David stopped two blocks away from the nursing home. "We're too late," David said as the tornado continued its path of destruction. Jason turned away from the horrific site, dropped to his knees, and vomited up everything he had eaten that day.

He suddenly felt so useless. He had become a Ranger to save the planet, and then left for the Peace Conference to continue helping, just in a different way. And all for what? Just to have everyone in Angel Grove die. His mother, father. Emily. "No," Jason said. "No. It can't end like this."

"Jason," David said. "We're too late. Now pull yourself together and maybe we can help somebody else." David spoke with a tone of voice he never would have dreamed he would use on anyone, certainly not Jason. But he was the White Ranger, he who led the charge against the darkness and despite David's quiet nature and his preference for letting the Red Ranger command, circumstances forced him to step up to the plate.

"You're right," Jason breathed. He wiped his forearm across his mouth and stood up. "You're right. Sorry for losin' it."

"It's okay," David muttered. "There's no use following the tornado's path. I doubt we'll find any signs of life that way."

"You're right," Jason said yet again. "We'll head the other way."

The positions reversed, the normal roles were resumed, Jason as the field commander and David as the quiet follower.

Jason turned around just in time to see the well-defined boundary of rain. The rain seemed to form a solid wall, and it was slowly creeping its way into Angel Grove. "Hurricane," he whispered.

"I can't take the time to fight any one of these guys," Billy thought to himself. "Just launch a full assault on as many as you can."

"Power Lance!" he shouted. He held the Lance in both hands before him and ran into the army of warriors.

Billy reached the middle of the group and stopped. He began to spin his Lance all around him, producing sparks from the Cogs, and screams from the Tengas.

Kimberly stood slightly back, picking off the Z-Putties and Tengas alike with her arrows. Her aim was precise, every shot hitting the Z on the Putties chests or a tender spot on the Tengas.

Dimension Z

The other four Zeo Rangers had been through a similar test, concentrating on their different responses to what had happened in Minion's Sub-dimension. Tanya had been in the room on her own until she realised that her friends would never leave her. Trey had finally conquered his conflicting emotions surrounding Travis sufficiently to stabilise and draw on his full power. Rocky had made peace with his conscience and felt better and Kat had determined to resolve her problems with Tommy as soon as she got home.

Now all that was left was for Adam to join them. Then they could get the Orb and leave. They waited for a while until it became obvious Adam was not coming.

Kat was the first to hear the sound of something falling, but it did little to help as a cage formed around them. Their powers seemed to fade making it impossible to break out and poisoned gas started to pump into the chamber.

"I think we're in trouble," Rocky said as the ceiling started to fall towards them.

"You okay girl?" Zack asked, running out of the flaming inferno.

"I've been better," Trini said, "but yeah. I'm okay. Where do we go now? What do we do, Zack?"

"I don't know," he stammered. The ground began to crack beneath their feet.

"What now?" Trini cried. The two Rangers jumped out of the way as the pavement began to disintegrate. Suddenly, red lava began to spew out of the numerous spiderweb cracks.

Before Trini and Zack could even comprehend the volcano that was forming beneath Angel Grove, the hurricane was upon them.

David wrapped his arms around a lamppost. "This isn't good!" Jason shouted over the roar of the wind. David nodded in agreement. He pulled his right hand closer to his face. Concentrating, he tried to redirect the wind around them. He let go of the lamppost and found that the wind scarcely had an effect on him at all.

"Zordon," Jason said into his wrist. "Alpha. Jason to Power Chamber. Jason to Power Chamber."

"Why isn't it working?" David asked.

"I don't know," Jason said, noticing that their suits seemed to change in brightness "The rift is affecting the Morphin Grid. Hold on. I'm going to try to teleport." He put his hands on his Morpher Buckle and squeezed the sides, signalling a teleport. However, nothing happened. "Lord help us all," Jason thought to himself.

"I don't know what to do!" Aisha screamed over the roar of the wind and crackle of fire. The school was about to be overwhelmed with molten lava, yet she couldn't lead the students outside because of the hurricane. As it turned out, it didn't matter. Just a few seconds later, the school collapsed in on itself.

"There's no one left to help, Zack!" Trini cried. "I'm going back to the Power Chamber."

"I know," Zack said. The two Rangers stopped and attempted to teleport.

"Wha?" Trini asked. She attempted to teleport again.

"Man, now the Power Chamber," Zack said. "This day just keeps going from bad to worse!"

Billy landed on his back beside Kimberly. He quickly shuffled away from the approaching army. "Billy," Kimberly said, "we can't handle all these guys. People are dying by the thousands all around us. What more harm can they do? I say we get out of here!"

"You're right," he said. They started to run, when the ground began to rumble beneath them.

"Earthquakes and hurricanes?" Kimberly asked sarcastically.

Suddenly, she realized that it was no Earthquake. A large section of the street fell straight down. Billy flipped away from the trouble, but Kimberly was too late.

Part of the street fell with them, while another part got wedged against some various pipes. It did not fall completely, but it was slanted nearly sixty degrees. Screaming, Kimberly slid down this slanted section of broken asphalt. At the last second, she grabbed a water pipe. The chunk of asphalt finally broke free, plunging into the lava stream far below.

"Billy!" Kimberly screamed. The pipe began to bend, lowering her inch by inch to her doom.

"Hold on Kimberly!" he cried. However, he had no idea how to save his comrade. She couldn't teleport, and in a matter of seconds, she would fall into the lava far below. She could certainly survive the fall in her uniform. She could even survive the scorching river of fire. However, it was moving fast, and he had no idea where it would carry her.

"Thank you very much," Sam said to the producer at WKTP in New York City. He pushed his belt buckle and waited for the teleport. Nothing. He tried once more. Nothing. "Teleportation is off-line?" Sam asked himself in horror.

"Help me Billy!" Kimberly screamed as the pipe dropped an extra five feet.

"I'm hurrying!" Billy called down to her in an equally frantic voice.

He glanced all about him, looking for anything he could use to help Kimberly. He saw a fallen power line and got an idea. Billy pulled his Blade Blaster from its holster and fired at the thick wire. The blue laser sliced clean through it. He promptly shot the wire again at a distance about fifty feet from the first nick. "I've got an idea!" he shouted down to Kimberly. "Just hold on!"

"This pipe isn't going to hold much longer!" she cried.

Billy ran up to her and, holding tight to one end, tossed the power line down to Kimberly. As soon as it swung past her, she latched hold of the wire and held on for dear life. In just a few moments, he had her pulled to safety. She hugged Billy tightly, not wanting to let go. Despite the hurricane raging around them, he just held her in return.

Aisha ran into David. "David!" she cried. "Jason! The school is gone! It collapsed while I was inside it! There's nothing left!"

"That's what all of Angel Grove is like," David answered sadly. "Nursing homes, suburbs. Business district."

"It's all levelled," Jason said. "And if that isn't bad enough, teleportation and communications are offline."

"Let's find the others," Aisha said. "Maybe Billy knows some way to get back to the Power Chamber."

"Sounds like a good idea," Jason agreed.

Dimension Z

Adam sat alone on the steps of the temple. He had wanted to go with the others, but he was scared of being helpless to save his fellow Rangers again.

"Adam!"

~That sounds like Rocky, ~ he thought.

"Help!"

Every part of Adam wanted to morph and help his friends, but his mind kept returning to the sight of seeing Travis being killed by Minion and knowing there was no way for him to help.

"I have my powers," he said to himself, trying to find a reason to help.

~I couldn't help last time. Why would this time be any different? ~

But Adam already knew the answer. This time would be different because this time he would not fail.

"Zeo Ranger IV - Green!"

In a flash of green he teleported into the temple, ready to help. He arrived just in time to free his companions and for them to get out of the trap.

"So," Harmonia hissed. "You have passed the test of the temple. Now you have only to defeat me."

As she spoke a katana like sword appeared in her hand. Her white gown became black as her hair turned into a mass of green snakelike creatures.

"Zeo Power Weapons," Red Zeo said to his companions. "Let's show her why you don't mess with the Zeo Rangers."

Now with the power of the Zeo Crystal flowing through their bodies the Zeo Rangers attacked and discovered they had some new abilities.

"Zeo Power Shield!" Pink Zeo called.

After blocking a blow from Harmonia, Pink Zeo jumped away and threw her disklike shield. The disk flew through the air, missing Harmonia on the first pass, but rebounding to strike her from behind.

"Now, Zeo I Power Disk!"

Grabbing hold of the shield, Kat was propelled into Harmonia. The monster fell to the ground, as Kat was teleported back to her friends. With the Zeo power, the Rangers had gained greater control over their teleportation abilities. Kat had seen the greatest increase since she was able to change course in mid teleport.

"Zeo III Hammer Punch!"

Blue Zeo started to spin as he had in the when using his Power Punch. This time as he reached top speed he lifted off the ground, aimed for Harmonia's head and delivered a double axe handle type blow to the head.

"You'll pay for that," Harmonia screeched, reminding the Rangers of Rita Repulsa.

Harmonia's hair reached out and wrapped around Blue Zeo, pulling him towards her.

"Zeo V Power Blast!"

After raising his sword so the star-shaped hilt was level with his helmet, Red Zeo fed the power from his Zeo Shard into a single blast. Harmonia's hair was ripped apart as Red Zeo followed up.

"Zeo V Power Kick!"

"Zeo V Power Sword!"

A quick kick knocked Harmonia off balance as the Power Sword sliced her in half. The monster exploded, leaving the Rangers victorious.

"You have past the test Rangers," the Keeper said as he walked in. "Here is the object you seek."

Pulling back a white shroud the Keeper revealed a large crystal. All the Rangers recognised it at once.

"That's the Zeo Crystal," Rocky said.

"Correct," the Keeper said. "You all past the test and proven yourselves worthy of the Zeo Crystal. While you have been here, the Crystal has been regenerating. Soon it will be ready for you to use again. Harmonia never wanted to stop you, but she was under instructions to make you realise you were Rangers."

"Then this isn't Zedd's Dimension?" Tommy asked.

"Zedd? Is that what he led you to believe? That sly old dog. This dimension is the personal domain of Zordon. It has no other master. Remember Titanus young Panther."

Tommy groaned as he remembered the first time he had met Titanus. The mighty dinosaur had tried to prevent Tommy and Jason from getting some new weapons until they learnt to work as a team. In the end it had turned out to be a test by Zordon to ensure the two Rangers could work together.

"Now, I believe you have a world that needs saving," the Keeper continued. "The others are trying to warn people of the danger, perhaps you can help them."

As he spoke the Rangers' uniforms vanished and they realised they needed to morph properly.

"Zeo Ranger I - Crane!"

"Zeo Ranger II - Bear!"

"Zeo Ranger III - Ape!"

"Zeo Ranger IV - Frog!"

"Zeo Ranger V - Falcon!"

"Gold Ranger Power!"

As the Rangers vanished, so did the temple along with the Keeper.

New York

The young mother covered her head and screamed as the building fell towards her. Car brakes squealed as drivers desperately tried to regain control of their vehicles. The earthquake or whatever it was that was causing the shaking was causing chaos across America. The boats on the river were trying to navigate through a full force hurricane as a massive tidal wave swept through Manhattan.

Just as the woman was about to be squashed, a thick glob of webbing grabbed her from its path. Spider-Man lifted her away from the danger; glad he could save a life, saddened at the ten or so workers who had perished in the building's collapse.

"What is going on?" he wondered after setting the damsel down. He had seen storms before, earthquakes, and even his fair share of towering infernos. He had never seen them all occur simultaneously with a few blocks of a volcano.

The building he had been resting against gave way, plunging him into the street; he fired a web line and swung to safety only for the line to break. He found himself plummeting into a pool of lava.

Zack and Trini found Billy and Kimberly. "It's all gone," Trini said woodenly. "All of Angel Grove."

"The Power Chamber might be gone," Billy said. "We have no way of knowing."

"How will we get back?" Zack asked.

"We can try calling on a Zord," Billy said. "At least that way we can travel out to the Power Chamber."

"HEY!" a strong voice shouted. "You guys!"

"It's Jason," Zack said. "With Aisha and David."

The seven Rangers joined up a few seconds later. Billy quickly explained his plan for getting back to the Power Chamber.

"David, do the honours."

"Right," he said. "Raptor Zord, power up!"

From its hiding place the Raptor Zord emerged and flew into the wind.

"I see it!" Trini shouted. The white Zord flew toward them, despite the lightning, wind, and torrential downpour of rain. "David, just get us back to Power Mountain, we should be able to teleport from there. Everybody else, we have to line-of-sight teleport into the empty area in the Zord's belly."

"Will that work?" Zack asked. "With the teleportation system off-line?"

"It should," Billy said. "Line-of-sight is activated by the Zords, not from the normal teleport unit in the Power Chamber.

"We're about to see if you're right," David said. The seven Rangers jumped into the air and teleported into the Zord.

"Rangers!" Alpha cried when they finally arrived in the Power Chamber. "I am so glad you are safe!"

"Why is the teleportation unit off-line?" Billy asked, setting his helmet on a computer console. He immediately began to search for the problem.

"We weren't aware that it was," Zordon said.

"Well, I've found the problem," Billy said. "It was accidentally forced off-line when all hell broke lose up there. The computers are trying to keep track of human lives, and the numerous hurricanes, tornadoes, et cetera."

"Oh no," Trini said, moving over to Zordon's tube. There was a large, rectangular screen just to the left of it. There was a flat map of the entire globe. Red hurricanes, tiny blips representing hurricanes, and numerous other horrific anomalies covered the entire map. But what terrified her was the population display.

"Two point seven billion," Trini said quietly. "Nearly half of the planet has died."

"I will set to work getting the teleportation and communication systems on line immediately," Alpha said. "Ai-yi-yi, Tommy and the others are still out there!"

"How long will it take?" Jason asked.

"The better part of an hour I'm afraid," the robot said.

"That's too long," Billy said.

"Adam is in Argentina, Tommy in Paris, Kat in Australia, and Tanya in Tokyo," Kimberly said. "Rocky is in Britain and Trey is in Moscow."

"We'll just have to hope they can hold on," Jason said. "There is no way we can get to them."

"Zordon, what about the Zords?" Trini asked. The Rangers did not know exactly where their machines were held between battles, but with the entire planet under threat, they didn't want to take the risk.

"I have already activated the emergency protocols," Zordon answered. "Your Zords had retreated into the Morphin Grid and will emerge only in answer to your call or when the danger has passed."

That was a good thing. The Rangers continued to watch, helpless as the world came closer and closer to the point of no return

An hour or so later

A few tendrils of green light wafted into the Power Chamber. "This is a slow teleport," Aisha observed.

After about fifteen seconds, a column of green light had collected. It immediately turned into the Green Zeo Ranger. "That was weird," Adam said.

"Here comes Katherine and Rocky," Aisha said. She slammed her hand on the button. A temporary flash of pink light appeared, and Katherine was suddenly dropped from the Power Chamber's ceiling. Fortunately, her pink armour protected her from harm. Rocky teleported into the Power Chamber at a forty-five degrees and slammed into Katherine.

"Are you sure the teleporter is working right?" Kimberly asked.

Alpha glanced up at Zordon as if asking permission to reply. Seeing no objection he did so.

"We are losing power, Rangers," Alpha explained.

"How do you mean?"

"The Power is an energy field that is revitalised by living beings. As the number of lifeforms diminishes, so does the Power, and I'm afraid, so does the Morphin Grid. "

"You mean that the longer this goes on the less power we'll have to counter it?"

"Yes. However your individual powers will last longer because they are linked to your life energies. Teleportation however will gradually weaken."

With a powerful flash of red, Tommy was literally thrown into the Power Chamber. He slammed into the glass case that housed the White Ranger's costume. "That was a weird teleport," he said slowly.

Yellow light suddenly filled the Power Chamber, temporarily blinding those present. A huge mound of rocks lay in the Power Chamber. "Tanya?" Adam asked.

"I'm in here someplace," she said.

"Uhm, Alpha," Aisha said warily. "Zordon."

"What is it Aisha?" Zordon asked.

"I can't find Sam or Trey. Their last know locations are under water."

Trey had been lucky enough to call on Pyramidas when he noticed the monsoon heading in his direction. The large Zord had proven itself capable of standing up to a mere storm. Realising that something was wrong with the Power Chamber's teleportation system, he had taken it upon himself to try to locate as many stragglers as possible.

After collecting Sam from New York, along with a very soggy Spider-man, he moved across the country, picking up as many of their newfound allies as possible. For some reason he believed they would need the help.

"Coming up on Mount Rushmore," he told Sam, remembering that this was the headquarters of the Avengers.

"Oh man, what happened to it?" Sam asked.

The mountainside was gone, crumbled into a pile of molten sand and red-hot geysers. Locking on to whatever life signs he could detect, Trey teleported the survivors aboard and headed for Coast City, home of the JLA.

"Zordon, how long do we have?" Trini asked.

It was a question they had all wanted to ask and one they feared the answer to. They needed to defeat Minion to save the Universe, but if the Earth was destroyed, then all hope was lost.

"The Earth will survive for a few days after the collapse of the localised Morphin Grid," Zordon told them. "Alpha and I are redirecting energy from the Power Chamber to reinforce the planet's magic, but this is creating a massive drain on our resources."

"Zordon, can we use the Zeo Crystal?" Tommy asked.

"That is a good idea," Zordon said. "The energy from the Zeo Crystal cannot be used to power a team of Rangers, but it can stabilise and when needed purify the planet's magic."

"Any luck in finding Minion?"

"None," Zordon answered solemnly. "I will keep searching, but you require rest. "Alpha, please show the Rangers to their quarters."

"Our quarters?" Rocky asked.

"Look at the map. Angel Grove is gone," Kimberly said. "So is most of America."

"Our families," Rocky said woodenly.

"Trey and Sam?" Kat asked.

"Do not be alarmed, Rangers," Zordon said. "If being Rangers has taught you nothing else, it has taught you to never give up hope."

The Rangers nodded, not fully understanding what he meant, but too tired and depressed to press him for more details. "Do not worry, Rangers," Zordon thought to himself. "We will find a way, we must."

The rooms had been designed before Minion had decided to destroy the universe and were intended to serve the Rangers during a prolonged attack. Zordon had apparently thought to allow the Rangers to either mix together or divide according to gender or team.

The teens arrived in what Alpha dubbed the common room. It was a large chamber with the entertainment and refreshments they would no doubt need. Four staircases rose from the room, one to the girls' area, one to the boys' lounge, one to the Morphin Rangers' common area and one to the Zeo Rangers' chamber. Descending were another set of staircases that led to the Rangers' private rooms.

Elsewhere in the area they discovered the shower facilities Zordon had installed and the machines they could use to create clean clothing.

"This is really cool, Alpha," Adam observed as he checked out his room, decorated entirely in shades of green.

"I can't believe my parents are dead," Rocky said sadly.

"I don't even know why we bother anymore," Jason moaned. "The planet is dying. We don't have anything left to protect."

"Ai-yi-yi!" Alpha said excitedly. He wished he could tell the Rangers everything would be all right, but he couldn't be certain and he didn't want to mislead them in any way.

"Good morning beautiful," Zack said, giving Aisha a quick peck on the lips.

"Mmmmm," Aisha purred. "Are we an official item yet?" She curled up on the couch beside him.

"I'd like to think so," Zack said.

"Good," Aisha said, snuggling up against his body.

"Good morning Billy," Katherine greeted, stretching her sleep-sore muscles.

"Good morning Katherine," he answered. "Sleep well?"

"I guess so," she answered. "That was a strange bed."

Billy nodded in agreement.

"No, they were not supposed to stay in their headquarters!" Minion fumed. "How can I destroy them if they won't come out?" He ignored the obvious possibility of making a personal appearance to draw them out. "I need a monster, a special token of my esteem. Hm, I wonder if Finster or Klank had anything worth taking?"

He teleported to the almost abandoned Machine Sky Base. With Onyx wiped out he no longer had to worry about Mondo and his rust bucket family.

"What's this?" he wondered as he found a set of plans. "RoboPunch? Those machines have no imagination when it comes to naming things."

A series of alarms suddenly went off, drawing the Rangers back to the command room. "Ai-yi-yi!" Alpha cried. He hurried over to the console and began to analyse the information. "It's from the Machine Empire! The beast is known as RoboPunch. It is about to attack New York City."

"Is there anything left of New York?" Zack asked.

"Some parts of the city are intact, and there are pockets of survivors," Alpha said. "But you will have to hurry. A hurricane is rapidly approaching from the Atlantic."

"Then why don't we just let the hurricane destroy the monster?" Rocky asked. The others glared at him. "Okay, fine."

"It's Morphin Time!"

"Man," Rocky griped. "Out here saving a dead world in my underwear."

"Just hope you don't demorph," Tanya said.

RoboPunch was nowhere to be found. The Rangers had broken up into two groups to find it.

"This place is trashed," Zack said. He ran out onto a hardened slick of lava.

"He's sure to be around here someplace guys," Tommy said. "Let's hurry and find this beast."

"Zordon, we can't see anything," Jason reported.

"Alpha, reconfigure the Gem Coin helmets to enable scanning," Zordon instructed.

"Done Zordon," Alpha reported.

"Tommy, your teams' helmets have been enhanced with a new range of functions. Tanya and Kat now possess the ability to generate light beams from their helmets while Adam and Rocky can use their new scanning abilities. Your helmet will allow you enhanced vision."

"Right Zordon," Tommy confirmed. "Let's do it guys."

"Power Scan!" Rocky and Adam shouted in unison.

"Power Beams!" Tanya and Kat followed. It was around ten o'clock, but the clouds that covered the sky prevented any light from getting through.

"Tommy," Rocky said. "I'm getting readings from the east."

"Power Vision!" Tommy turned his gaze to the east. Immediately, data began to scroll across his field of vision.

The Rangers began to walk toward the supposed monster.

"There it is!" Adam shouted.

"Guys, we found him!" Tommy shouted into his wrist. The Rangers had split up to cover more ground. "He's in what's left of Central Park!"

"We're on our way!" Rocky answered. He and Kat had gone with one group while Tommy, Adam and Tanya had gone with the others.

RoboPunch was as wide as he was tall. He had two powerful arms, whose hands were covered with numerous spikes and claws. His eyes were wide and red, gathering information and determining its attackers' weak points.

The Rangers quickly gathered into a circle around the machine.

"What's this?" it thought. "I was designed to fight five, maybe six, Rangers. Not twelve. Ah well, it'll just be more of a challenge."

Adam high-kicked RoboPunch, deftly avoiding his dangerous hands. He immediately jumped backwards, landed on his hands, and quickly kicked the machine with his feet.

Kimberly pulled back on her Power Bow. A shimmering pink arrow floated in the bow. She was waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike one of RoboPunch's computerized eyes.

Aisha slowly circled RoboPunch with her Power Whip, in horse crop mode, held out before her. Zack circled in the opposite direction with his Power Axe. RoboPunch fighting style was very different from any previous monster. When a group attacked him, he just freaked out and started swinging his hands everywhere, injuring everyone. The Rangers were attacking one at a time, rapid fire.

Adam jumped away, and Billy darted in.

That was when RoboPunch managed to grow.

"RoboPunch is bringing out the big guns!" Rocky cried. He pointed at the now-gigantic machine.

"Then so will we," Jason answered. "We need Ninjazord Power..."

"Now!" the other Morphin Rangers affirmed.

Just a few seconds later, the eight Zords were flying toward New York.

"Let's get out of their way," Tommy said to the Gem Coin Rangers.

"Bring them together," Red Ranger said. "Ninja MegaFalconzord!"

"Ninja Battlezord!" Purple Ranger called. The Panther was operating under remote control.

The Crane started to fold to form the head while at the same time the Frog transformed to become the legs and the Bear converted to become the Ninja MegaFalconzord's upper body. The already modified Ape and Wolf joined onto the Bear to form the arms as the Crane linked on to become the head. Then the whole upper body joined onto the Frog as the Falcon Zord linked onto the back. Hands formed over the Ape and Wolf's heads.

The Panther Zord transformed to stand upright on its hind legs. The head rotated downwards to become the chest and the front paws became the arms. The Hawk Zord's wings and head folded into the body as the Hawk Zord joined onto the shoulders of the Panther to become the head of the Ninja Battlezord. The Panther's tail converted into a Power Sword as Purple Ranger slid into the cockpit ready for action.

"Battle Strike!" Purple Ranger called.

The Ninja Battlezord gave a short spin and drove its Power Sword into the machine's chest. As it stopped spinning the Zord ducked out of the way as the Ninja MegaFalconzord descended using its double power punch. RoboPunch exploded as the Zords celebrated their victory.

The Rangers ripped their helmets off and started their ritual congratulations celebration.

"That was awesome," Aisha said eagerly. "RoboPunch never stood a chance."

"Well, now that the monster is destroyed, I'm going to shave, shower, and get dressed," Rocky said.

Trini leaned against Billy's chest. He had his arms wrapped around her. "We still have a chance," Trini sighed. "At everything."

"At a life together," Billy said happily, willing to let go of his fears for a moment. Trini was only the second person he had ever felt a true emotional attachment with. She was only the third person he had ever kissed. But he knew that Trini was the one person meant for him. The fact that she was an Earthling was icing on the cake.

"Would you like that?" Trini asked. "A life together?"

"Do you?" Billy asked nervously.

"I sure do," Trini answered.

"Good," Billy said, smiling all over himself.

RoboPunch had failed, but then it was one of Mondo's creations and naturally inferior to anything he could have designed. Still it left him with a problem that he needed a new means to attack the Rangers. He needed to draw them out before they found a way to use the Great Power to ruin his plans. Oh he knew they had the ability to foil his scheme, they had done it to so many villains before it was just in their nature to mess things up.

He looked around critically and his eyes rested on Arcana and then upon his Nega Rangers. Yes, that was it, the perfect idea and he already had all the ingredients he needed; he had the Nega Rangers as raw material, the Dark Dimension to provide the souls and Arcana to bring the two together.

"It's time for a change."

Later

Arcana was chanting. The Sword of Darkness was gripped firmly in his hands as he searched the Dark Dimension for the spirits that Minion desired.

"Found them," he said at last. "Now Minion, bring them through and I will merge them."

Minion jumped to his feet, thought a few choice words, and pointed both hands at the sword and his Nega Rangers. Blue light flew from his fingertips.

"Will it work?" Arcana asked, intrigued by the display.

"Just wait," Minion said. A ball of darkness formed and from the ball shot beams of multicoloured light, each striking a Nega Ranger. Minion could sense the struggle as his creations and the souls he had summoned fought for dominance. In the end the newcomers emerged victorious, admiring their new bodies.

"Welcome my young friends," Minion greeted, "welcome to a second chance."

"Who are you?" Nega Pink demanded, her voice similar to Kimberly's. Her bow was raised and Minion was impressed to see that she had already loaded a Nega Arrow.

"I am called Minion, and in this dimension, I am the one who calls the shots," he told her. "I brought you here from the Dark Dimension. You remember that place don't you?"

They nodded hesitantly. These creatures had once been Rangers and all had at some stage turned their back on their beliefs and embraced the darkness. Though they were from different universes, their shared experiences had made them kindred spirits. In the end it had required their former allies and in some cases the Morphin Masters to destroy them.

"Why did you bring us here?" Kimberly asked.

"To serve me." It was the truth and as far as Minion was concerned and he stated his belief in a way that left no doubt about who was in control.

"I don't follow anyone," Nega Blue growled.

Minion clicked his fingers, turning on the pain enhancers he had included in the Nega Rangers' bodies.

"The bodies you occupy were sculpted from my genetic material. You are echoes, I am the source." he replied. "You would do well to remember that your lives are dependent upon me. Welcome to your new home, if all goes to plan, it will not be here much longer. Now, enough talk, go and introduce yourselves."

Sixteen beams of light descended through the atmosphere and landed in the remains of Angel Grove. There were no buildings or vegetation anywhere. The entire city had been covered with lava. Smooth silvery rock stretched for almost as far as the eye could see.

"So this is Angel Grove?" one asked.

"Not much to do, is there?" Aisha asked bitterly.

"We just wait?" Adam asked.

"This is so weird," Tommy said. "I can't believe Tommy Oliver could be good in any universe."

"I can't believe there are universes where we didn't turn evil," Trini said. "Are we that ignorant here?"

The Rangers looked at the sixteen evil Rangers through the Viewing Screen. "This is unreal," Tanya whispered.

"Sixteen, how did they get that many?" Rocky asked.

"They are serious," Trini said.

"I'm afraid it is a very likely scenario," Zordon told them. "On more than one occasion spells and other factors have turned you evil for a short time. These are Rangers who never managed to break free from that influence. I believe Minion has drawn them from the Dark Dimension, however, they probably originate from a whole collection of alternate universes."

"This is making so little sense," Tommy said.

"All you need to remember is that they are your enemies," Zordon said.

"Here they come," Kat said. Twelve streams descended to the Earth and materialized, producing twelve teenagers. The two teams stared at each other for a moment.

"So you all are our good counterparts?" Tommy asked.

"I suppose so," Tommy answered.

"No good can come from this," the two Tanyas said in unison.

"If you all are our opposites," Adam mused, "then you defend."

"We attack," Trini growled.

Suddenly, the evil doppelgangers attacked. Evil-Aisha clawed at Zack before punching Aisha in the face. Aisha retaliated with a sidekick.

Evil-Tommy ran up to Kimberly. "Did you dump me on this world too?" he asked. He immediately shot both arms forward and clenched his hands around her throat. With a strangled croak, he picked her up off of the ground by her neck.

Evil-Kimberly and Evil-Katherine ran up to Tommy. "Hello Thomas," they both purred. Both females suddenly high-kicked Tommy.

Katherine and Billy backed away from Evil-Trini and Evil-Adam. "Two geeks who probably couldn't defend themselves if their lives depended on it," Evil-Adam said.

"Actually, your lives do depend on it," Evil-Trini growled. She suddenly lashed out and kicked Billy in the chest before either of them could react.

Katherine high-kicked Evil-Trini before she could react. She ducked Evil-Trini's punch, but she kicked Kat in the ribs before she had gotten back to her feet.

Jason hit the ground in a painful heap. He wasn't used to fighting someone as big as him that could actually fight. Tommy was matched in skill, but even he didn't have the bulk strength that Jason suddenly realized he apparently had.

Tanya was thrown head over heels by Evil-Tanya. "Looks like someone has been giving her lessons too," Tanya thought painfully.

Rocky successfully blocked Evil-Zack's punch. With a sudden swipe of his leg, he brought Evil-Zack to the ground. He didn't have time to relish in his accomplishments, though, as Evil-Rocky threw Zack at him.

Evil-Billy grabbed Trini in a bear hug before she could react. "Billy," Trini muttered. "Don't do this."

"You fight for good," Evil-Billy growled. "You are an enemy." He hurled her at the ground in disgust.

Kimberly barked a hoarse cough as she fell from Evil-Tommy's stranglehold and hit the ground.

"We can't fight ourselves!" Jason cried.

"That's because you're too big a wimp to fight dirty," Evil-Jason taunted. He jumped at Jason with both feet, but Jason rolled away.

"Guys," Evil-Tommy said, "let's have some real fun."

"Right," the doppelgangers agreed.

"Dark Ranger Power!" the evil counterparts of Tommy, Kat, Rocky, Adam, and Rocky called.

"Nega Ranger Power!" dark versions of Jason, Billy, Aisha, Kimberly, Trini, Zack and David called.

The Rangers noticed that some of the evil teens were happy just to stand back, allowing their allies to do all the work. "Let's do this," Jason growled. With a cacophony of morphing cries, the Rangers morphed.

In civilian form they were similar, but when morphed the difference in their natures was obvious. The Dark Rangers wore all-black costumes with only a little colour on their helmets. They each wore a coin, but it was covered from view. The Nega Rangers wore the more familiar almost demonic armour that the Rangers remembered.

For a brief moment, neither side moved. A second later, the battle began.

Minion watched the battle as it progressed and was pleased to see that his Rangers were holding their own in combat. In fact they seemed to have the upper hand against the Gem Coin Rangers while the Morphin Rangers proved more difficult to defeat.

He winced as they pulled out the heavier weapons only to find themselves perfectly matched. It seemed the Evil Ranger powers he had created were too close to the original template. That was something he would have to rectify in future, assuming there was ever a need.

"The time has come my servants, your powers give you abilities unknown to any other group of Rangers. The time has come to take this to a new lever, transform and unite!"

"What are we going to do now?" Kimberly asked, staring up at the giant before them.

Minion had been correct, the Rangers had never seen this particular power before. At his command the evil Rangers' bodies started to twist in impossible ways as heavy metal armour attached to their suits. They were stretched in all directions as they continued to change, taking on forms that were eerily familiar.

"Zords for armour, no way!" Zack remarked as he noticed the other evil Rangers who until now had remained out of the battle started to join their allies.

"Does Gasket know someone's stolen his idea?" Tanya remarked as she looked up at the fleet of Zord-Armoured Rangers.

Before them stood the machines that the Rangers had come to rely on in battle: the Dino Megazord, Thunder Megazord, Ninja Megazord, Shogun Megazord; Sky Megazord, Defender Megazord, Techno Megazord, Zeo Megazord and Super Zeo Megazord; White Tiger Zord, Dragon Zord, White Falcon Zord, Red Battle Zord; and the Warrior Wheel, Titanus and finally Tor.

"We need Di... wait, what are they doing?" Jason was confused.

"Surprised Rangers?" Nega Red asked. "We are full of surprises, and this is just the beginning. Zord-Armour Rangers, unite!"

The Shogun Megazord folded itself into the upper half of ZAR's chest, while the Dino Megazord composed the bottom half. The Ninja Megazord produced another part of the lower torso. The Warrior Wheel twisted and contorted itself until it was only a third of its original size. It floated to the top of the assembling ZAR and formed the head. The Super Zeo Megazord formed the upper right arm, and the Zeo Megazord formed the right forearm. The Red Battlezord and Sky Megazord produced the left arm. Dragonzord folded in on itself and finished the last of the torso, clamping on just below the Ninja Megazord. Tigerzord and the Techno Megazord quickly produced the left leg, and the Thunder Megazord along with the Defender Megazord formed the right. As the last part locked into place the entire machine was briefly transformed into energy, restructuring the bulk so that while it was less cumbersome, it was just as powerful.

The Rangers were shocked. They had not expected a group of evil Rangers to turn into Megazords and then unite into something even bigger. While the result wasn't much taller than a regular Megazord, they could sense its power.

~Thank goodness their Zords were based on our old machines and new the new ones,~ Trini thought.

"Time to show them what real Zords can do," Tommy suggested.

"Without Sam?"

"Did somebody call?" the Green Ranger asked.

They turned to find Gold Ranger and Green Ranger walking towards them.

Jason shrugged. "We need Dinozord power, now!"

The Rangers quickly assembled the Dino Megazord and the Dino Stegazord. They looked out over the barren wasteland that had once been Angel Grove. Suddenly, the ground shook and the ZAR landed.

The Dino Megazord stepped back a few steps.

"What's a matter, Rangers?" the monster asked, its voice a mixture of the evil Rangers. "Scared?"

"Of you?" Trini replied. "Never."

ZAR kicked the Megazord in the chest. The Megazord grabbed ZAR's foot and flipped the evil creature.

ZAR quickly gained control and brought its arm blades down across the Megazord in two broad swipes. The Zord stumbled backwards and hit the ground. ZAR took several long strides and stood beside the fallen machine. "Gee," it said sarcastically. "I would have thought even you would last longer than that."

ZAR rubbed its two arm blades together, raining sparks down on the Zord. It gave a wicked growl and stabbed at the fallen machine, only to find its way blocked by the Dino Stegazord. ZAR's eyes widened as the Dragonzord's tail smashed into its chest.

Trini rolled the Megazord out of the way. ZAR's arm blades struck the ground. The Zord, still lying on its back, kicked out with a leg, knocking the evil creature to the ground as well.

The Megazord rolled back on its shoulders and flipped to a standing position, a move no Megazord should be able to do.

"Looks like it's Rangers one, monster zero," Zack cried.

Dragonzord stepped before ZAR.

ZAR lowered its head and rammed Dragonzord. Red lights lit up in Sam's cockpit. "Hull damaged, five percent," Sam said as he frantically pushed buttons that signified he acknowledged the damage. The alarms went off and reset themselves for any further damage.

With a mighty whir, the Tail Drill started. Sam turned his Zord around and plunged the tail at ZAR. The monster screamed in rage as he was damaged. ZAR grabbed the Dragonzord's tail. ZAR spun in a circle, lifting Dragonzord off of the ground. ZAR let go off the tail, and Dragonzord flew sideways.

ZAR suddenly spread its arms wide. The curved horn atop its head began to fire red lasers. They struck the ground at ZAR's feet and began to move toward Dino Stegazord. The machine responded by jumping over the attack and whipping its tail around as a counter.

ZAR slashed at the Zord with its arm blades. The Dino Stegazord cartwheeled away. Upon landing on its feet, the Zord distracted ZAR until the Megazord could land its next punch.

ZAR jumped onto the Dino Stegazord's back, effectively immobilizing it. ZAR lifted its leg up and slammed it into the Zord's back. The Zord tucked its head and rolled with the attack. The Rangers quickly brought the Zord to its feet and gave ZAR a quick roundhouse kick, pivoting on its anchored leg.

Kimberly brought all of the Zord's weight on the back leg. Once she was firmly planted, she made the Megazord kick ZAR several times in rapid succession.

"I've had it with this!" Zack shouted. "Let's show this thing what teamwork is all about."

"Right!" Jason agreed. "Super Dragonzord formation!"

The Dino Stegazord broke into its component parts as the Dragonzord merged with the Megazord. Then as the Stegazord opened to form a circular platform with sharp points around the edge, The Raptor Zord attached itself to the Mega Dragonzord's back.

"Titanus, front and center!" the eight Rangers called from their combined cockpit.

"Whoa!" Rocky cried. The Gem Coin Rangers had returned to the Power Chamber. "When did Titanus get so big?"

"Alpha and I took the opportunity to upgrade Titanus to handle eight Zords instead of six," Zordon told him.

The Brachiosaur-based mecha that marched across the wasteland was much bigger than they remembered. Several compartments had been added to his back. In addition it seemed he had been given a new paint job so that instead of just grey, he was now a dull shade of silver mixed with gold highlights.

"Look, they're going for the big one," Tommy speculated.

Zordon smiled, knowing that Tommy was in for a shock when he discovered that this was but a hint of the Morphin Rangers' arsenal.

"Super Dragonzord, slide attack!" the Morphin Rangers cried.

Titanus had opened in the usual way, but once the Super Dragonzord was in place it had closed again. Then as Titanus's neck had craned to the correct angle, the Super Dragonzord had been raised to the top of its back.

"Go!" the Rangers called, launching their machine down the length of the Carrier Zord's neck. The Stegazord component started to spin as the chest and shoulders glowed with power. Then, as the Zord leaned forward, it tore through the air, colliding with ZAR and destroying the monster on contact.

"Now what," Kimberly pondered.

"Now you die," a loud voice bellowed. A flash of red suddenly streaked before them.

Minion landed in front of the Zord, and before it could react, blasted it with dark energy. The Dino Superzord fell back, smoke billowing from its chest.

"Oh this isn't over yet," Aisha promised.

"Shogun Zords, power up!"

Minion was surprised. He knew the Rangers had the Ninja Zords and the Dino Zords, but Shogun Zords? How many machines did he have to destroy?

As the new fleet of Zords came into view, he wondered if perhaps he had miscalculated. The Shogun Zords were equal to him in height and were armed with large versions of their Power Weapons. It didn't take him more than a few blows to realise that the Rangers were serious.

"We have to finish this," Jason said. "With Minion gone we can destroy the device and restore the planet."

And so the battle was on.

Billy's Zord slashed at his foe with his Power Lance, but Minion hit the ground in a full split. He rolled into a somersault and jumped to his feet. He jumped into the air and slammed both of his feet into Yellow Shogun Zord, slamming it into Purple Shogun Zord. Minion leapt into the air and executed a perfect spin kick, downing Green Shogun Zord in the process. He planted himself firmly on his left leg and kicked White Shogun Zord in the chest with his right, knocking the Zord over. He then stepped on the fallen Zord's back, and using it as a springboard, launched himself at Red Shogun Zord. He punched Jason's Zord once, and then grabbed it by the arms and flung it into Black Shogun Zord, taking Pink down in the process.

Minion took a deep breath and stood in the midst of his carnage. "Man, that was fun," he breathed. "And this time, stay down." He spread his hands wide. Blue tendrils of light jumped from each blood-red fingernail. The tendrils of light pinned the Zords to the ground, though only temporarily.

"I am here to make you a proposition," Minion said. "Surrender, now; if you do, I will spare your lives when I reshape this wretched little reality. And I will also bring your families back."

"Why would we make deals with you?" Rocky yelled.

"Why should we believe you?" Trini asked.

"There is a planet on the far outskirts of the Universe," Minion said. "Very similar to Earth in climate, but no intelligent life. I will let you and your families live there. I will control the rest of the Universe, so I can spare a single world."

Rocky quickly crossed himself and began to pray, frantically.

"What's it gonna be, Rangers?" he asked.

"We're Rangers," Jason said, before the villain could continue. "Do you even need to ask? Trey, do it!"

The Zords vanished as the Gem Coin Rangers joined the Morphin Rangers.

"I brought a few friends along," Trey commented, gesturing to the allies he had rescued. "Hope you do not mind."

"By the power of Triforia, make us grow!" the Lord of Triforia cried.

This time there was no holding back on either side as the Rangers and their allies joined forces against Minion's evil. The villain fought back, the Sword of Darkness earning its names as it cut down Zeo Ape. Still, when all was said and done, neither side had enough strength to vanquish the other and luck as always reared its ugly head.

The planet beneath them cracked, revealing a pool of lava that none of them could withstand. Minion leapt from one side of the crack to the other and blasted the ground on which the heroes were standing, sending them into the molten gulf. Overhead they could feel the rift to the Dark Dimension consuming their world. The planet was breaking up as the two sides continued to fight.

"Laser Lance Command!"

"Lightning Fist Command!"

The two surviving VR Troopers combined their attacks, taking the villain by surprise. Robin landed a solid kick to the villain's chest as Hawkeye fired a cable arrow, entangling the construct's feet.

"Now!" Rocky cried, leading the charge as he and the majority of the assembled heroes fell upon the villain, plunging him and themselves into the fiery cauldron.

"Rider Kick!" Jesse cried, driving his feet into the villain's head as he tried to drag himself free and sacrificing himself in the process. There were few left now, but they were the planet's last hope; as Tommy summoned the Zeo Crystal, Power Mountain was consumed by the darkness.

The Earth trembled, the last of its Ley Lines drained, its magic exhausted. The pressure was building deep inside the planet's core, and when it finally blew, it would tear the planet apart.

"Teleport!" Tommy cried. He made it to Pyramidas just in time, most of the others did not as the ground they were standing on was washed away.

A volcano had appeared beneath them, spewing molten lava in their direction. It was stopped by a wall of energy as Green Lantern threw his protection Pyramidas.

The remaining heroes of Earth, the last representatives of their world, now stood on the elongated platform that served the Zord while in Carrier mode. There wasn't any solid ground left on the planet as it approached the final stage of its destruction and before long the Zord would have to land upon the molten surface to allow the Ranger to work. At that point the Zord would be unprotected.

The poisonous fumes had already taken their toll on those who did not have the comfort of a helmet or built in breathing apparatus. Minion was gone, but the danger would continue until the damage was reverse. The problem was that they only had one shot at healing the wounds Minion had inflicted.

"Are you sure about this?" Tommy asked again.

They nodded. They were without doubt heroes. They had quickly discovered a flaw with their plan in that the barrier protecting the sword was feeding off the Earth's energy and not Minion's. As it turned out only a native of Earth without the benefit of the Power could reach through the barrier and snatch the blade. Since they limited in their choices and needed all the Rangers, it had fallen to Vision and Servo, as the last active members of the Avengers and VR Troopers to perform the task.

"This is it guys," Jason told them. "When they pull the sword, we'll use the Zeo Crystal to destroy it and cleanse the Ley Lines. Then we'll use the Great Power to restore things to how they should be."

"The disruptor and the Sword of Ragnarok need to be disposed of before the process can become permanent," Billy warned. He looked at John. "You know what that means."

The Green Lantern nodded although he did not look happy about it. Still, he was dedicated to his duty as a Green Lantern.

"Good luck guys, see you on the other side," Tommy offered. "And may the Power protect us."

With that Vision and Servo descended to the small volcanic hill where the hilt of the Sword of Ragnarok could still be seen.

Vision strained to remove the sword. Next to him he was aware that Servo was also suffering from the intense heat.

There was an explosion of molten rock as he continued pulling. Vision shifted position, shielding him from the flaming rock. Servo did not fare so well and was washed under the surface by the attack. He pooled his remaining strength and with a final tug, managed to drag the blade free. At that point the flames that licked their way up his body overcame him. With his final act, he threw the Sword of Ragnarok and the device into the rift, sealing it just as Zordon had predicted.

The last Zeo Ranger moved into position over the hole where the sword had been embedded. There he could see the dark energy crackling inside, the poisoned remnants of the Earth's own magic.

Pyramidas settled on the lava, its shielded hull peeling under the intense heat; Green Lantern had built a bubble to keep Jason and his fellow Morphin Rangers from harm. They would be needed for the next stage.

"Zeo Crystal!" Tommy cried. "Deliver this world from evil!"

Billy's analysis had revealed that while the crystal was damaged and incapable of supporting a Ranger team, its purifying properties were still intact. The Rangers were going to use it not to redeem a villain, but to purge the Ley Nexus and give the Great Power an opportunity to work.

Light burst from the crystal as the Ranger held it in position. Red, yellow, pink, green, blue, gold, silver, purple, white and black energy streamed into the hole. In places where the coloured energy mixed he could make out shades of cyan, magenta, crimson, navy and orange. The Earth seemed to tremble as the corrupted magic within was forcibly ejected by the Zeo energy. Pyramidas rocked, as its hull grew thin. Before long it would disappear and if the Rangers were unsuccessful, so would they.

"Keep going," Tommy encouraged. "Need to give this - everything I've got."

He poured his soul into the crystal and was amazed when the energy increased. But despite his best efforts, the corruptive energy of the Sword of Ragnarok remained, kept in check by the Zeo Crystal's power, but capable of destroying the planet as soon as they relented.

"It's Time for a Gold Rush!" he heard Trey call, before a burst of golden light joined the power from the Zeo Crystal and chased the darkness from the Earth's depths.

"Jason, they're weakening," Trini said.

Jason nodded. He had hoped they would be able to wait until the Earth was totally cleansed before using the Great Power to reignite the planet's failing energy. Now though they didn't have a choice, the planet was too close to death to delay further. With luck they would finish before the Earth exploded. Otherwise, their actions would prove futile.

"Now is the time," David said. As White Ranger he knew when it was his time to take control. "Let our powers be one."

They clasped hands, allowing the Great Power to flow through them. They didn't need to direct it, the magic was sentient and knew what it had to do. As their hands glowed their respective colours, lines of energy emerged, linking them together, forming a golden ball of light at the very center of their circle.

"Go," Jason whispered and the ball shot into the Earth.

For a moment there was no change, then slowly the lava seemed to calm and the quaking planet quietened. The Great Power and the Zeo Crystal worked in unison, restoring the shattered and corrupted lines of magic with new life bringing energy.

"It's not enough!" Aisha realised after the changes ceased.

All the power they could imagine and it was not enough to fix the damage. Every time it crossed with the power placed there by the Sword of Ragnarok, it was corrupted by the destructive energy. The Zeo Crystal was proving incapable of purging all the darkness so long as the sword remained intact.

"Jase, the Zord!" Zack warned.

The Red Ranger looked down in time to see a hole open from beneath the once mighty Pyramidas and he knew it would not be long before all hope was lost. They could not morph; to do so would negate their efforts. Instead he accepted that since the Great Power was working, their part was done. The others needed help to complete their parts and sadly that meant that John had to be free to assist them.

"Do it," he ordered the ring bearing hero.

John nodded solemnly and placed the Rangers on the surface of the Carrier Zord, releasing them from his protection. Then he aimed his power at the crystal, adding the last of his strength to the mix.

"This is it guys," Jason said as the Rangers and their allies gathered around the Zeo Crystal. Pyramidas was sinking; they had perhaps a minute to live. "One last time. We call on all our powers combined:"

The others had all powered down, the energy from Green Lantern's ring now heading directly into the Zeo Crystal, his hands disappearing in the process.

"Red Ranger!"

"White Ranger!"

"Green Ranger!"

"Yellow Ranger!"

"Purple Ranger!"

"Blue Ranger!"

"Black Ranger!"

"Pink Ranger!"

"Zeo Ranger V - Red!"

"Gold Ranger Power!"

"Green Lantern Light!" As John spoke the words he felt the full power that he had always feared would corrupt him rushing to the fore. Years of forced denial were over as the power burst from the ring, adding to the powers already flowing into the Earth. The powers merged with those of the Zeo Crystal, removing all impurities from the Ley Lines as the Zord finally succumbed to the environment and they were plunged into a molten tomb as energy they had fed into the Earth erupted, inside the Dark Dimension.

Another plane of existence,  
Moments ago

"Hello Minion, how surprising to find you here." Minion looked up at the amused face of of a dark robed individual with blonde hair.

"You saved me?" Minion asked weakly. His magic was exhausted, his shields diminished and if the smell of scorched flesh meant anything, then his body was roasting in the hot lava pool where he had landed. True there had been much left of him by the time he had been thrown there, the wave of lava had been about to envelop him at the moment this stranger's intervention had snatched his consciousness to this alternate plane.

Dagsyxx shook his head slowly. He had the form of a sad looking old man, but when he spoke, he knew Minion would recognise his voice. "You failed Minion. Your efforts were entertaining to watch, you pitiful resistance was amusing for a while, but alas it is the results that matter. Dagsyxx does not forgive failure and he does not suffer fools that believe they can rise above their rightful place. Your services are no longer required; another has been chosen to take your place."

The old man flashed Minion a toothy grin as the scene changed to that of the molten river when Minion had been moments before.

"You would have made a good servant Minion," Dagsyxx told him as the lava set the clone's body on fire. "Such a shame you didn't know your place. Enjoy the Dark Dimension; you're the one that made it so... cosy."

When he finished speaking the lava swallowed Minion into its superheated depths. Dagsyxx looked on, pleased that while he would not win the Earth, he had at least crushed the defiant clone's will.

**The End**

Disclaimer: All shows referenced in this nonprofit fanfic belong to their respective copyright owners. Parts of this story were borrowed from Jeremy Ray Logsdon's Earth Crystals.  
Author's note: This is the final part of the Minion of Darkness storyline and marks the return of the universe to normal.

**Aftermath**

"Where do we go from here?  
Where do we go from here?  
The battle's done, and we kind of won,  
So we sound our victory che - er.  
Where do we go from here?"

It appeared that the Rangers had failed and that the Universe had paid the price of that failure. Earth, Aquitar, Triforia... it didn't matter really; all had been sucked into the endless void that was the Dark Dimension. The combined efforts of the heroes of the Earth had managed to destroy the cause of the universe wide destruction. B that time the process had accelerated beyond their control and its complete absorption into the darkness had been inevitable.

At first there was calm as the denizens of the Dark Dimension looked at the fresh souls that had been brought into their domain, hungrily anticipating the torment they would unleash. The Sword of Ragnarok had appeared, supposedly indicating that the process was complete and that the veil between dimensional planes had been sealed forever, and they had celebrated their victory. Then the last heroes of Earth had appeared, weakened from their efforts and ready for the demons to devour. A cry of victory could be heard throughout the realm, until Tommy along with the Green Lantern and the Morphin Rangers had finally appeared. At that point the Great Power, which had been building inside the protection of the Green Lantern's forcefield had been released.

Whether Jason and the others had planned to reverse the effects of the Sword of Ragnarok by destroying the Dark Dimension, was unclear, but the raw power driven by the pure intentions of the Rangers exploded through the void, bringing light to the darkness and life to a place where only death and misery should have dwelled.

The thin seal that had been created opened, marking the rebirth of the universe. The Earth was restored to its previous location, the Ley Lines flaring with renewed magic. From there the rest of the universe was shaped, the Great Power guiding the process to create a new universe in the image of its predecessor, drawing the extinguished souls back to the planet. Life found a way and as it did so, the Great Power grew in intensity.

It was a slow process at first, but the pace rapidly increased as with an explosive burst of magic, the rest of the Universe was reborn. Where once there was darkness, a speck of light appeared, emerging as a burst of golden energy that raced across the universe, restoring things to how they were before. The damage done by Minion was erased as the Great Power latched onto a previously cast spell and manipulated the flow of time, the planets drawn into the Dark Dimension were renewed; most of the lives lost since the villain had first emerged were restored. There were exceptions, some who would never return to life, their link to the Power having rendered them beyond the reach of even the Great Power; in some cases the Great Power reversed the damage that Minion had caused, but had taken something in return; above all the balance had to be maintained.

Unfortunately the need to balance meant that even as the innocent bystanders, Rangers and other heroes were brought back to life, the villains who had not been created by Minion were also restored. While Minion was gone, drowned in a lava pool of his own making and most likely facing the wrath of thousands of demonic entities who had just had their home torn apart, others who were just as evil as Minion if not more so were resurrected.

On a small island somewhere off the Spanish coast, a small group of survivors appeared. They were the Nega Rangers, barely alive after the shock of losing their connection to Minion. Somehow though they had survived his destruction, but without his power to keep their bodies alive, they were rapidly deteriorating. Minion had given them the ability to absorb the life energy of others, a trait that would allow them to survive. And if they survived, they would return stronger than ever, evolving the Power to suit their needs, ready to engage the Rangers one more time. Without Minion to command them there would also be a clash for control as the more aggressive personalities vied for superiority. The strong would thrive and the weak would perish. That was the way of the universe.

Finally, its job done, the Great Power dissipated, removing the memories of those who remembered dying during the last few days. When all was said and done, only the Rangers, their allies and the villains would remember everything that had happened. Although nobody would ever forget Minion, nor the evil he had caused. In the end the light had won, but the victory would have implications for a long time to come.

Jason opened his eyes. His head was spinning, although he wasn't in any type of pain. "Where am I?" he asked. He sat up, and the room came into focus. He stood up and saw the collection of computers. "The Power Chamber."

Billy stood up from the floor as well. "Are we alive?" Billy asked.

"I guess," Jason answered.

"Man that was some trip," Zack complained, grinning at his friends.

"Welcome back, Rangers," a familiar voice said. Alpha Five walked out from a door of light.

"Where are the others?" Jason asked, looking around. Surely they had survived.

"Behold the Viewing Screen," Zordon said, appearing in his tube.

"Aye-yi-yi!" Alpha cried. "The Earth is back to normal."

"Indeed, the Great Power undid most of the damage Minion inflicted upon the Universe."

"But where are the others?" Jason insisted.

"Don't you remember, Jason?" Alpha asked. "The others were sent to their chambers, but you and Billy insisted on waiting until you were certain that the planet had been restored; Zack passed out as soon as he returned and we didn't want to move him."

Billy didn't hear a single word that Alpha said. He was in tears over the view on the Viewing Screen. The Earth was back to normal. The oceans were blue, the land was green, and the clouds were white. Everyone was still alive.

"So the Great Power did it," Zack guessed.

"Correct Zachary. It would seem that the Great Power interacted with a number of the Earth's features, both magical and temporal. It rewrote history, erasing the damage that Minion caused while leaving the memory of those events. I believe you will find that only those involved in the battle will recall everything that happened."

"So, it's like it never happened," Billy said happily.

"That is not entirely accurate, Billy," Zordon said. "The Great Power has its limits just like any other power. While it managed to ensure many of the consequences never came to pass, it had to rewrite events in such a way that balance was maintained. Those who fell to Minion before the final battle and who held a Ranger power could not be revived. In addition we do not know what occurred during that period when the Great Power was unleashed and the Universe was restored. We do not even know how much time elapsed in that period."

"I will send a message for the others to join us," Alpha said.

The fourteen Rangers stood together in the Power Chamber, in front of Zordon's tube. "First of all," the White Morphin Master said, "the Zeo Crystal has been restored by the Great Power. And using that power, reality has been restored to how it was before Minion used the sword."

"Everything went back to how it was before?" Trini asked. "No one died?"

"I'm sorry to say that there were some things even the Great Power could not reverse. I have been unable to determine the fate of Travis. I am afraid that it does not appear that the Rangers of Aquitar and Triforia were restored. It is possible their exposure to the Power prevented their restoration. I am still trying to learn the fate of the young Masked Rider and a few others. For some their energy signatures have vanished. While Aquitar was restored, it has already come under attack from several warlords. I do not believe the planet will hold out long enough for assistance to arrive; interplanetary teleportation has been disrupted. While Trent has assumed the throne of Triforia, Terr's death is no longer a certainty."

"What about our powers?" Tommy asked.

"The Gem Coin powers may now be retired since the Zeo Crystal has been restored," Zordon said. "Jason and his team are bound to their powers for life, only turning their backs on the light will remove their powers now."

"Really?" Billy asked excitedly.

"The world is not yet ready for fourteen Power Rangers," Zordon said, "nor do I believe we will be able to function with so many Rangers active. Sooner or later you will get in each other's way."

"So we can be Rangers, but not all at the same time?" Trini prompted.

"Yes," Zordon said with a smile. "Although you will only be called into battle during an emergency. For now, the five Zeo Rangers will again resume the Zeo Power."

"So what do we do?" Zack asked.

"Keep the power," Zordon said. "Carry it with you always, and you may be called upon in an emergency. The Universe owes you a great debt Rangers. The world is lucky to have you, and so am I. Go now, I will call should the need arise. And may the Power protect you."

"I must admit," Trini said, "it's good to have our full powers back."

Zack looked nervous. "Shh. Here comes Ernie."

"He already knows," Kimberly said.

"No way," Aisha said.

"Yes way," Ernie said as he put their Smoothies on the table.

"How long?" Jason demanded.

"Just let me clarify what we're talking about here," Ernie said. The Rangers at the table looked at each other warily, except for Kimberly. "You guys being Rangers?" he whispered.

"That's the one," Kimberly said, taking a sip of her Strawberry-Kiwi Smoothie.

"Nearly since the beginning," Ernie said. "You all have paid for much more food than you've eaten. Plus those little watches beep all the time. And you change into the Power Rangers out in the hallway all the time. I'm not blind. But I haven't told anyone."

"Good," Zack said, "because then we would have to kill you." Everyone laughed heartily at his joke.

Minion's Island

How they had ended up there was beyond them, but given their exceedingly bad luck and a few of the tall tales they had told on Horath, they imagined it was easy to mistake them for heroes.

Farkus Bulkmier and Eugene Skullovitch pulled themselves from the rubble of their cell and wondered what they would do now. The island was dark and silent as they made their way through the corridors, squealing when they saw Arcana, impaled by a scaffold pole.

They followed the maze of passages, relying upon their ability to blunder into just about any situation to guide them. Eventually, they came upon a chamber that Minion had obviously intended as a throne room. Many of the artefacts inside had been destroyed, but some trinkets caught their attention.

"We're rich Bulkie!" Skull cried, examining the coin.

"Now we just need to get out of here," Bulk said.

They exchanged glances, realising that they had no way off of the island, and worse, no food. That was when they started to scream.

A few days later

After the excitement was over, the Rangers settled back to their normal routines. The teens returned home, seeing their parents and family for the first time in days. But amid the happiness there was also unease, something that Tommy decided to address at the next opportunity.

"You know why we are here," he said, looking at the other Zeo Rangers.

Although they had come to terms with what had happened to them long enough to fight Minion, the Zeo Rangers were far from healed, mentally at least. Their future was uncertain and being so close to death had caused them to question their futures.

"When Zordon gave us the chance to be Rangers we were all honoured," he said. "But the fact remains, we dropped the ball on this one and Minion took advantage of our errors."

The others nodded. They had been having similar thought about their recent problems. They were seventeen, due to graduate in a few months and when they did so the close ties they had enjoyed as a team would be lost. What would become of them then?

"I spoke to Billy this morning," Adam told them. "He is looking to redesign the Gem Coin powers, turn them into something else and maybe commission a whole new team."

"In that case I suggest we talk to Zordon," Tommy said. "I love being a Ranger, but perhaps the time has come to find some replacements."

Mount Rushmore

It was an uneasy meeting, but one that was desperately needed. The three groups had been talking for days, but this was the first time they had all gathered together.

"Thank you for coming," Henry Gyrich said, as he looked at those present. He hated this job, but since he had mixed with some of these costumed freaks before, he was the one recruited to undertake a potentially lethal task.

Before him sat the superheroes of Earth, or at least representatives of the three largest organisations. And heroes they were, even if Gyrich felt they were more trouble than they were worth. Captain America, Henry Pym, Wasp, Hawkeye, Iron Man, and the weakened Scarlet Witch represented the Avengers. Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, Hawk Girl and the Martian Manhunter had appeared for the JLA. Robin, Starfire and Changling had answered the call for the Teen Titans. Finally, at the back of the room, Spider-Man sat suspended on a web hammock. He wasn't an Avenger although he had been accepted many times.

Batman had not been seen since the restoration although some felt that he would not return to active service and Wally... When the Flash had discovered his regenerated legs he had been ecstatic, until the memories had caught up with him. It would take many hours of therapy before he would be able to put events behind him. Raven had taken an immediate leave of absence, needing to relearn control of her emotions; Vision and Cyborg had not yet been spotted.

"I'll make this brief since I have other important matters to deal with." He pulled a file from his pocket. "I have in my hand an order for the groups known as the Justice League, Avengers and Teen Titans to cease and desist all activities within the United States. As of now all security clearance is revoked and your international status is reduced to that of ordinary citizens. Thank you."

With that he stood and left the room, leaving the now former heroes to debate what to do next.

"He didn't say we had to retire," Robin pointed out. "Just that we were not allowed to team up."

"Yes," J'Onn agreed, rubbing his chin. "There is something very strange happening here."

"He left us an opening to continue making a difference, but didn't want us to do so as a group," Captain America realised, "Why?"

"Perhaps we are meant to disband," Wonder Woman said. At the confused looks she received, she continued. "The Power Rangers have proven repeatedly that they are the ones to protect the planet. Perhaps they should be allowed to deal with the aliens while we concentrate on matters closer to home."

"They're covering up," Stark told them. "We failed and the world saw it. The government is trying to distance themselves and by ordering us to disband they hope to kill the story."

"They're trying to avoid a panic," J'Onn agreed.

"So this is it, we just disband?" Spider-Man asked.

"We were brought together through need. Now the benefits of teamwork remain, but the need is gone. And while concentrating on national and world matters, we're forgetting the people we became heroes to protect."

"Gotham has been having a little drug's problem recently," Robin said thoughtfully. "Perhaps now is the time for us to go our separate ways."

"Or we could come together under one banner."

"Avengers League?" Spider-Man asked.

"No dude, we'd be the best of the best," Changling told him, "The Ultimates."

The others looked at each other, smiling as they thought the idea over. It was not something they could discuss now, following the order, but perhaps in time it would come to pass.

In the area of California known as the Freak Zone, the other survivors of the recent war were meeting. Ryan Steele, JB Reese, Kaitlyn Starr of the VR Troopers, Drew, Jo, Roland and Josh of the Beetleborgs and Dex, the Masked Rider. Servo it seemed was irretrievable and Jesse, the Masked Rider of Earth was still missing.

It was a short meeting, a declaration of purpose and a promise of alliance. They were survivors and from now on they would be looking out for each other. Assuming of course that they could come to terms with all that had happened.

Far from Earth there was a presence. The Master had tried to take advantage of Minion's actions and had failed. Now he had realised that his plans to bypass the box and access the Realm of Demons was flawed. Still, all was not lost. He had the box and would solve the puzzle. The Power Rangers had defeated the Minion of Darkness, but there were other threats out there. And in the background, the Master would remain, revising his plans to ensure that when the time came, he would be there to seize control.

**The End**

Disclaimer: We do not own the Power Rangers; they belong to their respective copyright owners. No profit is being made from this fan fiction, so please do not sue us. Anything not appearing in the show probably belongs to me.

**Nemesis**

Balletar: a planet that had suffered in recent times. While was a world on the extreme boundary of Master Vile's territory, it was also considered a part of Lord Zedd's empire and had been claimed by Prince Gasket as an annexe of his world. With multiple villains claiming the world, there was constant fighting between factions, and the poor natives were the ones who ultimately paid the price.

The Galactic Council had refused aid to the little planet, believing that it was a waste of effort. They expected the natives to either flee or be wiped out by the open warfare; they conveniently forgot that with the spaceports destroyed, the people had nowhere to go.

With three different governments in place, the planet was a very oppressive place. Slaves were forbidden to leave the cities where they served whichever faction had claimed them. The threat of seeing their loved ones destroyed was enough to ensure that the once proud population remained subdued, but of course given that they had to be loyal to three different dictators. Even the planet's former Rangers complied with the rules as it was the only way to keep their people safe.

As it was, even if the citizens won their freedom, construction efforts would take long time. The invaders' legacy was the greatly disrupted distribution of water over the planet's surface, which despite the best efforts of the planet's engineers, seemed irreversible. Some places that had once been shallow reefs were now eternally flooded and others that had once been bottomless lakes had become small streams. In some places there was dry land for the first time in centuries. It would have been a marvellous undertaking to map the new surface of Balletar, but such exploration was forbidden.

One such change had occurred on the remote side of Balletar in a place that had been deemed too treacherous for colonisation before the invasion. It was referred to as the Dead Land. It was the high levels of sodium and other heavy metals that made the area unpopular. Regardless, before the attack it had held one of the deepest lakes on the planet. Now for some strange reason it was barren wasteland.

Well, almost. In the centre of the miniature desert, in an area once deemed too dark to explore even with flashlights, there appeared to be a pool of water. It had been there for an eternity creating the chemicals that prevented Balletians from staying there too long. It's still surface reflected the light like a giant mirror giving it an undeserved feeling of calm. But it wasn't a body over water; it was a pool of accumulated darkness, purest evil prevented from dissipating by a barrier of light magic.

It marked a doorway to another dimension, a one-entity prison created generations before by a group who would have been the ancestors of the Morphin Masters, legends to the likes of Zordon of Eltare. It had taken their sacrifice to seal darkness within, but could not prevent some of the darkness from seeping through to poison the waters. A spell cast by Lord Zedd had prevented the site from being uncovered; Zedd's motive was to prevent the release of a potential rival.

At the boundary of the desert, a small personal transport craft had landed. Inside was a warrior known only as Blade. He rose from the pilot seat and turned towards the cargo chamber that filled the gap between the cockpit and the ship's engines. His passenger, a Tenga warrior, ruffled it's feathers nervously and tried to unclip the netting that acted as safety restraints so that passengers and pilots wouldn't be thrown from their seats in rough transit, it took several attempts until the sub-humanoid managed to get free.

Blade did not even bother to look back, he had no concern for how long it took the Tenga to release itself, that would only have mattered if it slowed him down in his mission. Blade looked over his reflection in the internal metal hull, he had planned this, lived for this moment for what seemed like eternity, manipulating events and people for centuries to get this far, and at this moment realised that he had overlooked one of the most subtle yet important factors; his appearance.

He sighed, condemned to the fact that he would probably be unrecognisable to his mistress after all this time. He reached for the top of his hood and pulled, feeling the weight and the closeness pull away, several times the small ringlets, sewn into his entire garb to add weight, caught skin and teased him with its cold strokes. He moved on to undo and remove the rest of his garb, as the clothing fell to the floor the clinking of the ringlets floated around the compartment.

Blade looked over himself, critically examining himself. ~This is not the body of a warrior,~ he thought, ~a soldier, maybe, but not a warrior and never a champion.~

His body was puckered with battle scars, and he reminded himself of how thin he was. Not that he wasn't muscular anymore, but the muscles here were tight, not the bulk he had always possessed before. He missed that size and strength, though he admired the speed and agility he had gained.

His head still surprised him, where his long flowing hair had hung when he last knelt in the presence of his mistress it was now bald and decorated with even more scars, he couldn't even remember what he was expecting in his face, hidden beneath his mask he hadn't bothered reminding himself for too long.

The only thing that fell into place for him, the only thing in his whole being that made him know who he was the silver that often flashed in his eyes. The glow reminded him that his mistress had gifted him with near immortality, though the Masters would always defile this blessing as 'the taint'. It was this taint that had managed to survive and had in turn assured his survival long after the Masters were gone to dust. This among many things affirmed his faith in the mistress.

With purpose, Blade approached a small crate and released the lid, inside laid his traditional armour, untouched for so many millennia and yet the feeling of recent glories and battles surrounded it. The armour was comprised of little more than plates that fitted over the important areas of the body, the chest plate was sheer but had ridges giving the impression of an external rib-cage and the back-plate had a spine running down, though it protruded like a sharp fin, the bucklers and shin guards featured protruding short, curved blades that bent back towards the body. Blade attached the last accessories, a series of individual scabbards, to his armour and then approached his sword rack, without hesitation he withdrew a short curved dagger and placed it to his left side, before removing a heavy broadsword, the last gift from his mistress, from the rack and placed it in the scabbard on his back.

He turned to the Tenga in the cockpit and gestured for it to follow. The anxious creature did as it was told, perhaps gifted with foreknowledge of its fate.

The pool of water seemed to bubble as they reached it, as if issuing a warning that it may hide a hot spring within, but Blade knew his purpose and would not be tricked by this display, carefully he placed a finger in the pool and was unsurprised when they got no deeper than the fingernails, he withdrew his finger and watched as the semi-solid substance covering the barrier oozed off the end, plopping obscenely when it dropped back.

Beyond he knew his mistress was kept, waiting for this whole time, for the barrier to move, something she wouldn't be able to do from the inside. Like all prison doors, it required someone on the outside to open it or in her case to protect against the summoning of an artificial minion, it required a verbal invitation for her to to step back into the real universe. As he looked in, he was almost certain he could feel his mistress staring at him, beckoning him to her.

The Tenga ruffled its feathers again, showing its nervousness. The action was beginning to wear on Blade's nerves, he had to keep reminding himself that the creature served a higher purpose and that it would soon stop ruffling, permanently.

"Mistress," Blade whispered, kneeling before the barrier, he was ready to sacrifice himself should that be required or even if she should desire him to do so "At last I have found you, at last I will release you."

Blade's eyes shifted to the Tenga as his hand gripped around the curved dagger, and in a swift movement his was on his feet and in a pirouette, the blade hooked out from his body. He finished his pirouette by descending gracefully to his knee once more, merely a blink before the Tenga was flat on the semi-solid surface of the pool, its blood running into the purity barrier, tainting it.

"My mistress," he said, without lifting his eyes from the ground. "Please, step through."

The effect was immediate. The Wall of Light expanded like a balloon, stretching outwards towards him. Blade remained in place, not afraid to sacrifice himself in return for his mistress' freedom. The darkness seeped through the light, forming a skin that touched him and then faded away. Blade raised his head, as the last blurring effects of the wall left his vision, before him were two figures laid on the floor, one was the Tenga, the other was huddled tightly in a tattered cloak.

Blade stepped forward and with a gentleness that should not have belonged to him lifted the cloaked figure up in his arms, from within he felt stirring and heard the faintest whisper, a female voice asking "Who...are...you?"

He gently carried her back to his ship, not trusting himself to speak.

She stirred in the passenger seat of the shuttle, but still seemed to weak to do more than shift in position behind the netting. Blade looked over to her barely able to conceal his concern; he had not expected her to be brimming with as much power as he remembered, but in no way expected her to be in this weak a condition. He was certain that over the hundreds of thousands of years contained in her prison she must have spent her power looking for a weakness, and now she was exhausted physically, mentally and magically.

She stirred once again and this time she shot into awareness. Her eyes opened, revealing themselves to be a deep fathomless black, and head shot back in surprise, knocking back the hood of her cloak and letting long locks of coal black hair flow out over her shoulders and running down to the lower part of her back. Her sleek hair had a white stripe running down the middle that flowed in the curve the rest of her locks had taken. Not for the first time this day Blade noticed how pale she looked, a sign of the awesome fatigue that had overcome her.

She tried to arch her back, stretching out like an animal that had been curled up for too long, and was rewarded with more freedom she felt for the first time in... she didn't know how long, even if it was restricted by the restraints of her chair, her eyes gazed out of the forward view port into the star field beyond. "Oh glorious night," she whispered, her hands extending towards space until they met the netting where she stuck her fingers through the holes.

She tried concentrating on the flows and ebbs of the magical current, attempting to find the correct strands of energy that would accomplish what she needed. A ball of light appeared before her, and slowly faded. She whispered: "It obeys me still, after all this time, I am truly free."

For a few minutes she remained motionless and silent, testing her senses of the magical currents she felt around her. She stretched the currents, gently manipulating them with her will. "You...you rescued me?" she whispered, this time her attention directed towards Blade.

Beside her, Blade merely nodded "Yes, m'lady"

"Why?" She whispered, "What is your name?"

Blade thought about this for a while, in the duration the journey had taken already he had thought of nothing but what had happened before, of his failures and of his honour. "I have not the right to claim a calling, m'lady" he sighed, feeling the lowest he had ever felt. He had used his title since her imprisonment, but now it seemed to him that stating such a calling would be an insult to her after this time.

She recognised the form, in the recesses of her mind she could recall matters of protocol that was drilled into the traditional loyalists. "Then what is your kin name?"

Blade spoke quietly, almost as if he did not want to speak at all "Rassila, of the clan Feldah"

Her eyes widened, "Rassila o' Feldah" she whispered, her tone picking up a harder edge "You have a name, Blade of the Chosen, why do you not claim this? Do you dishonour us?"

Blade spoke quickly, almost in a panic, "No m'lady, never!"

"Then, Blade, explain to me"

"I dishonoured myself in my failure to you, to stop the opposition. I failed to track you sooner, to free you" He paused and hung his head, the shame he was feeling was welling up fast "And have had to resort to mercenary work, even being forced to retreat in battle"

A smile waved over his mistress' lips. "My proud Blade, my loyal servant, tell me...how did you fail me against the treacherous enemy, did you not fight in the battle and become responsible for delivering many a killing blow on their warriors?"

"Yes, m'lady" his voice wavered, "but I died, and they got through to you"

"And yet, you are here, now"

"By your gift, m'lady, the Rune blade _Redemptionist's Embrace _that allowed me to possess the body of my killer after death, the opportunist who struck my back during battle," he sighed, "I thought it apt punishment, that I should be placed in this weaker form as a reminder of my weakness. But the effect did not take place soon enough, I had to gradually degrade his mental barriers and overpower his presence, by that time the opposition had managed to abduct and imprison you, I had failed you"

"And yet, you have come to me?"

"I live to serve m'lady, always" he paused, but the eyes of his mistress seemed to prompt he for more, choosing his words he continued "After you were taken, after I...recovered...from my death, I began to look for where they had imprisoned you, but they covered their tracks well. I was forced to become a mercenary, to perform tasks and to fight in others' battles to gain information and resources, by the time I even got enough to know that the planet you were held on was a frozen ice world, the planet had already started to become a world mostly submerged beneath water and I could once again find no trace."

"It was while I was forced into mercenary work, but only a matter of months ago, that I was on Onyx - the place is a hive of vile scum that have gathered like roaches to feed on each other - that I met with a creature from the world of Balletar. The creature claimed to work for some Lord Zedd and that he held dominion over an area of this planet that the rest of the planets' populace deemed cursed. There was something about the creature that I felt a kinship to even in this body and soon it became clear that he too had been touched by your gift. If this was the case, I concluded, then you must be imprisoned in that area."

"With this knowledge I strengthened my efforts, finding out from rumours about the magical barrier and means to disrupt it."

Her smile grew larger as she heard the story, her servant's devotion evident in his every word.

"Blade, my loyal servant. Even without my presence you never gave up until you found a way to free me." She turned back into her chair "You are more deserving of your title than any before you; you must seek no forgiveness for what you consider transgressions for you did so for my glory and the betterment of our people. You exceed more than was expected of my entire forces, name your prize and it shall be yours."

"I serve you mistress," he answered. "No prize is necessary."

She smiled, an expression that promised all manner of things, perhaps his heart's desire if he had a heart. Then she handed him his sword.

"Then you shall join me in this campaign," she stated. "And this time even the combined forces of the opposition will be unable to stop me."

"The powers and structure of opposition fell long ago," Blade told her, his eyes returning to their normal state. "That which remains is a pale imitation of the forces you fought."

"We fought," she corrected him. "You were there, my vengeful blade, cutting my enemies aside."

"I live to serve," he told her.

"Then you will live a long time," she promised.

"We are heading home now?" It was more of a statement than a question.

"Eventually, m'lady" Blade said, his voice soft "The area is heavily patrolled by a Planetary Defence force, one forged by the false governors that assumed control. We will rendezvous with some associates I met while on Onyx. They are common pirate, I am afraid ma'am, but they are led by a strong and noble captain who has assured me that he will provide us passage."

Momentarily, the shape of the lead ship of the Dianth, a ruthless space pirate clan, appeared before them. Immediately the communications board buzzed with activity, Blade glided his fingers over the board and opened a channel, a gruff voice resounded through "I assume I am speaking with the warrior, Rassila?"

"That isn't the Dread Pirate, Lord Anarky, is it?" Blade said into the communicator, hoping he managed to keep the sarcasm he always felt when addressing arrogant pirates out of his voice.

"No, with regrets our previous sovereign has recently been lost to us, while on a relationship counselling vacation with his wife. The leadership of our clan has been handed down to their daughter, who has agreed to honour her father's wishes to offer you passage home, in return for the fare agreed."

"Then tell your captain that we are grateful," Blade said "Permission to come aboard."

In response he watched a series of commands appear on his console, docking instructions.

The clink of heels on metal floor and the squelch of plastic-like material seemed to echo down the halls of the craft towards the galley, though Blade had long realised that this was merely his mind singling out the cause of his vexations over the past few days. He was not an impatient man, in fact he had spent the vast majority of his life waiting, and he thought himself tolerant, otherwise he would not have arranged transport with a group of pirates, a choice of lifestyle that either seems to attract or breed the arrogant, but since coming aboard the vessel with his mistress he had found their hostess rather an annoyance, and with regret he knew that his mistress was seething in her company.

Blade cast a furtive glance at his mistress, and noticed the resignation in her face as she placed her fork beside her plate and looked towards the main door. When the door creaked open, their hostess entered and lazed against the door jam, and in her annoying tones proclaimed "Good morning Blade, Queenie!"

She strode across the room, her high heels clinking against the floor, Blade swore to himself that her outfits were getting increasingly revealing and ridiculous as time wore on, leaving her now with clothing made of the squeakiest of plastic material in an alarming red that was cut low enough to reveal the majority of her bosom and low enough the when she sat and her skirt rose could reveal a few tattoos that very few else knew about. The heels that he had heard time after time belonged to the thigh high black boots that had finally evolved from the sandals she had been wearing when they first came onboard.

Blade noticed a new feature to the self-proclaimed "Princess of the Astral Tides", she had today taken to wearing a golden face plate, that though it would never be defensive, could hide a few of her features. She lowered herself into the chair next to Blade, though he was half-convinced she was aiming for his lap and flashed him a smile.

"When are we likely to arrive?" Lillith asked, her tone had a distinct edge to it.

"Now Queenie," the look of disgust on Lillith's face started to become evident, but the pirate didn't notice "we can't just rush into a defended sector like an interstellar taxi service, we need to take pre-cau-tions." She turned to Blade and, while running a hand over his thigh, said with a smile "I bet you know all about precautions, Blade."

~The freak,~ Blade mused, ~at least serves one purpose, wherever he goes the captain is sure to avoid.~

It was true, since the dome-headed alien known as Elgar had joined the crew in the past few days, the female captain had purposefully been everywhere other than where he had been. Although this served very little relief when in some ways he was more annoying than the captain. Right now, Elgar was busying himself trying to understand how the light in the lounge's fridge knew when to turn off.

Meanwhile, Blade and Lillith were going over copies of aerial and satellite scans of the planets in Pri'Athernia that the Dianth possessed, marking out known locations and refreshing themselves on changes that had been in place since Lillith's imprisonment. From down the hall, the squeaking and clicking resonated again, forcing Blade and Lillith to cover up their workings once again.

The captain rushed into the room like a whirlwind and with a flourish spread out the new bright red cape, which she had chosen to add to her wardrobe that day, and exclaimed in her excited, high-pitched voice "Blade, Queenie, how fabulous to see you!"

"Auntie D!" Elgar chuckled from behind her, turning from his adventure into the domain of spoiled milk and cold cuts.

"Ugh, Elgar!" the captain exclaimed, a hint of loathing in her voice, "Can't you be doing something useful, like cleaning out the torpedo tubes?"

"Aye, aye" Elgar said, punctuating it with a salute that almost knocked him out.

"How am I supposed to be taken seriously as Queen of all Space Pirates," the captain muttered, "with a nephew hanging around who has less intelligence than a fried sea slug"

Lillith snorted, barely even bothering to hide the derision she was feeling.

"Does that make me a Count or something?" Elgar quizzed, his eyes still boggling.

"No, Elgar, there is no way you 'Count' as anything," the captain remarked.

"You can not just refer to yourself as royalty and make it so," Lillith stated, her voice cool and even.

~A dangerous sign,~ Blade thought to himself.

"Can so!" screeched the captain.

"No, it is time-honoured title and in most civilisations carried through families. For that to happen either your ancestors would need to be royalty or you would need to marry royalty"

"Well," the captain said, thoughts obviously running through her mind, "I am betrothed... yes, that's it... I'm in an arranged marriage to..." the captain watched as Lillith leaned forward, intent to find out more. The captain's mind raced thinking about impressive royal figures, until it struck her. "..Maligore, yeees, Maligore the Flame of Destruction!"

Lillith looked blank and Blade realised this was purely because Maligore had not existed prior to her capture, but the captain took this as a challenge.

"Yes the powerful Maligore and I are to be wed. Why I was on my search for him before I had to fulfil this piffling little transport run in my father's honour. My darling Maligore, hidden away from me by those afraid of his powers and our union. Why I have spies on many planets to track his location so that I may free him and we may be as one."

As the captain strode defiantly out of the room Blade tried hard to shake the image of the legendary Maligore in all his blazing hot lava glory with the outlandishly dressed space pirate stroking his leg on their throne.

Space

The craft rocked once again, sprawling the Piranhatrons across the bridge of the subcraft. Blade kept a watchful eye on his mistress, ready to steady her if needed, but his queen stood firm on her own and kept her own eyes on the activity on the bridge.

"This is no way to treat a Pirate Queen!" The captain screeched, not hearing the dignified snort from Lillith, "who do they think they are?"

The captain crossed to the centre of the floor, carrying a chorus of squeaks and clicks from her clothes as she did so. There she pulled down an ornate periscope, really just a personal viewer for sensor displays and visual relays. In the periscope she could make out a series of ships firing bluish-white energy rings. She recognised the design almost immediately; Quadra fighters.

"They are signalling us," the huge monstrosity known as Rygog stated, "it appears that they have claimed this area in the name of the Machine Empire."

"Answer their signal and tell them that Divatox, Pirate Queen of the Dianth is not afraid of the Machine Empire. And then Rygog, fire all torpedoes!" With that Divatox burst into maniacal high-pitched cackling.

"Four of Five launched," Rygog stated.

"Where's the fifth?" Divatox asked, spinning to face him.

"It appears it jammed into Elgar," Rygog answered and then, seeing he needed to clarify added: "it seems he was cleaning the tubes when we were attacked."

With that the Subcraft rocked as a torpedo exploded in its tube.

Pri'Athernia  
Later

The planet Pri'Athernia combined the wonders of modern technology, the ancient skills of the heroes in popular folklore and a serious amount of magic. It was an artificial world, the restoration of it, a culmination of work by the other worlds in the sector. Even one of the three moons above the planet was artificial, but this fact was hidden to all but a few of the residents.

It had originally been intended as a haven, but following a battle with the entity known as the Darkest, only a few thousand beings remained on the planet. At one time they had been human, but adaptation to their new environments meant that some of them had evolved into creatures more suited for their chosen environment. But now the planet served as the central planet for a multi-planet civilization, living in a long-established harmony, each race on the planet dominated their own area, but all fiercely loyal to a single king.

"It is here," Lillith, the woman last known to this region as the Darkest, whispered. She had sensed the object she was seeking as soon as the subcraft that had carried her between Balletar and this world passed into the solar system. "They left it alone," she realised, "exactly where they placed it all those years ago." She laughed, realising what this meant. "The fools; they don't even realise what they protect!"

She stood on the entry ramp to the Subcraft, her loyal Blade beside her, and behind her stood a still smoking Elgar, Rygog and Divatox, the latter seemed inpatient to get the queen off of her ship. Blade turned towards Rygog and handed the lumbering creature a small card, printed upon which were the details to the locker on Onyx where payment was secured. Rygog accepted it with a nod. Divatox rushed forward placing a plasticy elbow-length gloved hand on Blade's upper arm and whispered, "If you ever want to take another trip, just let me know." She slipped him a wink before muttering to herself: "...but leave the baggage at home"

"Please, Divatox" the Darkest stated without turning, "do not let us keep you from your search for your betrothed. I sincerely hope to hear news soon of your marriage, perhaps even an invitation to the celebratory ball. I am sure I would not be the only one there who would want to be present to see that day happen."

Blade turned and moved alongside his mistress, she gave him a simple nod and they started the long walk to the capital together.

"Home at last," Lillith said, her role as the Darkest forgotten for a moment as she indulged the sudden burst of contentment that flowed through her body. To be here, on the world that had once been the centre of her empire helped to overcome the exhaustion she had been feeling since her release from that hole her captors had named a prison.

They were on their way to the capital of this world, which following her disappearance had been reconstructed in the Masters' idea of what a suitable world should be like. They had allowed the natives from three of the system's other planets. They had stripped away most of the vestiges of her kingdom, transforming those that could not be removed into more acceptable buildings. But as they drew nearer she came to realise that the capital city of this world had been moved in an attempt to distance themselves from the past.

Her castle, the very centre point of her kingdom from which she ruled above all others had been partially destroyed. The central building as ancient as it was when she had used it, was protected by generations of magic. The outer parts though, the thousand acres of manicured grounds and high stone walls with imposing towers were gone, stripped away to hide the significance of the castle.

In its place they had created a piece of modern art; a bright and shiny metallic building with sleek surfaces and reflective windows. It presented a modern and sterile front that gave an additional air of efficiency and clashed openly with the life style of those who lived there. The grounds were controlled by technology rather than magic and were linked through a state-of-the-art communication system with all provinces of the planet.

As she stepped onto the grounds of her old castle, a small waved of energy passed through her. She smiled at the reassuring touch of her own magic, still alive after so long. The grounds recognised her even if they had been levelled.

She reached out, touching the security spells with her mind, allowing them to bring forth memories that had yet to surface. This had once been the centre of her power. Back then she had been one of a number of evil overlords that dominated space. She remembered sitting on her throne, looking down on her many underlings as they scurried to please her. She recalled how upon that throne she had been the Dark Queen, handing down laws to be introduce throughout her empire; as self-appointed judge and jury she had ruthlessly tried and convicted those guilty of breaching her laws. As the great conquering monarch she had ordered attacks on worlds that would extend her empire in an ever outward spiral, an empire that had included not only the space now shared among several factions, but many more besides. And as the gracious leader, she had patiently resigned herself to congratulating her commanders as they brought news of victory, spoils of battle and other tribute with which to worship her. She had not been a god back then, but like the other overlords she had come pretty close in the eyes of those who pledged their loyalty, be that pledge obtained willingly or forcibly.

And now look what had happened to her once mighty empire. Gone! All traces conveniently hidden away from the populace. Her forces were no where to be seen; scattered by the loss of the Darkest or destroyed at the hands of the Masters. Those who had been connected to her at the moment of her imprisonment had simply ceased to be. Their bodies had remained frozen, but their minds and perhaps the very thing that had singled them out as living creatures had vanished. While she had endured, they had not; their bodies had broken down over time, first taking on a rubbery texture as her dark magic ravaged their bodies and then slowly falling to pieces over a few short years. Of those who had scattered, only Blade had been loyal enough to hunt her down. There may have been others who were still loyal but that would remain to be seen.

~I will need to build a new Army of Darkness.~

And her empire, the collection of worlds and solar systems she had carefully conquered in an outward expansion? Gone, the last few systems she had marked to become annexes of her power base didn't even show traces of her influence. Those galaxies that she had ruled with an iron fist had either been freed or were ruled over by some small time faction. Despite being an annoyance, the news pleased her since it meant the Masters had not only unseated her, they had taken out her opposition. The M-51 Galaxy of Master Vile, the Machine Empire's territory, the Dark Zones of Lord Zedd, countless other territories... all were faction of the empire she had spent her youth conquering and dominating.

~I will take back that which was mine and more, much more. I will complete my empire.~

And Terminus, the mighty craft she had commissioned long ago, what of that? The ship had been big, the size of a small polar moon and equipped with everything a would-be conqueror desires. In her time as Queen it had been the ultimate symbol of authority, an avenging engine of doom that cut down all those who dared to stand against her.

~What could they have done with it?~ She wondered.

Nobody could control Terminus without her say so. Attempting to move it would have been a fatal mistake. And to dismantle it, they would have needed a way in first, since very little could have penetrated the craft's armour back then. Now? That was another matter and she suspected that given the advancements in technology civilisation made as a whole, that by modern standards Terminus was almost obsolete. But she didn't believe the Masters had destroyed Terminus. Given their efforts in other matters and their overwhelming need for technology such as Terminus could provide, it was more likely they tried to mothball the massive space station. But where could they hide a craft the size of a small moon?

She frowned. ~They would not dare!~ It was an insult greater perhaps than turning her throne world into this mockery. She peered into the sky, sensing each of the world's moons in turning, seeking the one that hid a deadly secret. ~There, the fourth moon!~ She could feel it; Terminus was there in plain sight, but hidden from her by trickery.

"How dare they?" she snarled. "They dare to corrupt my Terminus like this, to make it one of this world's moons. Did they take me for a fool?"

"They underestimated you m'lady," Blade offered. "But then, we already knew that. This was not an insult to your intelligence, they never believed you were capable of freeing yourself to see what they had done."

"Yes," she said after hearing the truth in his words. "They were too foolish to be insulting. Your insight is most welcome, Blade."

"My craft is this way," Blade said. "Perhaps we should go and examine this moon of yours."

"Yessss," she hissed excitedly. "It awaits me... No, by now the authorities know of our arrival. If we leave we may lose the chance to enter the fortress. Terminus can wait a little longer, the crystal cannot wait. I must touch it again. Take me there Blade, I need to see it."

Blade was enjoying the thrill of battle he had denied himself while seeking to free his mistress. It had been a long time since he had allowed himself to kill without need, to destroy without mercy and to truly embrace the dark emotions such deeds forced to the surface. He moved rapidly around the battlefield, using his daggers to bring down the soldiers one at a time. And while he fought hand-to-hand, his sword was spinning through the air, striking at any suitable target.

The soldiers kept coming, the vastly different races evident as their attacks differed. Those capable of flight - the men born with hawk-like wings and those who resembled humanoid bees - soared in from the air, using their weapons to try to pick off the lone invader. The humans that were limited to ground combat used tanks to distance themselves from the combat. But however they fought, they were well trained and brave. It was a shame the Blade was a dedicated killer.

The battle went on for a long time as more and more troops threw themselves into Blade's path. It was becoming evident that he was bored; he no longer put the effort into each kill, sparing them only a glance as he waded through the throng, leaving a mass of corpses and a growing river of crimson liquid. Occasionally, she would join in, testing her powers by sending devastating balls of flame towards the approaching army. Her powers grew stronger as the time passed and eventually as they made their way through the planet's many forests, she was capable of burning away terrain and soldiers miles ahead of her.

Then they came upon the first of the planet's true defenders. Not the everyday soldiers that had sought to delay them every step of the way; these were the commanders, the leaders that the people looked up to. Every one of them was a hero, dedicated to their world and perhaps willing to die for it. They lacked the powers of the beings that had imprisoned her and by modern standards they were not much to look at when compared to Power Rangers.

She could not deny they were highly trained, masters of the fighting arts be that Martial Arts or plain brute force. Their weapons and armour was more robust and hinted at some refinement. They wore gauntlets that allowed them to generate highly resistant metal shields and their armour took advantage of unstable spaces between spatial planes, expanding and contracting according to need.

The first five they came across wore what she later learnt were called Power Suits. Bulky and no doubt heavy for the wearer, they incorporated multiple weapons that could be shifted around the external frame. She'd laughed as Blade's mentally controlled sword had cut through the blue one as he had taken to the air. His green comrade joined him moments later, two knives buried up to the hilt resting emerging from just under his armpits. He hadn't noticed either blade, the kick that had shattered his face had left him suitably distracted.

She had delighted in killing one warrior herself. A female soldier, the daughter of the green armoured male that Blade had killed so easily. She attacked, surprising the Darkest with her precise movements and keen sense of strategy. Her extendable snake headed staff deflected the Darkest's weaker fireballs and even attempt a few tentative strikes before her opponent took control.

The Darkest was not about to allow a mere human to best her. She endured the fighting for some time, testing her ability to block and ensuring there was no lasting muscle damage from her imprisonment. But when all was said and done, she was determined to triumph. She shoved her hand out, shattering the staff as it rapped her palm. Then they were fighting hand-to-hand, ignoring the world around them as their speed increased with each glancing blow. They were both near perfect in technique, the warrior woman from hours of demanding practice and the Darkest from a near eternity of training. In the end though the warrior could not maintain the pace.. Her moves slowed and her technique became sloppy.

"You fought well," the Darkest told her. If the warrior had known who had spoken those words, perhaps she would have felt some pride before the burning agony that marked her death. "But not well enough," the Darkest finished, removing her fingers from the girl's throat, where they had just crushed her windpipe.

And that was it; the battle was over and the three surviving defenders knew it. The planet had in a matter of hours been torn apart by an overwhelming force. Even now as they abandoned their pretence of living as simple folks and unleashed their most advanced technology, they were fighting a lost cause. Blade didn't stop, he enjoyed killing too much; it was his nature to destroy. His mistress though had grown tired of the seemingly unending troops that attacked her. She used her still weakened powers to turn the very planet against its people, turning those who opposed her to salt and leaving only their commanders behind.

She left the royal palace alone, the politics on this world were not her concern. There was only one thing here that matter to her. Instead, she turned towards a set of ruins a few kilometres from the palace in one of the more remote areas of the planet. She was not surprised to discover that the last of the planet's resistance had gathered there. She dispatched Blade to murder the Royal Family before they could leave and walked towards the ruins. There was a new sense of confidence in her step.

When she finally approached, the drawbridge was open, giving the old castle an ancient and harmless look. She knew better though. Inside this otherwise prehistoric place, was a collection of the most advanced technology ever created by the native population. Computers, weapon systems, even super armour; everything a defender could need to protect a world, instead dedicated to protecting a hunk of stone and the secret contained within.

"You cannot pass," a voice spoke. Although soft it held the authority of someone acquainted with magic and experienced enough to use it. "I will defend this castle until my death."

"That will not be far away," the Darkest promised. To demonstrate she sent a blast of dark energy from the end of her staff, which was easily deflected by the other fighter's hand.

"You will not gain entry, the castle will not allow it."

The Darkest smiled, realising what she was facing. The figure, made up to resemble some ancient deity, was nothing more than an extension of the castle, set in place to protect against those who would do it harm. It was not uncommon although by modern standards, the Darkest imagine it was frowned upon. As a child this figure would have been surrendered to whatever forces protected the castle, to be their agent and ensure the treasures within never came to harm. In return she was given the ability to draw on the power of the castle itself, her own personal Morphin Grid, which in times past she had no doubt shared with others.

The Darkest unleashed another waved of dark energy, which was once again knocked away. She tried a third time, this time allowing the dark powers to flow through her uncontrolled as she hoped to break down the whatever protection this entity held. But despite straining, her opponent was hardly affected by the blast and gradually seemed to gain strength against it.

"I understand," the Darkest smirked. "The castle gives you all the power you need and in my condition I cannot match power with you... yet."

She turned her staff so it pointed at the ground and fired a blast into the ground. The Earth shook as an explosion rocked the core. The Darkest looked up to see a wall of the castle collapsing as its very foundations were eaten away.

"I cannot destroy you, but I can destroy the castle. And as the castle goes, so does your power."

She spun the staff overhead, blasting the battlements and towers, weakening the structure. She continued to do so, striking the castle and the ground below, blasting the wild magic that acted as a moat. And when she was certain that she had done enough, she turned the staff towards the doorway to the castle.

"And now, I will have entry!" the Darkest cried.

She fired a final blast, pouring more energy than she could safely spare into a single spike. The defender of the castle tried to stop it, but was blasted back into the depths of the castle, allowing the Darkest to enter.

"Who are you?" the Guardian asked as the evil woman stalked towards her. That someone had broken the castle's protection was unheard of.

"I have had many names," the Darkest entered. "Some I cannot even remember, it has been so long I used them. Some call me the Darkest, others the Destroyer of Souls. I am the Mistress of the Dark Cosmos, First Chosen of the Fallen Acolytes and the Mother of Armageddon." She paused. "You may call me Lillith."

She was rewarded with a gasp, which told her that she had been correct. The Guardian was indeed there to protect the castle's hidden treasure.

"And what may I call you?" she asked coldly, levitating the woman with her mind.

"I am the Guardian of the Castle," she replied, her voice strained and ancient. But despite her struggles, the vast power of the castle had already vanished.

Lillith was no longer listening, her attention had shifted to other matters as she was trying to trace the dark magic she perceived somewhere at the castle's core. But despite a certainty that what she sought was there, the pure magic of the castle shielded it from her magical senses. There was only one way to deal with that.

"Now you're just the Guardian," she said coldly. She unleashed a blast of dark energy at the Guardian, knowing the castle would attempt to defend its protector. But already weakened and under attack from within, the pure magic placed within the walls after Lillith's imprisonment failed. The foundations of the castle, the sacred chamber in which the ancient masters had stored a fraction of their power, were torn apart as the raw evil that the Darkest could barely control; lack of practical magic meant her control had faded significantly. Luckily this task didn't require control, just power.

The Guardian screamed as the power she had felt since she had first arrived in the castle faded. She dropped to the ground, her leg breaking as she slid slightly on the cold stone. She lay there, powerless and injured without hope.

"There!" Lillith's words cut through the stillness of the castle.

Ignoring the fallen Guardian she marched through the ruined corridors towards the one unopened door. The wards had been removed and the room was at last opened to her. She sensed Blade fall in behind her, his mission completed. But she ignored him, her mind driven towards another goal. She didn't even stop at the door, just waded through the smashed stone and made her way to the pedestal.

There on a pedestal was the object she sought, an octagonal crystal that crackled with dark magic. This close it was hard to believe they had ever shielded it from her; the evil was unmistakable.

"It is yours m'lady," Blade said.

She nodded, but didn't take it. Instead she reached out, sensing the Masters' final trap. The crystal was tied to the planet and removing it would bring an end to this world. She sneered. To begin with she had been angry that they had taken her throne world, hidden it from her and imprisoned her light years away. This revelation though pushed her over the edge. They had gone too far when they had linked the fate of her planet to the crystal.

"Fools, they underestimated me... again." Her hand caressed the crystal and at once she felt the link, reshaping the bonds the Masters had placed to leave the planet intact. One day she would want her throne world back. But for now she had what she desired the most: "The crystal is mine again."

She looked into the depths of the crystal, trying to re-establish the bond she had had with the gem so long ago. Luck was against her though. Although she could sense the dark energies within the crystal, she was still too weak to command it without being consumed. On the other hand, so long as the crystal remained in the castle, the Guardian would have time to recover her strength and counter attack. The light magic within the castle, left behind by the Masters to protect the crystal was extremely potent. So far as she could tell there was very little she could do about the situation.

She reached out and touched the crystal with her fingertips, sensing the magic as it recognised her. She tugged at the few more strands, desperate to feel the power once more. The power came to her, drawn towards her blackened heart. It strengthened her, refreshed her ... empowered her, improved her ... overwhelmed her, made her lose control as she struggled to deal with the extreme magic flowing through her weakened body. She opened her mouth to warn Blade, but no noise emerged. More power than she needed and she couldn't even channel enough of it to scream.

"Mistress!" Blade warned, sensing the power about to break free. Waves of black energy radiated through the castle, destroying the power the Master's had left in place, returning its surroundings to the darkness. "Forgive me," he begged before driving his shoulder into her body, lifting her overloaded form away from the crystal and in the process, severed the link.

With a final flare the Crystal of Evil returned to its inert state, waiting for Lillith to command it once more.

Too much, too soon. As she came around hours later with a killer headache it was easy to see what had gone wrong. She was still in recovery from her ordeal, magically, physically and mentally. It therefore stood to reason that too much power - that of an ancient crystal containing the essence of evil for example - would overwhelm her. Had she been a lesser being she would have been vaporised by the dark magic. Instead she was exhausted; she would need to find a way to limit how much magic she drew from the crystal before attempting to use it again.

For now though there were other matters to deal with. She stalked her way through the passages, the crystal tucked safely away in a subspace pocket and her staff in hand. As she walked she kept an eye open for the fallen Guardian. There was still some unfinished business there. She finally found the winged defender, crawling back towards the entrance.

"Going somewhere?" The Guardian stopped and to her credit showed only resignation as she turned towards the Darkest. "I have not finished with you yet Guardian... come here!"

She gestured with her hand and the fallen Guardian flew into her waiting grasp. She squeezed, not too hard but enough to bring the injured woman to her senses.

"I know what you are," the Darkest told her. "You're a construct, nothing more. You're a being made from the power of the castle to protect that which I now possess. Do you even have a name or are were you deemed unworthy?"

The look of horror told her that the words were indeed true.

"Eve," the Guardian answered, prompting a smile on the Darkest's face.

The Darkest laughed coldly. "So, leaving my Crystal of Evil here was not the greatest insult they could find. I'm sure the Masters laughed when they gave you _that_ name. But all is well, the joke is on them. You're nothing now; no life and no purpose. I'm going to change that for you; I'm going to give your life meaning again. I'm going to give you something to centre your existence around..." A burst of lightning left her staff, aimed for Eve's head. "Me!"

She marched from the castle, Blade a step behind and to her left, the now unconscious Guardian floating several paces behind, a distance that clearly differentiated between Lillith's loyal servant and her soon-to-be unwilling slave.

"I think now," Lillith said "it is time to visit my precious Terminus."

Eve lay, unconscious and psionically bound, in the cargo hold of Blade's transport craft, while Blade and Lillith sat comfortably at the helm. As the craft skimmed up over the land to gain the speed necessary to break orbit both looked out, noting the signs of a resistance movement slowly reforming. Neither spoke of their observations, but both knew they would be fighting another battle on this world. Blade had killed many, but had been choosy about those he killed or injured. He had aimed for the leaders and the most gifted fighters, sending a message to the weaker combatants not to intervene. Many had died, but many more remained.

The ship rose steadily and finally pushed forward, breaking for space, until before them hung the dirty grey moon which hid Terminus. Lillith's eyes focused on the rock, sensing the lies it told. ~How long have the people believed it to be real,~ she thought, ~what superstitions do the primitives hold about this rock? One day I will find out. If, that is, I decide to spare any of them.~

Whatever they had believed would in no way match the terror that the truth could hold, for Lillith concentrated her thoughts on the rock and felt herself as the centre part of the moon, pulling the moon into itself, contracting it with her will. The surface was already cracking, erupting in violent earthquakes. Feeling the rock surface crumbling away, Lillith reversed the power, and like a punctured balloon the moon exploded, pushing huge chunks of rocks out at an alarming speed.

As Blade dodged the surprising flow of the fallout and steadied the ship, beside him Lillith fell back violently in her seat, as if her whole existence had been caught in the wave of destruction. Several chunks of rock broke up over Pri'Athernia, to later break through the atmosphere as a crushing rain of fire to several of the main cities.

Before the small craft hung an older moon, one just as artificial as it's rocky outer casing had been, but this one was much colder. Its surface was a metallic weave of structure, sensors and weapons, some of which were still encased in rock that had not been shifted by Lillith's power. The moon was her mobile throne, the enforcer of her command, her armies main barracks and it was her most valuable asset next to the crystal; Terminus.

Lillith absently heard Blade calling out for her, a great deal of concern in his tone, she allowed herself a speculative smile. This was what it was all about, taking back her property and rebuilding an empire that had once endured thousands of years before its downfall. She would take it back, piece by piece until everything that was hers by right of conquest was where it belonged. Animal mineral or vegetable, it didn't matter; if it had been part of her original empire or had been created from something that had been the property of her original domain, it would be returned to the rightful place where she dictated that it belonged.

Terminus, Docking Bay

The shuttle had docked easily, it's passage secured by tractoring fields that had been awaiting use since the Darkest had left. The docking bay was huge, both in width and height, the majority of the area was cloaked in darkness that bellied it's true dimensions, from floor to rafter the air was still and silent save for the footsteps of the warrior, Blade.

Blade looked around, his eyes adjusting to the gloom until he could make out the nearest data console, the sound of his footsteps on the metal floor carried a clinking noise through the air. The console was covered in grime and dust, so thick that Blade had to poke a finger through before he could shift it aside, finally reaching the glare of the screen beneath.

He tapped away at the symbols on the touch screen rapidly, the routines coming back to him as if he had been constantly doing them for the past millennia. Expectantly he looked up towards the low glow of the lighting systems, no change came; still the area was bathed in darkness.

He tried several more times using different commands and routes to try to raise the lights. All his attempts were unsuccessful. Finally he went into the command lines and found the reason. He sighed, vexed by what the system had revealed and moved back to the shuttle. Lillith sat on the shuttle's ramp, her head hung low but her eyes ever-watching as her personal guard walked back to her. The effects of the crystal and her recent display of power had left her feeling physically drained again, yet she felt an exhilaration at being able to touch power of such magnitude after all the time trapped.

"The lights have been hard-coded to this level, m'lady" Blade whispered as he looked around edgily. "And I believe we may not be alone here."

"We must move to my throne then" Lillith stated, pushing herself up off, "I must know what has become of my Terminus."

"M'lady, I can't be certain that it would be a safe course of action" Blade warned.

"I appreciate the concern, Blade" Lillith said, her eyes locked in a steely resolve, "but the choice is not your to make. I want to go home"

The long-tailed creature was mostly humanoid in appearance, though because it was covered in dark purple-black fur, it looked more like a cat. It perched on the cold metal rafter and watched the events play out below. The intruders in it's clans territory had left their shuttle and a helpless occupant to wander the darkness that was his home.

The creature looked down, blinking its sharp yellow eyes. A vicious smile crossed its lips and it hissed the word home several times before pouncing off its perch and darting between rafters into the gloom.

The corridor was as void of light as the docking bay, but Blade had switched on his pack lights and the beams illuminated enough of the way as to make him a little more comfortable with his surroundings. He had hoped to be able to travel directly to the throne room through the speed lifts, but all the lifts that offered access past the equator of the spheroid ship had been physically severed or burnt out by energy blasts, a scene of devastation that had unsettled him momentarily but that he did not trifle Lillith with.

His new plan was to work gradually through the corridors, using sector lifts where possible, to reach the engineering section that marked the centre of the sphere, a long trek through an area he already anticipated to be hostile. He had managed to reach what had, in his time here previously, come to be know as 'The Pen', a holding area for several alien species that Lillith had enslaved and controlled through her taint, all to be stored in a matter-antimatter stasis.

"Through here m'lady" Blade said, as he pressed his shoulder against the door and laid his hands flat on the surface, he groaned and began to push the hulking door open, panting he said "The inside is separately powered, miles high and the lifts will shorten our journey."

"Very well" Lillith stated, gracefully squeezing past.

"Noble B'dga," the cat-like stalker bowed deeply, he was surrounded by shadows but the features of older faces of his kind were visible to him, and now he addressed the Elder of the council.

"I watches the great hall of metal with my clan-family," he began, "but today, following the world shaker, I sees strangers in my territory. Strangers not of wing nor fur, nor of shadow. Strangers what is like the Exalted."

In the shadows he could see B'dga the Elder lean forward, interested.

"They talk of home and of the cities of our world, Ph'rone and N'gener'n," his eyes darted around the room, more faces had come forward, every patriarch of the clan-families had gathered, "They heads now to the territory of noble clan-family M'lea, the city of the...frozen death."

B'dga laboured a breath and spoke, his voice resounding though softer silk, "Is this true, M'lea?"

The rich voice of the patriarch of M'lea, the most blessed of the families, replied "Scouts have confirmed their passage, my children are watching them."

"Very well," B'dga stated "I will go with my clan-family to see the Exalted, while the clan-family M'lea, and those they give right of visit track and capture these strangers."

Despite 'The Pen' having it's own power supply the room was dimly lit, a result, Blade discovered, of the lights being shattered and smashed. The only light came from the glow of the stasis pods.

The room was filled with metal columns that stretched from the ground to the ceiling, so high that there true length was hidden from view. Attached to the surface of the pillars were oval pods, filled with green light.

Peering into the pods Blade could see that, for the most part, stasis had held as beneath the green glow he could make out the features of alien creatures, pale and motionless, though otherwise healthy. Others were not so lucky, even though they shared the same glow many had suffered stasis degradation over the years, in some cases decaying and melting their features like oxidized rubber or, to the more extreme, the bodies had exploded and the residue floated in stasis.

The lift opened to a sterile white room, bathed in such light that it cause B'dga to shrink back. He could just make out the features of a tall, winged humanoid, "I come to speak with the Exalted, he whose words are law!".

"The High One has no appointment, you bring no tithe," the 'angel' observed, "what makes you think the high one would see anyone so lowly as your kind on a whim?"

"Spare me your righteousness," B'dga hissed, "you lord over us, but we are the ones who keep you alive, who give life to our world, you merely live here."

"And that is the point," the 'angel' retorted, "my people do not have to slave, we are the blessed people"

"You will be the damned if we do not speak to the Exalted, damned by he who is the high one, for his prophesy comes and you keep me from him!"

B'dga barged forward, knocking the winged guard to his side and strode up to the doors of the Exalted's chamber. The angel was not about to be shown up by one of the lesser creatures. After all, he was closer to human than the 'cats'. He opened his mouth and let out a clearly inhuman screech, alerting his sisters to the danger.

They were more instinct driven than he was and flew in ready for combat, talons extended to rip the cat apart. But B'dga was ready for them, crouched with claws extended, it pounced at the first female, bringing her down in the same way its distant cousins would bring down a sparrow.

The other two swooped in, driving their talons into his shoulder and lifting him into the air. He was unceremoniously thrown into the closed doorway.

B'dga's tail twitched angrily and he let out a feral growl before charging into combat. The angel's returned their own battle cry and charged. Claws and talons were ready, the fight was joined.

"WHAT, IS THE MEANING OF THIS?"

The voice echoed in the chamber and all activity ceased as cat creature and bird people alike fell to their knees, showing the proper respect for the Exalted One. He was human, a fact that automatically made him one to be worshipped. For it was written in the prophecy the Exalted One guarded so diligently, the humans were the favoured ones, the birds were the guardians and the cats should labour.

"You may look upon me," he said regally.

He was tall and pale skinned, an effect of living in the total absence of natural light. He had grey hair and a suitably long beard. He wore the robes his office demanded and a man of his station deserved: white robes with a matching coronet. In his hand he held a long staff and had the Sacred Book of Prophecy under his left arm.

"Now, what is the meaning of this?"

"Forgive us oh wondrous one," the angel grovelled. "My sisters and I were trying to prevent this riffraff from disturbing your greatness."

"I see," the Exalted replied before turning to the cat creature that still didn't dare not to look at him. "And you, what is your excuse?"

"Excuse please, B'dga brings news for Exalted. His prophecy has arrived."

A look of amusement crossed the man's face as he misinterpreted the cat's comment. Of course, given that he was a fraud, he expected everyone else to be too. He had no understanding of the devotion both the angels and cats showed to the falsified religion.

"So you are the one of prophecy?" he asked, amused. He saw the angel stiffen, ready to kill for such blasphemy.

"No, not I," B'dga answered. "She comes, now. We see her and come to tell Exalted."

If it was possible, the Exalted grew paler at that revelation. His face wrinkled into a mixture of worry and anger. He composed himself quickly, unwilling to show any emotion the lesser races might misinterpret.

"Explain."

"One of the clan-children who watches the great hall of metal," he began, "today, sees strangers in his clan-family territory. Following the world shaker, these strangers come from..." he paused, as if troubled and then whispered conspiratorially, "_the great beyondness_. Strangers not of wing or fur, nor of shadow. Strangers what is like the Exalted. They is like in the Book of Prophecy."

"Th-this is highly irregular," the Exalted managed to say.

This was not supposed to happen under his administration, it had not happened under any of his predecessors' control. His ancestors had written the book generations ago, predicting the return of the Great One, but he was certain that the great text was a fabrication to ensure the lesser races continued to labour once Terminus had stilled.

Oh he knew what Terminus was, all the higher humans knew. It was a space vessel that had become stranded generations before and over time its systems had degraded. His ancestor, claiming to be the servant of the Great One had written the prophecy to appease the other races; their belief in prophecy was in the Exalted's opinion a means of control. His ancestor had written that the Great One would return with an escort to free them from their fate. He had used the prophecy at that time to ensure that the important tasks were undertaken, such as security details.

Over time the roles had developed, but the belief had remained. The humans now had very little to do since their responsibilities involved knowledge, skills and machinery that had eroded over the first few centuries. The Exalted, a title that once held real meaning was now just a title and mark of respect. The lesser races needed someone to command them, which he did frequently and in return they laboured for him. It was a good system, better than the one his ancestors had foreseen. He especially liked the status-quo.

And now after all this time, after eons of evolution, there was a disruption to the way things should be. He was furious that this had happened, that one messenger threatened the social structure his family had upheld for so long. And he was nervous, knowing that until recent times, the high humans had believed in the prophecy, had believed in the existence of the Great One.

"A mistake on your part no doubt. The shadows have a way of playing tricks especially when you have not rested properly."

"It is her I saw," B'dga insisted.

"Or it could well be someone who wishes to usurp our peoples." The Exalted answered. He saw the look of anger on the cat's face and suppressed rage on the angel's grey face. He needed to find a way to appease them until he could prove it was a fake. "But as it is written, we must great this person for if they are the ones they alone will pass the test. Your races have toiled for generations to earn her return. Perhaps at long last your worship had paid off."

"What we do now?" B'dga asked.

"Find them, bring them to me," he said, planning how to expose this as a deception even if it was in reality the truth. "We will test those that claim to be the prophecy and when - if," he quickly amended, "they are found to be false we will deal with them. No doubt the Book of Prophecy predicts that: 'many shall lay claim to the title before the Great One returns'. In the meantime, the guardians of this section shall return to their duties and you B'dga, should go aid your clan."

There was no such line that he knew of, but it was enough to make them sceptical and that slight change in attitude would make them easier to manipulate.

The angel like bird people bowed reverently and departed, dragging their fallen sister with them. B'dga waited until the Exalted had turned away before scurrying about his duties.

The chamber was a mess of spilled blood and broken bodies, catlike bodies. Their killer stood tiredly as another wave made their way towards him, his powerful blades colliding with their sharp claws. He drove the heavy counterweight of his sword into one of the creature's skulls before swinging it by the tail to drive its comrades back.

One managed to sneak up behind him and leapt upon his back, using its claws to scratch his upper arms. Two more took advantage as he tried to shrug the first cat off him. They latched onto his arms, pulling them wide and exposing his chest. He rolled, trying to throw them loose, but more of the cat people piled into him, taking away any leverage he once had.

So far they had not deliberately hurt him, but now he was at their mercy and animal instinct reared its ugly head. The claws raised, ready to deliver a fatal laceration to his chest, bringing food for the entire clan.

"Stop!" B'dga pleaded as he ran into the chamber. "The exalted wants them alive. They are prophecy!"

This had an immediate effect. They didn't release him, but all stopped what they were doing and turned their attention to the sleek black figure that was their brother. Their faces were angry, filled with hate and distrust at the interruption, but none dared to argue with the Exalted's orders.

"They are prophecy," he repeated, gesturing for his clan to release the sword wielding warrior.

"He kills our kind," one pointed out. "He kills my mate."

"He is companion of Great One," B'dga replied. "He kills those who threaten prophecy."

"No, he kill mate, he dies," the female exclaimed, her loss overcoming her loyalty. She extended her claws and drove them towards Blade's throat.

VROOOOOOSH!

Lillith pointed and the offending cats found themselves on the receiving end of a fireball. Only blade seemed unharmed.

"Thank you, m'lady," Blade said as he stepped towards her and took up a protective position.

"I told you before that with loyalty such as yours, you should expect to live a long time," she answered, allowing a trace of humour to find its way into the solemn exchange. Before turning her attention to the now cowering felines. "Vermin," she accused, "infesting my Terminus. Why have you been allowed to remain here, where are my loyal followers? Where are the Seraf and R'skil, where are my Prefects?"

"We live here, it has always been so," B'dga answered, he was the only one who dared do so after her display of power. "Shades labour here for prophecy."

Her rage was forgotten for a moment as suspicion and curiosity took over. "Tell me of this prophecy," she instructed.

"The men of fur, wing and flesh would labour until the destined day, fur to keep the world breathing, wing to keep to keep the chosen safe and flesh to keep the spirit living. Through labour the Great One shall return to guide her people once again; her home will be ready for her when the Exalted kneels with his kind."

"Then why has this Exalted One not appeared to greet me?" she asked, her anger returning. She had expected loyal servants to celebrate her return not this backwards race of cats.

"He tell me to bring you to him," B'dga replied. "Then he judge if you are prophecy."

She didn't say anything, suspecting what had happened. So much time had passed that it was only logical that some evolution had taken place. But to forget their roots and reduce themselves to mere labourers, what had her Prefects been thinking to allow this to happen?

"I see," she said, allowing the coldness to enter her tone, eyes flashing in warning. "Take us to this Exalted One."

"At once," B'dga said excitedly, "Come, B'dga show way."

B'dga bowed and obeyed, leading the way as they undertook a long trek along miles of low corridors and then up several long ladders. Obviously the lifts and internal teleportation systems were offline. Lillith could have made the journey in seconds, but chose to endure the discomfort since the experience revealed just how badly her Prefects had performed in her absence.

Finally, after squeezing through a panel that had been forced open from the other side, they reached the nerve centre of Terminus. In all they had travelled six decks and walked the equivalent of four sections. With the lifts operating the journey would have taken three minutes including the security checks such levels required.

"We is here," B'dga said excitedly, "Exalted is waiting for prophecy."

As they had trekked through the corridors to reach their destination, Lillith had learnt a great deal from B'dga. Firstly he was extremely loyal to the prophecy even if he didn't really understand its meaning. He and his race had been labouring for generations to keep the crew of Terminus alive, and it was their devotion to this prophecy they spoke of that allowed them to keep going against all odds.

Secondly from his description Lillith knew who the Exalted was. When she had left Terminus before her incarceration, she had left one of her human servants in charge. Clearly he had abused his power, living a life of comfort while her once noble R'skils.

They followed B'dga through the door and into the circular chamber she recognised at once as her briefing room. In her days of glory she had mingled here with her heads of government to dictate policy and discuss strategy with her commanders. The room had been stripped of its opulent furnishings and was a dreary as the rest of the space station.

"You returned then," the angel said, looking at B'dga with a mixture of curiosity and hatred. "The Exalted One has ordered no further interruptions while he contemplates the disturbance you caused. Your prisoners will be dealt with by his wisdom."

"But she is prophecy," the feline interjected. "She is the Great One!"

"Who are you to say who is the Great One?" the angel returned angrily, his belief was such he could not bear the idea that the Great One had returned because he couldn't take the pain if it turned out to be fake. "Only the Book of Prophecy can tell us and only the Exalted One can read from that book."

From the sneer he gave the cat, it became clear he did not believe B'dga could read at all.

"She is Great One; she came from beyond; spoke of the holy cities and delivered death with a look."

"A trick any might accomplish given the right motivation," the Exalted said, stepping from his chambers, which Lillith had now identified as the secondary control room. It was so difficult to get orientated on this station because she had yet to find a suitable landmark. Now she knew where she was the floor plan of the space station filled her mind.

She turned to regard the robed figure who had dared to doubt her. He had drawn himself up in an attempt to look fearsome, it made him seem pathetic.

"You should know better B'dga than to make claims about the Great One. Did I not warn you that there would come many impostors before the true Great One returned. This is but a test of our ability to see through deception. Rejoice that you were fooled B'dga, for the testing is a sign that her return is not far away. A few generations and she may appear."

"But she is here, this is Great One."

"How dare you question the Exalted, cat?" the angel demanded. "He is the keeper, he alone knows if the prophecy has been fulfilled."

"I speak truth Exarchate," B'dga shot back, using the angel's race name to emphasize his genuine belief.

"Enough, if she is the Great One, she will pass the test of the prophecy. If not she and her companion will be exposed as impostors and shall suffer for their falsehoods."

"That won't be necessary," Lillith said. "I am the Great One the prophecy speaks of, Queen Lillith. This domain is mine by right and none have the right to question me."

"See how she fears the test," the Exalted offered. "She tries to talk her way out of the test with trickery. She is guilty, destroy her noble Exarchate, and bring more honour to your clan. Then you may take vengeance for you kin against the R'skil."

"Test her," B'dga insisted. "Give her test of prophecy. Only Great One can bring life to that which is silent."

The Exarchate had not been listening though, he advanced on Lillith, his talons extended ready for action. He reached forward to destroy the impostor ignorant of all but his desire to kill.

Blade moved without instruction, ducking around his mistress to block the winged man's outstretched arms. He drove a knee to the winged man's stomach followed by a double axe-handle to the point of the back where the wings were attached before ducking the clawed hand that shot toward his face. As he came back up his knife was in his hand, slicing through the Exarchate's chest. He swiftly returned to his mistress' side as the Exarchate fell.

"I will take this test," Lillith announced without acknowledging the death and promptly walked through the door behind the Exalted who dared not interfere following the demonstration of Blade's skill.

Lillith led the way into the command section, casting an eye over the humans seated at the consoles, none showing any signs of knowing how to operate the control systems. She ignored the obvious sections; life support, navigation and weapon sections would not provide the proof she needed. Instead she made her was to a solo seat with no visible controls. This seat had once been where the commander of Terminus would sit and her throne would have been positioned behind him. From there she would give commands that he would action. It was also the only chair she had to sit in.

She positioned herself on the chair and finally dropped the mental barriers that had shielded her from Terminus. A silent thought and the chair warped, revealing a new console that she and the station commander could access, but only she could unlock. Her fingers traced a familiar sequence of keys, unlocking the control systems that had automatically shutdown in her absence.

"This is a mockery," the Exalted proclaimed to the assembled humans, but they were giving her their undivided attention.

"This is prophecy," B'dga hissed knowingly. "The Great One is giving life."

Lillith regarded the cat creature and promised that his loyalty would be rewarded with a place at her side. She would show him that he had been right to trust her words as he became the first of her new lieutenants.

"And now your proof," she said, looking at the Exalted with distaste. "I bring life to the lifeless." She pressed the last button.

A screeching siren filled the room, followed by other alarms throughout the station. Emergency lighting switched off as the central computer went through its start up routine.

"You see, she is not the Great One, she brings us darkness not life?" the Exalted cried in dismay.

"Patience," she told him. "Terminus will live, it takes time."

The sirens quietened, replaced by the low hum of generators as they warmed up. The walls and ceilings glowed as the illumination panels lit the chamber. More key presses and instruments unused since the engines had died were updated to display the state of inactivity throughout the station.

Terminus shook as the mighty propulsion system was primed and activated, burning out worn parts as it did so. The station's automated repair system set about fixing the damage as soon as it became evident. In this way Terminus was restored to life.

Energy exploded from the space station, destroying the rocks that had once disguised it and remained in close proximity as the engines, retro rockets and weapon systems let off an intense blast to clear any blockages. The station's disjointed rotation shifted as the engines compensated for centuries of movement to bring it back onto its original axis.

In the command chamber systems were rapidly coming to life, terrifying the inexperienced yet curious crewmen. They pressed the buttons, wondering as to the result and unaware of the chaos they caused.

"Stop!" Lillith ordered. "Nobody is to touch anything without my permission." She then keyed in an emergency code to restore atmosphere to a sector of the station that had just been laid open to the vacuum of space.

"It is as though you never left m'lady," Blade said.

"Almost Blade," she answered. "When the repairs are complete, Terminus will be as new."

A short constant beeping drew her attention. Someone had left a message for her. A frown crossed her face and she wondered who and why this would happen, but she pressed the receive button anyway and watched as a hologram appeared.

"Queen Lillith," the man said, bowing to where her throne should have been. He looked like the Exalted but far older and from the look on the priest's face, he knew this person as well. "I welcome you home m'lady and regret I could not do so in person. As you know many years have passed since the battle and I regret we have been unable to find you. Terminus is as you know disabled without your presence and our scout ships have failed to return. I leave this message to assure you of my loyalty and that of the Prefects.

I fear I will not last long m'lady, the timed shutdowns have already taken effect and Terminus has been disabled. Without the generators all other systems have failed and I have been forced to make arrangements to keep the crew alive.

I have despatched the R'skils to the lowers decks with orders to replicate as much fertile ground as possible. Until the station is restored, we will grow our own food. This will keep the R'skils busy and in a state of readiness.

The Seraf have been assigned as guards to protect from attack. I realise this is unlikely my Queen, but while they train they remain useful to your cause.

For the human population I have prepared this book of guidelines, telling my successor how to aid you in restoring Terminus when you return. I regret our estimates say that at least two generations will have passed. I hope you will not be disappointed to find some standards have dropped in that time.

Once again my Queen, it has been an honour to serve you and I wish I could be there when you return to see the Masters pay for their impudence, but alas it is not to be. I sincerely hope my successor with prove as worthy of you as I hope I have been.

Farewell Queen Lillith." The image disappeared.

"Now are there any who doubt my identity?" she asked.

The response was easy to interpret as human, angel and cat alike fell to their knees before her. The Exalted One hesitated as if he would make a final protest and then followed suit. She looked down upon them, noting that Blade had joined them in their show of mass obedience.

"Get up Blade, " she whispered with an amused tone. "You have no place there, you belong at my side, not my boots." In a louder voice she continued. "B'dga of the Shades, your loyalty is unquestioned. Now you may be loyal to the truth and not a book of lies. Join Blade at my side, you shall be my emissary to your people."

"Great One, I knew it would be you," the Exalted interrupted. His comments were met by stern silence.

"If I were you 'Exalted One', I would cease this charade and think of a reason I should not have you destroyed for treachery. Your ancestor was a good man, a loyal commander. You have dishonoured him with your actions. No, why should he pay for the failures of his descendants? You have dishonoured yourself. You are not worthy of the status your robes carry, so I remove your status. You are no longer my Viceroy."

"Please my Queen," he begged, "I can be loyal, let me be loyal to you. Everything I have done has been for the best. They started to say you would return, said that a lone man would break you free. I had to keep them in line, I meant only for the best to happen."

"Perhaps," she said dubiously. "I will allow you to hold your position for now, Viceroy. But know this, if I suspect treason from you, it will not be demotion; I will exterminate you myself. You will be my emissary to the humans."

"I will make you proud oh Great One," he said.

"See that you do," she said, no humour in her tone. Then she gave the Exarchates an appraising look. "Approach my noble guardians."

They obeyed, falling in behind a broad shouldered warrior with long dark hair and a powerful stare. He led the way forward and stopped within striking distance of Lillith. He struck his left fist to his breast before kneeling.

"I greet you oh Great One and submit to your judgement."

"What is your name?" she enquired.

"Keslar, my wondrous lady."

"Then stand Keslar," she said. "Your people have changed the least in my absence. You have remained loyal to Terminus until I returned and now you too shall stand at my side."

She keyed in a final sequence, one that would ultimately restore Terminus to its prior state. But that would take days and for now there were other tasks to be handed out.

"Terminus is prepared, all systems ready," the junior officer reported.

Lillith had miscalculated and instead of days it had taken weeks to prepare Terminus for its first flight. It would be much longer before the ship was ready to use as to lead an invasion. The systems she had assumed the automatic repairs could handle were beyond repair. The best they could manage was a short jump to avoid whatever craft might be sent to investigate the loss of contact with the planet.

She had started to educate her officers in ship's protocol and had bonded them to Terminus just as their ancestors had been linked. Doing so had improved their efficiency dramatically.

After many hours of thought she had decided to spare the Viceroy; her initial thought had been to have Blade 'remove' him from the ship. He had no real skills that he could bring to the table and was too used to being in charge to remain subservient for long. But he was the religious leader of the humans and despite her unquestioned power, his influence was enough to cause discord if she destroyed him.

So instead she had stripped him of his influence, promoting those who deserved it to positions of authority and limiting his interaction to strictly spiritual matters. At the same time she was slowly undermining the religion he had created and granted power to the lesser creatures. In short his support among the crew was dissipating.

Leaving him alive meant that loyalty was split, but she had made it clear that the days of the Viceroy as commander of Terminus, whether he called himself the Exalted One or not, were over. And if it came down to it she left no doubt that she would destroy all the human crewmen to assure her command was absolute.

"Very well," she said, pointing to the helmsman, "engage!"

Terminus shook and then took off at what would pass as full speed in its current condition. She was back. Terminus was back too. Before long the Universe would learn that for itself.

End

Disclaimer: The Power Rangers are the property of Saban Entertainment and I lay no claim to them. Jeffrey Kincaid, Lord Crucible, and all other characters relating to them are the property of John Chubb. This is a COE retelling of the Night Rangers' story.

**Thrill of the Night**

Leroy's Dojo and Shootfighting Arena, Port Clinton

The two teens circled each other. It had been a gruelling fight, but neither man was willing to back down. While both sported bumps and more than one bruise, they were too stubborn to say the two words that would end the shootfight: "I quit!"

Jeff Kincaid and Pat Kinkle had been fighting for twenty minutes when when Jeff's friend Bruce Greene walked in. He didn't say anything as he observed the fight. Jeff was on the defensive and he didn't want to distract him; he knew the young man well enough to know that he would be getting a second wind before too long.

Bruce's prediction was right on the money when Jeff managed a leg sweep that knocked Pat down. Jeff was back on his feet in an instant, his foot on pressed against Pat's throat. To his credit Pat managed to hold on for a few seconds before conceding defeat.

"I quit."

Jeff nodded and removed his foot, shaking Pat's hand as he got up. The two embraced briefly before Jeff spotted Bruce and walked over to him.

"Hey what's up?" Jeff asked his friend.

"Not much," Bruce replied. He seemed to study Jeff for a moment, deciding whether or not it was any of his business. "You seemed to really cut into Pat back there."

"I have a lot on my mind," Jeff answered. "Pat just agreed to spar with me and I took him up on the offer; I had a lot of aggression to work out."

Bruce didn't say anything. He didn't need to. He knew Jeff well enough by now to know that the boy would talk to him, assuming he was ready to talk. And if he wasn't ready to talk then Bruce knew better than to try and force him.

"My mother got in touch with her lawyer," Jeff told him. "She's trying to ramrod a judge into getting visitation rights to see me."

"And the problem is?" Bruce prompted.

"I can't stand her, even small doses of her," Jeff told him, his face taking on a darker aspect. "I can barely handle being around her for the hearings, do you have any idea what it would be like if I had to live with her?" He paused for a moment before he continued. "And I would end up living with her Bruce. This is just a stepping stone for her, a way to get my life under her control again. She knows my grandmother won't be around forever and although the court sees Leroy as a suitable guardian - and he is like a father to me - she'd do everything in her power to change that. She'd use everything to make him appear unfit for the task; she'd probably make sure he could never go near children again just to be sure."

"My dad's a good man!" defended Bruce.

"We both know that," Jeff agreed. "But my mother would turn every screw to convince a judge that he was a monster. She'd use every bit of dirt she could dig up... she'd even use the shootfighting thing as an excuse. You know how my grandmother is scared when I do it."

"Do you think you should stop?"

"Hey I love doing it. Why should I stop?"

"Well if you find yourself living with mom again..." said Bruce.

"Good point, I'll think about it." Jeff took a pause before he spoke again. "So what's up?"

"We got a new member. I need someone to show him the ropes."

It was obvious that that was not what Bruce had wanted to begin with. The contract stashed in his jeans was evidence of that. But clearly he wanted something to keep Jeff's mind off of his current problems. Usually Jeff would have been annoyed. But today he appreciated the effort.

"No problem. Who is it?" Jeff asked, looking around. "Where is he?"

"Over there. His name is Mark Kinega."

Jeff saw an olive skinned man with brown hair on the far side of the training area, looking at a few of the old flyers. At a guess, Jeff was willing to bet he was seventeen.

"Okay, I'll do it. You owe me one for this."

That was how minutes later Jeff stood in the ring awaiting the newcomer Mark Kinega, hoping that he was not wasting his time and that the newcomer had some sort of fighting ability. Otherwise he was in for a long day. Luckily he didn't have to wait long as Mark made his way to the ring.

Jeff and Mark sized each other up without saying a word. When they had had enough, they faced off, bowed and fell into fighting stances.

Mark lunged forward with three punches followed by a front kick which Jeff backed away from. Jeff then ducked down and tried a leg sweep which Mark jumped to avoid. There a lot of amateur moves with neither making contact.

~This guy has got fast reflexes,~ Jeff though as threw a punch.

Mark grabbed his arm and spun him over, causing Jeff to hit the ground hard. Jeff's response as to try to force Mark forward to relive the pressure on his arm. When that didn't work he opted for a guaranteed method of forcing a release, and hit his opponent with a low blow.

Mark retaliated with a low blow of his own, which while expected, proved to Jeff that his opponent had the desire to win. Of course Jeff was too stubborn to allow himself to be taken down so easily. The fight went on from there with neither fighter besting the other until they both collapsed in the middle of the ring.

"You're pretty good Kincaid," Kinega said after a while.

Jeff looked at his opponent. Usually he didn't like to be called by his last name. It reminded him of the bullies that had made his life hell. In this case though he had the feeling that the name was a sign of respect. He also had a feeling the other man had been holding back. "You're not too shabby there either Kinega," he said finally, wondering where he could learn to fight like that.

Then they both got up to tend to their bruises and they hit the showers.

Mark left the gym and made his way to a side alley. Once there, hidden from the native population, he pulled back the arm of his shirt to reveal a metal brace.

"Engage orbital bounce!" he commanded.

At Mark's command the device glowed briefly. Then he was transformed into an aura of red light and was teleported up to where a red and black ship waited in orbit.

Mark rematerialized on the bridge of a spaceship, his spaceship. It was one of the fastest ships in the galaxy, but its ability to flee was one of its least important features.

"Hello Hardrive, status report."

"You have one new message," the computer responded, causing Mark to shake his head. The computer was state-of-the-art, but had been patched together so often that it had picked up a few quirks. One of which was its need to convey information by quoting television. "Big giant head on line one!"

Mark guessed who the 'the big giant head' was as he activated his main viewer and found Zordon looking at him.

"Hello Mark, how goes the mission?"

Simple and to the point. Zordon knew better than to waste time with niceties. The difference between Zordon and others Mark had encountered though was that Zordon kept contact brief out of respect for Mark's work. The others did so because they either feared or despised everything that Mark and his companions represented.

"I hate to say it Master Zordon, but you were right. I may have found my first candidate on Earth."

"Excellent news Mark," the ancient being replied. "I will relay your success to the other masters."

"He seems worthy of becoming a Blue Ranger," Mark told him. "And I think he's got the right stuff to be a Night Ranger. To be honest, I think he could have been a red."

"This is good news Mark," Zordon said. "I am pleased that you and the others took my advice on this matter. What is this young warrior's name?"

"Jeff Kincaid," said Mark.

Zordon paused for a moment as if in deep thought although Mark knew that the White Master was trying to sense Jeff within the Morphin Grid. "An excellent choice Mark. While he would not be my first choice for a Ranger, he would make an excellent Night Ranger. Contact him at once, but do not train him until he is under the guidance of the other masters."

Zordon broke contact and Mark got ready for what was going to be a difficult recruitment exercise.

A few weeks later

Jeff left the gym and started to make his way home. His thoughts were back to being a jumble again as he thought about his mother's renewed fight for visitation rights. It seemed that the lawyers she had hired had found a way to shift the hearing to another court and that the judge was likely to grant her requests. Jeff didn't want to be put through the emotional cyclone of dealing with her again.

Suddenly he felt a tingle throughout his body as he then felt himself being pulled across the sky. He materialized and after looking around wondered if he had hit his head a bit too hard during a sparring session. Either that or he was on the bridge of the Starship Enterprise.

"Where the hell am I?" he wondered.

"Toto you're not in Kansas anymore," said a voice.

Jeff spun around to see who was speaking, but there was nobody there. "Who said that?"

"That was my computer Hardrive," said the voice of Mark Kinega as he entered the bridge.

Jeff had gotten to know Mark quite well in recent weeks. The other man had been a regular at Bruce's place and the two had trained together. Kincaid still had the feeling that Mark was holding mark during their practices.

"Why'd he call me Toto?" he asked.

There were so many questions that had needed asking, but for Jeff, that seemed the most important.

"It's his way," Mark said fondly. "We crash landed on a planet a few years ago and some of his circuit boards were damaged. We replaced them, but since then he's been picking up transmissions from all over the galaxy; even television signals. Over time his language banks have been filled with television jingles."

"Can't you fix it?" asked Jeff.

"Yes we can!" Hardrive called out.

"But I don't really want to," Mark said, ignoring the latest outburst. He wasn't sure why the computer had been spending time watching children's television. "It gives him a personality. These computers can be pretty stuffy it they don't have something to occupy themselves."

"All right, enough about the computer," Jeff said, remembering where he was. "Where am I and what am I doing here?"

"Okay, well where do I start?" Mark pondered "I take it you have heard about the Power Rangers?"

"The super heroes who trash monsters in California, yeah I've heard of them," Jeff said. "What's that got to do with anything?"

"Well... I'm sort of a Power Ranger."

Jeff could not believe his ears as the next second he broke out laughing. "Oh that's a good one. First this ship and then you're telling me that _you_ are a Power Ranger. Now what's really going on?"

Mark decided to prove his point and brought out his morpher. "Red Night Ranger, activate!" When he was finished he was wearing a black and red costume with a red helmet and a scowl on the face.

Jeff was shocked at this turn of events and more than a little confused. "Hold on, Power Rangers don't have costumes like - that."

"Of course they do," Mark countered. "Well, I do anyway. Earth's Rangers don't of course, but then I'm not an Earth Ranger. I'm part of a team that's not limited to this planet."

"Not limited to Earth?" Jeff was growing more and more confused.

"I'm a Night Ranger Jeff," Mark told him.

"What's a Night Ranger?"

Mark sighed. He really hated having to tell this story. Doing so meant he had to confess something about himself. Still if he wanted Jeff to join him he needed to explain.

"When the universe was in its infancy there was only good and evil. The fight was one of survival between two opposing forces. Everything was in balance. Although primitive it was a simple war. Then there came the shadows, those who either didn't want to fight or chose to fight only to suit their own aims. The clear line between good and evil became distorted by shades of grey. And when the great beings left and the lesser creatures were entrusted to continue the fight, the discovery of magic meant that the line between good and evil barely existed.

In the new war, many chose to serve the side of good, fighting to preserve the rights beliefs and freedoms of the individual as well as focusing on the goal of peace. Those who sought to serve evil were those who were self serving, disrespectful and thought that peace was achieved through oppression, benefiting the select few at the expense of the many. And of course there were always those who looked out purely for themselves, changing sides at a moment's notice if it served their purposes.

But the great beings would not be forgotten. Many fought in their name and some went even further. One race sought to become like the greater beings and explored the deepest depths of what it meant to be evil. Even by evil standards they committed unforgivable acts and were thought to be destroyed by the forces they unleashed. Their name has been lost to ages but the beings they unleashed have not.

The Horde, Horrors, Youkai and Org, there are an unlimited number of names for these creatures, creatures of pure evil that prey on the corrupt as well as the innocent. These are creatures that transcend beyond the world as we know it.

At this time the warriors of good needed a way to counter this new threat and to deal harshly with the ones who sought to create them. Most evil could be fought by the armies of noble warrior, but those they encountered were normally weaker creatures, whereas the more primal forces were not so easy to defeat with the power of light and love - for they were so dark that the light dimmed in their presence. These creatures that dwelled in the darkness knew of no limit to the evil that they could or would do; they were at home in the darkness of the night as well as using the cover of darkness for their evil deeds.

A new force was needed, one that could fight them on an even playing field without losing the protection of their powers. An order of monks on the planet Daos vowed to eradicate the evil these dark spirits of the night represented. They called themselves the Acexta Order although nearly every being of the Daos civilisation joined the fight. Over the course of many years their number grew and they were even able to trap some of the creatures within the core of the planet Nocturnea where they could use them to power their warriors.

Over the years many entered the Pit of Night, only to be destroyed by the evil within. For it was easy to enter but before they could leave they were forced to face one of the many demons contained within. The first man to emerge from the pit became the first Night Fighter. He would not be the last."

"So you're telling me that you're a Power Ranger who fights evil spirits by using other evil spirits against them?" Kincaid asked sceptically. He was starting to think Kinega was insane.

"No I am not mad," Mark told him, an amused look on his face. "I thought the same thing when I was recruited. Of course I knew about Power Rangers, but this Night Ranger thing - well it is a little bizarre. Besides, I didn't say he was a Ranger."

Jeff snorted but didn't say anything. A part of him wanted to hear the story.

"The Night Fighters were the champions of the Daos people. The problem with using evil spirits is that they will corrupt those that use them. Night Fighters were only mortal and after a decade at most before they started to show signs of the darkness consuming them. And while it could not turn them evil, the powers could destroy them. A way was needed to fight the darkness without being destroyed by it."

"And that solution would be the Night Rangers," Jeff guessed.

Mark nodded. "Nobody knows how it happened, but the first Night Ranger was a complete accident. A young man had entered the Morphin Academy and trained to be a Ranger. This man was what some would call a broken angel. His heart was pure and his intentions were good, but the world had corrupted him. Despite all that had been done to him he endured, shrouded within the darkness his soul remained pure.

It was by accident that he stared into the Mirror of Night, a dangerous magical artefact said to contain a demon. The spell upon the mirror was supposed to show the darkness within his soul, amplify it and allow it to take over his body. But this man was a good man and while the mirror absorbed the darkness around him and amplified it, it could only twist what was on the outside.

The man had morphed when he had sensed the mirror," Mark explained, showing Jeff his morpher. "The mirror corrupted and disfigured his powers, making him appear evil. His powers, once of the light, were now a part of the darkness while he remained dedicated to the goals of his people; he remained a good man.

This costume was once worn by that man and has been passed on to his successors. Each time a new candidate is chosen to become a Night Ranger he is granted the powers of a Ranger before being exposed to the Mirror of Night. The result is a warrior that can fight the darkest evil on its own terms.

Eventually the powers of the Night Fighters were combined with those of the Night Ranger meaning that they could match the evil warriors on an equal footing. Night Rangers journey into the night to protect people from the evil that the dark spirits represent. The evil of greed, lust, pride, gluttony..."

"The seven deadly sins," Jeff interrupted.

"Yes exactly," said Mark. "Except the evils they fight rarely fall into a pattern that the villains most Power Rangers face choose. Rarely do they send down a monster to destroy the world. They assume a physical form and spread their corruption. For them the spoils of war can consist of a single soul. And believe me, they have the power to do whatever they want by themselves. Whether it be money, power, people, there is really no limit to the evil that they can accomplish. Over the centuries there have been some mortals that have allied themselves with the spirits of darkness, learning to draw the darkness into themselves and wield it as a weapon. Transformed by the darkness they can take on monstrous and powerful forms. The last lot almost wiped out their entire galaxy.

The Night Rangers are darker than the average Power Rangers. They are just as dedicated to the defeat of evil, but their methods are those that would normally be associated with the villains they fight. Of the three rules applied to the Power Rangers only one has ever been applied to the Night Rangers as well: Never use the power for personal gain. As long as they fight for the greater good, everything else is fair game."

Jeff took it in for a second. "So what you're saying is that there are these evil monsters that are actually spirits, some of whom have joined forces with ordinary people. And that you are a member of a team of Power Rangers that have been corrupted by an evil artefact and now fight them on their terms?"

"That's about it," Mark said, offering a wry grin. "Hard to believe isn't it?"

Jeff was silent, thinking. There was no doubt that Mark was telling the truth, or at least the truth as he knew it. That did leave a few questions though. "Okay, say I believe you, what does this have to do with me?"

"Many years ago a number of Night Rangers were defeated in battle. However their powers could not be passed on and while there were replacements trained and ready to take up the gauntlet, circumstances prevented them from doing so. I was one of those new Rangers, ready to serve but prevented from doing so. And then one day everything changed. A way was found to pass on the powers and those of the Red Ranger were passed to me; I was charged with the task of filling the remaining gaps.

The time has come for a new Night Ranger team to be put together, and I need you to be the Blue Night Ranger."

Jeff took in the news and thought about it for a second. Then he broke out in laughter.

"What's so funny?" asked Mark.

Jeff tried to calm himself for a second then spoke. "I just can't believe it. Me a Power Ranger?"

"A Night Ranger actually," Mark said. "Night Rangers are so much more. There are less rewards and the dangers are unimaginable."

"I'm sorry, but I don't think that I'm Power Ranger material, night or day. Now if you don't mind I've got to get back to the hellhole that is my life."

Mark sighed. "If that's your decision then fine. But if you change your mind let me give you this." Mark reached across one of the consoles and gave Jeff a communicator. "If you change your mind just press the activator switch on the side. You'll be teleported up here to Defiance and the Morpher will be waiting."

"Defiance?" asked Jeff.

"That's the name of this ship, or Zord"

"I thought the ship was named Hardrive."

"No the computer is named Hardrive, the ship is named Defiance."

"Whatever, I gotta go, now if you can beam me back down to where I was I'd be happy."

Mark moved to the controls and beamed Jeff back down.

"He'll be back," Mark said as he stared at the empty spot where Jeff Kincaid once stood.

The next day Jeff was leaving school when he was stopped by Jessica Farrell. She was a lab partner of Jeff's in theatre class and Jeff had quite the crush on her. Jessica had long stringy blonde hair and dressed in a grunge style. She kind of liked Jeff, but they were pretty much at the 'just friends' stage in her mind.

"Hey Jeff, are you going to be ready for the theatre presentation tomorrow that we have to do for class?" she asked.

"Yeah, I've been going over the monologue for a while now," Jeff told her, "I'll be ready."

"Great, I'll see you tomorrow."

Jeff was ready to ask her out on a date but the words didn't come to his mouth. Jessica walked away as Bruce came up to his best friend.

"What happened?"

"I got scared," Jeff admitted.

"Of what, her saying no? If she does, she's the one passing up a good thing."

"Bruce," Jeff started. He sighed, forcing himself to relax. "I've been burned a lot of times in the past. I really don't want to get shot down again."

Jeff was about to walk off, just as he had done so many times before, but this time, Bruce had other plans.

When the phone rang at Jessica's house, she ignored it knowing her parents were home. She was a little surprised when she was told that the phone call was for her.

"Hello?"

"Yeah Jessica, this is Bruce Greene I'm a friend of Jeff Kincaid's."

"What can I do for you Bruce?" she asked.

"Well my friend Jeff has missed something for the project and I can't get in contact with him on it. I was wondering if you can pick it up for him?"

Jessica thought about it for a minute.

"Where is it?"

"It's at Leroy's Shootfighting Rink on First Street."

She knew the place, having passed it a few times. She had never stepped foot inside though.

"All right I'll be right there," she said before hanging up.

~One down one to go,~ thought Bruce as he searched through his book for Jeff's number. ~I'm so good at this I ought to have my own television show.~

Jeff ran down to the gym and caught Bruce at the front door.

"All right Bruce what's the big emergency?"

Bruce had to stall for time, if Jeff was impatient it would be a disaster.

"Yeah well ah..."

He didn't have to wait long since Jessica was coming. She took a look at Jeff, then at Bruce. "Why didn't you call and tell me you found him?"

Jeff was confused. "He was supposed to call you?"

"He told me you had left something that we needed for the theatre project tomorrow," Jessica explained.

Jeff got defensive. "No I didn't!"

"Then why did your friend call me?"

Both Jessica and Jeff turned to glare at Bruce.

"All right Bruce, what's going on?", asked Jeff.

"Look Jeff, you like this girl but..."

"You like me?" interrupted Jessica.

Jeff's face turned red, but before he could find the courage to answer there was a flash of light and a group of black tuxedo garbed warriors. Their faces were hidden behind half-white, half-black helmets painted with a pair of bright red lips.

"What are these guys?" asked Bruce.

"I don't know," Jeff answered as the newcomers moved in to attack. "Bruce get Jessica out of here. I'll hold them off."

Jeff fell into a fighting stance and fought the attackers as Bruce escorted Jessica away. Unfortunately just as Bruce thought they were safe enough away another group appeared. Bruce was not a slouch when it came to physical combat and demonstrated how he had gotten to be so respected in the gym as he launched himself into battle.

"Run Jessica. RUN!" he yelled.

Jessica turned to run when two of the faceless goons grabbed her and teleported her away. The remaining attackers teleported soon after, having had enough of Jeff and Bruce.

Jeff looked around. "Where's Jessica?"

"She was just here," Bruce answered, looking around. "I told her to run when those red robots appeared. Perhaps she got away."

"Let's split up. I'll look north."

"I'll look south," Bruce replied as they split up.

When Jeff was far enough away, he activated the device Mark had given him teleported himself back up to Defiance.

Mark was sat in the pilot's chair as Jeff teleported on board, reviewing some of the scout reports for other candidates. "Have you changed your mind?" he asked without looking up.

"That depends. What can you tell me about black clad freaks with red lips that kidnap teenage girls?" Jeff demanded.

Mark thought about it for a moment. "Black clad freaks? Did they look like they were wearing tuxedos?"

"Yeah. Do you know them?"

Mark turned back to the controls and ordered Hardrive to scan for any ships in the vicinity.

"Klingon battle cruiser off the port bow," Hardrive reported.

"I was right. You just described a platoon of Gorma Soldiers," Mark said.

"Gorma Soldiers?"

"They are the grunts of the Gorma Empire," Mark explained. "Part of an old society that studied the ways of the dark powers, much like the Daos. Except instead of taking that darkness and turning it into something that evil would learn to fear, like the Night Rangers, they used the darkness to turn themselves into sinister creatures, unleashing unspeakable evil upon the universe. Of course those gains were for the elite and most powerful. The majority were turned into soldiers like the ones you met earlier. They're very similar to the groups the Night Rangers were created to fight."

That wasn't quite true. Most of the Gorma could be battled by normal teams of Rangers. It was impossible for such teams to completely defeat the Gorma threat, they could only vanquish it for short periods. Only the Night Rangers had the disposition to permanently end such darkness.

"What are they doing kidnapping a girl from Port Clinton?" Jeff asked.

Mark didn't answer immediately, contemplating the answer. Why would they pick on a single girl? Unless of course she had been one of a number of girls taken for the same purpose. The Gorma hierarchy did use souls and blood as part of their rituals although they were not as extensive as other practitioners like the Moabians. In the end he decided it was best not to mention the possibility that the Gorma were simply looking for innocents to corrupt and swell their ranks.

"I must admit it's not like them to target Earth," he said. "This world isn't as magically inclined as some others. However some of the hierarchy have some very, very sick tastes. It wouldn't be beyond them to send soldiers to collect innocents to feed that hunger. You really do not want to know more than that."

Jeff was starting to get anxious. "So what are you going to do about it?"

"Well I can't do it all by myself; I need to finish putting together my team," Mark told him. "The offer still stands by the way."

Jeff thought about it for a moment. He knew Mark would not help him unless he agreed. Night Rangers it seemed didn't have to save every damsel. Given the choice he knew what his decision would be. "All right, I'm in."

"Great, now tall we have to do is find their ship and mount a rescue mission."

"Just the two of us?"

Mark grinned. "Consider it an initiation."

And that was how Jeff Kincaid, runaway from an abusive home, became a member of one of the most elite, revered, feared and reviled groups in the universe.

"When this is over, if we succeed, we'll see about getting you properly connected," Mark promised. "In the meantime this morpher will keep you from serious harm."

"When do we get after the ship?" asked Jeff.

"Hardrive, if the linker is still transmitting. Give me a hell yeah!" He looked a bit sheepish when he saw Jeff staring at him. "Sometimes it helps if you know a few lines off the television too. Hardrive prefers it."

"Hell Yeah!" Hardrive replied after performing a quick scan.

"Then set course and let's go get em."

And before long, Defiance streaked across the cosmos. The signal was apparently easy to track. Defiance made it's way to it's destination, a resort planet called Amia.

"The pleasure planet for those whose tastes cannot be met by the usual hives of villainy. Not many of the Gorma use this planet though, it doesn't cater for those of their persuasion," Mark explained.

"What's Jessica doing down there?" Jeff asked.

"Some of the hierarchy enjoy taking something pure and corrupting it," Mark admitted. "In this case I suspect they wanted them to amuse the troops."

"Which means they have girls to amuse the generals. As prostitutes."

Mark nodded, the pushed his revulsion aside. He didn't mention his own theory that they were looking for breeding stock rather than prostitutes. An army had have soldiers after all. They needed to concentrate on getting the girl back and for that they needed a way to get in. Mark thought for a moment then came up with an idea.

"We'll do a frontal decoy. You attack from the front and I'll take Defiance down and take out the internal defences."

"Uhh, no disrespect here. But what do I attack them with?" Jeff asked.

"Good question. If you go down to the landing bay, you'll find your Zord waiting."

Jeff went down to Defiance's loading bay as instructed. He didn't stop to question how the knowledge of the ship's layout had burnt its way into his mind. Nor did he question how he knew instantly that the blue and black winged wolf was his Zord.

The Zord left Defiance's landing bay and flew out towards the pleasure base. Jeff kept the defences busy while Mark flew Defiance in and teleported to where the central control computer laid. He activated the intruder control field, rendering all hostiles unconscious in a matter of seconds.

And with that it was over. They never found out who was responsible for the kidnappings, although their efforts did cost the dark forces a considerable number of soldiers. most had fought back the moment they recovered from the stun effect, only to meet the untamed fury of the Night Rangers. The prisoners, and there were a lot of them, were freed and Mark would later ask the Morphin Council to transport them to their respective homelands.

After Jeff returned from space, he and Jessica did their project together and got a good grade as a result. Jessica for her part showed no signs that she remembered her experience, a result of the relaxants Mark had used.

Deciding that this time he would find the courage, Jeff asked her: "are you doing anything tomorrow afternoon?"

"No," she answered.

"Well I was wondering if you wanted to go out for lunch tomorrow?"

Jessica thought about it for a second and then agreed. "Sure, why not?"

Jeff's heart was jumping for joy, but despite his happiness he knew that in the near future Mark Kinega would come seeking his services. And when that happened there would be no turning back. He would be a Night Ranger.

**End**


	6. Lessons in Good and Evil

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Trek or Power Rangers. They belong to their respective copyright owners along with all associated characters. Noah, Solomos, Trelayne, Xing and the other Externals are based on a number of sources, including the Q and the Continuum come from Star Trek the Next Generation, and from the Original Series episode Squire of Gothos. The start scene where they are staring into the bowl was taken from Jason and the Argonauts. Some Star Wars related concepts belong to Lucas Arts and the respective copyright owners. There are also a few references to The Players from Doctor Who, the Monitors from DC Universe and many others. The One is based on a number of characters that belong to DC Comics, Image Dream Wave and Marvel.  
Authors Note: This is a fanfic based within the Conquest of Evil Multiverse; technically this story is the beginning of the multiverse. The events follow their own timeline and are not related to any of my other series. If you have read Conquest of Evil, the events observed take place between The Beginning and the end of the Minion saga. This chapter is intended as an insight into the Externals.

**Good and Evil 101**

In the early days of Existence, at a time before the war between Good and Evil had really started, there had existed a race of powerful entities known as the Externals. They represented the first attempt to create living beings in the new existence, and were ultimately deemed a failure. The life forms created were too selfish to follow the path set before them. Instead of fighting out the battle between Good and Evil that tormented their creator, they made peace amongst themselves and turned their power against him.

In anger their creator had thrown his creations out of his domain, exiling them to reside in a place beyond the normal boundaries of planets, galaxies, universes, realms and dimensions that the normal inhabitants were capable of perceiving. It was a completely separate, very different plane, outside of their creator's realm yet still a part of it. It was there that they remained, evolving rapidly over a few centuries until they reached a peak of near omnipotence. They were a self-policing society where the many applied the pressure needed to force the few to conform to the rules. For the most part though they were indifferent beings with a tendency to cause chaos, the definition of chaos at that time being to act against their creator's will.

Over the centuries, the importance of the concepts of good and evil grew less and less important to them. At some point most became ignorant of the opposing ideas as the race settled into an ordered state of slightly chaotic neutrality. They chose to refer to themselves as Externals, a show of defiance against their creator. However some wished to return to their creator and were allowed back into his domain; they were charged with the task of watching over and preserving all that he had created, a task that was made easier by their neutral stance.

While most of their race were satisfied to reside within their realm, others didn't like the feeling of being restricted. The Externals split into factions, with each faction finding their own path. Some wandered the void between their realm and their creator's domain. Over time they found ways to manifest but only so long as they could justify their actions as benefitting their creator's later children. As long as they were needed, they could remain. Others found that while they could not directly step beyond the confines of their territory, they could influence those within their creator's domain to play out their fantasies, providing that they were careful not to push too hard.

Eventually it was discovered that as long as they were willing to give something up in exchange, they could return. Some gave up the absolute power they had previously enjoyed in return for freedom as beings with powers that were almost absolute. Others gave up their independence and were allowed to remain in service to their creator. One group even surrendered their potential and as a result a great deal of their knowledge and power. They became part of a new race that rapidly grew to become one of the most dominant forces in their creator's domain, but one that would never reach the level of the Externals.

However there were some that realised that they could leave their confinement and retain their power. All that they needed to do was surrender a portion of their power for a limited stay in their creator's domain. At the end of that time they returned to their home where they once again enjoyed the feeling of being all powerful. Of course such journeys led to misbehaviour and the External became known for spreading chaos wherever they went. Even those that tried to tried to act responsibly were bound to cause more problems than they solved. Some tried to set themselves up as gods and demons, weaving themselves into the mythology of hundreds of galaxies; in a strange twist those that did so eventually forgot their origins and became trapped as the beings they portrayed. And then there was the story of one External who had been so badly behaved that he had been stripped of his powers and dumped naked on the bridge of a star ship in a distant reality.

Regardless of their intentions and the unwanted consequences of their actions the Externals possessed incredible powers. Whether those powers were purely magical, technological, a combination of both or even some type of cosmic energy was unknown. They wielded almost unlimited power and were capable of breaking some of the laws of nature, although not even they could destroy energy, a fact that would someday be used against them.

From time to time some of their number would feel an urging deep within to take sides in the battle between Good and Evil, a task that was far more difficult since the ideas had become foreign to them. However they did understand conflict and war. And it was those ideas that led to experimentation. Instead of taking an active role as had been intended, they developed the means to turn the war into a game, manipulating those who had evolved following their banishment. They did not see themselves as soldiers, rather as the generals sitting behind the lines. Eventually the games were banned as being too dangerous - for they risked the rediscovery of what Good and Evil meant and that in turn would place them back at their creator's side - leading another group to depart to continue their games while the rest destroyed all the boards they had created... except one.

Why within the domain of the almost godlike race, such a dangerous artefact had been kept was a mystery. But it existence was about to set events in motion within the Externals' domain, which could be interpreted as a three-bedroom semidetached house with a garage - for nature of the Externals was beyond the understanding of most outsiders - where at that very moment angry shouts could be heard, that would have far reaching consquences.

"You cannot do _that_!"

"But I already have. Anything goes, remember?"

The sound of raised voices was a rare occurrence. For a long time things had been boring, but when one External had reached the decision to create a son, with his wife's help of course, others had followed suit. A new generation of Externals had been born and unlike their parents they were once again finding enjoyment in existing. Unfortunately the younger generation had proven rebellious, some breaking the rules that even the most badly behaved External had previously followed. They had taken to directly interfering in the lives of the lesser beings, making them act in ways that were against their nature. It was such an act of interference that had caused the argument that was currently disrupting the peace and boredom of their realm.

Solomos made his way to where the two Externals were arguing; unlike their parents, they had taken a name to identify themselves as individuals in addition to their appearances. He groaned as he laid eyes on a huge stone bowl containing a silvery liquid. The children had obviously been experimenting with the banned object. Not for the first time he wondered why External didn't just destroy the infernal device before it really corrupted their children with its good versus evil nonsense. Solomos knew of the dangers it posed, he had been one of the ones that had played the games and decided to remain after they were outlawed; he was perhaps one of the few to retain an understanding of their creator's ideas, although he deliberately ignored them in favour of detached amorality. He had urged his peers to destroy the game, but they had decided it was more fun to use it as a means of spying on their creator's lesser beings, even going so far as to place wagers on the outcome. It had only been a matter of time though before somebody took things too far, as had happened in this case.

Solomos peered into the pool and groaned. Why couldn't the kid have done something half-hearted for once? The interference had caused the destruction of an entire reality and had destabilised the neighbouring universes; his curiosity was piqued despite the knowledge that as the one who discovered the mess, he would be forced to clean it up.

"How did you accomplish this?" he asked.

He noticed that one of the boys had a disgusted look upon his face while the other appeared proud of himself. Neither chose to answer, which Solomos found tremendously aggravating. Remembering that he was an incredibly powerful entity and not some mediocre being, he used his innate senses to search the recent history of a dying universe.

"What did you do with it?" he asked finally, unsure whether to be angry or impressed at the young External's ingenuity.

The younger entity opened his clenched fist, revealing a swirling ball of energy.

"So this is the cause of all that chaos?" Solomos asked, "I would have expected something more impressive from you."

It had been a cheap shot, no question about it. In order to win his bet, the young eternal had cheated, and had then been unable to destroy the evidence had been forced to hold onto it.

"So now the game universe you were allowed to watch and everything inside it has been destroyed, correct?" Both Externals nodded. "Fine," he said, his pleasant manner dissolving. He turned to the loser. "Pay him. And you," he said to the winner, "reverse the process and restore things to how they should be. Now! These games have been played for thousands of years and for good reason."

The younger entity seemed to take a step back, stuttering about how he couldn't reverse the process and that it was impossible to create a whole universe.

"So much for having potential," Solomos muttered. "For such a creative being, you think like some of the humans I've met." He turned to the other youth. "Well, any ideas or do you want to spend a century sweeping up Dark Matter?"

"Go back to a point where the universe existed and follow it through to the point where it was destroyed?"

"And then?" he asked, slightly amused.

"We can stop or pause events long enough to prevent the change."

Solomos paused in thought. It was a wasteful effort; there were far easier ways to accomplish such a feat, and to be honest, he just didn't care enough to waste his time in that way. Instead he clicked his fingers and the game was rest, a new universe waiting for the next player; the universe the two Externals had damaged would be lost, but that was the risk of playing with forces they didn't yet understand. Far Better that they learnt such things sooner rather than later.

"Now," he said, ignoring the look on the loser's face. "What why were you playing a game that has been banned for longer than I can remember?"

"We just wanted to know which was the stronger and why," the loser said.

"Yeah," his playmate agreed. "We watched and we placed bets, but we kept losing even when we previously won."

So that was it: in trying to keep to the rules the two entities had failed to understand that the lesser beings were not easily predictable. More than one External had been taken by surprise when he had tried to cheat by watching the event play out only to find they changed when viewed later.

"We thought if we could understand them we could win more often."

Again not a bad idea although Solomos realised they were treading on dangerous ground.

"We know these games show the battle between good and evil, but we can't work out what it means."

And at that point Solomos realised it was already to late. The two Externals were already hooked by the ideas behind the games. The only thing he could do now was hope that they would grow tired of the idea.

~Perhaps if I turn this into an educational experience they will become so bored they will never want to think about such things again,~ he mused.

"Very well, if you want to learn about Good and Evil, we'll take a little field trip. But be warned there I will be an exam and I shall expect an infinitely long essay on what you discovered." he clicked his fingers again. "Let's get on with it."

Though they werestill within the confines of the External's realm, Solomos had arranged their view so that it focussed outside of any particular reality, into the fabric of the existence itself.

"For a period nothing existed within the darkness until something appeared. Large, filled with many interesting sights, it remained that way for a long time until the first reaction between strains of proteins created life."

The two young Externals watched with something close to awe and their older companion could understand their feelings. There were few sights that could inspire the imagination of the External, but this was close. One of his young companions grinned wickedly at the prospect of having some fun and twitched the corner of his mouth, adjusting the effects of gravity and slowing the reaction. He had wanted to slow, reverse and then repeat the process as a show of his developing control. Unfortunately he could only master the first part, causing the newborn universe to cease.

"Stop that!" Solomos snapped.

The damage was done; there was nothing he could do to correct his young companion's idiocy. He promptly considered removing the young hellion's powers and leaving him to float in the void for a few thousand years. But that wouldn't correct the problem he had come to solve.

"If you mess about again, Trelayne," he told the misbehaving child, "I will plunge you into a black hole." He knew that one day he would be forced to mentor Trelayne and possibly Noah too, so it was better they understood that he was not to be messed with.

"Look," Noah cried, pointing to the rapidly shrinking universe.

Solomos looked and was relieved to see that the interference had not caused irreparable damage; the lonely universe was not just fading to nothingness as he had feared and given what they were witnessing, this interference had only aided the natural process.

"Oh no," Solomos groaned as he laid eyes upon the sole life form of the original universe, a luminous creature who stood at the origin point and struggled to survive the explosion. From his face it was clear that he knew that it would soon come to an end. Solomos flashed him a reassuring smile, certain that the entity would survive his existence was not guaranteed.

The end arrived as the deflated universe reached a critical mass and exploded once again, breaking free of its boundaries as the fabric of the old universe was torn and the new multiiverse burst forth into existence. While all the matter of the old universe was expelled into its successor, much of the energy not used in the explosion remained behind. Over time the energy would create holes in the fabric that held it, leaking into the new universes as the phenomenon that would one day be called magic.

Existence started to expand again, differently this time as the mass of energy split apart, forming an uncountable number of universes, some linked together, others completely isolated. The One as Solomos decided the sole survivor of the old universe should be called, bore witness to the birth of the new, his stance unwavering as the explosive energy erupted around him. Physically immune to the destruction, he found that the new multiverse was vastly different from the single universe he had known. He had been born in the old universe, but he was without question a part of these new ones. He was the spirit, sentience and the central balance of this collection of universes, beyond the comprehension of its future inhabitants.

Raised to a point beyond his previous level of being, The One was stripped of his physical form as his being was spread across the universes in his care. His mental functions seemed to disappear although in truth his awareness had been expanded to the point where he was omnipotent and omnipresent; at that level he was too distracted by important matters to acknowledge the normal inhabitants of a single universe. As the spiritual embodiment of his existence, he created a number of abstract beings that would one day represent the conceptual nature of the new universes and beings of a more material nature, the ancestors of those who would eventually one day occupy billions of worlds.

"There," Solomos said, picking out a single universe, similar to the one that the younger Externals had been playing with. Somehow it would appear that Trelayne's actions had been preordained; the creator's reactions had created the multiverse where their creator dwelt. "Now we just need to ensure that these events follow the desired course. And since you two were so obsessed with Good and Evil, watch closely and learn."

"Why don't we accelerate this process?" Trelayne asked.

"Don't - you - dare!" Solomos warned. He pointed to the being known as The One. "We are omnipotent only inside our realm, but outside, especially here, we are only almost all powerful. That creature there has absolute power, he could erase the Externals with a thought. Anger him and you will find there are things even an External cannot survive. Standing against the creator is one such thing."

It was a harsh warning, especially since this being was not their creator. Their creator existed on a much larger scale, but this was a localised representation of his power and as such, every bit as dangerous.

The One remained aware of what was happening around him, but his creation was rapidly growing and his ability to see anything in detail became increasingly limited. He created six creatures to help him understand the nature of his creation. Three of them represented the three facets of creation. They were universal concepts that were unchanging and completely in balance. Of the others, only two interested him: the Light God and the Chaos Bringer. The Light God represented light and order while the Chaos Bringer was a manifestation of chaos and darkness. They were morally, intellectually and spiritually diverse and it appeared that they were doomed to clash violently.

"The Light God and Chaos Bringer represented concepts that reached beyond the boundaries of a single universe," Solomos explained. "It was only fitting that their war would also reach beyond those limitations. The struggle would stretch beyond a single universe, testing the very limits of the multiverse."

It was their nature to fight, light against dark, and order against chaos to the extent where they would ultimately destroy each other without regard for the rapidly expanding cosmos around them. While the Light God and the Chaos Bringer's battle was one for the survival of existence.

The battle between the Light God and the Chaos Bringer slipped beyond the boundaries of a single universe, the outcome of their war threatening the existence of a whole multiverse. And since their fighting affected those around them, the battle was joined by the early lifeforms that had followed in their wake.

Before long, the Chaos Bringer left the Universe, but not before vowing to return one day when he would destroy the place of his birth. The Light God followed, but unaware of his enemy's destiny, he was forced to cover all eventualities. The Light God divided his essence, sending a part of himself to each universe. Once there they would slumber until his enemy appeared. Now weaker than his enemy, he would need to find others to ad his battle should the time come.

Remembering the Chaos Bringer's vow to one day return to the universe where he had originated, The Light God chose to create a force of thirteen warriors to fight in his place, avatars to lead the fight against the darkness. One he named Paladin and entrusted him to be the first holder of the energy matrix where he had stored his essence. Another he charged with accumulating knowledge for when it was needed, using a similar matrix for the task. The others were tasked with similar roles to ensure that in his absence, order was retained. Some were given a matrix to protect or use to complete their task while others were left empty handed.

What the Light God had not realised was that one of the children who had not been given a matrix to protect, had been tainted by the Chaos Bringer's darkness. He was named Darke, and in the Light God's absence, attacked his brethren. Some were slain, others were thrown beyond the boundaries of the universe until only Darke and Paladin remained to fight.

They looked on as time passed concentrating on the battle between Paladin and Darke. As the war continued and each side gained followers, creatures made of energy that fought at their side, each with their own level of awareness and prowess. They joined together in purpose, forming two opposing armies, directed by either Paladin or Darke. They clashed over and over again; their battles laying waste to many a world and even stars were sacrificed in the name of victory.

"Magnificent," Trelayne commented. He had always had an admiration for war and violence.

Solomos shrugged, not really caring enough to answer. His attention was focussed on ensuring that events followed the correct course.

The war between the two dominated the universe as the warriors drew supporters and the two sides battled. For eons as the universe continued to take shape, neither side was able to hold an advantage. For each warrior cut down on one side, so a member of the opposing army was slain. As Paladin's forces were vanquished, they willingly transferred their remaining energies to golden medals, each the size of a small coin and abandoned their physical bodies to become entities of pure light.

Their opponents were not allowed such a luxury of existing beyond their death. As punishment for losing, they were vanquished to the Shadow World, a place where they would endure torment and misery until they were released again; over time the Shadow World would become splintered and mistakenly referred to as the Dark Dimension.

"They're powerful, I never thought they could exist at that size," the young eternal remarked.

"You're thinking of mortals," Solomos reminded him. "Those two are definitely not mortal." He was right; Paladin and Darke were easily large enough to fill a star system at full size. The planets were just footballs for the two behemoths.

In the end though it did not matter, whose army had the most fighters. Paladin was far more powerful than most of those he fought and the Chaos Bringer's successor had quickly proved himself just as powerful. So even when Paladin had lost all his warriors and Darke retained three of his generals, it was not a guaranteed victory for evil.

As the first life forms continued to emerge on the increasing number of habitable worlds, so did the ever intensifying war; Paladin and Darke showed no signs of stopping. Along the way their battle touched many creatures. Some were drawn to the side of evil, their lust for power enticing them into Darke's service in return for the power his master could grant them, while others joined with Paladin. These were a new breed of followers and in some ways more dedicated to their cause than their predecessors. They continued to grow into two large armies, but neither side had the power to make a difference... yet.

The full potential of the energy seeping into the new universe through the fabric that sealed it from its predecessor had yet to be discovered. The energies were still evolving. At such an early time though the discipline to master and focus such energies were beyond the grasp of all but the most powerful creatures. The two battling entities soon changed that. Their war revealed the possibilities to the masses and soon the opposing forces discovered how to use the energies they were exposed to.

Even in those times it was easier to be evil than it was to be good. Those who followed Darke and his disciples were taught to channel magic through symbols and written words. Later they would discover the ability of trap power inside an inanimate object such as a wand or to use the conductive properties of some atoms as a means of directing energy. As the final and ultimately the most effective means, some of the older and most loyal followers allowed others to take copy their bodies. By using these sinister outer forms they could draw on the mystical powers directly. Some could already direct magic in their natural form and were rapidly incorporated into the Army of Darkness. These demons were few in number.

The forces led by Paladin on the other hand lacked the ability to naturally draw on the power without a conduit. Those who could do so were limited in their strength. They were forced to find safe ways to channel the energies. Some copied the use of books and wands to contain magic whilst others discovered that gems and precious metals could also be used.

In the end though it did not matter, whose army had the most fighters or which group could draw the most power. The fight had always been between Paladin and Darke, and in the end those two would decide the outcome. The two armies came to a new battlefield, a primitive world that had only just started to solidify. There they fought what they claimed would be the last battle. It was a battle that would cost both sides dearly.

"Watch this carefully," Solomos advised. "I will be asking questions."

Paladin, the embodiment of all that was pure and good, was injured. His body, made of living armour that resembled the white plate metal worn by later knights, was battered. Lying still on the ground, he gazed up into the blackened sky. He tried to reach out to the energy of the cosmos, that which had sustained him throughout the war, but his injuries were such that he found it impossible to focus on the energy.

With the bulk of his army scattered, this final battle had become a rout. He had been trying to rally his forces, any forces at all, when out of the smog had emerged three of Darke's freakish followers. They were ugly brutes, powerful without question and fodder to distract Paladin long enough for Darke to arrive and land a successful blow.

They had circled around him, just beyond the reach of his sword, neither attacking nor parrying, laughing at the rewards they would reap for destroying their master's most hated enemy.

He had known that they were delaying, he had seen it in their movements. They had wanted to attack and take the kill, but to do so would have robbed Darke of his rightful slaughter. Instead they had him caged while they waited for their master to savour the glory.

He had raised his sword, allowing his energy to flow through the skilfully crafted blade. The ruby in the hilt had glowed brightly as he and the weapon became a single entity, moving with precision and grace. The sword had shone and caused his opponents to back up, ready for the attack.

Instead he had made to retreat, knowing that like a pack of wild beasts they would sense weakness and move in closer.

Three against one. His sword leapt eagerly out and slew the first two with a single swing that threw Paladin off balance.

The third attacker had ducked and lashed out with his own sword. He had brought the blade in low and caught Paladin on the right knee. Paladin had stumbled, surprised that the blow had affected him, but his sword had swung itself around and cleaved off the attacker's arm.

The burst of dark energy had caught him by surprise and had torn through his side. Darke had been waiting for the opportunity to strike. It had been a cowardly blow, but one that was undeniably effective. Darke had loomed over him, waiting for the moment when he could end the war.

Paladin and Darke were complex creatures, but they were not completely indestructible. Both had taken semi-mortal forms, which could be slain with a great deal of difficulty, since that was the only way in which they could truly fight. In such forms they could be injured, but would only die if they remained in that form when it expired. On the many occasions that one or the other had perished, they had simply abandoned the physical form and claimed another.

Even a nanosecond before death would have been sufficient time to escape since to do required only that he open his visor. And there in lay the trap.

"A human I once knew told me that the eyes are the windows to the soul," Solomos told his companions. "In this case that description is very apt. The manifestation of their essence is contained behind their visors and can be released with a single gesture. At that moment they are vulnerable." He turned to Trelayne. "You should appreciate the tactic."

Darke had ensured that escape would not be a possibility. He had positioned himself in front of his fallen enemy and charged a ball of dark energy. At the point when the visor opened, there would be a brief period during which he could blast his opponent's soul. To do so would have ensured his demise.

Paladin had looked up at his enemy and knew that regardless of his actions, he would not leave the battlefield. Darke had been clever when he had orchestrated the trap and left Paladin in a no win situation. That had not meant though that Paladin had lost. He had still had one option available to him.

He waited, watching as Darke continued to gloat over his triumph. He waited for the moment of weakness, when Darke's attention was elsewhere for a brief period, and then he chose to act, using his remaining strength to recreate his essence in thirteen new bodies.

"So he replicated new soldiers, so what?" Trelayne asked, confused.

"Look again and this time, remember you are an External," Solomos told him. "Those aren't just new soldiers, they are living extensions of himself. True he won't be able to maintain this feat for long, probably only as long as he remains alive. Look at them, look at the power they possess."

"So Darke doesn't stand a chance?" Trelayne asked.

"Paladin has won," Solomos answered.

"I wouldn't bet on that," Trelayne muttered, forgetting Solomos's earlier warning and making a few changes of his own.

Paladin and his duplicates circled Darke. Pooling their resources, they attacked, thirteen powerful warriors against one. Darke was on the brink of collapse, his body damaged beyond repair as Paladin struggled to his feet and raised his sword, ready to deliver the final blow.

"Now," Trelayne whispered.

The blade pierced Paladin's back just as his sword was descending toward Darke; one of Paladin's own creations, sabotaged by Trelayne, had turned on him.

"What did you do?" Solomos demanded as the thirteen variants of Paladin merged once more. A black hole had appeared from nowhere, which Solomos assumed was Trelayne's doing.

"I took control of them and ordered them to attack."

Solomos glared angrily and then clicked his fingers. Trelayne promptly vanished as he was sent spinning into a super nova a few galaxies away.

"It's not over yet," the younger being reminded him, pointing to where the battle had resumed.

Solomos struggled not to growl in frustration. This was not going as he had planned.

Darke had fought viciously after Paladin's creations had vanished. Still the battle had taken its toll. When Darke finally turned to destroy the fallen hero, he was blasted by Paladin's remaining energy. Mortally wounded, Darke had tried to escape his physical form only to find his essence sucked into a black hole.

The younger eternal spared his companion a nervous grin. "Two can play at cheating."

Solomos let out a frustrated groan, reminding himself to retrieve Trelayne in a few minutes.

Paladin sought out a planet, where he collapsed, unable even to summon the strength he needed to clean his sword. His life was all but over; he had spent too long inside his dying shell. His energy exhausted to the point where he couldn't be sure his visor would respond if he had been capable of touching the release. His time had come and all he could really do was ensure that his legacy would live on in the hearts of all good beings. His sword, shield and armour would be left for those that would use them, but to ensure that only those worthy of doing so claimed them, he provided them with the sentience need to judge them worthy.

He smiled once again as he felt his body turn to dust particles, which started to swirl at intense speed. The universe loved balance and he was a cosmic being, a part of that balance. He would not survive to see the universe evolve, but Darke was forever sealed where he could not cause harm. And the energy matrix that had marked Paladin as the leader of the Army of Light? The was buried in the explosion energy that heralded his death, safely hidden from that that would abuse it.

Yes, he could sense it now, the fading of his physical form and the lack of universal awareness. He would survive, but not in his current role. The helmet shaped metal that had served as his head had been blown from his shoulders as the superheated dust particles combusted. The ash generated cooled as soon as it exited his body, its own gravity causing it to compact until it formed a crystal like substance inside of which his essence resided. Here he would remain; a counter to evil should the fight ever become desperate enough to seek him out. Paladin, the embodiment of all that was good and pure, was at peace within the universe, died.

"Does that tell you enough about good and evil?" Solomos asked.

His companion nodded, his curiosity sated.

"Good, we can move on then. This isn't meant to be an educational trip."

"So what happened next?" the younger eternal asked.

"Darke had been consumed by the black hole, but his followers remained and some of them were powerful enough to try to take his place," Solomos explained. As he spoke the events flashed by, it was clear that Solomos was speeding up time to save himself having to stand around for too long. "Of course there had to be balance, and while Darke was a powerful entity capable of defeating Paladin and his disciples, his followers lacked that power. In fact, by comparison they were weaklings, with one obvious exception and he was only too eager to head away from his brothers. With them assuming control of the dark forces, Paladin's creations moved on to find those they could fight fairly. It's a moral failing of most so-called good guys. They refuse to fight those weaker than themselves. The bad guys just like to think there is nobody who can defeat them."

The war between good and evil shifted away from the conceptual beings of light and energy to the lesser beings of existence. Unlike Darke, who existed only to destroy all that was good, his successors had ambition and initiative. The Dark Gods as they were known worked to establish their own forces. Each claiming their own territory, the mighty Poneros, the invincible Oligar, the scheming Haz'tur, the disfigured Javius and the machine goddess Hysteria, along with their lesser siblings Nore, Gorg, Mu and finally Ramon.

"As the centuries passed, the lines were drawn as the forces of Good and Evil faced each other on multiple fronts," Solomos explained. "Each side claimed their own territory, the realms of Heaven and Hell, identical in that while a part of reality they were actually on a separate plane. Soon the surviving representatives of Darke chose to remain in Hell and direct their forces from there. They gave life to the beings that would one day become recognised as devils and demons. It's a very primitive and rather messy process."

The realms of Heaven and Hell evolved over time, shifting further outside of the universe as they crisscrossed through the other realms, planes and dimensions alike. It had even been suggested that the two domains were linked to every universe throughout the multiverse; only the context of their existence differed as religion and beliefs in the mortal realm differed from planet to planet and from one universe to the next.

With the separation came the lesser gods, angels, devils and demons, four forces in the battle between good and evil that rarely saw the opportunity to battle. The noble gods willingly influenced life on many worlds while the selfless angels never abandoned their oath of loyalty to the light and bravely fought to vanquish the evil. The two groups occupied the realm known as Heaven, partially sealed from the mortal universe. For the most part mortals were unaware of their presence as they observed the lower species. The angels were the enforcers while the gods rarely left their realm.

Heaven was conceptually beyond the grasp of mortal minds. However, if they were to imagine the realm as a large chain of interlinked galaxies, one galaxy for each family of gods and their respective followers, they would be close to the truth. Many of these worlds were transformed to house mortals deemed worthy of entry once their lives were over.

Hell in comparison had a very similar make up in that it had dimensions dominated by Poneros and his siblings with smaller territories being awarded to some of the newer demons and devils. In addition to areas of comfort for its rulers, it also had worlds created for the sole purpose of tormenting those mortals who fell within its jurisdiction.

The realm contained kingdoms of demons, some lacking physical bodies and existing purely as spirits, others resembling hideous beasts and creatures made of strange matter. They were ambitious, willing to wage all out war on the forces of good in their bid for power over the mortal realms.

And then there were the devils, the most evil of the grouping, who knew the truth about the power the lesser demons sought and who were every bit as daring in their schemes as the gods were brave. For them ambition and timing were inseparable. While the demons strived to dominate the mortals' universe, the devils preferred to conquer one soul at a time.

Both realms contained powerful entities capable of manipulating mortals on a mental, physical and magical level. Only the soul was immune to these influences since the only way a soul could be controlled is if the individual wished it to be controlled.

However, as the realms grew larger, so the cost of intervention in the world of mortals became ever greater, making such an act physically impossible. No longer could a demon set foot in the mortal world and use his great power to subjugate the population; angels were not allowed to carry out pointless campaigns for the greater good. At least, not without significant cost.

Gods, angels, devils and demons alike could freely enter the mortal realms by sacrificing their greater powers and descending to mortal levels. In the case of the physical gods, angels and devils, that meant they could take on an almost normal appearance whilst demons were forced to maintain their hideous bodies. In doing so they limited their chances of accomplishing their goals. Those who existed in a spiritual form had to find a host. Dead bodies, plants and even rocks were acceptable hosts. Some spirits even managed to manipulate technology and inhabit everyday objects.

The main problem was that once they entered the mortal realm directly, their bodies were prone to damage. Spawning was the favoured solution to this problem since most minor demons were capable of creating an exact likeness of themselves, duplicating both physical and mental attributes. When their old body tired or was destroyed, they simply transferred their consciousness to the replacement form.

The other alternative was to transcend the realms through indirect means. By allowing themselves to be summoned, they retained most of their powers and providing they were strong willed, they were free to act. In some cases though they were bound to act as the slaves of those that summoned them. It was the mortals who devised the ceremonies that in effect created a binding contract between the demon and the mortal. The spells required a focus that if destroyed, would send the demon back to Hell. Some demons chose to simply use the access granted by such spells to intervene on behalf of a mortal in return for a soul they could enjoy devouring, most often a child. Lokar was one such demon having consumed Rita's unborn infant.

The problems with being summoned were eventually nullified when it was discovered that they could inhabit the body of a willing mortal. All that mortal had to do was accept the offer of power and riches in return for their soul. Many demons used these rituals as ways to access the mortal realms and spread their influence. Since they could provide a way to channel the power of the Morphin Grid, few hosts ever rejected them.

For gods and devils alike, there was no such need for ceremony. On the rare occasion that either side entered the mortal realms, they did so in mortal form. Should they want to remain there they needed only to mate with a mortal. The gods of course had moral objections to such acts, but over time their intervention in the affairs of lesser beings dwindled.

Devils however mated whenever they wished, selecting their partners carefully for physical traits. Consensual sex was preferred since in that moment of passion their lover failed to realise the true face of their lover. However, a virgin sacrificed in their name was just as acceptable. Either way, the soul belonged to the devil involved.

If the devil in question was female though, the offspring had the potential to become even more powerful. It could be born in either realm, but was stuck there following birth. However, if born in the mortal realms it would retain the powers of its mother while looking perfectly normal. Such vile offspring could change at will into a demonic form, which allowed them to use the power of the Morphin Grid.

"This isn't the history I remember," the younger eternal mentioned.

"There are some changes, no doubt caused by Trelayne's idiocy," Solomos agreed.

"Will it cause problems?"

Solomos considered the answer. All changes no matter how small had consequences although whether those amendments would prove beneficial or problematic was unclear. In the end he just shrugged, signalling for his young charge to keep watching while he pulled Trelayne into the path of a comet.

"For most demons existence is a complex society of politics and treachery," Solomos explained, using his limited understanding of such things. "Raw power alone is never enough to guarantee superiority and no position within the ranks of evil can be considered truly safe. By splitting into multiple entities, the evil force ensured its survival, but it also created infighting between the factions. Now, for a passing grade in alien cultures and organisations, tell me what you know about the High Clan?"

"The Adversary created the High Clan as part of his domain. Although it is an elite band of evil beings, its power and influence are mostly through trickery," his young charge observed. "The names... Satan, Lucifer, Beelzebub, Old Nick and the others, they're mostly creatures from mythology on human worlds. There's no evidence that they've ever been seen together."

It was true; the High Clan's more dominant personalities were actually one-entity. Each had their own area of the Adversary's kingdom to control alongside their own sinister hobbies. In all it added to the illusion of the Adversary's strength and added to his reputation.

Satan was the one most feared on account of his hideous form. He spent most of his time in Hell torturing those poor souls that fell to the darkness. Lucifer, the beautiful being that many mistook for a fallen angel was more likely to be invited around for tea and biscuits. In Solomos's opinion it was clear which of the two was the most dangerous; Lucifer might shake hands and smile, but eventually the poor victim would realise he was missing an arm.

"So there we are. History has changed a little. In the original timeline Darke's forces fell under the leadership of powerful siblings who renewed the war and eventually retired to Hell where they could direct events." Solomos looked beyond the present and nodded. "It also appears that some of the major demon lines, such as those from which Zedd and Master Vile will one day descend, are linked to these first evils."

"Well that is one good thing, they survived."

"Unfortunately Trelayne's intervention changed them. Lord Zedd and Master Vile were supposed to have been demons who had the ability to take on the features of humans. If this change is any indication, then they're now humans who have surrendered their souls in return for the power the demons could offer. They act as a conduit for the demon to remain in this realm."

"I guess we'd better keep looking," the youth said as Trelayne reappeared, his clothes covered with black soot.

"I suppose so," Solomos agreed, but there was no mistaking the boredom in his tone. "From here the war between good and evil becomes more drawn out, the battles less frequent but just as violent. It also marks the move away from the use of raw cosmic energy and the first appearance of the phenomenon known as the Power, which the creatures of this universe deem so important."

Once again the three were transported through time and space, events unfolding before them as they monitored billions of years in a matter of seconds.

"Where are we now?" Trelayne asked.

"You have senses, use them," Solomos answered warningly. He had no patience for the bratty kid. "If you must know, this is the Vordarian Beltway Galaxy, Eight hundred and fifty trillion light years from the nearest inhabited galaxy. This is the place where a purely evil battle took place between three powerful agents of evil; Marriss: the Immortal Queen of Evil given the power of a devil, Raston: the Slayer of Worlds and in his own right the Dark One, and Naarkh: a being that sought to emulate the two stronger villains.

Of the three, Naarkh was the weakest, most inexperienced and had the most questionable bloodlines. When the three fought, he was thrown out of the Galaxy, which then disappeared as the other continued their fighting. Weakened by his defeat, Naarkh was forced to claw his way back to power again."

"This must be about one hundred and seventy million years before that Galaxy you used to enjoy visiting even formed," his young companion reminded him Solomos smiled fondly, messing with the Earthlings had at one time been a favourite activity among the Externals.

"This galaxy was one of the first to form from the explosion, but slow to develop. Still, it did boast some of the most successful systems of government ever known," Trelayne said, eager to prove that he knew something important. The others ignored him and continued their own assessment of their location.

"So what happens next?" one of the youths asked.

"Well even though he was weaker than Marriss and Raston, evil such as Naarkh could not be erased totally, the scars left behind took time to heal."

Trelayne smiled. "See, told you evil was better."

"Oh give it a rest."

Time passed, millions of years in the blink of an eye. Naarkh slowly regained his power, but his defeat had left him mortal and lacking whatever demon had once gifted him its power.

"Naarkh was an interesting creature," Solomos noted. "He possessed an incredible amount of potential, but seemed incapable of unlocking that potential. He chose to lurk in the background, awaiting his time to strike. So far that time has not come although he has probably watched the attempts of every other villain since, starting with Trannis. "

Trannis was the descendant of an ancient Power-wielding race. Gifted with the ability to absorb energy from others, after raising an army of followers, he journeyed from one galaxy to the next, conquering all planets in their path.

Trannis's fleet had many advantages over their enemies, from ships that could strip a planet of its vital minerals and turn them into ships, to soldiers trained to use the radical new energy known as the Power. Perhaps the greatest weapon was Trannis himself, who armed with his ring and a sword he had crafted from star metal, could destroy entire planets with a single blow.

"The trouble with large empires," Solomos observed as they watched the fleet building their territory, "is that they take generations to build and mere years to fall apart."

"Such organisation," Trelayne said, "imagine if we Externals were to unite our efforts or better still, if we were allowed to lead these forces."

"We do not interfere in the affairs of lesser beings," Solomos reminded him. "Why can't you understand that?"

Noah, the third member of their little party, had remained silent during the exchange, watching as the number of territories increased.

"Look how far they've come."

In millions of years they had conquered countless galaxies. However, it was millions of years since they had departed from their home worlds and that constant stream of conquests was about to come to an end. For the fleet had arrived just outside of the Milky Way galaxy.

The Power had also changed over time. It was no longer possible to wield complete control over the Power. In this part of the Universe, the Power had become fractured into separate spheres of magic and psychic energy. This area of space held new challenges that Trannis promised to meet head on.

As Trannis's progress slowed, the Milky Way was experiencing a golden age. It was a time when the extra-dimensional energy known as magic - for it quickly became evident that there was more than one type of energy seeping in from beyond the boundaries of the mainstream universe - played a greater and greater role in the day-to-day lives of the population. Their understanding of what they had come to refer to as the Power was as limited as Trannis's understanding of this phenomenon. Still, a few theories had surfaced about its use.

The agents that Trannis had dispatched easily recognised the Guardians, self-styled defenders of all that was good, ignoring the views of those they were meant to protect, as the only real resistance in the new galaxy. Trannis recognised them as possible successors to Paladin's legacy and vowed to wipe them out.

"A sound strategy," Trelayne commented. "Deal with the greatest threats and the rest will fold."

"I really hope that you never need to lead an army," Solomos muttered. He turned to Noah. "What follows is probably the most abysmal display by any military force and show the deterioration of an organisation that had been unchallenged for so long that they forgot how to respond to threats. These are the Guardians, whose attitude is still reflected by some leaders to this day. Sadly these creatures do not learn easily."

The planets of Devadec and Frostfall were the respective homes of the Galactic Council who administered events within the galaxy, and the elite group known as the Guardians who appointed themselves to defend it, with the aid of their apprentices of course. Devadec was a vast metropolis where the highflying politicians and businessmen could meet and trade while Frostfall was an organic world where those who believed in Guardians' cause and had the aptitude to wield the life changing energies of the Morphin Grid gathered.

Over time the need for separate planets became obvious as some of the Guardians tried to appoint themselves to the council. They were robbed of any illusion that they could take such actions, and as a result only succeeded in convincing members of the Galactic Council to place strict rules upon the way the Guardians handled their affairs.

Peace reigned throughout the Galaxy since very few dared to challenge the power of the forces of good. But as the Guardians and their political rulers started to believe they were invincible, their unwillingness to look beyond their galaxy would prove their undoing; beyond those boundaries the Universe was a sinister place.

While the Guardians and the Galactic Council were concerned with petty infighting, Trannis had mobilised a new expeditionary force, leaving many of his followers behind to expand his army.

"Pure genius," Trelayne said. "His empire covers over a quadrillion light years and he has probably conquered a tenth of that personally."

"Then how can he claim to have conquered it?" Noah asked.

Trelayne looked smug, he clearly enjoyed assuming the role of tutor. "As he passed through a galaxy, Trannis would mobilise his forces to destroy those most likely to oppose him. Then once they were crippled he would take two thirds of his fleet and leave, allowing the force he left behind under the leadership of his genetic offspring to actually subjugate the population and raise new forces to join him. Of course they were helped by reinforcements from galaxies he had conquered previously, his force leading the charge and others following on behind to wipe out any dissenters."

Some of the territories he had conquered had subsequently annexed neighbouring galaxies and sent more subjects to the front line. Control of such a large empire proved difficult, Trannis maintained order with an iron fist. Careful placement of relay stations in each galaxy meant that a journey of centuries could be accomplished in hours.

Trannis's arrival outside the Milky Way was known before he entered the galaxy; news of the atrocities committed by some of his advanced forces made his name something to be feared. To the Guardians though he was considered just another villain trying to make a name for himself, which spoke of how great an impression his troops had made since the Guardians normally refused to acknowledge any threat beyond the boundary of their galaxy.

For once Trannis changed his strategy, choosing to further empower himself by destroying worlds on the outer fringes of the Milky Way, a move that would also solidify his empire. Billions of lives were lost on countless worlds as he terminated whole species to further his cause. From his throne world, Trannis looked upon his kingdom and directed the attacks. If the planet's defenders appeared suitable, he would descend, sword in hand to destroy them personally.

"You did it again, didn't you?" Solomos demanded.

Trelayne blanched. "I only suggested that now would be a good time to prepare his fleet for the battle to come."

"That's it!" Solomos was angry now, his eyes flashing with anger, causing a distant star to freeze. "I've had enough of this. What is it about the words 'do not interfere' do you fail to understand?"

Trelayne looked about nervously and decided he would rather be elsewhere. He clicked his fingers and nothing happened. He tried again and still found that nothing happened.

"If you can't be trusted to use your powers sensibly, you won't be allowed to use them at all," Solomos told him. "Now, remain quiet while we try to make sure you haven't messed anything else up." There was a pause. "I have no idea why you felt the need to create a whole planet or divide the Guardians from the Council. If you planned for the Guardians to seize power, you failed. The Galactic Council exists in the future but the Guardians are gone. And there is no such world as Devadec." He looked at Noah and explained. "The planet Frostfall was the first home of the Council and the place where they administered the galaxy with the aid of the Guardians."

Noah nodded, but there was no point in setting it right now.

It was a terrible mistake by the Guardians not to intervene as soon as Trannis entered their territory. By waiting and denying the threat that he posed, after the twelve worlds of the Zodia system fell to his forces, they lost the opportunity to put an end to his evil. Even when his brutality caught their attention, most considered the affairs of a lone solar system or the odd world to be of minor importance.

Some of the Guardians did fight, stepping outside of their roles and turning their backs on the ruling council. They called themselves the Galaxy Defenders and placed themselves on planets they thought Trannis would target. Most of those who did fight were killed, fuelling the Guardians' belief that non-interference was the safest and most prudent course of action. But while the Defenders' deaths did little to encourage the Guardians to uphold their oath of service, they inspired the ordinary populations of worlds under threat to take up arms; the Guardians' role was becoming less and less important as the people protected themselves.

A new armada of space ships was sent to battle Trannis's fleet. Thousands of people from hundreds of worlds all unified to defeat the threat. The Galactic Council turned their back on the Guardians, a move which made the Guardians protest and later threaten to replace the elected body of representatives with a body of their choosing. In the end the Guardians backed down and the Galactic Council moved to unite the people ready for war.

Despite losing the argument, the respect of the people and some of their respected members, the Guardians refused to join the campaign. They refused to sanction any action against Trannis and threatened those that took such action with severe sanctions. There was a growing fracture within the membership of the Guardians that served to strengthen Trannis's position. The war was being fought on too many fronts and Trannis's forces seemed to grow daily.

"So that was what you had in mind," Solomos realised. "In the original history the Guardians and the Galactic Council never allowed their disagreements to reach a point where one organisation attempted to replace the other."

"Trannis never attacked from multiple fronts either," Noah added.

"Originally eight students were sent to battle him directly," Solomos continued. "The split in the Guardians caused the organisation to split shortly before its demise. Although this did lead to the formation of the Masked Rider Corps, the Defenders, the Ninjetti and the Masters; the latter group made its new home on Eltare and despite changing their name to Morphin Masters, they have remained there ever since."

"See, my revised history is superior," Trelayne boasted. "Trannis is responsible for creating many of the protectors that exist in the future."

"I suppose," Solomos reluctantly agreed. "In the future, the Defenders mostly protect worlds that are deemed too small to warrant a Ranger team although there are still a few that patrol the galaxy as part of the Intergalactic Police Force. There has not been a team of Ninjetti for seven thousand years. Should there ever be a new team of Ninjetti they would be led by Dulcea, Master Warrior of the Ninjetti, on Phaedos."

"Hey, we're missing the battle!" Noah exclaimed.

It was a long and difficult battle, and the defending army was vastly outnumbered. It was through the use of underhanded tactics and unprecedented amounts of luck that they won a number of small victories that would eventually lead to Trannis's defeat. Outside of the galaxy, a small unit managed to destroy one of Trannis's relay stations. It was a small strike, but it effectively shutdown the emperor's communications lines and any possibility of reinforcements.

"In fact after a few months without contact, his forces will assume he is dead and will try to replace him," Solomos observed. "This one act destroyed his empire."

The second strike pitted the galaxy's fleet against one of Trannis's weaker fleets. The fleet was destroyed, bolstering the Council's forces and pushing them to fight even harder. Those Guardians that had joined the battle led their forces bravely. Their dedication and values meant they were highly respected and inspired others to improve themselves.

Trannis did not take the resistance lightly. He decided that both the Galactic Council and the Guardians were threats to his plans. And as other divisions of his fleet were destroyed, he realised that a message needed to be sent. As the defending army drove Trannis's forces from a planet they had recently conquered and destroyed his army of troops, he decided to make a decisive strike at the very heart of the Galactic Council and destroy the Guardians at the same time.

Trannis's chosen vessel, the mighty asteroid topped by a huge fortress. He called it Klattu-shaar, although just as many though of it as the Dark Fortress. Klattu-shaar was very large with an outer ring or rocks that acted like tugs to move it through space. The majority of the asteroid was made up of a huge castle. It was also capable of tearing planets to pieces and draining them of their vital resources. Its resistance to most forms of attack marked it as a potent weapon.

Leaving his fleet to obliterate the Council's armada, he directed the battle station into orbit around the planet Frostfall. From there he launched the bombardment of Devadec, unaware that the Galactic Council had already moved to the world of Erlion. After watching this act of open hostility, the Guardians finally decided to make preparations for his arrival. It was almost laughable that they hadn't expected him to destroy their world and he couldn't believe they were foolish enough to expect him to leave them alone if they failed to lift a hand against him. As soon as he saw that they were starting to become organised, he teleported to the surface and using his sword, plunged the world into oblivion.

"So the Guardians were destroyed. Did this happen before?"

"Yes," Solomos answered. "Although some things have changed, the basic history remains unchanged. I am starting to think that maybe the damage has already repaired itself"

It was hours later that Trannis returned to the scene of his greatest crime. There he witnessed the success of his weapon and decided to collect some spoils of war. He had heard stories of the Guardians and the treasures they held and in their vaults. After locating the vaults, he assigned one of his commanders to transfer their contents to Klattu-shaar where he could review them later. Meanwhile he turned his attention to other matters.

"Summon the Ambassadors!" His words were soft but few were stupid enough to ignore his commands. He glanced to one side as the words left his lips, and only looked away when one of the three females he counted as his closest advisers nodded.

"They have heard your word, Emperor," she announced dreamily.

She was a true seer, capable of viewing glimpses of the future and the activities of Trannis's forces in the present. It was an amazing ability passed down from mother to daughter, and one that came at the expense of her sanity. Currently she was lucid and perhaps at her most dangerous, but at other times she was like a child.

"Then let them come," he said, glancing to where another female, his bodyguard, was ready to defend her master should she need to. "There is no need for that," he promised. "You forget my servants would never harm me, would they?"

Although his faithful bodyguard remained silent, he could sense her eyes shifting to where the seer was staring vacantly into space.

"Or at least not without my knowing it."

Behind the bodyguard his third servant, a powerful sorceress, stood watching proceedings. While she didn't appear concerned, he could sense the energy crackling through her fingers ready to act.

Those he had summoned, each representing the most successful territories under his control had arrived. The four chief advisers were first, followed closely by his eight most senior generals. The Troobian representative named Gloram and Darkstorm, a nobleman with ideas above his station were last to enter. They were two of the more powerful leaders from territory Trannis had previously conquered. Gloram was the leader of the Troobian military, constantly seeking out new territory for Trannis, while Darkstorm wielded over a small domain with the aid of his wife and their son. Each served as Trannis's voice in those regions and were a vital part of his supply line.

He watched as they tried to remain subservient while wanting nothing more than the opportunity to rip each other's hearts out. It was no secret that they loathed each other, yet in confronting Trannis they presented a united front; personal issues aside, they were equally scared of Trannis.

Gloram was a dark robed figure. His hood concealed his face and what many described as a terrible disfigurement. In his right hand he carried a large long staff that many believed was an ornament rather than a weapon. He was of the opinion that a few generals, some disposable foot soldiers and a few specialist weapons were all that he needed to succeed. He was boastful of his abilities, his limited magic far beyond anything Darkstorm could accomplish, but never in the presence of Trannis.

Darkstorm was far more mundane. The king of a powerful kingdom, he was a capable commander and a skilled tactician, capable of manipulating the emotions of his enemies. Unfortunately Darkstorm's ambition was greater than his loyalty meaning there was little chance that Trannis could trust him long-term.

Darkstorm used a more traditional army to fight his battles even though such an approach was often wasteful; he destroyed conquered worlds just for the fun of it. If he couldn't find a weakness in a world he targeted, he didn't bother conquering it. His desire was to rule alone, even if his was the only world to exist.

Darkstorm dressed as a knight, using a mixture of rare cloth, interlinked chain mail and solid plating forged at the cost of his subjects. He carried a broadsword in his right hand, a heavy axe on his back and a small pistol holstered on his left hip. His dark hair had not been washed for weeks and had grown matted by sweat. He looked every part the dark warrior, but his face carried an arrogant expression.

He was not a pleasant man to know. His behaviour had been overlooked in the past because his domain was considered a valuable asset. However his desire to kill his master was well known and Trannis was sure to keep the rogue noble under scrutiny.

Darkstorm was an adept, a being capable of using magic but only to enhance his natural abilities. As a child his mother, one of the few of Trannis's servants to be a sorceress, had cast a spell to grant him immortality at the cost of most of his magic. He could never indulge in the black art of Sorcery like his mother, or become a mage, or even wield the deadly powers of a warlock. He was however stronger and faster than most opponents would believe, but due to the stress using such power placed on his body, he displayed only a small portion of this power. It was a curse that his son Morgdred had inherited. Of course even that small portion was awe inspiring to many.

"You called?" Darkstorm asked, not bothering to hide his annoyance. Darkstorm was a ruler in his own mind and despised the idea of following the orders of other. Even his beloved wife asked rather than commanded him to act; it went against his nature to be a servant. And travelling through the small magical corridors that had been used to replace some of the relay stations was not a pleasant experience.

Trannis smiled, not a pretty sight all things considered. Darkstorm was obviously uncomfortable about receiving a summons after being allowed to do as he pleased for so long, but Trannis enjoyed keeping his servants on a tight leash. Knowing Darkstorm, the pompous king had probably forgotten his place in the grand order of things as all Trannis's lesser servants tended to do sooner or later. It didn't matter, Trannis had found many ways to 'convince' his followers to remain loyal and obey without question. That would come later though; other matters demanded his immediate attention.

King Darkstorm regarded Trannis cautiously. Despite his attempts to stay calm he knew that the man was anything but feeble. It was said that many times Trannis constantly changed his appearance to that of an old man in order to confuse his enemies. The grey cloak hid most of his features, but his bony hands and wrinkled face had been deformed by more than just old age. Darkstorm suspected that the magic the Trannis wielded was so great that it had eaten away at his body.

"I didn't call Darkstorm," Trannis stated, deliberately ignoring the title. "I demanded your presence here immediately."

"Forgive me mighty Trannis," Darkstorm with mock reverence. "I live only to serve you."

"Tell me Darkstorm, how is your little dynasty progressing? I was so happy to hear of the birth of your second daughter." He waited for Darkstorm to look at him before continuing. Darkstorm was powerful, but he could be kept in his place with a few correctly worded threats. "Address me again in such a tone and I shall have your beloved wife killed and your son sold into slavery and destroy anyone stupid enough to follow you. I wonder how you'd fair if I sent word that you were to be treated as a maid?"

"Please forgive me," Darkstorm begged, "I meant no offence."

Trannis cut him off. He heard the voice of the seer in his mind and she saw Darkstorm's actions for what they were, a deception to relieve his anger.

"Good," Trannis said after a pause. "Perhaps now we can get down to business."

He turned back to his throne where Gloram was kneeling. The hooded figure only lowered his head to Trannis, but had not moved since entering. He was every bit as loyal as Darkstorm was treacherous.

"You may rise Gloram," Trannis said.

Gloram rose. No words, none were needed in order to comply with the invitation.

"Why are we here?" Darkstorm asked.

"I know that you are bored Darkstorm," Trannis said. "But if you do not show some respect, I will relieve your boredom permanently. That pathetic little empire of worlds you've been building outside of the territory I granted you and your kin remains independent only because I wish it to be. Never forget that."

He turned his attention back to Gloram. It was time to get down to business.

"As you know, my relay stations have been damaged. I want both of you to make your way here. Bring the forces you have been amassing with you. It's time to consolidate the Empire."

Darkstorm looked as if he wanted to protest, then thought better of it and stalked away to make preparations.

"It will be done," Gloram said before leaving. That was all he needed to say. His superior would deal with the details while Gloram continued with his mission to make the Troobian military the best in the universe.

"Oh dear, a bit of a creep wasn't he?" Solomos commented. "That was the last anybody heard of Gloram or Darkstorm, I wonder where they went?"

"So what happened to Trannis?" Noah asked, desperate to change the subject.

"For that answer we need to go to Frostfall," Solomos told him.

The Master-At-Arms was dead and nothing could change that. But that did not mean there was no hope. The energy residing around her was almost sentient. It could sense the pain of the planet around it as slowly the voices of many living things turned into silence. The Power reacted instinctively, pressed into action by the desires of the dying. It reached out and found one survivor, a young woman who had arrived days earlier to beg for the help of the Guardians. Her pleas had fallen on deaf ears, but now she would have her chance to make a difference as she was chosen to become the first Master-At-Arms.

With the Master-At-Arms selected new powers could be created. Some of the survivors of the initial assault were saved from death and transported to her location where they could be granted their new power. They were all students who drew their powers through the use of coloured crystals.

Being inexperienced in the way of magic and having only a rudimentary connection, they hardly noticed when the link was broken as the Power used the pathways established to form its own links. None of those it had selected would have held their powers for long. The colour and animal they had been given, as guides were wrong for them. However, the Power took what it found and after a short ritual, the first team of Power Soldiers were born.

They were soldiers only in name. Their powers did not come from the later accepted source and despite their appearance; they were not bound as a unit. Each had a form that they were familiar with to help them in battle; the only thing they were familiar with at the time was being Soldiers.

"You are now Power Soldiers, the future of this universe," the Master-At-Arms spoke.

Nobody knew how much or how little time had passed. When in contact with the Power, time itself could be manipulated. There was no sense of urgency as the ritual continued.

"Where the Guardians have failed, you will succeed because you are pure of body, mind and soul. The people of the Universe seek justice, not arrogance. Never forget that the only way for evil to succeed is if good men do nothing."

She turned to study her team. How had they come so far so quickly? For that matter, how did she know what to say? The answer to both questions was clear. The Power was teaching her what to say just as it was teaching the Soldiers what to do.

The sound of banging alerted her to a new danger.

"The time has come, the power is yours. You need only to invoke it."

"I invoke the Power!" the eight students said as one.

"Red Dragon!" Lacutus, the human leader of his team called.

"Green Minotaur!" Kytte, a younger black-haired human called.

"Purple Spider!" The reptilian Dionnah cried.

"Black Lion!" Darrott, the bird-like representative of the Tengarian Empire called.

"Yellow Griffin!" Tink, the blonde haired human called.

"Blue Unicorn!" Gran, easily the most powerful man within the group cried.

"Pink Firebird!" Ces, the amphibian most at home on the planet Aquitar, called.

"White Tiger!" Sorran, the white-haired hermit turned defender called.

Their clothes did not change with the exception of a small power coin appearing on a belt around their waists. On one side of the belt were the Blade Blasters they used in combat. On the other side was a small silver cylinder, which when activated became a Light Sword bearing the owner's colour. Each had an additional weapon they could call on through the Power, but the concentration required summoning such weapons meant they were used only when absolutely necessary.

"Trannis has discovered the magic I have worked here," the Master-At-Arms spoke. "He has sent his servants elsewhere, but he has not yet finished with this world."

"How do we fight him?" Red Dragon asked.

"The Power will guide you," she answered. "And should you need them, these crystals will allow you to summon awesome fighting machines known as Zords"

Gran grinned. "Let's get out there."

"Would you believe this moment set an example for just about any crisis that followed?" Solomos asked. "New villain, recruit some young people and give them power, the same thing happens in case of old villain escapes, devastation on a mass scale and never forget the old problem of cat caught up a tree."

"So did they succeed?" Noah asked.

"Watch," Solomos answered.

Trannis had been drawn back to the planet and for some reason had decided to investigate the abnormal energy readings himself. He had temporarily assumed an armoured form to make movement easier. It was a technique that had proven useful over the years, one that the Fallen had allowed him to access. When he took such a form, he lacked the limitations of his constantly fading body while retaining a large amount of power. If needed, he could transform back at any time.

He appeared near to where the Master-At-Arms had been and immediately sensed that something had changed. The troops he had sent ahead were gone; as were the huge land walkers he had sent to scout the planet. He was at once alert. A scream caught his attention and he spun around to be confronted by the corpse of one of his troops, although he would never know who it was because the armour was scorched beyond recognition.

Instinct dictated his next move as he tried to teleport back to the safety of his vessel. The planet was obviously not void of life, yet. Nothing happened, no matter how hard he tried and eventually he gave up. Something was going on and he had to be alert.

A burst of pink streaked across the sky and narrowly missed his shoulder. The air above him flashed brightly. He was under attack.

"Show yourself!" he bellowed. "Who dares to attack me?"

The pink shape moved back across the landscape, this time at a pace where he could make out the shape. It was a Zord, a Firebird Zord to be exact, which was partially solid, but mostly magical energy. On the top he could see a lone figure riding the mighty beast out of combat.

"We dare," a calm voice announced.

Trannis spun around to see seven figures in fighting stances, each with their Light Swords drawn and ready. Light Swords that marked them as Soldiers, a development by the forces of light. In a beam of pink fire an eighth member joined them.

"You dared to attack me," he accused.

"You are guilty for the destruction of untold worlds," Sorran answered. "The Guardians were willing to not get involved if you had left them alone. But instead you showed an evil heart; all evil must be challenged and conquered."

"Fools, I am more powerful than you could imagine. I need only to teleport back to Klattu-shaar and I will fry this world."

"Then we'll have to make sure you don't leave," said a new voice.

The Master-At-Arms stood ready for action, her long staff poised to strike.

"Full power now!" Lacutus called.

At once the Soldiers were transformed into their battle armour. Their suits changed into the tight fitting fabric used that would be used for all future Soldier uniforms. Red, green, black, yellow, pink, blue, and purple wore similar outfits. The upper body was white with a gold trim, as were the bands surrounding the tops of their gloves and boots. On the left breast they wore a gold image of their spirit animal. The material on their arms and legs were predominantly their individual colour. The belts were gold, with an intricate pattern around the buckles and a holster on each side. Their helmets were shaped to resemble the heads of their spirit animals as well. In their hands the Light Swords were replaced by a set of staffs in their colour.

Sorran was the exception. His costume was all white with gold and black gauntlets around the tops of the boots, gloves and on the belt. A black and gold shield covered his chest with shoulder pads bearing the image of his spirit animal on the center of the front. His helmet resembled the face of a tiger. In his hand was a long golden sword.

"Surround him!" the Master-At-Arms ordered.

The fighters surrounded Trannis and after forming a circle, joined hands. They raised their arms into the air and joined hands.

"We call on the Power," the Master-At-Arms intoned. "Destroy this villain and vanquish this great evil!"

Trannis was worried. The Power Soldiers were calling on powerful forces and now that he had unleashed his weapon on Frostfall, the planet was desolate, providing no organic life he could pervert to his ends. There were no useful minerals in the soil from which to construct weapons. Trannis knew that by his own hand he had placed himself at a severe disadvantage.

"This is the end of the line Trannis," Red Dragon told him. "Your evil ends here today."

Realising he could not escape, Trannis shifted his form slightly so he could improve his chances. His armour and skin merged and his muscle tone increased to provide extra strength. This was his chosen form, he preferred it because of the added protection his metallic body provided. A deadly black blade appeared in his hands. It had no highlights and seemed to swallow daylight into its depths. He simply called it Ragnarok.

The eight Soldiers fired their weapons, attempting to circle around Trannis as they did so in hopes of catching him off guard.

"Is this what you call playing fair Soldiers?" Trannis asked as he batted away several of their blasts. "Trying to sneak behind an enemy you already out number doesn't sound very fair to me."

"Since when have villains fought fair?" Yellow Griffin asked in response. "You can't expect us to follow rules that you wouldn't even consider."

A lucky blast from Sorran knocked Trannis off his feet, allowing them to concentrate their fire. Although Trannis refused to entertain the notion that anything the warriors did could cause him serious injury, their blasts were keeping him pinned and more vulnerable than he liked.

"Enough!" he cried suddenly as he released his sword.

The blade spun end over end towards the eight Soldiers until it was it connected with Green Soldier's Light Sword. Sparks flew as the evil blade absorbed the energy within the Soldier's weapon. The green clad warrior hurriedly powered down his weapon and watched as Trannis's sword fell to the ground.

In the instant the others took their eyes off their opponent to watch Green Minotaur, Trannis was about to scramble away from his predicament. Raising his hand he summoned his sword and attacked.

"Ces, look out!" Red Dragon warned as Trannis directed his assault towards the Aquitian.

For her part Ces was a highly skilled warrior with the aggressiveness and determination that set her people apart from other races. Before Trannis had started his reign of terror, Aquitar had been a planet of land dwelling life forms. It had been during his early assault that the villain had cursed the entire race so they could not retain moisture. He had then flooded their world, leaving the people with no choice but to adapt to their changing environment.

As Trannis approached, she pulled both her Light Sword and Blade Blaster. She caught his sword with her Light Sword and used a blaster to damage the weapon. When that failed, she dispensed with the weapons and opened up with a violent onslaught of punches and kicks. The villain stumbled back wondering where these Soldiers had found such strength. Could it be that Soldier was more than a fancy title? He turned and ran straight into Purple Spider.

Dionnah did not bother with weapons. She used her powerful limbs to strike at Trannis's armour. Her first few blows kept him off balance so that she could land kicks to his jaw and shoulder. Her left fist connected with his chin as her right hand, now bearing her staff positioned itself next to his chest.

Even when her opponent went down Dionnah did not relent. Her planet had not been as lucky as Ces's. Trannis had considered her world a threat and exterminated it outright. It was vengeance that had fuelled Dionnah's determination over the last few months and years. It was rage that created the adrenaline that allowed her to continue punching long after she had cracked the bones in her hand.

"Power Staffs!" Red Dragon ordered.

The long staffs started to glow. In an attack pattern they had perfected during their brief training encounters, the Soldier lunged forward. White Tiger and Green Minotaur drove the points of their staffs into the villain's shoulders, driving him to the ground and preventing further movement. Blue and Purple Spider were next, securing his ankles to the ground. Taking the opportunity to disarm him, Red Dragon slammed his staff into Trannis's wrist. The Yellow Griffin hooked the sword away allowing Black Lion and Pink Firebird to destroy it with their weapons.

Sensing he would not triumph against such determined opponents, Trannis allowed himself to grow. As his body expanded, he reached out and seized Purple and Black Lion. As his body increased in size he applied greater pressure to his captives, laughing silently as he felt their bodies explode.

The others looked up at the giant who had just destroyed two of their friends. They didn't feel anger, which would have blinded them to their task and what they had to do. "Powers Merge!"

Some distance away the Master-at-Arms had been wielding an old magic, binding Trannis with the lives of those who opposed him. It took a while before Trannis realized that he had been tricked. The students had never intended to win. Their combined attack was little more than a light show to enable the Master-at-Arms time to trap him in a coffin. The heroes disappeared as their bodies and souls were used to secure the emperor. Thanks to the eight warriors who had sacrificed their lives, Trannis was supposedly no longer a threat.

"There is no way their power should have held him!" Trelayne cried, outraged.

"Maybe they did have a little help," Solomos said, sparing Noah a nasty look. "But after your interference it was necessary to restore the status-quo."

"Ah, here comes the final nail, figuratively speaking." As Solomos spoke, they could see a group of aliens arrive. "They know what happened here and have probably foreseen the time and the manner of his disposal."

"Then they should know that a lonely coffin on a dead planet will not keep him imprisoned forever," Trelayne interrupted.

"Oh I'm sure they realise that. See, they built a barrier so that only an outside influence could release him. They even moved Klattu-shaar so that those surviving servants could not aid their master. And now, we move on."

Time passed again, revealing the story of the Masters and how they came to be the first of the Ancient Morphin Masters. They watched the early Grid Wars and Rita's defeat. They watched Zordon being thrown into a time warp and his preparations for Rita should she ever escape and the events surrounding the Power Rangers as they battled many foes, the scenes passing rapidly until they slowed for the defeat of King Mondo.

"Make yourselves comfortable boys," Solomos instructed, "this will show you how dangerous this Good and Evil stuff can really be."

**End of Part**

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Trek or Power Rangers. They belong to their respective copyright owners along with all associated characters. Noah, Solomos, Trelayne, Xing and the other Externals are based on a number of sources, including the Q and the Continuum come from Star Trek the Next Generation, and from the Original Series episode Squire of Gothos. The start scene where they are staring into the bowl was taken from Jason and the Argonauts. Some Star Wars related concepts belong to Lucas Arts and the respective copyright owners. The One is based on a number of characters that belong to DC Comics, Image Dream Wave and Marvel.  
Authors Note: This is a fanfic based within the Conquest of Evil Multiverse. The events follow their own timeline and are not related to any of my other series. If you have read Conquest of Evil, the events observed take place between The Beginning and the end of the Minion saga. This chapter is intended as an insight into the Externals.

**Closer Scrutiny**

In another place, unreachable by those that did not belong there or were not permitted to be there, a trio of watchers regarded the showdown between the Earth's heroes and inevitable destruction.

"And this," Solomos observed, "is where we come in."

His two companions maintained their silence, one urging the heroes to fight on while the other delighted in the prospect of destruction.

"Zeo Crystal!" Tommy cried. "Deliver this world from evil!"

Light burst from the crystal as the Red Ranger held it in position. Red, yellow, pink, green, blue, gold, silver, purple, white and black energy streamed into the hole. In places where the coloured energy mixed he could make out shades of cyan, magenta, crimson, navy and orange. The Earth seemed to tremble as the corrupted magic within was forcibly ejected by the Zeo energy. Pyramidas rocked, as its hull grew thin. Before long it would disappear and if the Rangers were unsuccessful, so would they.

"Keep going," Tommy encouraged. "Need to give this - everything I've got."

He poured his soul into the crystal and was amazed when the energy increased. But despite his best efforts, the corruptive energy of the Sword of Ragnarok remained, kept in check by the Zeo Crystal's power, but capable of destroying the planet as soon as they relented.

"It's Time for a Gold Rush!" he heard Trey call, before a burst of golden light joined the power from the Zeo Crystal and chased the darkness from the Earth's depths.

"The effects of the Sword of Ragnarok are almost gone," Noah noted.

"Just a little help then," Solomos decided. "It's possible our interference lessened the effects."

"Jason, they're weakening," Trini said.

Jason nodded. He had hoped they would be able to wait until the Earth was totally cleansed before using the Great Power to reignite the planet's failing energy. Now though they didn't have a choice, the planet was too close to death to delay further. With luck they would finish before the Earth exploded. Otherwise, their actions would prove futile.

"Now is the time," David said. As White Ranger he knew when it was his time to take control. "Let our powers be one."

They clasped hands, allowing the Great Power to flow through them. They didn't need to direct it, the magic was sentient and knew what it had to do. As their hands glowed their respective colour, lines of energy emerged, linking them together, forming a golden ball of light at the very centre of their circle.

"Go," Jason whispered and the ball shot into the Earth.

For a moment there was no change, then slowly the lava seemed to calm and the quaking planet quietened. The Great Power and the Zeo Crystal worked in unison, restoring the shattered and corrupted lines of magic with new life bringing energy.

"It's not enough!" Aisha realised after the changes ceased.

All the power they could imagine and it was not enough to fix the damage. Every time it crossed with the power placed there by the Sword of Ragnarok, it was corrupted by the destructive energy. The Zeo Crystal was proving incapable of purging all the darkness so long as the sword remained intact.

"They're not going to make it are they?" Noah asked.

Solomos shook his head and then thought. The Externals were incapable of destroying energy and he still had to get rid of the energy Trelayne had stolen. The Externals had caused the destruction of one universe, perhaps saving this one would make up for it. With a flick of the wrist, he allowed the stolen energy, the life force of an alternate universe to flow to the Rangers where it was channelled into their efforts.

"This is it guys," Jason said as the Rangers and their allies gathered around the Zeo Crystal. Pyramidas was sinking; they had perhaps a minute to live. "One last time. We call on all our powers combined:"

The others had all powered down, the energy from John's ring now heading directly into the Zeo Crystal, his hands disappearing in the process.

"Red Ranger!"

"White Ranger!"

"Green Ranger!"

"Yellow Ranger!"

"Purple Ranger!"

"Blue Ranger!"

"Black Ranger!"

"Pink Ranger!"

"Zeo Ranger V - Red!"

"Gold Ranger Power!"

"Green Lantern's Light!" As John spoke the words, he felt the full power that he had always feared would corrupt him rushing to the fore. Years of forced denial were over as the power burst from the ring, adding to the powers already flowing into the Earth. The powers merged with those of the Zeo Crystal, removing all impurities from the Ley Lines as the Zord finally succumbed to the environment and they were plunged into a molten tomb as energy they had fed into the Earth erupted, inside the Dark Dimension.

"Wait a minute! You gave them all that power and their universe is still doomed? How is that fair?" Noah was angry.

"Fair? Who ever said this was about being fair. Existence is not fun, nor fair. People act and other people end up hurt. We didn't come here to save a universe, we came so that you two could learn about Good and Evil. And now you have learnt just how futile the struggle is, perhaps you will think twice before messing with the game again. As it is, the odds are even. If they succeed, they succeed. If they fail, then this universe was meant to die." He looked at the light bursting forth from the Dark Dimension. "I'd say they succeeded. Now, let's go."

"But I wanna see..."

Trelayne's protest was cut off by a sharp look from his elder.

"Your interference in the universe has caused enough damage. This was supposed to be a field trip, not a game. No more! From now on you and your little friend here," he spared Noah a glance, "are forbidden to meddle with the game."

It was a considerable time later that Solomos had the chance to double check to make sure that Noah and Trelayne had not caused permanent damage. The fallout from their activities had been felt by the whole community. Many had called for the game to be destroyed. Even more had called for Solomos to be punished for almost destroying the multiverse just to teach them a lesson. And then there were some who were worried for a different reason. Solomos had taught Noah and Trelayne about Good and Evil intending for them to grow bored and never dabble in such matters again. But instead he had inspired the troublesome Externals and despite his intentions, were once again involved in the affairs of the lesser beings. He had introduced a new strain of chaos and nobody could predict what would happen next.

In the distance he could see Noah and Trelayne talking, no doubt discussing what to do with their time. The two Externals disliked each other, but given the inconvenience they had caused, they were the only company available. In a rare show of pity Solomos decided to offer a way for them to enjoy themselves without breaking the rules. He snapped his fingers and conjured the universe the two had destroyed previously. There was barely anything left of it now, but with a few nudges it was transformed into a new reality that they could play without risking their existence.

He thought about it and then wrote a few words giving it a title: The Armageddon Game. He would let them continue playing their games and learning about Good and Evil, but in a way that would not threaten the other Externals. And perhaps in doing so, they would eventually teach the other Externals something.

With that done and feeling exhausted from his rare show of responsible behaviour, Solomos decided to have some fun.

"I wonder how Amphiboids would cope if they were suddenly smaller than their prey."

**End of Part**


	7. Eye of the Storm

Disclaimer: I do not own the Power Rangers, they belong to their respective copyright owners and are used here without permission. No money is being made from this fic.  
Time Scale: This story begins four weeks after 'The Minion of Darkness Saga'. I'd advise you read it, but if you really can't be bothered, just start reading here and you'll probably pick most of it up - it's hardly complicated.

**Shredded Peace**

It was a task that Tommy and Jason had grown to loathe over their time as leaders of the Power Rangers. Today it was Jason's turn to endure the hardship and face an enemy that he could not vanquish with the help of a Power Sword. The world press had assembled in Angel Grove, awaiting confirmation from the Rangers that the danger had indeed passed.

Given such an enemy, Jason knew that maintaining momentum was the key to victory. A moment of weakness, the smallest sign of indecision and they would attack. They were a cruel breed without the mercy he had seen Lord Zedd offer from time to time. In the press won this battle of wills then the Power Rangers would wish they were dead.

The Red Ranger appeared suddenly, White Ranger on one side and Purple Ranger on the other, both helping to convey the clear message that anybody wishing to attack their leader would have to get through them. As they stood waiting the crowd started to fire question after question at them.

"Red Ranger, why are there two sets of Power Rangers?"

"White Ranger, why has the Red Ranger taken command again?"

"Why have you returned to your original powers?"

"What are your suits made of?"

"Purple Ranger, are you single?"

Red Ranger raised his hand to speak, but the questions kept coming. In the end he nodded to the Purple Ranger. She produced a strange looking gun and fired at the ground. Ice crystals formed around the reporter's feet, causing them to shut up.

"Okay, you can stop now," Red Ranger said.

Purple Ranger released the trigger and both the blaster and the ice disappeared. All eyes were on the Rangers, wondering what would happen next.

"Thanks," Red Ranger said. "Your questions might be answered after I have finished this statement; they will definitely not be answered before."

Jason took a deep breath and then started to recite the speech Billy had prepared. What they needed now was a quick explanation so they could make a fast getaway.

"In recent times a new villain known as Minion chose to attack Earth. The Zeo Rangers needed assistance so they recruited a second team of Rangers. The Zeo Rangers were captured during a recent battle before the new team could be fully activated. Minion has been destroyed and the Zeo Rangers released. You may rest assured they are expected to make a full recovery."

"Wasn't a Ranger responsible for their capture?" one of the reporters asked

Jason took his time before answering. The duplicate Billy that had fooled them all had been responsible for a great many things. In a way the Rangers were disappointed that with Minion's demise the Nega Rangers had vanished. Jason knew he would have liked to have evened the score and he suspected his friends felt the same.

"One of Minion's creations was able to infiltrate our headquarters and sabotage our efforts. The Power Rangers are not infallible and we have been fooled. In future we will ensure we never make the same mistake again."

"What can you tell of reports that one Ranger was killed?" Anthea Trener asked.

Under his helmet Jason's face fell. Travis had been a good man, a noble lord and somebody that Jason had thought of as a friend. While he had never been as close to Trent and Travis as he was to Trey, he had come to appreciate them as individuals and not just components of the Gold Ranger.

"During his attempt to conquer the planet, Minion was responsible for the loss of many lives, both on Earth and on other planets." His mind turned to Aquitar and Triforia where the forces of darkness still threatened to snatch control. "All those that died at his hands were victims; nobody deserved to suffer through his evil."

"What was the victim's name?"

"No comment," Purple Ranger said. "Minion killed many people. As soon as we have a list, we will release their names."

"Red Ranger, Minion gave the Zeo Rangers a count of six in which to kill him. Why did they not take the opportunity to do so?"

Jason stared at the reporter; glad that she could not see the glare he was giving her under his helmet. Detective Park groaned at the question. Louise Marshall was not known for her tact or sensitivity. He really didn't like what she was suggesting about his son.

"Ms Marshall, you may not have noticed, but Minion did show the footage of the Zeo Rangers and others being tortured. As far as we can tell that was only the most recent session. After that kind of treatment their reactions were bound to be impaired. I wonder how you would have faired in those circumstances?"

"Excuse me Red Ranger, but I am not a Power Ranger. It is not my job to save the world. I just report the news." Louise glared at the masked hero, unsure if her words were having an effect. Just to be sure she added: "At least I seem to be able to do my job."

"Ms Marshall, the Zeo Rangers have risked their lives on a regular basis to protect this world and the freedoms we enjoy. I suggest you bear that in mind before criticizing them. We are only human."

The reporter looked like she was about to respond, but her partner decided to intervene and silence her.

"What about the other heroes who were held captive?" he asked.

"All those held captive, were released although I'm not aware of their condition."

Sensing the opportunity to end the interview the Rangers teleported away.

As the Morphin Rangers left, two figures emerged from the shadows, discussing all that they had seen.

"Did you hear that?" one of the men.

Both wore suits of heavy armour made from an alien metal, covered by the traditional black and purple robes that marked them as the High Masters of the Foot Clan, a criminal organisation that had started on Earth nearly a thousand years.

He was known as the Shredder. Whatever his name had been before his arrival, he had changed it to something that struck fear into the hearts of his enemies. His powerful body, hidden by enchanted armour, had been built as a means for him to move around in Earth's environment; the Shredder's real body resembled a red brain with sharp teeth and tentacles.

One thousand years before, he had fallen under the tutelage of the Jakanja, a clan of Space Ninjas that followed the demon Tao Zento. Under their influence he became a dangerous criminal who was eventually captured by his people and transported to Earth.

There he had formed the Foot Clan and paved the way for a Jakanja invasion of the planet. They failed and were forced to leave the planet thanks to the efforts of the Shredder's formal captors. Deep in the mountains secret ninja schools had been training the planet's natives to fight the evil forces of the Jakanja. It was a tradition that had never ended.

For a long time the Shredder remained incapacitated, but twenty years ago he had arrived in America where he had come into contact with a young ninja student named Kiya Watanabe. He had made a deal with Kiya, offering him power and influence if the young ninja could steal an amulet from one of the school's students. Kiya had agreed and then foolishly, tried to use the power of the amulet for himself. The young fool had been banished from the Earth - for the ninja school and others like it had been started by those who had defied the Jakanja - and Shredder had been forced to find others to help him rebuild his organisation.

The man he addressed was called Oruku Saki, his junior partner in the clan. Saki had through his influence, which stretched into the underworld and black markets of several countries, had recruited the dregs of society to create an army of criminals. These thugs committed their crimes without attempting to hide their movements, covering the Foot's less obvious and more sinister activities.

"I heard," Saki answered. "The Power Rangers have suffered a defeat. They are weak in the eyes of the public."

"The public are sheep, led by the power of the newspapers and the opinions of the few," Shredder told his protégé. "They may lack faith in the Rangers, but they failed to notice that those they are familiar with did not attend the conference. Their heroes have been wounded more seriously than they realise; now is the time for our forces to take over. Then we will summon my allies and escape this miserable world."

"But what of those who replaced them?" Saki asked.

"They will not cause us a problem," Shredder answered. "They are new and untested. We will see how they fare in battle and then knowing their strengths, we will conquer and send them scurrying like rats."

"And then you shall have your escape and the Foot shall rule supreme," Saki finished.

"Exactly," Shredder agreed. He removed the front of his armour so Oruku could see his face, a rare honour for Oruku. "Come, we must ready ourselves for battle."

Tommy sat alone in the Training Room, surrounded by the practice droids he had systematically destroyed. It had become a habit, almost ritual in the weeks following the destruction of Minion. In that short time Tommy had worked tirelessly to rehabilitate himself from the injuries Minion had inflicted. Zordon had helped the Zeo Rangers to come to terms with what had happened mentally, but physically they needed rest, exercise, and plenty of time. There had been plenty of mornings when one of his friends had come in and seen him asleep on one of the soft cushions. Nobody wanted to claim that he was obsessive, but he was.

Not that he would be a Ranger for much longer. Graduation was approaching and after that the Zeo Rangers hoped to find replacements to take up the mantle; with Minion gone, the Machine Empire scattered and Rita and Zedd yet to resurface, their replacements wouldn't have much to worry about. All they were waiting for was the right time and for Billy to finish developing the new powers.

"Hey Tommy!" Rocky said, walking over to him.

"Hi Rocky, what's the problem?" Tommy asked.

The Rangers had decided after the first week that Tommy should not be left inside the Training Room for more than a few hours without somebody checking up on him. That had been the time that Tommy had pushed his limits too far and demorphed in the middle of the simulation. He had been lucky that Kat and Tanya had found him before the droids could cause permanent harm.

"Nothing's wrong. I'm just checking you're okay."

Some of the Rangers tried to find excuses to keep an eye on him. He lost count of how many times David had fallen asleep watching him lift weights under the pretence of spending quality time with his brother. Rocky was too upfront not to tell him why he was there and if pressed lecture him on the reason why the others just didn't trust him to remember the panic word.

Tommy looked at his friend shrewdly.

"You're bored, aren't you?"

"Yeah," Rocky admitted.

"Rocky just wants to have fun," Tommy teased.

"Hey, watch it, Tommy!" Rocky warned. "I happen to remember a certain Ranger who got into a car with a strange girl and..."

"Okay Rocky, I get the point," Tommy smiled.

"Good, so what are you doing?"

"Waiting for Zordon to decide he needs us," Tommy answered honestly/

Since there were now two teams of Rangers, Zordon had decided that one team would take the role of active duty while the other team were reserves. The Zeo Rangers had lost the coin toss, leaving them on the sidelines should any emergencies occur. ~Not that there have been any actual attacks recently,~ Tommy thought.

They had been really lucky to have the Morphin Rangers as their allies. Jason, Trini, Kimberly, Aisha, Zack and Billy were experienced Rangers, Sam had two centuries of adventuring behind him and whatever David lack in experience he made up for in his willingness to learn.

"Let's face it, it's been weeks since Minion attacked and no sign of Rita, Zedd or Mondo. I think we're starting to get bored," Tommy said.

Rocky nodded.

When they heard their communicators beep, neither team concerned themselves to find out who Zordon wanted and all teleported to the Power Chamber.

When the Zeo Rangers arrived they were disappointed to find Alpha watching the Morphin Rangers in battle against the Putty Patrol.

"Zordon, what happened?" Kat asked.

"A group of Putties appeared, but Jason's team have taken care of it," Zordon answered. "I have no idea whether Rita and Zedd have truly returned or whether this is just a rogue batch testing the planet's defences."

"Why didn't you call us?" Rocky asked, annoyed that they had missed the action.

"I didn't want to disturb you!" Zordon said. "I know that you have had doubts concerning your futures as Rangers and wanted to allow you the time you needed to reach your decision."

"Thanks, I think."

They all laughed at the comment and walked over to watch the view screen. Alpha moved back to let them all see.

On the screen, Green Ranger cut a Putty in half. Behind him the Red and Black Rangers hacked into their own opponents. Yellow Ranger used her Power Daggers to great effect while White and Pink Ranger unleashed a barrage of arrows. Blue Ranger energised his Power Lance and used it to cut down one Putty after another. One of the foot-soldiers tried to sneak up behind him, only to find its neck entangled by Purple Ranger's Power Whip. Blue Ranger promptly put the sneaky Putty out of its misery. Within minutes the battle was over and the Rangers returned to the Power Chamber.

"Congratulations Rangers," Zordon said. "It would seem that since you've received your new powers, the Putties can no longer keep up with you."

"Yeah that was pretty easy," Zack admitted.

"Well at least you got some action," Rocky grumbled. Then his expression changed into a small grin. "Hey, I bet we could have finished them off faster!"

"Don't be ridiculous, there are eight of us and only six of you," Kimberly pointed out.

"Yeah right. Next you'll be saying you could beat us in a fight!" Tanya joked.

"Doubtless!" Billy commented.

"Is that a challenge?" Rocky asked.

"Yeah, I guess it is!" Zack answered. The two teens grinned at each other, both imagining the challenge such a match up would provide.

"What about it guys?" Tommy asked.

"We'll be happy to show you rookies a few things," Jason answered. "After all, you replaced us."

"If I remember correctly, you were called in as my replacement and had to give the powers back," Trey remarked.

"Zordon, is this okay?" Trini asked.

"I do not see why not, but make sure it does not get too serious," Zordon said. "I believe you will find that there are others who are eager enough to harm you on their own and won't require assistance."

"Great, so who's gonna fight?" Rocky asked excitedly. Of course, they were all eager, but since there were six Zeo Rangers and eight Morphin Rangers, somebody needed to sit out.

"I need to run a test process on the Zeo Zords," Billy said, excusing himself from the battle.

Trey, David and Sam also excused themselves since they had other things to do. That left the battle five on five.

Zordon smiled. Considering the two groups were about to fight against each other, he had never seen them work as a team quite like that. There had been a serious challenge made, but it was all in good heart, and Zordon was proud of them all.

"I do not like this Master," Oruku said. Having observed the battle, the two ninjas were unable to agree on their next move.

"It has already been decided," Shredder responded. "The enhancements these warriors have undergone will make them perfect for this task. When we strike, the Power Rangers will be taken by surprise, they will never overcome the power of my Cyber Ninjas."

"Yes," Oruku agreed. "But what if the Rangers find a way to deactivate their cybernetics?"

"Then they will still be defeated by highly trained ninjas. Besides, we have this," Shredder replied as he held up a small tube. "The source of this substance is over three thousand years old, and combined with the power of Ninja Magic it shall enable us to infuse our warriors with the power of animals."

"It is a good plan Master Shredder."

"Of course, we shall begin immediately. Ninja, attack!"

From behind the Sentinel Statue in Angel Grove Park a group of ninjas emerged, making their way around the press conference until they cut off all escape routes. The blue ninjas armed with swords kneeled in the front, the red ninjas behind with their bows and the black unarmed ninjas moved between the two lines.

The people in the park watched as the ninjas emerged from nowhere. The police were quick to arrive and drew their guns, Aiming at the approaching ninjas. Angel Grove had an abnormally low homicide rate due to the quick response of its police force and heroes like the Power Rangers to help. Two men clad in metal, one of whom Detective Park recognised from a federal bulletin as the Shredder, stepped from the group. He watched as the armoured commander raised his hand in a fist and the surrounding ninjas fell into fighting positions.

"I am the Shredder," one of the metal clad ninjas said, confirming Detective Park's fears. "The Foot Clan are taking over this city. Resist and you will die!"

"Hey, I don't care who you think you are buddy," Detective Park said, "But you're under arrest. Ascot, put the cuffs on him."

As the officer approached the ninjas moved. One of the black clad ninjas grabbed the officer's wrist and twisted it until he heard the crack of breaking bones. With his other fist inserted in the man's neck he twisted before discarding the corpse.

"Fire!" Detective Park ordered.

The other police officers opened fire, but the few bullets that struck a target did little damage. The ninjas avoided the cop's fire and then either disarmed them or incapacitated them. Detective Park found himself falling back on moves he had learned from his son. He was lucky because although knocked unconscious, he was still alive.

"Angel Grove Park! You just couldn't resist, could you?" Tommy commented. Billy shrugged.

"Okay. So let's do this." Jason suggested.

"It's Morphin Time!" Tommy cried. As leader of the Zeo Rangers, the team that was supposed to be on active duty, he was technically the leader of their little group. In truth though the command of the Rangers had shifted in the weeks following Minion's defeat with Billy, Jason, Zack, Kimberly, Trini and Tommy sharing the responsibilities as they worked to restore the Earth's protection to normal; despite the effects of the Great Power, Zordon's satellite network was gone, leaving them blind to new enemies entering the solar system.

"Purple Ranger Power!"

"Black Ranger Power!"

"Yellow Ranger Power!"

"Pink Ranger Power!"

"Red Ranger Power!"

"Zeo Ranger I - Pink!"

"Zeo Ranger II - Yellow!"

"Zeo Ranger III - Blue!"

"Zeo Ranger IV - Green!"

"Zeo Ranger V - Red!"

As agreed the Rangers engaged a simulated teleport, landing at opposite ends of the park. As soon as they reached their destination they turned to their opponents and the battle was on. As they crossed the ground, they were already picking their opponents. Tommy and Jason were naturally drawn toward each other, Zeo Power Sword meeting the Red Morphin Ranger's own Power Sword. Red Ranger charged in, with his sword held high, striking the down towards his adversary. Red Zeo spun, twisting his body as he stepped past the other red clad hero's blade and directed his own to make a low slash across the Red Ranger's thigh. Red Ranger managed to hop aside, drawing his Blade Blaster and using the sharpened edge to block the Power Sword before landing a solid kick on the Red Zeo Ranger's chest. The force of the blow knocked Tommy flying backwards, a shocking development since seconds earlier he had been on the attack.

He hit the ground hard, ignoring the pain so he could roll backwards and return to a standing position as quickly as possible. Red Ranger attacked immediately with his two blades. Red Zeo barely managed to draw his Zeo Sword, the Zeo V Power Sword had been sent flying from his grasp.

Inside his helmet Red Ranger smirked. With a silent command he energised his Power Sword and charged his opponent, expecting Red Zeo to duck. Only when the Zeo Ranger had started moving did he energise his second blade, cutting across Red Zeo's chest. He somersaulted backwards and drove the Blade Blaster into the ground, sending a shockwave towards Red Zeo. Tommy dodged, rolled and retrieved the Zeo V Power Sword. The warm up was over and the real competition could begin.

"Nice move, but I can do better!" Tommy grinned. He put the Zeo Sword away and held his Zeo Power Sword ready. Then carved a star-shaped symbol in the air before swinging the blade up to blast the Red Ranger.

Red Ranger struggled back to his feet. "You haven't lost your touch Bro," he commented as the two warriors prepared to fight again.

The others were having mixed results against the others. Rocky was evenly matched with Aisha, Adam was beating Zack, Tanya was having a tough time against Trini, and Kat was losing to Kimberly.

Adam seemed to be gaining more and more momentum against Zack. He had delivered a few good shots with his Zeo Pistol and the Black Ranger seemed to be weakening.

"Cosmic Cannon!" Black Ranger cried when Green Zeo made the mistake of getting too close. Adam's eyes widened, remembering the power of that particular weapon.

"Oh-oh!" Adam said quietly as he saw the end of the cannon light up.

"Fire!" Zack cried.

Just then, they were all interrupted by an announcement over the Simulation Room's speakers.

"Everyone, report to the Power Chamber. This is important!" Zordon said.

"Computer, end the program!" Jason called out. The Park and all their weapons disappeared. Adam was relieved.

They teleported into the command chamber, where Billy, Sam and David joined them. As they all filed in, they stood around the view screen.

"Zordon, what's happening?" Trini asked.

"I am detecting a disturbance in Angel Grove Park," Zordon answered. "Behold the Viewing Screen."

"Ninjas," Zack muttered.

"And they're killing those people," Trini added.

"Ai-yi-yi-yi-yi, Adam's father is there!" Alpha reported.

"Zordon, can we help?" Zack asked. In the past the Rangers had kept out of anything that didn't involve demons or aliens.

"Yes Zack," Zordon answered. "I detect a powerful evil behind this attack. Jason, take your team to Angel Grove Park, Tommy and the others will remain here in case they are needed." Seeing Tommy was about to protest, he added, "until we know who is behind this attack, we must be wary. The Zeo Rangers are still recovering from their ordeal."

"Shall we go?" Trini asked.

"Let's," Zack replied.

"Zordon, we need a mass teleport for all civilians. It's Morphin Time!" Jason called.

"White Ranger Power!"

"Purple Ranger Power!"

"Green Ranger Power!"

"Pink Ranger Power!"

"Blue Ranger Power!"

"Black Ranger Power!"

"Yellow Ranger Power!"

"Red Ranger Power!"

"It's done," Alpha said as the Rangers arrived in the park. "Computers show these ninjas are cyborgs."

"Thanks Alpha, that makes this a lot easier."

The various civilians in the park vanished just as one of the ninjas was about to slay Detective Park.

"Stop right now!" Red Ranger ordered.

"Don't make us do this," Yellow Ranger warned.

"Ha," Shredder snorted. "You will learn a harsh lesson in humility."

"Get them!" Oruku ordered.

Although similar in numbers to the vast armies of Cogs, Tengas and Putties the Rangers had faced in the past; the ninjas were faster and more innovative. The Rangers were unable to land a blow against their opponents. The ninjas however managed to throw the Rangers about.

"Let's show them why they shouldn't mess with the Power Rangers," Red Ranger called.

During their training, the Rangers had been taught multiple techniques for dealing with different types of opponents. While some techniques were shared by their teammates, others were unique.

"Pterodactyl Scream!" Pink Ranger cried.

Her helmet deformed, opening to reveal speakers. Then a screech resembling that of the ancient dinosaur was emitted, creating a wave of sonic energy at a collection of the Shredder's foot soldiers. Exposed to the intense vibrations, the ninjas were incapable of standing upright as their robotic components fell to pieces.

"Ninja Ranger Power!" Yellow Ranger called.

This was a power that the Morphin Rangers shared, the ability to downgrade their armour in return for an increase in movement. Trini's costume changed to a dark yellow ninja costume. An opponent attacked, driving his sword forward and cleaved Yellow Ranger from top to bottom. Yellow Ranger was split in two and her body collapsed into a pile of cloth.

"Looking for me?" Yellow Ranger asked.

The ninja swung around towards the noise as Yellow Ranger stabbed it with her Power Daggers.

"Three down," Zack quipped as his Power Axe cut through a Foot warrior's weapon.

"More to go," Trini finished.

"You will learn a harsh lesson," the metal clad ninja told them.

Both Shredder and Saki performed a complicated series of movements that caused the Rangers to wonder what they were facing.

"Not bad," Zack said. He put as much confidence as he could muster into his voice and added, "But you lack my cool dance moves."

"And the knowledge the Rangers never give up," Blue Ranger added as he drove his Power Staff into one of the ninjas.

"And teamwork," Red Ranger finished as he drove his Power Sword through a ninja's neck.

"Attack!" Saki hissed.

The battlefield was set as ninja avoided the Rangers' attack and landed their own blows. Black Ranger quickly learnt the ninjas were faster than his Hip Hop Kido and Red Ranger found his strength was a drawback when his opponents were faster than him.

"We're outmatched here," White Ranger said as another sword landed on his back.

"Right," Red Ranger agreed. "We need to slow them down. Billy, any ideas?"

"I might have something in my lab," Blue Ranger replied. Placing his hands on his hips, he teleported away in a column of blue.

Seconds later he returned with a strange capsule. As the other Rangers jumped back, he threw it at the ground and watched it explode. Green slime covered the ninjas, jamming their gears and slowing them so the Rangers could attack.

"You will pay for that," Saki warned as he charged at Billy.

Oruku was wearing heavy armour that appeared to be powered by hydraulics. Hidden motors increased the power of his arms and legs. His helmet was designed to withstand most attacks and deliver devastating head butts. In his hand he held a katana that was twice the length of an ordinary blade.

Billy saw Oruku charge and was already moving as the katana connected with his armour. Sparks flew as the uniform's internal mechanisms reduce the sword's impact. Oruku brought his weapon round for a second strike, but this time Blue Ranger moved out of the way.

"Power Lance!"

Splitting the weapon in half the Blue Ranger blocked the next attack, trapping the blade between his two clubs. Aiming for the head, he landed a few shots that caused Oruku to raise his arms in defence. Then when Oruku was distracted he drove the other piece of Power Lance into the ninja's leg.

"I'm not a killer," Blue Ranger said as he stood over the cringing Saki with his Blade Blaster drawn. "Order your ninjas to stand down."

"Mercy is for the weak!" Saki hissed.

Pulling the portion of the Power Lance from his leg and grimacing from the pain, Saki drove the weapon towards the Blue Ranger.

"Hellfire!" Green Ranger yelled. A ball of green fire engulfed the metal clad ninja as Blue Ranger jumped away.

Oruku could feel the temperature rising as the fire covered his armour. Specially designed nozzles fired a retardant gas to protect him from further harm. He looked over to where his master was fighting to see that the Shredder was fairing just as badly.

Whereas Oruku's armour relied on its punching and kicking power for offence, Shredder's suit was covered with spikes and blades strategically placed to allow attacks from any angle. Currently the Shredder was fighting a losing battle against the Red and Yellow Rangers.

"Power Daggers!"

Yellow Ranger charged at the villain, her daggers piercing his armour. Shedder twisted his wrist to enlarge the blades on his gauntlets. The daggers sparked as the spikes knocked them aside.

"My warriors will subdue your friends and then I shall finish you," Shredder announced.

"I don't think so Shred Head," Red Ranger cried as he rammed his shoulder into the villain.

Shredder laughed as Red Ranger found himself caught on one of Shredder's shoulder spikes. Shredder lifted the Ranger away and kicked him to the ground. With a powerful backhand he decked Yellow Ranger and stood victorious over his adversaries.

"I'm going to peel that armour off your dead bodies," Shredder told the Rangers as he drew his own sword and moved in on Jason.

"Power Whip!" Purple Ranger called. "One, two, three, four, five."

Using the experience she had gained in the use of the whip, Aisha moved with the speed of the Hawk and the venom of the Spider. After striking one ninja with her weapon she used the handle to bludgeon a third. A fourth warrior charged her from the offside, but Aisha was quick and after converting her weapon into a straight handled crop-styled whip, she slapped the poor warrior along the side of the face.

The third attacker was moving again, but Purple Ranger already had the solution in hand. Drawing her Blade Blaster she fired a single shot and watched as the cyborg fell.

"Nice," Black Ranger commented as he hacked at another ninja.

Staying in a fixed spot Zack was using the Power Axe to frustrate his attackers until they all charged together. Under his helmet Zack smiled as he leapt into the air and watched them collide.

"Cosmic Cannon!"

The slime Billy had provided meant the ninjas were too slow as Zack fired a single blast and reduced them to slag.

"Power Bow!" Pink Ranger called.

During her time as a Dino Ranger, Kimberly had relied on her bow only to fire arrows. Now with the power of Ninja and Thunder she knew how to use the weapon to its full potential. Every part was deadly, from the drawstring to the individual arrows.

Landing in the center of a group of robots she used the bow as a club before changing direction so that the string could slice a lone ninja in half. Summoning her arrows she used them like daggers and then jumped away and fired her remaining shots from a safe distance. Lowering the weapon to chest level she pointed at a regrouping group of ninjas and watched as they were fried by the energised arrow.

"Hey David, don't take too long," she called.

The White Ranger nodded as his energy arrows blasted another ninja. Continuing to attack, he soon levelled his selection of robots. When he was done, he joined Pink, Purple and Black Rangers ready to finish the task.

"There are still too many of them," Pink Ranger pointed out.

"Power Axe!" Black Ranger called.

"Power Bow!" Pink Ranger cried as she slotted her weapon into the same position used when forming the Power Blaster.

"Power Crossbow!" they yelled together. "Fire!"

Pink and black fire smashed into the surviving robots, leaving only the human ninjas to run away.

"Give it up Red Ranger," Shredder said as he approached the fallen warrior.

"Never!" Red Ranger replied. "Power Sword!"

The Power Sword sliced through Shredder's own weapon as Jason went on the attack. As he reached Shredder a second time, he used the hilt to throw the villain off balance.

"Power Daggers!" Yellow Ranger called again.

As Shredder turned, the Yellow Ranger was already upon him. The Power Daggers pierced his shoulder plates.

Shredder fell back and looked for the first time since attacking to see the condition of his forces. Oruku was injured but at least fighting back, some of his ninjas were regrouping to try again, but the majority had been downed. As he fell back, Shredder was already thinking about what to do.

Shredder knew that none of the Rangers were true ninjas even if they had the fighting skills. He also knew that a ninja needed more than physical skills to survive. There were mental strategies he could se to gain an advantage if he could find the opportunity.

"You Rangers are nothing," he said to the Red Ranger. "I will beat you just as Minion destroyed the Zeo Rangers."

Between his first tenure as Red Ranger and his return to claim the Gold Zeo power Jason had learnt how to gain more control over his temper. He was not as hot headed as he had once been, but it was still a potential weakness Shredder wanted to use. The mention of the Zeo Rangers had had its desired effect as Jason's control snapped and he charged towards the villain.

Shredder waited until the Red Ranger was level with his right foot before he sidestepped the teenager and used his momentum to throw the boy to the ground. He picked up the Power Sword and pointed its sharp point at Jason's throat.

"Rangers!" he called. "Surrender or I shall destroy your leader."

"If he dies so does your comrade," Green Ranger said coldly.

"I will live his loss," Shredder answered as he dragged Jason upright and held the Power Sword against his throat. "Will you?"

Reluctantly the Rangers relinquished their weapons and Green Ranger allowed Oruku to escape.

"Very good," Shredder said as he pulled a dead porcupine from a compartment in his armour. "Now Red Ranger you will have the honour of being the first to try my Mutagen." Shredder hit the Red Ranger with the porcupine and then pulled another tube from his belt. He twisted the lid on the canister and moved Jason into a kneeling position.

Jason closed his eyes and considered his next move. He was pinned down and his friends could not move. Unless one of his teammates could sneak behind Shredder, he was lost. His eyes snapped open as he heard Shredder groan and felt the Power Sword move away from his throat.

As the other Rangers looked on Shredder cried out in pain and released Red Ranger. Behind him something moved.

"Who are you?" Shredder demanded as he turned to face his new attacker. He staggered as a punch caught him in the gut. "You will pay for that!" Shredder shouted angrily only to find himself on the receiving end of a further assault. The Zeo Rangers had joined the battle, using the teleportation system to confuse the villain.

As Shredder charged the newcomers, his spikes at their maximum length, Red Zeo stepped forward to meet the challenge. The Red Ranger, fuelled by anger that the villain had dared to harm his friend, easily caught Shredder's fist. As the momentum carried the villain forward, the Red Zeo Ranger increased his pressured and crushed the villain's hand.

Then Green Zeo took over, fuelled by the need to avenge his father. Drawing back his fist, he poured the power of his fragment of the Zeo Crystal into his fist as he punched the villain with a powerful uppercut. He leapt into the air and delivered a drop kick to the top of the Shredder's head.

There was a loud smash as the Shredder collapsed on top of his canister and was covered with the Mutagen. The chemicals burnt their way through the armour and carried the porcupine's DNA into the villain's body. Shredder screamed as his body started to grow larger. Armour and flesh merged as he continued to mutate into a human/ porcupine crossbreed. Muscles and bones enlarged until Shredder was towering over the Rangers and their new ally.

"Leave this to us," Jason told the Zeo Rangers.

"We need Ninja Zord power, now!" the Rangers called.

"Ninja MegaFalconzord!" Red Ranger called.

"Ninja Battlezord!" Green Ranger called.

The Crane started to fold to form the head while at the same time the Frog transformed to become the legs and the Bear converted to become the Ninja MegaFalconzord's upper body. The already modified Ape and Wolf joined onto the Bear to form the arms as the Crane linked on to become the head. Then the whole upper body joined onto the Frog as the Falcon Zord linked onto the back. Hands formed over the Ape and Wolf's heads.

The Panther Zord transformed to stand upright on its hind legs. The head rotated downwards to become the chest and the front paws became the arms. The Hawk Zord's wings and head folded into the body as the Hawk Zord joined onto the shoulders of the Panther to become the head of the Ninja Battlezord. The Panther's tail converted into a Power Sword as Purple and Green Rangers slid into the cockpit ready for action.

As the Zords battled with the villain, the Zeo Rangers were busy finishing off the Cyber Ninjas.

"We need to finish this," Red Ranger said as the Ninja MegaFalconzord tossed Shredder to the ground where the Ninja Battlezord savaged him with a barrage of vicious punches.

"Battle Strike!" Green and Purple Ranger called.

The Battlezord sliced through the Shredder's armour with its sword; the Ninja MegaFalconzord connected with its own finisher.

Shredder shrugged off the combined attacks and launched his own offence. The spikes launched from his armour, striking the Zords.

"We need more power," Green Ranger noted.

"Right," Blue Ranger agreed. "And I know just where to get it."

"Billy, this is risky," Yellow Ranger warned.

"We don't have a choice," Red Ranger answered. "Ninja Zords, power down!"

The Ninja MegaFalconzord and Ninja Battlezord disassembled and returned to their hiding places as the Rangers summoned some new power.

"Shogun Megazord!"

The Shogun Zords lined up as the Rangers teleported into their cockpits. There were now five Shogun Zords and unlike some of the other combinations they were capable of joining into a single Megazord.

"Put them together!" Red Ranger called.

The Zords charged forward. The Pink and Purple Shogun Zords formed the lower legs, the Black and Yellow Shogun Zords formed the upper legs and lower torso, and the Green Shogun Zord transformed into half the upper body. The White Shogun Zord transformed into the other half of the upper body and the head. Finally the Red and Blue Shogun Zords took their place as the arms, the Red Zord acting as the upper arm and the Blue Zord creating the forearms and hands.

"Shogun Megazord Sabre, power up!"

The fire sword ignited in the Zord's hands. The Megazord moved its arm to the high right position and then swung it down and to the left, slicing through the Shredder. The last of the Mutagen evaporated as the sword finished its journey and Shredder exploded.

"It's over," Red Ranger said as the Zord stood victorious. "Let's go home."

"Welcome back Rangers, I am afraid that the news of your recent difficulties has caused other villains, some of whom are Earth based to try to fill the void left by Minion," Zordon explained before the teens could ask. "I am afraid that those ninjas you faced today are but a small portion of what is to come."

"We must be ready," Billy said.

"We will be," Tommy assured him, gesturing to the Zeo Rangers. "We'll be here as long as we're needed Zordon. We cannot leave Earth defenceless."

"Thank you, Tommy," Zordon answered. "I am aware that some of you feel the need to take time away from your duties. As soon as Alpha and I find a way to satisfy those wishes, we will do so."

"Thank you," Kat said. It was all that was needed to sum up the feelings of the Zeo Rangers.

" I suggest you all get some rest," Zordon said. "I will call you if you are needed."

"Hey, I seem to remember a challenge we made," Rocky said.

"Yeah, the challenge where we were about to kick your butts," Zack answered.

The two teams exchanged looks, then glanced at Zordon who nodded, before teleporting back to the simulation.

"Quickly Alpha," Zordon ordered.

"I know Zordon, set up the failsafe," Alpha said.

"I was about to say, turn on the cameras in the Simulator. I want to see this battle."

It was eight versus six, Ranger versus Ranger. Neither team were willing to break down and all were good friends. Zordon had no doubts that this contest would only have positive effects as the two teams competed for bragging rights. And then when the time came, he pitied whatever villains got in the way of his Power Rangers.

Oruku waited until the coast was clear before approaching his master's battered remains. The robotic suit was damaged, but there was a chance that the creature inside had survived. His search eventually left him to the mangled chest panel that served as the Shredder's cockpit. He opened it up and bowed reverently.

"I am glad to see that you are unharmed, Master Shredder."

Deep Space

They sensed the Shredder's death or at least the sudden drop in his power levels. The robotic-bodied warlord was not easy to defeat and they were willing to bet that he survived. Even so, his sudden burst of activity made them consider Earth as a target once more. It was a short time later that their ship turned toward the small planet and under the leadership of their new master, a warrior who called himself Lothor, they set course for Earth.

**End**

Disclaimer: I do not own the Power Rangers, they belong to their respective copyright owners and are used here without permission. No money is being made from this fic.

**Hell's Angels**

They rode along together, brothers on the Highway to Hell. The six members of the biker clan known as the Dreadnoks were looking for trouble. State Troopers did not dare to approach them out of fear. Local police officers turned a blind eye to their activities, knowing it was not a good idea to mess with the bikers. And, worse still the Dreadnoks knew they instilled fear in the police and enjoyed it.

Leading the way as always was Buzzsaw. Despite the tied back blond hair, sunglasses and ripped shirt he would not have appeared threatening. Except that is, for the chainsaw he had mounted on the front of his bike and scar on the left side of his face. Buzzsaw was a former university graduate who had discovered it was more profitable to rip off convenience stores than it was to do an honest day's work.

Behind him were Ripper and Torch. Ripper had black hair slicked back and shaven on each side, creating a Mohawk look. He had a short black beard with moustache, red sunglasses and an earring in his left ear. On the back of his bike was his favourite toy, a version of the cutting tool used by fire fighters to free trapped motorists. Strapped to his back was his usual weapon, a modified M-16 machine gun with bayonet attachment. The blade could cut through most materials, even the toughest of metals.

Torch had long brown hair, covered at the top by a bandanna. He wore a black jacket and blue jeans with black boots. On his back was a canister of petroleum and a flamethrower. Torch was more experienced than either Buzzsaw or Ripper, but was too stupid to take charge.

Next on a motorized tricycle came Thrasher. Thrasher considered himself to be a genius and worthy of the position as leader of the Dreadnoks. He was a typical example of a spoilt brat who decided to get back at his rich parents. He wore metal shoulder pads and chest protection complemented by the small revolver he kept in plain sight on his chest. As the youngest Dreadnok, he had yet to be taken seriously by any of his riding companions or their esteemed leader, Zartan.

Monkey Wrench was not far behind, annoyed that Thrasher seemed to enjoy blocking his way. The grenades he had strung carelessly over his red sleeveless jacket gave the impression of a fearless fighter. In truth he was a coward, happy to sit back and cheat rather than face an opponent. His brown hair and beard covered his face, his eyes hidden behind his silver sunglasses.

Finally came Road Pig, the most unpopular of the Dreadnoks. There was a joke in the bikers' community that Road Pig was so ugly his mother had been forced to tie pork chops around his neck to convince dogs to play with him. In truth the dogs just weren't that hungry. He had white hair tied around the top. He wore black biker trousers with large metal plated boots. On his right arm he had a barbed wire tattoo around his twenty four-inch biceps. He may not have been pretty, but Road Pig was built for power. On his back he carried a large sledgehammer.

"Pull over to the side of the road and stand beside your vehicles."

Buzzsaw could not help smiling. It had been a long time since they had been pulled over, especially by a lone police officer. This was going to be fun. Buzzsaw complied with the officer's instructions and waited for the policeman to step out of the car.

"Keep you hands where I can see them," the officer said. He had already drawn his own gun and was covering all six suspects.

"Plan F," Buzzsaw whispered to Ripper.

Overhearing what his leader said Thrasher played his part, pretending to keel over allowing Torch and Monkey Wrench to fake concern and kneel down to check on him. Realizing he needed assistance the officer tried to reach into his car to radio for help.

It was his first mistake. For a moment he took his eyes off the Dreadnoks and that was all the time Monkey Wrench needed to roll a grenade under the car. The officer ran for cover, dropping his gun as he dove to avoid a blast that never came. The grenade still had the pin inserted.

"Well Officer Magister," Buzzsaw said looking at the officer's name tag. "Looks like we gets ourselves some fun."

As he spoke Ripper and Road Pig were already laying into the car. Road Pig drove his hammer into the bonnet repeatedly, destroying the engine as he did so. Ripper was more concerned with slicing the bodywork. Both Dreadnoks moved aside as Torch used his flamethrower to set the car alight.

"Very good Gentlemen," Officer Magister said, showing no sign of fear. "I couldn't have hoped to find better candidates."

Very quickly Magister disarmed the Dreadnoks with his fighting skills. He knocked Ripper, Thrasher and Monkey Wrench out with a single kick. A punch and elbow took care of Torch and a back breaker finished off Buzzsaw. Now it was the massive bulk of Road Pig versus the unimpressive form of Magister.

Magister slammed the palm of his hand into Road Pig's chest. He aimed a kick at the Dreadnok's knee, forcing his legs from under him. A few more blows and Road Pig was angry enough to use his hammer. Magister ducked the first strike, caught the second blow and then after wrenching the weapon away struck its owner across the head.

Evil laughter emerged from Magister's lips as he looked at his six victims. Moving over to the patrol car Oruku Saki removed his mask and stripped away the fake uniform.

Later

Oruku Saki looked at his work and prepared for the final sequence. He had taken the Dreadnoks, some of the lowest humans on the planet, combined their abilities and physical forms and combined them with a chemical created by the Foot Clan's most advanced scientists. Known as Mutagen, the process of bonding the humans together was relatively straightforward.

The body features were Road Pig's. The muscles, strength and invulnerability were forged from his body. Unfortunately, Oruku Saki had been unable to do anything about the face. Thrasher and Buzzsaw's knowledge had been crammed into Road Pig's empty mind, making him the most intelligent Dreadnok ever. Not that that was a major accomplishment when considering how stupid the Dreadnoks were in general. Monkey Wrench, Ripper and Torch provided the weaponry and bike skills Oruku Saki needed. In addition Monkey Wrench's love of destruction and violence gave Oruku Saki's work of art a wonderful sadistic quality Oruku Saki had been unable to resist.

The result was a large, powerful, almost intelligent creature with the sense of mayhem, death and violence only a human could create. A little over six feet tall with white hair and a body that would make most body builders look feeble Oruku Saki's creation stood up and awaited Oruku Saki's command. Obedience had been one of the factors Oruku Saki had ensured he had implanted in his creation's mind.

"Your names mean nothing anymore, I name you Dreadnok," Oruku Saki said.

Dreadnok did not speak; he was not designed to do so. Instead the head simply nodded to acknowledge his master's wishes. Oruku Saki had taken the opportunity to clothe Dreadnok using the bikers' original clothing. The result was that he wore a pair of black biker trousers with a heavy belt. On the buckle of the belt were a set of studs, arranged with one in the center and six more, forming a hexagon around the outside. Oruku Saki had equipped the buckle with surprises for anyone stupid enough to get close. On his feet was a pair of heavy boots. Brown leather was surrounded by heavy metal plating covering the legs up to the knee.

A red and black leather jacket covered Dreadnok's upper body. Sets of three spikes were mounted on each shoulder pad. On his left hand he wore a heavy-duty black leather glove covered with studs. On the end of each finger of the glove was a sharp knife blade.

Oruku Saki had taken the trike and upgraded it to become faster and almost indestructible. The frame had been forged using a special formula Oruku Saki had stolen to create a Molecular Bonded Shell. Oruku Saki had been determined not to allow the Rangers to defeat his monster by destroying the bike. Various weapons had been attached for use against Rangers and Zords, along with some weapons for Dreadnok's personal use.

Having reviewed the tapes of his master's failed assault on Angel Grove, Oruku had determined the Rangers were nowhere near as capable of fighting humans as they were space aliens.

Dreadnok appeared outside the Angel Grove Youth Center. He aimed his bike towards the doors and revved the engine. Releasing the clutch he propelled the vehicle into the Youth Center, scattering the teens that frequented the establishment. Ernie and his assistant Richie barely managed to scramble out from behind the counter as Dreadnok smashed through.

Dreadnok jumped off his bike, pulling his chainsaw from the bike. He aimed at the nearest object and sliced the table in half. Then he went after Ernie, attempting to cleave the ex-marine in half.

For such a large man Ernie managed to move faster than anyone would think possible. He backed away from the saw and made his way over to Richie, signalling everybody to get out of the building.

Dreadnok was not done. Even as the last human cleared the Juice Bar Dreadnok used his flamethrower to burn the building to the ground. As his business burnt to the ground Ernie was thankful that everybody had managed to escape with his or her lives. He also hoped that whatever that thing had been, it was now a smoking pile of bones in the rubble.

With a roar the monster burst from the wrecked Juice Bar and headed away towards Angel Grove High School. Anybody unfortunate enough to get in Dreadnok's way was forced to dive for cover as the monster continued his path of destruction delighting in the wrecked cars and property marking a trial behind him.

"Alpha, summon the Rangers," Zordon commanded.

"Which team, Zordon?" Alpha asked.

Zordon considered his options carefully. There was something about the monster that made him suspicious. He detected the faint imprint of a spell preventing morphing. If that was true then the Zeo Rangers were best suited because of the non-magical nature of their powers. But, Zordon also knew the Zeo Rangers were occupied.

"Summon all the Morphin Rangers."

"Signal sent Zordon," Alpha reported.

Zordon waited until the last Ranger had reported in; surprisingly Dex had accompanied Zack to the Power Chamber and was ready to help. Zordon was happy to see his old friend's grandson had recovered and from looking at the way Alpha fussed over the young prince, he knew the little android felt the same.

"Rangers, it appears we have a new enemy," Zordon said.

On the Viewing Screen the Rangers could see Dreadnok burning a path of destruction through Angel Grove. Despite the appearance David could sense something vaguely human about the monster. Somehow he could see the monster as a type of vampire, a human possessed by a demon.

"Any idea who is responsible for this?" Sam asked.

The other Rangers looked at Zordon expectantly, knowing that their most recent encounter with the Shredder had revealed that there were Earth-based villains willing to challenge the Earth's heroes. They also knew that with Minion gone any of their former enemies could return.

"I am not sure who is behind this attack," Zordon told them. "I am certain that neither Zedd and Rita nor King Mondo are responsible."

"Whoa, we have to stop that thing quickly," Zack said as he watched Dreadnok cause even more damage to Angel Grove.

"It's Morphin Time!"

"White Ranger Power!"

"Black Ranger Power!"

"Pink Ranger Power!"

"Blue Ranger Power!"

"Yellow Ranger Power!"

"Red Ranger Power!"

"Purple Ranger Power!"

"Green Ranger Power!"

"Ecto-phase Activate!" Dex called.

After they were all morphed the Rangers and Masked Rider prepared to teleport into battle. Before doing so Dex took the time to study Dreadnok and his bike.

"Rangers, if you can move into position here," he pointed at the map, "I'll ensure he can't ride away."

With that said the nine heroes teleported away in nine columns of light. Zordon watched as his Ranger left to save their world once again.

"Chopper, rev up!" Masked Rider ordered as he stood in Dreadnok's path.

Inside a cave just outside of Leewood two energy like bugs appeared. Once transformed to become the advanced battle car known as Magno. The other transformed into the motorcycle known as Combat Chopper.

"Oh my way Boss," Chopper said as he raced towards Dex.

"I'm here too Dex," Magno reminded him as she followed Chopper.

"Thanks," Masked Rider said as he jumped onto Combat Chopper. "I'm going to need all the help I can get."

With that said the Masked Rider streaked towards Dreadnok at high speed. Meanwhile Magno moved in from the side, catching him by surprise. Sparks flew as Magno collided with the Molecular Bonded Shell and lost. The red car was thrown aside, her damaged front axle preventing further attempts. She had succeeded in distracting Dreadnok, an advantage Masked Rider was quick to use.

"Masked Rider Super Gold!"

The tapped morphing energy was redirect into a second system. The power was siphoned into a golden crystal before being multiplied and released to complete the transformation into Super Gold.

Holding his right hand close to his upper leg Dex summoned his blaster. Aiming at Dreadnok's head he fired a continuous burst of energy into the monster's skull. Dreadnok was thrown off his vehicle leaving it to speed off on its own.

Now the Masked Rider faced off against Dreadnok. As Dex suspected, his opponent relied on brutal force allowing Masked Rider to use his speed to out manoeuvre him. But although Masked Rider inflicted more punishment, Dreadnok seemed totally unaffected by any of Dex's powers.

Dreadnok raised his hands over his head, exposing his belt buckle. A quick mental command activated the studs embedded in the buckle. Seven thin cables launched and secured themselves to Dreadnok's body. Slowly the bonds started transferring the Masked Rider powers from Dex into the demon.

From his position high above Angel Grove, Oruku Saki watched his creation in action. His master had been so certain of victory he had overlooked the Rangers' determination and their ability to learn. As a result Oruku found himself double-checking every decision he made in case he made an error.

Now, Dreadnok was starting to show signs on independent thought. Oruku Saki had ordered Dreadnok to destroy the Masked Rider, not drain his power. Any extra power would reduce Dreadnok's reliance on Oruku Saki. Luckily Oruku Saki had made arrangements in case Dreadnok tried to break free. Moving to a small control board he adjusted the chemical levels in the Mutagen device that he had fitted to Dreadnok's hip. The sudden change triggered the pain receptors in Dreadnok's body and caused him to scream in agony.

"Dreadnok, your loyalty is to Oruku Saki. Betray me and you will suffer until you beg for death."

"Y-yes," he heard Dreadnok reply. The voice was filled with pain and panic, even more surprising since Dreadnok was not supposed to be able to speak.

"Yes what?" Oruku Saki demanded.

He watched as Red Ranger severed the connection through which Dreadnok was draining the Edonite. Yellow and Pink Ranger were moving in and it would not belong before the other Rangers attacked. He turned the pain control up further, increasing the pain until he heard the reply he wanted.

"Yes master," Dreadnok said.

"Good," Oruku Saki replied. He turned the pain control to near maximum and watched as Dreadnok screamed. "Remember what you felt Dreadnok. Suffering a thousand times greater awaits you should you betray me again. Now, destroy the Rangers!"

Oruku Saki turned the pain control back to zero and watched as Dreadnok's pain was transformed into pure rage. He knocked the Red Rangers aside and once again directed his assault at the Masked Rider.

The bonds tightened around Dex's limbs as his precious powers were drained away. The events took place so quickly he found he barely had the ability to think. His body continued to glow green, blue and gold as Dreadnok fed on his link to the Morphin Grid.

Suddenly the drain stopped. Dreadnok fell to the ground, his hands on the sides of his head. A loud groan emerged from his throat as he struggled against the pain Oruku Saki inflicted on him.

"Dreadnok, your loyalty is to Oruku Saki. Betray me and you will suffer until you beg for death."

"Y-yes," Dreadnok managed. He knew when he was defeated. If he could drain the Rangers' powers he would be free of Oruku Saki. But there was no way he could take that much pain.

"Yes what?" Oruku Saki's voice boomed.

For the Power Rangers the distraction Oruku Saki had created was too good to miss. They knew they would have few chances to gain an advantage against the monster and decided to rescue their friend.

"Power Sword!" Red Ranger called.

Even as the Red Ranger landed between the Masked Rider and Dreadnok the other Rangers were standing by ready to attack. A single blow form the Power Sword severed the seven cables connecting Dreadnok to Masked Rider. Dreadnok screamed in agony although Jason was not sure if that was due to link being broken so suddenly or some outside influence he could not see.

"Yes master!" Dreadnok screamed, answering Jason's question for him. Then the monster went silent.

Red Ranger stepped forward to try to move Dex away. The Masked Rider had already recovered, but Jason wanted the Edonite out of the way when the battle started again. Red Ranger braced himself but it was too late. Dreadnok drove his shoulder spikes into Red Ranger, throwing him aside before returning to finish the Masked Rider.

Dex was already moving. While Dreadnok concentrated on the Red Ranger, Masked Rider got back to his feet and kicked Dreadnok in the back of the shin.

"Rider Kick!"

"Electro Saber activate!"

The two move combination caused Dreadnok to howl. The flames surrounding his skull-like face grew bigger as he summoned his flamethrower and fired. Masked Rider had already moved aside, determined not to become a fried bug.

"Dex, keep him busy while we form the Power Blaster," Red Ranger called.

With Dex encouraging the monster to chase him the Rangers summoned their weapons and prepared to form their Power Blaster.

"Power Axe!" Black Ranger called. Using his hop scotch teleport, he appeared next to Dreadnok and swiped at him with his axe in single-handed mode. "Cosmic Cannon!" he added converting his weapon and throwing it into the air.

"Power Bow!" Pink Ranger shouted. She fired two arrows and then struck Dreadnok with her bow across his throat, before throwing it into the air to join the Power Axe.

"Power Lance!" Blue Ranger said as he struck Dreadnok in the chest. He used two more blows and then split the lance in half, jabbed the monster with both parts, before throwing it into the air to join the Power Axe and Power Bow.

"Power Daggers!" Yellow Ranger said. Leaping inside Dreadnok's range she stabbed him, setting up a target for her next attack. Jumping to a safe distance, she threw both daggers at the same time. The daggers honed in on the spot where she had struck the monster originally and pierced his skin.

Thick black blood seeped onto the ground beneath him. As she threw her daggers a second time, Purple Ranger appeared behind him with her weapon.

"Power Whip!"

"Saba!", "Power Sword!", "Dragon Blade!", the White, Red and Green Rangers called.

Green Ranger stuck his sword onto the base of the Power Blaster's barrel. Purple Ranger draped the chain of her Nunchuks over the barrel. The two ends joined together underneath to provide an addition handle. As Saba sank into the ground his mouth opened wide and then closed around the handle of the Nunchuks.

"Fire!" all eight Rangers called.

Eight beams of coloured light burst from the Power Blaster, ripping through Dreadnok. His body glowed eight different colours as his skin boiled.

"It didn't work!" Green Ranger complained.

"No duh, Sherlock," Pink Ranger said sarcastically.

"Maybe the Power Cannon will provide the desired outcome," Blue Ranger suggested.

"Right," Red Ranger agreed.

"Power Cannon!"

Since there were now eight members of the team, Alpha had taken the time to redesign the Power Cannon. As the basic cannon hovered in the air, a smaller cannon appeared in each Ranger's hand. The Rangers removed their Power Disks and inserted them into their own cannons before fitting the separate cannons onto the main weapon.

The Ranger lined up in two rows of four. Red and White Ranger stood at the front with Yellow and Pink Ranger standing behind. Then came Blue and Black Ranger with Green and Purple Ranger standing at the back.

"Lock and load!" White Ranger called.

The basic cannon had been modified so the barrel could rotate. As it started to spin along with the other barrels they began to glow, each in the colour of a different Ranger. Eight separate beams of power joined in a point and continued to build in power.

"Fire!" the Rangers called together.

At their command the barrel stopped spinning and fired. A burst of orange energy erupted, combining with the other eight beams, forming a single blast, which destroyed Dreadnok. The Rangers' Power Disks returned to their owners as the Power Cannon was returned to subspace.

"It's not that easy," Oruku Saki said.

He pressed the largest button on his control board and dumped the remainder of the Mutagen into Dreadnok's blood.

Angel Grove,

"Oh man," Zack said as he saw Dreadnok resurrected and grown to a monstrous size combine with his bike. "Jase, we need the Zords."

"Ninja MegaFalconzord, now!"

"Ninja Battlezord, now!"

The Crane started to fold to form the head while at the same time the Frog transformed to become the legs and the Bear converted to become the Ninja MegaFalconzord's upper body. The already modified Ape and Wolf joined onto the Bear to form the arms as the Crane linked on to become the head. Then the whole upper body joined onto the Frog as the Falcon Zord linked onto the back. Hands formed over the Ape and Wolf's heads.

Dreadnok watched the Megazords forming. In his mind Oruku Saki was telling him to remain still and not act. He had no idea what Oruku Saki had in mind, only that he had been sent a grenade to throw.

The Panther Zord transformed to stand upright on its hind legs. The head rotated downwards to become the chest and the front paws became the arms. The Hawk Zord's wings and head folded into the body as the Hawk Zord joined onto the shoulders of the Panther to become the head of the Ninja Battlezord. The Panther's tail converted into a Power Sword as Purple and Green Rangers slid into the cockpit ready for action.

"Now!" he heard Oruku Saki shout.

Pulling the pin on his grenade he tossed it at the Zords and waited. The grenade did not explode. Instead as it hit the grounds a thick grey smoke poured from the pinhole. It took Blue Ranger a bit too long to understand what was happening as first Dreadnok and then the Zords started to shut down.

"Jason, send the Zords back!" Blue Ranger called. "Everybody else, power down!"

It was already too late. Without their commands the Ranger uniforms vanished along with the shielding and magical weapons of their Zords. Dreadnok was also affected. The magical powers the Wraith had given him disappeared leaving a giant human standing on a large trike.

"What happened?" Aisha asked. Her Green teammate was currently demorphed and unconscious. His face had turned a deadly shade of white.

"Somebody used a ferrous-based gas cloud to neutralize the magical properties of our Zords and powers," Blue Ranger explained. "We won't be able to morph while the gas is still present."

"Ferrous, you mean Iron?" Trini asked, grasping what her friend was getting at. "Can we still fight?"

"Affirmative," Billy said. "But all we have is the Zord. We cannot use any weapons and we cannot call for new Zords."

Zack had been watching Dreadnok during Billy and Trini's conversation. "Looks like he got gassed as well."

"It's just shock," Billy told him. "He'll recover before we do."

The two Zords piloted by the powered down Rangers faced off against the recovering Dreadnok. Fortunately the Ranger's link to the Morphin Grid existed enough that they still had the knowledge to pilot their Zords. Without magic flowing into the Zords they were slower and easily damaged. Despite the Mutagen to enhance his body Dreadnok was slower and reliant solely on his weapons.

However, as the Mutagen continued to burn into his mind he lost his ability to use weapons. With Oruku's prodding he managed to start his chainsaw. The weapon clashed with the Zords and although the Zord sparked as the blade made contact the stronger Zord metal managed to withstand the assault.

Power Chamber

Dex had teleported back to the Power Chamber when it became obvious he could not help in a Zord battle. Along with Alpha he had been monitoring the fight until the screen went blank.

"Alpha, search for the Rangers," Zordon ordered. "I cannot feel them in the Morphin Grid."

As the android scanned it became obvious part of Angel Grove was no longer receptive to magic. As Alpha ran a more detailed scan, it became obvious why.

"Ai-yi-yi-yi-yi, the Rangers are helpless!"

"Alpha, explain," Zordon ordered.

"There is an anti magic gas in that area of Angel Grove," Alpha replied. "We can't teleport or talk with the Rangers in that area and they can't morph."

"Is there any way to disperse the gas?" Dex asked.

"Gas is already fading, but the Rangers are vulnerable to this monster," Alpha replied.

"Alpha, summon the Zeo Rangers. They will be immune to the effects of the anti magic bomb."

In six flashes of light the former Zeo Rangers appeared.

Angel Grove

Dreadnok was on the attack again. With a roar he lunged at the Zords. The MegaFalconzord was launched into the air, throwing the still demorphed Rangers around the cockpit. Transferring the power away from the shields, Billy was able to place a protective bubble around the Rangers to prevent further injury.

The Ninja Battlezord had managed to stay in one place, but to do so had drained all its power. Now useless the Zord collapsed to the ground just as Sam started to recover.

"Is everybody okay?" Jason asked.

"We're okay," Aisha replied. "But the Battlezord is helpless."

"So is the MegaFalconzord," Billy added. "We have almost full power but zero mobility. Falcon Zord is operating fine, so we could separate."

"What about our powers and Zordon?" Kimberly asked.

"The effects of the anti magic grenade are fading," Billy replied. "We should be able to morph again. But communications and teleportation are still out."

As he spoke the Rangers' uniforms reappeared as their powers returned once more. Looking across at Dreadnok the Rangers could see he was back to normal and showed no sign of damage.

"I think we need help," Black Ranger commented as Dreadnok closed in for the kill.

Oruku Saki watched as his creation prepared to finish the Rangers once and for all. The ancient legends about magic and Iron were true. His anti magic gas had worked perfectly, albeit accidentally. He had no knowledge of the magical arts other than his limited Ninja Magic. The idea had originally been to use a grenade filled with iron filings to jam the Zords' servo units. However, the results had been better than hoped for, so he had no real concerns about his plans going awry.

"Dreadnok, finish them!"

He watched in satisfaction as Dreadnok moved in for the kill. He remembered how the villain Minion, a creature of magic, had had six Rangers at his mercy. Oruku Saki on the other hand was a mere human and was about to kill eight Rangers.

"My master will reward my success," Oruku Saki mused as he watched the slaughter unfold.

Dreadnok brought his chainsaw down across the fallen MegaFalconzord's leg ending any chance they had of getting mobile again. With a quick switch he produced a flame-thrower and a chain. After securing the chain around the Zord's body he started to swing, at the same time scorching the damaged Zord's metal skin.

"David, you'd better detach while you still can," Blue Ranger said.

The door at the back of the MegaFalconzord's cockpit opened as White Rangers chair was pulled backwards into the Falcon Zord. With a loud screech the Falcon detached and headed for the sky.

"Aisha, I'm sending you details of a new formation. Just let them upload," Blue Ranger said. To himself he added: "I just hope Alpha made the adjustments to the Falcon."

Further communication was cut short as Dreadnok jerked the chain taunt causing the Ninja Megazord to crash to the ground. Preparing a final shot with its flamethrower Dreadnok hoped to finish the battle quickly.

A red object streaked past the fallen Ninja Battlezord, striking Dreadnok in the stomach and driving him away from his bike. Rapid punches followed, culminating in a barrage of fire from the Red Battlezord's Gattling Cannons.

"Jason, you okay Bro?" Red Zeo asked as he continued to pummel the monster.

"Tommy?"

"In the flesh," Red Zeo grinned under his helmet.

As Dreadnok tried to stand up a second object slammed into his side. Jason recognised the Zord as the Warrior Wheel, a powerful if small Zord. For the Masked Rider it was his first time behind the controls of a Zord during combat. He had wanted to help earlier, but Zordon had insisted he wait.

"Red Battlezord return!" Red Zeo ordered. He teleported away from the Zord and joined the other Zeo Rangers who were waiting on the ground below.

"We need Super Zeo Zord power, Now!"

From the rebuilt Zeo Launcher in Power Mountain came the Super Zeo Zords, the first time they had all been together in action since being rebuilt. After teleporting to the Zords the Rangers brought them together to form the Super Zeo Megazord.

"Take your positions, everybody!" Red Zeo ordered.

Super Zeo Zords I, II, III, IV and V lined up, ready for the next instruction. Together they launched into the air.

"Initiating Super Zeo Megazord sequence!" Red Zeo called when they were all in the air.

The five Zords started to transform in midair before land in Megazord form. First Super Zeo Zord I, then IV, III, V and finally II. The crown piece on the Megazord's head slid upwards, revealing the visor through which the Rangers could see. As the Rangers gathered in the cockpit, the Super Zeo Megazord was online.

Oruku Saki cursed when he saw the Zeo Rangers arrive. Reinforcements had not been something he wanted to see. Instead of panicking, he turned the control to maximum and watched as the tank of Mutagen he had installed in Dreadnok's bike exploded.

"Arise Zod, Lord of the Roads!"

Flesh and metal combined to form a cybernetic dragon on wheels. The dragon had two heads capable of breathing fire and a chainsaw mounted on its left arm. Its tail was a long steel chain with a spiked ball on the end. In its right hand was a single silver blade. Any intelligence was gone as the angry demon took over and Zod attacked.

Zod started by shooting flames at the Super Zeo Megazord. The large Zord lifted off the ground, separating into its components part to avoid the flames before reforming. Super Zeo Zord swung its sword in a wide arc to knock Zod on the side of the face. As Zod rebounded Warrior Wheel delivered some fist shots of its own.

Spinning around Zod managed to catch Warrior Wheel with its chain. Flames shot from its mouth keeping the other two Zords from helping.

"Split; grab a head!" Red Zeo shouted.

The Super Zeo Megazord divided into individual Zords. Super Zeo Zord I caught the left head and Super Zeo Zord II grabbed the other. Super Zeo Zords III and IV moved in to assist, while Super Zeo Zord V drove both heads forward in a bulldog type move. With all its concentration directed at its head the demon forgot about the Warrior Wheel attached to its tail. Dex moved the Warrior Wheel to draw the chain taunt.

"Pull!" Red Zeo ordered.

The Zords pulled in different directions causing the demon to swing wildly in pain and anger. His blade sliced the Megazord allowing him to use the chainsaw against Super Zeo Zord III. As the Zords moved away Zod turned its heads towards Warrior Wheel and shot another blast of fire. The Warrior Wheel caught fire and wandered away trailing flames. Dex struggled to regain control over the Zord.

Inside the fallen Ninja Megazord Billy was desperately trying to reprogram the Hawk and Panther Zords. Finally a green, white and purple symbol appeared on his control board.

"Okay, David, Aisha, go for it."

Taking command David pushed the activate button on his Zord's control panel. At the same time Sam and Aisha did likewise.

"Ninja Falcon Battlezord!"

Using the power of the Falcon to revive the other Zords White Ranger triggered the transformation. The Hawk Zord Detached from the Battlezord to be replaced by the Falcon Zord. The arms of the Battlezord detached, allowing the Falcon's wings to fold around before reattaching. Then the Hawk fastened itself to the right arm, its wings and beak forming a three-point weapon.

"Ninja Falcon Battlezord Online!"

Knowing it was out numbered the Zod attempted to use another gas attack. But although the Zeo Crystal was magic it was unaffected by Cold Iron due to the science base of the power. They reformed the Super Zeo Megazord, which blocked and dispersed the gas so the Falcon Battlezord was unaffected.

"Let's finish this," Green Ranger suggested.

The Ninja Falcon Battlezord delivered a single swipe of its hawk blade before moving out of the way.

"Battle Strike!"

As the Battlezord finished its attack Super Zeo Megazord held Warrior Wheel ready for launch. Swinging quickly back and then releasing the wheel for a final attack. As the Warrior Wheel reached Zod it transformed to its humanoid form for the final blow.

The Rangers watched as Zod exploded, the demon being thrown back to wherever Saki had found it. When the smoke cleared the Rangers returned to the Power Chamber for debriefing.

"Forgive me master, for I have failed you," Saki begged.

"Rise," came the reply as Shredder looked down at his underling. "We have wasted enough time here. I know of another place where we can find the resources to defeat these Rangers. For now we will return to New York where I can recover. You are forgiven this time, but do not think that the Shredder will be so indulgent next time."

"Of course Master."

"Come then, we must prepare. Our allies will arrive soon and we must be ready for them. It is time to recall my elite."

Power Chamber,  
Minutes later

After the thrill of victory had faded the Rangers listened to Zordon as he gave his debriefing. For once the rather serious mentor seemed happy.

"Rangers, you have today proven yourselves to be a force to be reckoned with. With fourteen Rangers to defend the planet I am certain Earth shall remain safe, although I had been worried about how two teams would function. I see now that there is no need for the Morphin Rangers to remain inactive or for the Zeo Rangers to always be on standby. If nothing the recent boredom Tommy and his team display proves that you will all benefit from a shared workload in the future.

Jason, you have proven yourself a worthy Field Commander and I am proud to place you in charge of the Morphin Rangers. Tommy, you will retain command of the Zeo Rangers. In future I shall be able to use the team I feel best suits the situation. And until such time as replacements are found, I ask you all to remain Rangers?"

"We'll always be there when you need us Zordon," Zack said on the behalf of the Morphin Rangers.

"Yeah and so will we," Tommy agreed. Over time the idea of retiring had been abandoned as the Zeo Rangers had realised that to them it was more than a job, being a Ranger was a way of life.

"Thank you, Rangers. In order to ensure you are able to come to the Power Chamber in times of need I am allowing you all to use the teleport system and your communicators as and when you need to. Alpha will be provided an extra channel so that you can speak to each other privately."

"Prince Dex, I thank you for your help today and I hope you will assist us in future should we need you."

"I would be honoured to fight alongside your Rangers should you need me again," Dex said.

Billy and Alpha quickly prepared a communicator for Dex coloured green, gold and blue. Then, the prince teleported home and the Rangers soon followed. There were still dangers out there and evil still lurked in the background But for today the evil had been conquered and the world was at peace. Thanks to the Power Rangers.

**End**

Disclaimer: I do not own the Power Rangers, they belong to the Mouse. This is a not for profit fan series. The first few scenes of this story belong to Ellen Brand.  
Author's note: This story takes place in the Conquest of Evil Multiverse and shares its alternate time line. In case anybody is wondering, the basis of this story was written by Ellen Brand as part of a series called Fallen Heroes, which was later picked up and abandoned by Hellfire.

**The Mysterious Refugee**

Angel Grove,

"Go Rocky!" Rosa DeSantos yelled. The Power Rangers of Angel Grove had attended a number of competitions and sporting events over the years. Football games, martial arts tournaments, baseball games, martial arts tournaments, broomball games, martial arts tournaments, and a few martial arts tournaments thrown in for good measure. This event, however, was different from anything they had done before. Rocky DeSantos, Blue Zeo Ranger, was currently entered in an eating contest.

"Good grief," Adam Park remarked, folding his arms over his chest. "What does that make, six pies he's put away so far?"

Rocky's latest girlfriend nodded. "Yeah, and the contest only started five minutes ago."

The contest was the result of a good-natured bet between Rocky and one of his classmates. The girl, Kittie, had declared that she could put away more food in a ten-minute period than Rocky could, and he had decided to call her on it. Currently, it looked to be anybody's game.

"I'm gonna be sick," moaned Tommy Oliver. "How does he DO that?"

The Zeo Rangers had turned out to cheer their teammate on. As the clock ticked on, the crowd watched in awe as the pie plates piled up beside the two contestants. Finally, the ten minutes were up and the final bell rang. Everyone was silent as the judges slowly counted the plates.

"The winner, with twenty empty plates- Rocky DeSantos!"

Rocky got to his feet, clasping his hands over his head in the classic "boxer's cheer." Kittie stood as well, clapping him on the back.

"So what do you have to say for yourself, Rocko?" she asked. He grinned mischievously.

"When's lunch?"

Everyone groaned. "ROCKY!"

An hour later Rocky jogged along the pathways of Angel Grove Park, soaking up the warm sun. Jogging was his second-favourite form of exercise, right after the martial arts. And since he needed to burn some of the calories his recent snack had dumped into his system, he was taking a jog through the currently quiet park.

"This is nice," he thought aloud. "Why don't I do this more often?"

As if in response to his question, the sky above him began to cloud over, and a cold wind started to howl through the park. Rocky squinted, quickly raising a hand to shield his eyes. "Oh yeah," he muttered. "Now I remember." In the clouds above him, lightning started to flicker and was almost instantly followed by rumbles of thunder. Not more than a hundred feet away, however, Rocky could still see golden sunlight pouring down on the park.

"I've heard of local weather, but this is ridiculous," he grumbled. Eyeing the clouds above him carefully, Rocky tapped his communicator. "Zordon, this is Rocky. I think we've got trouble in the park."

"I see it," Zordon acknowledged. "I shall inform the other Rangers immediately. In the meantime, I would suggest you-" A large burst of static cut the inter-dimensional being off.

"Zordon? Zordon!" Rocky yelled. The wind was picking up now, and the Blue Zeo Ranger had the uncomfortable feeling that he was about to be caught in the eye of a hurricane. Suddenly, from the air around him came a ringing sound, like feedback from an amplifier. As the sound rose in pitch, Rocky clapped his hands over his ears, his face contorted in pain. Suddenly a bolt of energy shot from the clouds down to where Rocky was standing, knocking him aside as it tore off toward the city, a trail of fire remaining as he moved onward.

"I hear you Rocky," Zordon replied. "Whatever caused the disturbance is moving away from you at high speed."

"I saw it," Rocky announced. "Whatever it is leaves a trail of fire and was heading towards the freeway."

"You will need to intercept it, Rocky. Morph and use the Zeo Jet Cycle to pursue. I will have your fellow Rangers meet you there."

He was alive; with the pain he was feeling it was impossible for him to be dead. The explosive energy that had created the intense vibration, which had in turn allowed him to penetrate the barriers between his previous and current location, had overloaded his powers.

"Gotta stop before I hurt somebody."

It seemed the speech center of his brain had been affected by the abuse of his powers; morphers were not supposed to have been use self-inducing amplifier circuits for a reason. Coupled with the flames that engulfed his suit and his apparent inability to stop moving, the momentum from his final attack pushing him onward, he was in serious trouble.

"Power down! Power down! It's not working, why is it not working?"

Things were moving too quickly, he needed to slow down, to think. But the power from his morpher, which failed to respond to his commands, kept him erratic, in a constant state of motion and incapable of rational thought.

"Need help... Zordon, must find Zordon. He should be here."

His morpher sparked, sending another jolt of energy through his body, forcing him to accelerate harder. He was in danger of breaking the barrier again and taking off to who knows where. Doing so would demolish everything around him and he realised he could not allow that. This was not his home, not the burnt out remains of a dying world that he had unintentionally left behind.

The Rangers pursued the burning mass as it accelerated down the highway. The flames that followed him were impossible to extinguish and when they saw him collide with a fuel tanker, they had feared the worse. The Jet Cycles had rapidly extinguished the fires by sucking vital air into their powerful engines and robbing the flames of vital fuel. An Ice Pellet from one of the Gem Coin Blasters that Billy had made available to all the Rangers, soon dealt with the incredible heat. There had been a terrifying moment when Rocky had disappeared into the cab to rescue the unfortunate driver. Adam had seen to the rapid evacuation of the minibus the fuel tanker had collided into. They had been fortunate that there had only been one fatality.

"Guys, that thing is moving," Pink Zeo warned.

The Rangers aimed their weapons, waiting for the creature that had caused so much destruction to attack them. All they heard though were the pained moans of an injured man.

"Zordon, we need a Power Box," Red Zeo said.

The Emergency Protocol Survival Pack, referred to as a Power Box by the Rangers, appeared in his hands and he used the advanced scanner inside to lock onto the strange creature.

"He's human," he confirmed, causing the Rangers to relax slightly although they didn't put their Zeo Pistols away; the scan had revealed he was human, not friendly.

"Got find Zordon, Rangers, future... need Zordon," they heard him say as he crawled from the burning wreckage. "Need help, help!"

"Calm down!" Adam commanded, his voice harsher than he intended. He didn't want to harm this strange looking human, but they needed him to relax while they decided what to do. It seemed the slightest movement on his part caused the air around him to burst into flame.

"Zordon, we're bringing him back to the Power Chamber," Tommy decided. "Have Alpha, Trini and Billy there." He thought and then added: "Make sure they have a fire extinguisher."

Meanwhile Tanya had approached the stranger and was trying to strap a communicator to his wrist. He instinctively recoiled from her touch, leading to another burst of super heated plasma.

"Hey, calm down," she warned. "Nobody will hurt you."

"Oh my god, you're them, thee Power Rangers!"

The Zeo Rangers glanced around nervously. He knew them, a fact that placed him at a considerable advantage.

"You are them, oh boy I heard all about you."

"We're going to teleport you to the Power Chamber," she explained, holding up her hands, as he was about to nod. "Just - try not to move."

"Let's go," Tommy said at last and the five Rangers along with the mysterious newcomer were teleported back to their headquarters.

"How is he?" Tanya asked some hours later.

When they had teleported him back to base, the Rangers had placed his body in a pressurised chamber. From there they could control the bursts of explosive energy that emerged whenever he moved.

"He's sleeping," Adam told her as he adjusted the controls.

Billy, Trini and Adam had been working hard trying to analyse the stranger and had already confirmed that he was indeed human, a badly injured human.

"He's a Ranger," Billy had confirmed after a few tests. "I don't recognise the signature of his powers, but whatever they are he is suffering from abusing them."

"You mean he's evil?" Jason asked.

"Negative," Billy answered. "His powers have been altered to function outside of their original parameters. He is suffering from the side effects."

"He's also not completely human," Trini said, causing some confusion. "His mind is human, he contains human DNA and some human organs, but at some point he's been altered, possibly following an injury."

"Ai-yi-yi, every bone in his body has been lined with metal, his joints have been reinforced and his muscles replaced with synthetic rubber."

"You said he had some organic parts?" Kat asked.

"His heart, lungs, a simplified digestive tract, part his brain - he has some sort of processor in there - and the inner portions of his spinal column are organic. His entire body has been augmented to survive the forces he experiences while morphed."

"Wait, there's something else," Billy called. "As you know, the cellular structure of every human has a unique chemical makeup determined by their planet of origin. It's not a genetic variance, but reflects the differing conditions of many human worlds."

"And your point is?" Kimberly asked.

"This Ranger was born on Earth."

"So who is he?" Rocky wondered. "And how did he end up like this?"

"I'm running his identity through the computer," Alpha told the Rangers after their guest had been stabilised. "If he is from Earth, then I should be able to locate his individual energy pattern within the Morphin Grid."

There was silence as the lights on the computer flashed.

"Alpha, can you find anything?" Trini asked.

"His energy signature is incompatible with our scans," Alpha told them.

"I was afraid of this Alpha," Zordon rumbled, "this Ranger may come from Earth, however he does not come from this Earth and has never lived here, which is why the computer cannot identify him. He must come from somewhere else; reconfigure the search translate his personal signature into base readings and then find a human with similar results."

"This could take time Zordon," Alpha warned as with Billy's help, he set to work.

He started to jerk, arms flailing wildly as he thrashed on the bed. The Rangers moved quickly, managing to hold him down long enough to secure his limbs with heavy metal plates; anything weaker would have lasted mere seconds against his struggling form.

"His powers are in flux," Billy said, watching the monitors as heart and blood pressure monitors continued to rise and fall erratically.

"He's going into metabolic shock," Alpha told them.

"What's metabol- what's that?" Kim asked.

"His powers are almost exhausted but refusing to shut down, so they're feeding on whatever fuel they can find. In this case: his body."

"If we can't find a way to stabilise him, he could die. And given how his morpher is responding, the lack of a living mind could send it into overload and take a large chunk of the planet with it," Billy confirmed.

"One morpher could do that?" Tommy asked.

"Our mysterious friend is drawing his powers from a source similar to the Morphin Grid. If his powers overload he could collapse the local grid and wipe out everything in the vicinity," Zordon warned. "We must act quickly Alpha, prepare for a Forced Demorph procedure."

"Zordon that's too dangerous," Billy warned. "The backlash could just as easily trigger an explosion."

"There is little choice Billy, we cannot risk a full scale overload."

"Don't worry man, Alpha and Zordon know what they're doing," Tommy said.

Billy tried to smile, but it was difficult to share Tommy's optimism. There was a good chance that whoever was inside that suit would perish during the procedure. Of course there was a good chance that he was already dead and that the powers had simply locked into place to protect a corpse.

"Activating now," he said resignedly as he pushed the series of buttons and watched as a sickly green beam of energy washed over the prone figure.

"Zordon, something's wrong!" Trini cried.

The readings were going haywire as the beam continued to sweep over the mysterious Ranger's body, a body that was slowly vanishing before their eyes.

"Alpha, stop the process immediately. I have made a serious error."

Alpha obeyed as Billy and Trini rushed forward to examine him.

"Zordon, he's still experiencing metabolic shock," Trini warned. "We have to continue."

"Negative," Billy told her. "Our original hypothesis was erroneous."

"Billy?" Tommy prompted.

"When I instructed Alpha to use the energy probe, I had hoped to short circuit his suit's power-down mechanism," Zordon explained.

"The problem," Alpha continued, "is that his suit doesn't have a shutdown sequence."

"You mean he's trapped inside his uniform?"

"I would postulate at this time that his powers are an intricate part of his body. He is a part of the Power and when Zordon and Alpha tried to demorph him, he was transferred back into the Morphin Grid."

"That is correct Billy," Zordon said. "If we had continued to use the beam, he would have disappeared to wherever his powers came from. And without a means to call them back, he would have been lost forever."

"His powers are still killing him," Tanya pointed out.

"Alpha, try to stabilise his powers. If we can control the fluctuations and dampen the energy waves we might be able to save him. If we do not stop the overload there will be nothing left of him to save."

"Yes Zordon," Alpha said.

"Billy, do you have any idea how he ended up like this?" Trini asked.

"The only logical explanation is that it was self inflicted, the pertinent question would be why?"

After hours of considerable effort, the Rangers had finally managed to pierce the strange armour and had injected a strong relaxant. With his body sedated, his powers had switched into standby mode, allowing the Rangers to study him.

"Why would somebody build a morpher that couldn't be turned off?" Rocky asked. The others were wondering the same thing.

"Desperation," Tommy suggested finally. "He's been in some sort of battle, so maybe he had to morph."

"Ai-yi-yi, I'm reading additional life forms," Alpha reported. "He has Triforian DNA!"

"Who is this guy?"

"We don't have a choice," Tommy said after the facts had been reviewed. "Either we deactivate his powers or they'll explode, destroying the rest of the planet with them."

"Affirmative," Billy agreed sadly. He didn't want to be the one to propose killing of an innocent, but a single life against the whole planet? It was an uncomfortable position and a decision that could not be put off.

"There is always an alternative," Zordon told them. "In this case I believe we must trust that the Power will protect him. Alpha, time has run out, reinstate the probe."

There was a whoosh of teleportation as a few of the Rangers, unwilling to kill under any circumstances, chose to leave.

On the table Nate's body flickered as his powers were forced to shut down. As the Power left him, his body fought to survive the shock. The energies he had wielded when morphed were trying to draw him back into the depths of the universe from which they came. Just as his body was about to give up, a small spark of energy ignited once more. He started to glow, his powers rebuilding him from the inside out, creating a new life from the broken man. His aura flared as his armour appeared to vanish, leaving Nate Oliver to sleep off his ordeal.

"Quickly Alpha, place him in a Healing Capsule," Zordon instructed.

"Will he be okay, Zordon?" Kat asked.

"I do not know Katherine," Zordon admitted. "The molecules within the tube will help his body to heal. After that we will need to monitor him closely."

Alpha and Billy locked the capsule's door and turned on the tap, allowing the tube to fill with a healing solution. A series of monitors came to life as the sealed capsule started to work on its newest occupant.

"There is nothing more you can do here today Rangers," Zordon told them. "Should anything occur, Alpha and I will contact you."

The Rangers nodded and teleported away, many of their questions remaining unanswered.

**End**

Disclaimer: I do not own the Power Rangers, they belong to the respective copyright owners. Large sections of this story were originally written by Ellen Brand and featured in her series Personality Conflicts. They are used with permission and I thank Ellen for allowing me to do this. Lillian, Jamie, Christina and Katarina are COE versions of Lillian O'Neil, Jamie Zedden, Christina Collins and Katarina Petronov from Personality Conflicts. The original names and their characters are the property of either Ellen Brand or Jennifer Bigley.

**Ties the Bind Part 1 - Old Friends, New Friends**

Paris, France

In a deserted warehouse outside the city two figures watched from a distance, as a third person walked into the open.

"Bulky, I'm bored," Skull complained from their hiding place behind some storage cans. "We've been watching this Ryan guy for hours. When are we going to go home?"

"Quiet Skull," Bulk hissed. "You know the boss said this guy is dangerous. Do you want to end up dead? "

Bulk and Skull had been in Spy Training ever since coming to France. To start with their training had been mostly physical training with a lot of paperwork. Both had benefited from the training. Skull had developed a sporting physique with good definition, built for speed and strength. Bulk on the other hand had lost most of his weight and replaced it was muscle. He now resembled a football player Angel Grove High would have killed for.

In addition both had been taught to defend themselves and Skull's Swordsmanship training had improved on the previous lessons his uncle had given him.

Both men had matured since being away from Angel Grove. They'd met new friends and colleagues and stopped fooling around. Both now bore a greater responsibility since they were able to carry guns.

Unfortunately patience was one of the things neither boy had learnt yet. Both were still eager to please Inspector Klauseau, so when he had given them their first assignment they had jumped at the chance. A number of disappearances had taken place over the last few months and two names had been constant in each report: Richard Ryan and William Kincaid.

"Hey look!" Skull said.

Looking over towards the man they had been sent to trail they noticed a tall black man standing in front of him. From their position Bulk and Skull could see the two men were trash talking and it looked as though Ryan was winning the war of words.

"Whoa!" Bulk exclaimed as he saw the larger man produce a cutlass and swipe at the youth known as Richard Ryan. "That's Kincaid."

"The other guy's got one too!" Skull added noting that Ryan had drawn a military sabre.

A brief battle followed, neither opponent afraid to use under handed tactics to win. After what seemed like hours, Ryan drove his sword into his opponent's stomach.

"He killed him," Bulk whispered.

Skull didn't reply. For some reason he felt compelled to watch what was happening. Ryan was standing over his opponent sword raised over his head.

"THERE CAN BE ONLY ONE!" Ryan cried as he brought the sword down slicing through skin, muscle, blood vessels, bone, arteries, muscles and skin.

Bulk and Skull were speechless having just witnessed their first murder. Sure they had seen monsters in Angel Grove and had live with a winged monkey and living skeleton for a few months, but nothing prepared them for what they had just seen.

A strange mist seemed to float from the decapitated body and enter Ryan's body. The head and body disappeared into the smoke.

"We need to go Bulky," Skull said urgently. Something told him what was about to occur. "Run!"

Lightning struck the building as the left, shattering the windows and exploding light bulbs contained inside. A stray bolt hit the canisters that Bulk and Skull had been using for cover igniting the chemicals inside. As the canisters exploded Bulk threw his body in the way to protect his friend.

"Bulk?" Skull asked when the lightning had subsided and Ryan had left.

There was no answer from his larger friend. Pulling himself up, Skull checked to see if his friend was injured, but Bulk was not there. He looked around trying to find him before calling the authorities. Farkus Bulkmier, known to the world as Bulk was gone.

A plane over the Atlantic

It had taken time to sort out Bulk's affairs, to put his own in order and to serve out his notice period. And though events had conspired against him, it was his own grief that had prevented him from returning to Angel Grove sooner. In all honesty it was more a case of cowardice. Returning to Angel Grove meant facing those he had failed, namely Bulk's parents.

And now, Eugene Skullovitch was relaxing in a seat, eating his complimentary bag of peanuts, and flirting with the stewardesses. Amazingly enough, some of them were flirting back. He remembered a time when they would have shot him down immediately. He really had grown up.

Part of it, of course, was his appearance. In his khakis, yellow button-down shirt, and suspenders, he didn't look like the punk he had been for so many years. He was also far more relaxed than he had ever been in his police uniform or the suit he mentally referred to as "spy wear". Life as a detective had agreed with him immensely.

His thoughts turned back to Angel Grove, and like clockwork, he began to think about her, Kimberly Hart. He had fallen for her the first day he had seen her, when she had first come to Angel Grove from Seattle. Her beauty, brains, and strength had grown on him, and at some point, his hopeless crush had metamorphosed into real, true love. Unfortunately, he hadn't known anyway to get her attention except by being obnoxious. That had only made her dislike him more, and he had very soon lost any chance of gaining her affections when she had begun dating Tommy. After she had left for Florida and broken up with Tommy, he had sadly bid farewell to his feelings and waited for them to go away. They hadn't. He wasn't sure he was up to seeing her again, especially since she would probably be trying to patch things up with Tommy. Oh, well. It wasn't as if he was a stranger to the game of "love her from afar".

Sighing, he closed his eyes and tried to get some sleep. He wasn't sure what was going to happen when he got home, and he wanted to be ready for anything. Yawning, Skull slipped off to sleep, and into dreams of Kimberly.

When his plane arrived at Angel Grove International, Skull was not surprised that there was not a large crowd waiting for him. He hadn't been very popular. What did surprise him was that standing next to his parents was Detective Stone. He had not expected the older man to come meet the plane. ~Maybe he missed me.~ Skull chuckled to himself at how unlikely that was.

After hugging his parents, he turned and shook Detective Stone's hand.

"Good to see you again, Skullovitch." Skull smiled. The smile turned sad as he embraced the young man in a hug and whispered: "I'm sorry."

Skull returned the look. Not many people had been there to help Skull through the loss of his best friend. Lieutenant Stone had been one of those few. He had even flown out to France and spent several days clearing out Bulk's apartment.

"Sir, now that I am back, do you think the agency might have room in it for a kid who just got his detective's license?"

"I think we could work something out," Detective Stone nodded.

The small group made its way out of the airport and to Skull's parent's car. On his ride home, Skull could not stop looking out the window. He had missed Angel Grove immensely in his time away, and now he was drinking in its sights like a man fresh out of the desert drinks water. Noticing some scorch marks on a building, he guessed that the Zeo Rangers were still in business. That brought back a host of interesting memories, especially of the time that he and Bulk were trapped in the Machine Empire's dungeons, waiting to fight a monster.

He sighed. Hard to believe that he and Bulk could no longer engage in their zany adventures. They'd been friends since before kindergarten, sometimes the only two in their group. As kids, Jason and Trini had drawn all the attention, leaving Bulk and Skull in the background. As a result, they had resorted to the usual attention-getting devices that young children use, and had just never grown out of them. There had never been a reason to. Jason Scott and his friends had always been in the spotlight, and no one had ever had a chance of stealing it away. As time had passed, he had fallen so far into the routines and thought processes of being a punk that he had almost forgotten that he was ever anything else. Only when he played his music did he break out of his shell.

"No more," he whispered. "I'm not going back to that. I've got a chance to be somebody, and this time, I'm not going to waste it."

Jason had been working out in the gym when he met her. She had walked over, taking her time to study him and his movements before reaching a decision.

"Do you mind if I join you?" she asked, taking a moment to ensure she was warmed up.

"Sure," he replied, glad for the company. The Rangers, his best friends were all out doing their own things and he had been left with little to pass the time. "I don't remember seeing you around here before."

She shook her head, moving to copy his stance. "No, I just moved to town a few days ago. I start school on Monday."

Jason couldn't help looking at her. She was striking, but not conventionally pretty. Her features were far too strong for that, but they were certainly pleasant, especially the curve of her mouth. Her hair was a brilliant red, the colour of autumn leaves, and her eyes were a smoky hazel. Most startling of all was her height. When she stood next to him, he realised that she was almost an inch shorter than Kimberly, standing only about five foot one.

"I'm Jamie, Jamie Zedden. What's your name?"

"Jason Scott."

"Oh, I should've known it was you, nice to meet you." Noticing his curious look, she explained. "I made a few enquiries and discovered that you were one of the people who teach martial arts. Ernie said I needed to see you before he would allow me to use the gym for some private practice. So, what style are you?"

Jason grinned. Ernie had no such rule that he knew of, although it did make sense to ensure people knew what they were doing before allowing them to practice unsupervised. It seemed the portly bar tender was trying to make sure that Jamie made a few friends.

The time passed quicker than he had expected, but then of all the ways he had envisioned his morning, discussing martial arts with a beautiful redhead had not one of them. He wasn't going to complain, though. "I have a fourth degree black belt in American Style Karate," he informed her.

"American Style, huh? That's pretty interesting. I just earned my fourth in Shotokan."

Now Jason was impressed. "Shotokan? That's a tough style."

"Yeah, but I love it. Besides, where I come from, you have to be tough."

"Where are you from?" he asked. It wasn't just innocent curiosity that caused him to ask the question. He remembered Tommy telling him of the time when Scorpina had disguised herself to entrap Adam.

"Just moved up here from one of Los Angeles's 'finer neighbourhoods,'" she grimaced.

Jason and Jamie spent a long time after their workout was done, discussing everything they could think of. Jason was completely enthralled. Jamie was one of the most interesting people he had ever talked to and certainly the most interesting person he had met in a long time; he really enjoyed being with her.

They talked about other things for a while, but all too soon, the real world intruded, and she had to go home.

Angel Grove

High school life has a definite rhythm all its own. The days are carefully measured out into semesters, quarters, weeks and periods. Appearing with stunning regularity are the dances. You can almost set your watch by them. Angel Grove high was no different. Like everywhere else, they had a dance for every major occasion, and a few for no occasion at all.

Tonight was the Start of Year Ball and despite other demands on their time, such as a busy class schedule, defending the world and spending time with their families all the Rangers had been able to attend. One by one, the Rangers paired off, leaving Tommy and Kimberly standing by the punch bowl.

They watched as their friends circled the floor. Angela had claimed Zack almost the minute he had walked in the door, and his friends hadn't seen him for more than two minutes of the whole night. David and Kat were lost in each other, barely noticing anyone else. Rocky was dancing with Katarina, a girl he had been getting to know after another of his failed relationships although she wasn't a student at Angel Grove; the pair had dated briefly but decided it wouldn't work. Their relationship was now a strong friendship rather than a boyfriend/girlfriend deal. They were much happier. Adam and Tanya seemed attached at the hip, they hadn't been apart for the entire evening. Trey and Chelsea were enjoying themselves as well, dancing close together in the center of the floor.

Trini and Billy had finished their dance and made their way over to the table, Trini was approached by a nervous looking Richie and the two engaged in small talk for a while before she asked. "Well, Richie, do you want to dance?"

He chuckled and nodded after receiving a permissive nod from Billy. She smiled at how he was still the same shy young man she had almost dated. Nothing had come of it, though, and now the two were just good friends. They headed for the dance floor, leaving Tommy and Kimberly alone as Billy was drawn onto the floor again by Marge, each suddenly unable to meet the other's eyes. They had attended so many dances like this one, but all of them as boyfriend and girlfriend. Now that that phase of their lives was behind them, they were unsure how to react in this development. The uncomfortable situation was broken by a young man, who popped up out of nowhere.

"Miss Hart, how about a turn around the floor?" Skull asked.

"Sure. Let's go." The two of them headed out onto the floor, leaving Tommy alone with the punch.

"Looks like it's just you and I," he told the soda-and-fruit-juice concoction, pouring himself another cup.

"Can I have one?" a voice behind him asked. Tommy turned to see a girl in a knee-length black dress holding a paper cup out to him.

"Yeah, sure," he responded, filling the cup. As he handed it back to her, he took a better look. Her hair was sandy brown, and her eyes were an odd tawny gold colour. She was rather tall, as well, easily reaching the height of his chin.

"I don't think I've seen you around here before," he told her, extending his hand. "I'm Tommy Oliver. Are you new to the school?"

"Lillian O'Neil," she replied, transferring her cup into her left hand and shaking his. "No, I'm not new here. I've attended Angel Grove High for four years. You've just probably never noticed me. We're not in any of the same classes, and I don't get into the spotlight that much. I've seen you all the time, though."

"Oh. So, why aren't you dancing? Your date stand you up?"

She shook her head, amused. "No, I didn't have a date. I came with some of my friends."

"Where are they?"

"Out dancing, same place yours are, I'd expect."

He looked over at her. "You want to dance?"

"Hmm," she mused, regarding him for a moment. "Sure. I'd love to."

They walked out to the floor just as a slow song came on. Tommy swallowed hard. He hadn't been thinking of a slow dance when he'd asked her. Seeming to sense his discomfort, Lillian looked over at him, challenge and amusement visible in her odd eyes. Tommy smiled, his unease evaporating. It was just a dance, after all, even if it was a slow one. It wasn't like he'd asked her to marry him or anything.

Lillian slipped her arms around Tommy's neck, and he put his around her back. As the two swayed in time to the music, Tommy thought about how good it felt to have someone in his arms. He had missed Kim and Kat, but Lillian didn't feel like simply a substitute for either of them. For the first time since his breakups, Tommy felt interest in someone again. He already knew that Lillian was far different from either Kat or Kimberly. She seemed darker, older. Something about her drew him in a way neither of his two previous girlfriends had done. Suddenly she looked up at him and smiled mysteriously.

"I hear you're a bit of a Romeo, Tommy. You change girlfriends like most people change socks. Should I be worried?" she asked in her slightly husky voice.

"I don't think so," he replied. "When something interests me, I stick with it for a good long time."

She raised an eyebrow. "Until you get bored with it?"

"Sure. But I don't get bored very easily. I like mysteries and puzzles, and there's almost always something new for me to figure out." At the sight of her one-sided smile, a realization hit Tommy square between the eyes. They were flirting! He hadn't flirted with a woman since the first days of his relationship with Kimberly.

"Well, then, I'll attempt to keep things mysterious. Do you like to hike?"

"I love it. You do a lot of hiking?"

"Yes. I really love photography, especially nature shots. I'm very handy with a camera."

Just then, the DJ announced the final song of the night, to Tommy's shock. How long had they been dancing, anyway? After the last dance was finished, Tommy and Lillian said their goodbyes and headed back to their respective groups of friends. Both were greeted by knowing grins and an army of questions.

"Guys, it was just a couple dances," Tommy told his friends. "That's all. Come on, let's go. I'll tell you all about her on the way home."

"Lil, that was Tommy Oliver, the handsomest boy in our entire school! He's cute, he's nice, he's smart, he's currently available, and he spent the entire night dancing with you!" Randi gushed, tossing her short red hair. Lillian shook her head, amused at her friend's bubbliness.

"Randi, we're seniors in high school. Next year, we'll all be going our separate ways, off to different colleges. I'm not in the market for a great romance, and I doubt he is either." Still, Lillian had to admit that Tommy had a definite effect on her. ~He is cute,~ she thought to herself. When they'd been dancing, she'd been acutely aware of what martial arts had done to and for his body. ~Hard biceps, flat stomach, nice chest, defined back, and a very tight butt.~ Mentally she smacked herself in the head. ~Stop thinking about it! You'll never get to sleep tonight if you keep this up!~

"He's so dreamy," Randi went on, unaware of the direction of her friend's thoughts. The two were currently walking down the street that led from the school to their homes. Streetlights gave the whole area a comforting glow, and like most Angel Grove girls, they knew a great deal of self-defence. Lillian also had her black belt in Tiger Kung Fu, so they felt fairly safe walking home by themselves.

"Randi, come on. He just broke up with Kimberly Hart. He's probably not interested in a relationship right now, and if he is, he's on the rebound. Who wants that?"

"You know what, Lillian? You are too serious and cynical for your own good. If Prince Charming rode up on a white charger to save you from the dragon, you'd ask to see some ID."

Lillian chuckled. "Of course I would. I'd have already killed the dragon."

"Oh, you!" Randi shoved her friend playfully.

The sun beat down on downtown Angel Grove, despite the fact that summer was almost over. Temperatures were in the mid-60's, and the streets of the shopping district were clogged with people. The festive atmosphere of that Saturday morning was infectious, and Jason felt good to be alive. Part of it had to be attributed to being a Ranger once more. The Power had an invigorating effect.

He had continued to meet with Jamie and the two had become good friends. Jamie had also formed a friendship with Emily, Jason's girlfriend. Today Jamie had 'borrowed' him for the day as she wanted to go antique shopping, something he had never before endured. Emily was not the type to take him shopping and for that he was grateful. Somehow he couldn't imagine himself doing this on a regular basis for any woman. Jamie was looking for antique weapons, however, which was something Jason had always been interested in. Besides, her excitement made everything worthwhile.

Jason watched as Jamie looked over the man's collection of antique knives, swords, and other weapons.

A flash of light on steel drew her eye. Crossing to the case, Jamie saw a beautiful, strangely crafted sword lying on the velvet inside. "Could I take a look at this one?" she asked.

"Ah," Mr Hill commented in his Maine drawl, slowly coming over to the case. "A good choice. No one really knows where this sword came from. I inherited it from my grandfather, but how he came by it, I never found out. He never wanted to discuss it any. I've had it examined by every expert in the area, but not one of them can tell me where this sword is from."

Jamie listened and watched impatiently as the old man lifted the sword from its case and handed it to her. When she took it, she felt a slight shock, as if the blade had a small static charge, then nothing. Taking it in one hand, she tested the heft, raising her eyebrows at its lightweight. "Steel?" she asked, swinging it.

Mr Hill shook his head. "Nope. They don't know what it is. It seems to be plumb old, but just how old, no one can say."

She examined it closely. "You're right, it's very odd. Look, the blade is shaped like an English broadsword, but there's no blooding channel, and it has these funny runes etched on the blade. I'd almost say they were Norse, but the Norse never made swords like this. The pommel stone's like nothing I've ever seen. It could be milk quartz, or a moonstone, but it's huge, almost the size of a quarter." She suddenly came to a decision. She had to have that sword. "How much?"

Mr Hill looked at the girl in front of him for a long moment. A sword like that usually cost upwards of a thousand dollars, but the girl and the sword seemed made for each other. "Well, I like you. And that sword doesn't have a past, and doesn't have no identifying marks, so it's almost worthless to a collector. I think it's time to unload the thing. Twenty dollars and it's yours."

Jamie nearly fell over. "Twenty dollars? Sir, are you sure?"

"Course I'm sure," Hill snapped. "Twenty dollars, take it or leave it."

"I'll take it!" Jamie handed the man a twenty-dollar bill, and he put it into the cash register.

"Oops, almost forgot." Hill cackled. Reaching behind the counter, he drew out a scabbard made of something dark and two small rings, each with a small coloured gem. "These were given to me at the same time as the sword. The scabbard is part of the purchase price. The rings, nothing valuable, perhaps a party favour. You'll want to keep the sword sheathed in town, of course. And before you ask, no, that scabbard ain't leather. Nobody knows what it is, either."

"Thank you very much, sir," Jamie replied wholeheartedly, slipping the sword into its scabbard and going out into the sun, placing the rings in her pocket as she did so. Jason rose to go, and Hill suddenly put a hand on his shoulder.

"Young man, is she your girlfriend?" the old man asked, seriously.

"No sir, just a friend," Jason responded, wondering what this was about.

"You keep an eye on her. There's something funny about that blade. It almost seems like it was made for her. I don't reckon there's anything dangerous about it- I wouldn't have sold it to her if I did, but..." He trailed off, but Jason caught his meaning.

"I'll keep my eyes open, sir." He then followed Jamie out into the sunshine.

**To be continued**

Disclaimer: I do not own the Power Rangers, they belong to the respective copyright owners. Large sections of this story were originally written by Ellen Brand and featured in her series Personality Conflicts. They are used with permission and I thank Ellen for allowing me to do this. Lillian, Jamie, Christina and Katarina are COE versions of Lillian O'Neil, Jamie Zedden, Christina Collins and Katarina Petronov from Personality Conflicts. The original names and their characters are the property of either Ellen Brand or Jennifer Bigley.

**Ties the Bind Part 2 - Dark Heritage**

In the park, Jamie stopped to unsheathe her new sword and try a few practice moves. Sitting under a tree, Jason watched her, smiling. She looked completely natural with it, despite its odd manufacture. Like Mr Hill, Jason didn't feel that there was anything directly malevolent about the sword, but something very strange was happening, all the same.

The arrival of a flash of gold fire broke both teens' concentration. Goldar appeared in the middle of the park, grinning evilly at the two of them. Jason immediately scrambled to his feet, cursing his poor reactions; as a Ranger he should have been alert for such an occurrence. Meanwhile, Jamie had stepped in between Goldar and Jason, sword held at the ready. Jason almost allowed himself to smirk at the idea that he was the super hero and she was protecting him.

"Relax, Jason, I'm not here for you," Goldar growled as he noticed the Red Ranger.

"If you're after Jamie, you tin-plated baboon, you can just forget it," Jason growled back. "You'll have to go through me to get to her. And we both know you didn't do so well against me last time we met."

"Your little girlfriend here is quite safe, for the time being. All I want is the sword. Hand it over, and I'm out of your hair."

Jamie raised an eyebrow. "You want my sword, the one I just paid twenty dollars for, I don't think so."

"Give it to me, human. You have no use for it, no clue about its true power and worth. It's useless to you."

She shrugged. "It's got an edge, so it can cut. How useless can it be? Tell you what. You want this sword? You come fight me for it. The winner takes the sword."

"Are you crazy?" Jason cried. "Get away from here, now!"

He should have morphed, but as he looked at her he had the feeling that he was supposed to stand back and let things take their natural course.

Jamie barely glanced at him. "What do you say, Goldilocks? You against me, winner takes the sword, and no matter what, nothing happens to Jason."

Goldar thought for a moment, and then nodded. "It shall be done."

The two combatants immediately took "guard" stances. Then, with a ringing down slice, Goldar attacked. Jamie blocked him, and the fight was on. Immediately, it was apparent that the two warriors were masters of their art. Their cuts, thrusts, and parries, formed a glittering web of razored steel that glinted in the sun. Goldar was far stronger than the human girl, but Jamie had grace and speed on her side. They were evenly matched.

Then Goldar tripped over a root, and Jamie stepped away to let him rise, never taking her eyes off him. Instead of standing, however, the monster fired two energy bolts from his eyes. Jamie instinctively lifted her sword to block them, but instead, the blade absorbed them and fired them back as a bolt of multicoloured energy, which Goldar barely managed to dodge. Taking advantage of Jamie's shock, the flying monkey leaped into the air and knocked the sword from her hands with his own.

"You put up quite a fight, human. I'll do you the honour of making your end swift," he cackled, shooting another larger golden energy beam at her. Jamie crossed her arms in front of her face in a futile attempt to block the attack, and absorbed the shot. An indistinct aura formed around her - it could have been any colour but neither Jason nor Goldar could say for sure since a barrier of milky, grey mist covered it - as she stared at her hands in astonishment. Then she looked up at Goldar and smiled. Suddenly, a large bolt of energy left her hands and struck him directly in the chest, knocking him back several feet. With a low groan, the monster disappeared, leaving the two teens alone in the park.

"Well, that was fun," Jamie grinned, turning towards Jason as her aura flickered out. "What was all that about?"

"I think that sword gave you special powers," Jason managed. "God, you must have a death wish or something. That guy could have killed you!"

She shrugged. "I knew I could take him. I think the sword told me."

Looking down at her, Jason sighed. He was going to have to tell Zordon about this. "Get that sword and come back here, okay? There's someone I think we should talk to about this."

She did as he asked. "Who? Where are we going?"

He smiled. "You'll see." When she came within an arm's length, he reached out and grabbed her, simultaneously teleporting them both to the Power Chamber.

"Jason, is something the matter?" Zordon asked as the two teens materialized.

"You could say that, Zordon," Jason replied. Jamie, meanwhile, was staring around the Power Chamber with awe. "Goldar attacked us in the park. He wanted Jamie's sword. She fought him for it, beat him, and then absorbed an energy bolt he threw at her. She did it, not the sword."

"Hmm." Jason couldn't be sure but Zordon seemed to hesitate and for a moment he thought his mentor was about to send them away. "Alpha, please run a scan on the sword," Zordon requested, already knowing where the sword had come from. ~The odds of this happening are incalculable.~.

"May I see it?" Alpha asked Jamie timidly. Any girl who could take on Goldar without Ranger powers was not someone he wanted mad at him.

"Friends of yours?" she asked Jason dryly.

"You can trust them."

Reluctantly, she relinquished the sword to Alpha 5. "I want that back in one piece!" she called after the retreating android. "So where are we, and who are they?" she asked, turning back to Jason.

"Jamie Zedden, meet Zordon of Eltare, inter-dimensional being and mentor to the Power Rangers."

"Power Rangers? You're a-"

He nodded. "Yes, the red one. I recently got my powers back, but I'm not on active duty... it's a long story."

"Oh. Well maybe that's a story we can save for another time."

"Yeah," he smiled. "Maybe later."

"Jamie Zedden?" Zordon interrupted them; frowning as his fears were confirmed. "Aged seventeen, daughter of Lawrence Zedden?"

"Yeah," she responded, puzzled. "My dad's dead, though. Do you know me?"

Zordon sighed. "It would be more appropriate to say that I know of you. I now have my suspicions as to what occurred in the park, although I will have to wait until Alpha finishes his analysis of the sword to be sure."

Jamie looked at Jason, who shrugged. He had no idea what Zordon was talking about.

"Ai yi yi! Analysis completed, Zordon! The sword is of alien manufacture, the last blade manufactured at the bequest of Cathabad and stolen over three hundred millennia ago! It was last seen in the possession of -"

"-That's enough Alpha!" Zordon snapped suddenly. His voice was uncharacteristically harsh.

~Why me?~ he wondered as he stared at Jamie speculatively. Which would be better, to lie or tell the truth? Either would have potentially explosive consequences in the future. In the end he just sighed and said heavily: "Then it is true."

"What is true? What's going on here?" Jamie asked.

"It is a long story. Long ago it was discovered that some races while capable of wielding the powers of a Power Ranger, were unsuited for the demands such a role placed on the individual. A wizard named Ralthor took pity upon one such group: the Zarakin, a race that after being driven from their homes numerous times, had settled upon the world of Danata. And while unable to go against the Council's wishes with regards to a Ranger team, since Danata was deemed too primitive to allow such a team, he was able to provide them with the means to defend themselves in the form of the Elemental Blades: the Sword of Fire, the Sword of Water, the Sword of Wind, the Sword of Earth, the Sword of Heart, and the Sword of Lightning. In addition he gave them the techniques to make other weapons that while not magical, were stronger than those of the invaders.

Over the years that followed, the Zarakin came to realise that to wield the Elemental Swords effectively they needed more than just the strength to lift their weapons, they needed a technique that would allow them to combine their physical and magical attacks. Surprisingly the answer came not from their warriors, but rather their bards. Their entertainers had long used a dance to mimic the ways of their warriors and to mock those they deemed too boastful. The dance was taken and adapted to the sword bearers' needs, becoming an art form in and of itself.

To this day the House of Swords as they became known functions as an organization of bodyguards to the king. Although the loss of the swords weakened their ability to fight against all threats. Still, Zarakin society grew up around stories of these blades and soon developed others. Eventually the Morphin Masters approached Danata again and offered an exchange of services. In return for guaranteed protection, the Zarakin would provide some of those warriors trained in the use of their blades. They have proven worthy allies ever since, undertaking tasks such as scouting and guarding supplies."

"That's some story," Jamie commented.

"Indeed, but there is more. Apart from being able to control the element for which they were named, each of the swords had other, hidden powers, known to enhance a skill of the wielders. It was said that some could use them to call forth the legendary armour although that was never proven. Most of the Elemental Blades were destroyed centuries ago, but the blade you hold while damaged was reforged using the remains of the other swords. It was once known as the Sword of Lightning, now I suspect it has many of the abilities of the other blades. Over time, the blade has no doubt inherited a connection to the Morphin Grid and gave you ability to absorb, channel and release energy, a feat that is already a trait inherent in the Zarakin physiology but difficult to reproduce consciously."

"So, I have an alien blade that gave me special powers. Do you think they'll want it back?" Jamie asked shyly.

Zordon hesitated. The risks of a child holding such a blade were great, especially given her heritage. There was a chance she could become corrupted by the power. Oh it was not without risks to hold the sword. As sentient as it had become, it naturally sought to twist the mind of its avatar to serve its own purposes. Although forged for good, it was after all a sword, and what did a sword need more than a hand to wield it in battle and to draw blood from those that opposed it. Luckily its influence was limited.

Then there was the matter of the girl's parentage. If her father ever discovered her existence there was little doubt that he would claim her. It wouldn't even take a spectacular spell to bend her to his will; so long as a bond existed, there were spells that would guarantee obedience and the bond between parent and child was so strong that such a spell could never be broken.

If asked, he knew the people of Danata would reply with an unmistakable 'yes' that the blade should be returned to them. But did he even have the right now that the blade had found its way into Jamie's hands and chosen her as its avatar? The answer was no. He just hoped that with the sword in her possession she might be more inclined to consider her path rather than allowing herself to be led blindly. Having met Jamie though he doubted she would be led anywhere against her will.

"Jamie, the original owners of the blade are long gone and while the Zarakin can no doubt remember the weapons, they no longer rely on them; another wizard later created the Gem Swords for such a purpose. This sword has bonded to you and nobody can take it from you. Only death alone can break the bond between you and this blade.

Given that Goldar has already attempted to take the sword from you, I would like it if you considered an alliance with us. While you are not a Ranger and would be condemned as an enemy by the Galactic Council, the Zarakin have long been considered valued allies. It is in that tradition I extend the hand of friendship."

How he wished that it could have been different and that Jamie could have been accepted as an ally by the Council and that eventually he could grant her the title of Ranger. But that was not to be. Her heritage and the potential harm she could cause would always make her an outsider.

"I'll do it."

"Welcome to the team, Jamie Zedden," Zordon said quietly. "The sword is now an extension of your body, its form adaptive to your needs. Given time and practice you will find that using it will become second nature."

Jason finally asked the questions that had been bothering him for a while. "Zordon, why did you refer to Jamie as a Zarakin, and if the sword's powers are alien in nature, what's to prevent what happened to me from happening to Jamie?"

"Number one, Jason, the creators of the sword have had a great deal of interaction with humans of the years. They know how to make safe weapons. Zarakin for that matter are very close to humans, physiologically speaking. They do not have the chemical differences that Triforians have, so the powers will be far more compatible with Jamie than the Gold Ranger powers were with you. Number two; the sword's powers are not directly tied to Jamie's life force. And number three, Jamie is not completely human. That is why I referred to her as a Zarakin."

"WHAT!" the two teens asked in unison.

"Just what I said. Jamie, your mother is completely human. Your father, on the other hand, is not. This is why you have the innate ability to absorb energy, for like Zarakin, your father's race, you too have this capability. You obviously inherited it from your father; the sword merely developed that ability."

Jamie shook her head, trying to absorb this. "What was he doing on Earth?"

Zordon sighed. "It is a long and somewhat ugly story. You must understand that the beings that now refer to themselves as the Morphin Masters are not the same order as their predecessors. They are the third known group to use the title and three hundred millennia ago they had only just come to terms with the greatest defeat in their history. At the time their ability to totally defeat an enemy was beyond them.

One of the wiser villains, sensing their weakness decided to add an additional blow by destroying the Council's major allies, the Zarakin. It was during that battle that the wizard in question introduced his newest protégé: Zedd, heir of the infamous Xett dynasty."

"Zedd!" Jason cried. "Billy told me Zedd had a natural mother and father!"

"Lord Zedd is not a simple creature by any means. Originally he was of the many demonic creatures spawned by the demon Xett. Although I do not know the exact story, one child was supposed to emerge from the Dark Zones each century to attempt to vanquish the light. Success meant that they would rule for eternity, failure meant a return to the Dark Zones and a long sleep to renew their power. Zedd found a way around the need to return, favouring the use of his Centennial Recharge machine.

Before the attack on Danata, Zedd was believed to have been vanquished. Instead he had been severely injured beyond his ability to heal and had been forced to wear a silver exoskeleton, which he has used ever since. However Zedd was infinitely weakened by his injuries and needed a way to regain his strength."

"So what did he do?" Jason asked.

"If he had returned to the Dark Zones he would no doubt have been able to heal himself. Instead he chose a more insidious method. Many years before the attack on Danata, a Zarakin child was born to the King and Queen of Danata. He was the pride and joy of the royal court, a baby of uncommon handsomeness and intelligence. He had a slight temper, but that trait has bred true throughout seven hundred generations of rulers, and extends to most of the planet as well. There was little chance that he would escape it.

The prince grew to become one of the most agile warriors Danata had ever seen. Graduating first in his class from the House of Swords, he was given the Sword of Fire, possession of which could only be revoked by his death or willing denouncement of the blade in favour of another. As he grew, it was thought that he would be one of the finest kings that the Zarakin Sector had ever known.

Then something happened, and to this day, no one knows what. Shortly before the attack the prince and his friend vanished for two days. When he returned, he was different in some way, but only those with the ability to see beyond the physical world, would have realised how different. During the first attack the truth was revealed: the prince was gone, his soul replaced by Zedd's evil essence. He physically transformed into Lord Zedd.

Many believe the prince was seduced by the dark powers and willingly gave up his body to Zedd. Until her death, his mother believed that it had taken him against his will; much like Rita did with Tommy. Regardless, since Zedd was no longer a pure demon he was severely weakened. He was an evil sorcerer, albeit one of great power, drawing on the darkest sectors of the Morphin Grid and given his weaker state, needed to work his way back through the ranks of evil once more."

"I thought we used the Grid," Jason frowned.

"You did and some of you still do. I am afraid that over your time as Rangers, I have failed to teach you what the Morphin Grid is and to correct some of the theories Billy has formed. The true Morphin Grid is nothing more or less than the network of energy flows that exist throughout this universe. How it was formed we cannot be sure, we cannot even say for certain that it does exist, but all evidence points us in that direction. The Morphin Grid in its purest form does not carry a single type of energy. However, it does carry the forces you recognise as magic and psychic energy inherent to our universe.

In addition, the Morphin Grid links this universe to an even great source of extra-universal energy that is both magical and psychic in nature. It is here that the pools of magic that you Rangers draw upon can be found. Long ago it was believed that these pools were a singular source and were called the Morphin Grid. The energy contained in these pools permeates the universe, where it is then tuned and separated to the polar extremes of being. Some power answers to the dark pole, some to the light, and power of one type will corrupt or dilute a power of the other. The Ranger powers are of the light side of the Grid, while Zedd draws from its darkest regions.

As a demon Zedd would have drawn directly from the energy pools without the need to use the Morphin Grid. Since he has used a Zarakin as a physical medium, he must instead rely on a type of sorcery to maintain his power. Other villains you have met are in a similar situation, having either possessed a mortal form or offered themselves to a demon in return for power. That is also why there seems to be no rhyme or reason in the shapes that many of the villains you face. The sorcerers among them have taken shapes closer to those of the demons they seek to channel, appearances that no true creature would ever wear. The demons that have possessed mortal forms have done their best to adapt their unwilling host to resemble their original bodies. That is why Master Vile looks so different from Rita."

"I always just thought she took after her mother," Jason replied.

"In a sense, she does. Rita is a witch. Her mother was a sorceress who drew her power from the demon named Vile. When she summoned him into this realm, Master Vile as he became known took over the body of a Sradin male. He reverted to that form just long enough for his wife to conceive Rita. Since Master Vile was not in his demonic form at the time, Rita appears human. As a witch she draws her power from objects into which magic has been infused. She does not have an alternate form. However, for a brief time she was a sorceress, using incantations and sacrifices to gain power from the Hell God Lokar.

Rito is Master Vile's younger child. He was conceived while Master Vile was in his demon form. That is why he looks the way he does.

I am a mage, drawing my power from a natural connection with the Morphin Grid. Rather than spells or incantations, I can use mental disciplines to summon and direct the power. There are many other classifications, but it would take too long to go into them now, and I have already strayed from my story.

The reborn Lord Zedd continued his career of evil for millennia, occasionally returning to Danata to ensure their armies remained weakened; during his initial strike he killed the wielders of the other Elemental Blades and had them destroyed before tossing their remains into space. On another of these expeditions, his Zarakin form sired a child, a boy named Zarador. Zarador is now the king of Danata, and one of my closest friends. He, along with the Council of Elders, managed to trap Lord Zedd upon his return to the planet.

Not having the heart to kill him out of concern that their prince had been taken from them unwillingly, they found a way to force him into a human form and isolate him from his more demonic powers, restoring some but not all of the prince they had loved. But they were unable to find a way to remove the demon's influence, nor decide if the being they were talking to was their prince or Zedd. Fearing he would find a way to regain his power or call for assistance, they sent him to a planet where he would fit in, but never be able to rise to power or send for help. They sent him to Earth, using a spell to ensure that his evil tendencies were curtailed. This was eighty years ago. In that time he had a number of relationships, the last one starting almost twenty years ago."

"Oh, no," Jamie said softly, closing her eyes. She had a feeling that she knew what Zordon was leading up to.

"On Earth, it seemed that the Zarakin prince resurfaced. He took the name Lawrence Zedden, created a past for himself, and fell in love with Leslie Corren. The two married and had a daughter, one whom they named Jamie."

Jamie smiled sickly. "Actually, they named her Jamaica, which she both hates and has been trying to live down ever since."

"Jamaica?" Jason raised an eyebrow.

"Hey, Mom was under pain medication! Give her a break."

"So you're Lord Zedd's daughter," Jason marvelled, picking up where Zordon's story left off.

She shrugged. "I guess so. For twelve years, Mom and I thought he died. I mean, they pulled a body from the river that had his ID and the right dental work, so we always thought that he was gone."

"Jamie, I am unclear on the details of Lord Zedd's return to power, but I believe that the body dragged from the river was your father's mortal body. I believe the minions sent by his subordinates to retrieve him found a way to partially restore his original body. Despite that, the fact remains that Zedd is alive and is your father, that your mother retained her maiden name and chose for you to use that name, suggests that Zedd had predicted such an event would occur."

"Great. Just great."

Jason put an arm around her shoulders. "Hey, I don't care if you are Zedd's daughter. I don't know how Tommy's going to take it, though."

"Why would he have a problem with it?"

"It's a long story."

"Jamie," Zordon broke in, "there is something else that you must know. If Zedd truly reverted to his demon self, any feelings he held for you and your mother would have been twisted into a possessiveness few have seen. According to Zarakin law, your parents are still married and in Zedd's eyes, that could mean you and your mother, belong to him. You are in his mind his property. This also means that Lord Zedd and Rita Repulsa are not really married, which may bode ill for you. Your mother is technically Zedd's queen and you his heir. With this revelation, Rita's standing has been pushed significantly downwards. And Rita Repulsa does not like to be replaced."

Jamie shivered at the thought of the Tengas attacking her mother. "I'm going to have to tell Mom all about this, Zordon. She has to know."

"I agree. I think the two of you should teleport back to Jamie's house and explain things to her."

"What am I going to do with this?" Jamie asked, raising her sword. "I feel like I need it with me, but how can I carry it all the time?"

"That is a natural feeling for those who carry the Elemental Swords. You can store it in a pocket in hyper space. Simply concentrate on putting it into a pocket." Jamie did so, and was surprised to see the sword disappear. "To retrieve it, simply imagine it in your hand." She concentrated again, and the blade appeared once more.

"Cool. And this pocket will go wherever I do?"

"Yes."

"Neat." She put the sword away again. "Any other interesting abilities I have?"

"Lord Zedd could tell you more about them than I."

As he watched the two youths, Zordon mused on the ironies of the situation. He briefly considered the implications of Zedd becoming interested in his earlier relationships. Zordon didn't know if there were any children from those affairs, but if there were then any descendants would be in almost as much danger as Jamie. These two obviously destined to be together, but set up to be practically mortal enemies. She was the daughter of the evilest villain in the known galaxy, and he was the epitome of what made a Ranger. Who would think that they would fall in love, and so soon after their first meeting? Sometimes, life just wasn't fair and for the first time ever Zordon wished that he didn't have his gift of prophecy. He could already see how this would develop and it saddened him greatly. Though both walked in the light, her heritage and abilities marked her as a creature of the shadows and sooner or later she would slip into a darker world where Jason could not hope to follow.

Jamie teleported into the hall of her house. Jason had agreed to wait in the Youth Center until she was done, sensing that this was something mother and daughter had to discuss alone. "Mom?" she called.

"In the kitchen, honey. Did you have a nice day? Buy anything deadly?"

"You could say that," Jamie grinned, entering the kitchen and leaning on a counter. Leslie looked up at her daughter and smiled.

"You look like you have something on your mind. Care to talk about it?"

Jamie studied her mother intently. It was obvious where Jamie got her looks. Leslie had the same red hair and short, slim build as her daughter, with a similar face and strong features. Only their eyes were different, Jamie's a smoky hazel; Leslie's a cool emerald green. Jamie had also inherited her toughness of spirit from her mother. Jamie had never run across something too unpleasant for her mother to handle, but she still hesitated to drop this particular bomb.

"Mom, the day you found out Dad was dead. You never really talked about it. You just said that the police called and told you his body was found in the river. What happened that day? Why were we living at Grandma's after that?"

Leslie sighed. She didn't really want to remember the events of that afternoon, but Jamie was certainly old enough to deserve the truth, and she wouldn't ask if it weren't important.

"I was doing something or other in the kitchen and you were watching "Sesame Street" in the living room. There was a knock at the door, and I opened it to see two men outside. They looked strange, uncomfortable, like they didn't belong there and they knew it. They said they were friends of your father and wanted to talk to me inside. I didn't like the looks of them, so I said no. They insisted, so I shut the door in their faces and headed back towards the kitchen. That was when the door blew in."

Jamie jumped. The door blew in? None of this was part of her memories of that time. She couldn't remember much from before she was five. Still, she had never imagined that her mother's story was so violent.

"Larry had been afraid that something like this would happen, although he'd never told me why, and he'd trained me in what to do. I picked you up, headed for the car, and peeled out of there. The next thing I knew, they were chasing us. I was never so glad for those driving courses he made me take. I threw everything I had into the chase, and I lost them.

I couldn't go home, of course, so I took you to Grandma's. Later, I learned that our house had been set on fire. Very little had survived. For a while, the police even thought that we had died in the fire. Once they realised that we were alive, they called Grandma's to tell me about Larry. It was almost too much. If it hadn't been for you, I would have given up. To this day, I don't know who those men were or what they wanted. Why are you bringing this up now?"

Jamie sighed and took her mother's hands in her own. "Mom, I have something I need to tell you."

In the Lunar Palace, Lord Zedd was listening to Goldar's snivelling explanation with mounting impatience. He was about ready to blow a hole in the ceiling when something Goldar said caught his attention. "A girl, you say," Zedd asked, leaning forward. "Red hair, about 17?"

"Yes, my lord."

"And she was able to call on the sword's powers?"

"Yes, Lord Zedd."

"Hmm," Zedd mused. Common sense told him it was impossible, but nevertheless, his heart began to pound. "She must have been a half-breed Zarakin. Let me see this girl!" Zedd's eyebeams shot down towards Earth, magically allowing him to see what he wanted. As he did so, a duplicate of the image formed in front of his henchmen. "Goldar, is this the girl?"

"Yes, my lord." The image was of Jamie talking with her mother in the kitchen. Zedd's breath caught in what passed for his throat. He couldn't recognize the girl; too many years had passed. The woman, however, was as familiar as his own name. He dreamed about her every night.

"Leslie," he whispered.

"Leslie?" Rita asked.

Zedd whirled on her. "That's my wife!" Rita paled. "She's alive!"

"What- what does that mean for us?" Rita managed.

"I don't know. I'll have to think about this." Confused, Zedd clutched at his head as if he were debating with himself what should be done next. "Goldar," he said finally. "Take a squad of Tengas and get them, I don't care how. Bring me Leslie and my daughter. Burn their home and dispose of any witnesses. I will decide what to do when they are here. Now go!"

With a deep bow, Goldar disappeared, as Rita left, muttering to herself. With a loud sigh Zedd walked out onto the Moon's surface and headed in the direction of his former palace. He needed a place suitable for his children; Leslie would make an excellent ambassador when he conquered the planet. He was already planning how to make them a part of his evil dynasty.

It had taken a fair amount of arguing, not to mention an exploded toaster, but Jamie had finally convinced her mother of the truth of her story. Now Leslie was trying to deal with the realization that her daughter was a super hero, her husband, whom she had presumed dead, was a space alien, and his current wife was probably hiring an avian hit squad to attack them even now. She was taking it rather well.

"So, what are the vulnerable areas on a Tenga?" Leslie asked calmly. Jamie blinked for a second, then grinned. Very little fazed her mother for long.

"Eyes, throat, beak, the usual," Jamie replied, miming a knee to a sensitive area. Leslie winced.

"So these are male birds?" Jamie just shrugged. Suddenly, the room was filled with a hail of feathers.

"Looks like you'll get a chance to find out!" Jamie called, dropping into a fighting position as Goldar and the Tengas materialized. Both sides prepared for a fight.

"NOT IN THE HOUSE!" Leslie bellowed, startling all the combatants into silence. "We can just take this outside," she informed them all. "You have no idea how long it took me to clean the floor this morning."

Goldar and the Tengas looked at each other sheepishly then walked out the back door. Jamie and Leslie looked at each other for a moment, and then Jamie teleported them both to the Power Chamber. They materialized in the middle of the room, holding on to each other.

"Well, I suppose I'm going to have to get used to that," Leslie sighed, taking in her surroundings. "So this is that Power Chamber you were telling me about?"

"It is indeed," Zordon boomed. "Welcome, Mrs Zedden. I am Zordon, mentor to the Power Rangers. May I congratulate you on a rather ingenious way of escaping the Tengas? However did you think of that?"

Leslie shrugged. "Even things like those had to have mothers. Some behaviours are just universal."

"Where are Goldar and the Tengas now, Zordon?" Jamie asked.

"They have apparently returned to the Moon and are relating their failure to Rita as we speak. I doubt that they will show up for a while, but in case they do, Mrs Zedden, I would like you to have this communicator. Jamie, I have made one for you, as well." Leslie received a grey and white wristband, while Jamie's was simply grey. "Should you be attacked, simply touch the large button. It will teleport you here instantly."

"Thank you," Leslie replied, buckling the band onto her wrist. "I had better go home. I had a cake in the oven that will probably need my attention soon." With that, she teleported out.

"I'd better head to the Youth Center myself. I told Jason I'd meet him there, and I think it's time the other Rangers knew about me. I'll see you later." She also teleported out, in a grey rush. Zordon smiled to himself. It was good to see that the old allies were still willing to stand by the Rangers.

"So you're Zedd's daughter?" Kat asked in astonishment. Jamie nodded. Jason had contacted all the Rangers and asked them to meet in the park. Once everybody arrived, he and Jamie had taken turns telling the story of her origin, powers, and battle with the Tengas earlier. Now everyone was watching Tommy nervously, wondering how he would react to this particular bit of news.

"Hey, that's cool with me," he replied seriously. "I try to judge people by their actions, not their parentage. Besides, in a way, I'm glad Zedd's your dad."

"Why?" Jamie asked.

Tommy grinned. "Because that means he's not mine." Everyone laughed, and the conversation turned to other things. While everyone was talking and horsing around, Jamie and Tommy slipped off to one side.

"How do you feel about being Zedd's daughter?" he asked her, no more humour in his tone.

"I don't really know. I mean, I'm sort of glad that my dad's alive because I still love him and I always will. On the other hand, who wants to find out that their dad's a slime ball? Still, I don't really feel the way one of you might. I never really knew him as a villain. It's going to take me awhile to get the idea absorbed. Then we'll talk about it."

He sighed. "You know, I meant what I just said out there. I've always known I was adopted, and after I found out that there seem to be some- oddities about me and David, like the fact that we're danger-prone, and some minor discrepancies on scans, I've been worried that maybe my parents were, if not Zedd and someone else, at least someone evil. Knowing I'm not Zedd's kid is a bit of a load off my mind."

"How do you know you're not?" she grinned up at him. His eyes were fascinating, dark and extremely perceptive. If only they weren't so sad.

"Oh, just a hunch," he grinned back. "Maybe it's the fact that I'm not a short redhead."

Laughing, she dragged him back towards the group. Jamie had a feeling that she and Tommy were going to be good friends. She didn't know that other forces had a very different view of how her relationship with Tommy would evolve.

On the Moon, Finster had been sent to find Zedd. He eventually tracked him down to the castle and having found it intact, was trying to make at least part of it liveable again. Finster realised suddenly that Zedd was back in his Zarakin body, a tall man with sandy hair and hazel eyes. The man stared wistfully out the big bay window in what had been the throne room, looking at the earth.

"I miss her, Finster," Zedd said suddenly, startling the little gnome. He had not realised that the man knew he was there.

"Rita?" replied Finster sceptically.

Zedd actually laughed, a rather pleasant sound. "Hardly. Rita is the most evil woman I know, her every screech excites me, but it's not enough for me to say I would miss her. Besides, I mean Leslie. She'll never want to see me again, of course, but I wish I could go back."

"Well, if you weren't trying to enslave your daughters, that might speed the reconciliation."

Zedd chuckled again. "It might at that. But alas Jamie, if she is still alive, is my daughter and belongs at my side. If she won't obey me, I have no choice other than to treat her like I would any other enemy. And Leslie... she's mine by right of marriage." He sighed. "I want you to begin a check on Larry Zedden and what he did during his time on Earth. If he had other children that he's somehow - hiding from me, I want to know."

"Of course Lord Zedd," Finster agreed. "I assumed you would ask and have already found a list of women he had a relationship with. As far as I can tell, none of the relationships resulted in offspring."

Zedd nodded, Larry was too honourable to leave a woman with child. Still if those relationships had been close then the women were technically his and their offspring were his to claim if he desired. He didn't have any legal claim to them, but the demon was possessive.

"Find out if these women had children. If so, bring them here. They can still be of use."

"Yes Lord Zedd," Finster nodded.

"Right, now I'm going to get some sleep." Absently, he reached out for the staff that lay against one wall, and then stopped. "It'll be safe enough there until morning, I suppose." Leaving the staff behind, Zedd headed for his bedroom.

A few days later and morning came peacefully to Angel Grove. A few of the citizens talked about the shooting stars from the night before, but they were in a minority. For the most part such events were common place in the Freak Zone and those who did care simply wrote it off as yet another side-effect of the Power Rangers' never-ending battle against evil. Little fazed Angel Groveites anymore. On the campus of the Price School of Arts and Science, Katarina was taking a walk with her closest friend, Christina Collins.

"I still don't know how you do it, Katya," Christina sighed, shaking her head. Her long auburn hair stirred slightly in the breeze. "You dance, you kickbox, you have a boyfriend, and you keep up with your school work! Where do you find the time?"

Katarina laughed, her violet eyes twinkling. "Well, for one thing, I don't study obsessively, like you do. You, spend more time studying than any three students I know. Besides, I don't have a boyfriend. Rocky and I are just friends. So our study dates really are just that. Kickboxing doesn't take up much more time than dancing. I admit I'm on the go a lot, but since I'm usually with my friends, it's really a lot of fun. You should come along with us sometime. You'd probably enjoy yourself."

"Right. Hang out with a bunch of people I don't know, and run myself ragged trying to keep my grades straight. No thanks, Katya."

"If you'd cut down on the studying a little and maybe relax the ballet, you'd still be the best in the school, and you'd have more time for yourself. You don't have to kickbox like I do, so that's some free time right there."

Christina's blue eyes sparkled as she prepared to answer her friend, but an odd expression suddenly crossed her face. "That's odd. Do you hear something?"

"Where?"

"Over there, off to the right," Christina pointed at the empty space. On the ground were two small rings, one with a white stone, the other with a silver gem. "That's impossible, they weren't here before," she said as she picked up the white one. Katarina did the same with the silver gem.

Before Katarina could reply, they noticed Finster standing in front of them, backed up by an army of Tengas.

"My master Lord Zedd wishes for you to join him," Finster told them.

"Why?" Katarina asked.

"Because he wishes it," the aged monster maker explained as the Tengas advanced.

"Oh look, birds," Katarina sneered, wondering where these words were coming from. "I've heard about Lord Zedd on the news. If you think we're going to go with you, you are out of your mind." She settled into a fighting stance. Gingerly, Christina did the same. She had no formal martial arts training, but her years of ballet had given her a phenomenal agility, and hanging out with Katarina had taught her a few things about handling herself in a fight. Right now, she just wished she knew what was going on.

"If you insist," Finster sighed, wondering why he had been given this assignment. "Tengas attack!" The birds rushed the girls, but before the fight could begin weapon fire erupted around them, throwing the Tengas backwards with a dual jet of solid air.

"Well, this evens things up a bit, doesn't it?" Blue Zeo chuckled. "Shall we dance?"

The Tengas looked at each other in confusion. Any debate was solved by the other Zeo Rangers teleporting in. and Finster, realizing that he had lost whatever chance he had of seizing the two girls was gone, disappeared as quickly as he had come.

"Are you two all right?" Red Zeo asked worriedly.

"What just happened?" Katarina asked.

"Rita and Zedd's forces don't stick around when the odds are against them. At least their most intelligent forces don't. Don't worry, we'll be watching in case they decide to try again," Red Zeo promised. Then in a flash of colours the Rangers teleported away.

Maguire's Leap was the last outpost of vegetation along the old Angel Grove highway. Beyond the bluff, the yellow grass and sagebrush gave way to the true desert that California is really composed of. It was warm out here, temperatures in the mid-60's. Sitting under a stunted and rather lonely tree, Lillian O'Neil looked out over the desert, wondering if that band of grey on the horizon was a cloud or a band of Los Angeles smog. A cloud, she decided. They were really too far north to get smog from LA. Shifting position, she sighed. California appealed to her, just like it appealed to the rest of the family. It wasn't that she didn't want to travel; it was just that she didn't want to live anywhere else. That's why she was heading to Crossworld University for college. The town was close enough to home that she could visit, but far enough away that she'd be getting a real "going away experience." Besides, Crossworld U had a great chemistry program, the city had lots of martial arts studios, and for excitement, there was always the VR Troopers.

She grinned to herself. Her friends thought she was crazy, trading in one set of monster-fighting super heroes for another, but she liked danger. She didn't go looking for trouble, but when trouble came, she rather enjoyed handling it. Living in Crossworld promised just the kind of excitement she was looking for.

Suddenly, a bright flash of light caught her eye. "Hey, what's that?" she wondered, noticing something glinting in the sunlight. Searching in the grass she uncovered a small ring with a black stone. "Pretty," she commented before slipping it into her pocket. Her expression blanked for a moment and then she went back to her daydreaming about Tommy Oliver, her recent discovery forgotten.

Although she had not wanted to admit it to Randi, he had made an impression on her. He was tall, handsome, and very nice. She'd liked him since the moment she met him, four years. Still, it was silly to fantasize about the two of them. There was only this school year, plus three months for the summer, and then it was off to college for all of them. Lillian sighed again. That wasn't so short a time, she decided. People made do with less. Maybe she and Tommy could develop a friendship in that time. A girl could never have enough friends.

If the Rangers thought Rita and Zedd would give up after one failed kidnap attempt, they were mistaken. Through careful research Finster had discovered that both girls were descendants of those who had had some sort of relationship with Larry Zedden. And while that in no way made them related to Zedd, the demon had decided that the link was enough for him to claim them as servants to his court. That the Rangers had bothered rescuing the two girls had suggested that they were friends, even though Katarina was unaware that her friend was the Blue Zeo Ranger and Christina had very little to do with Tommy Oliver and his friends. He planned to find a way to use that friendship, just as he would use everything else they possessed to his advantage. It was a few days later when the attackers had returned in force and the Rangers had been thrown into battle.

"Tommy, we are getting our butts handed to us out here!" Jamie cried, as yet another of Zedd's Z-Putties sent her sprawling. A combination of magic and technology allowed Jamie to disguise her features. While not a Power Ranger, the sword gave her the endurance needed to deal with Zedd's goons. A bolt of energy from her sword turned her opponent into a mound of clay.

"No kidding! We can't give up, though. Weapons, everybody! Zeo V Power Sword!" Red Ranger called.

"Zeo IV Power Hatchet!"

"Zeo III Arm Blades!"

"Zeo II Nunchuks!"

"Zeo I Power Shield!"

"Golden Power Staff!"

"All right, people!" Red Ranger called. "Let's kick some butt!"

The Rangers launched themselves at their enemies, but found themselves extremely outnumbered. "Any more bright ideas?" Green Ranger asked.

"Yeah. Divide and conquer. Split up into teams of two and take 'em!"

"But Tommy, there's seven of us!" Blue Ranger yelled.

"I'll take on some by myself. Get going!" The other Rangers scattered, doing as ordered. Red Ranger, fighting by himself, soon realized that he was gravely outnumbered. Still, he fought on, hoping to buy his friends the time they needed to defeat the one of Zedd's monsters called The Shifter. It was able to assume any identity it wanted, making it a real pain in the butt to fight in groups. You couldn't tell who you were fighting. Worst of all, there seemed to be no way of making it unable to change, as Zedd had eliminated the original weakness of Primator. The battle had not been going well for the Rangers.

The Rangers regrouped after destroying the Z-Putties. All of them turned to face the Shifter.

Forming its arms into blades, the monster attacked, slicing effortlessly through the material of the Rangers' suits. It scored several hits on each Ranger, but was obviously targeting Red Ranger.

"Tommy!" Pink Ranger cried, as the leader of the Rangers slumped to the ground, bleeding freely from at least a dozen places.

"Oh you've done it now," Jamie warned, her temper getting the better of her. "Mess with my friends and you're going to get it!" A bolt of purple energy shot from her hands, exploding against the chest as purple flames. A hefty kick shattered the rapidly cooled ash into a billion pieces.

After checking the monster was not going to behave like the machines in the movies, the Rangers then turned to where their leader lay fallen. After waiting for his wounds to heal sufficiently they teleported away, hoping that Rita and Zedd would give up for the day, but knowing such an idea was unlikely. The whole group then teleported back to the Power Chamber.

"Ai yi yi!" Alpha cried, seeing the Rangers teleport in. "What happened to Tommy?"

"Zedd's latest goon happened," Gold Ranger replied violently, ripping his helmet off and slamming it down on a console. "Zordon, what is going on here? Ranger suits are made of UMF, unstable molecular fabric. It's supposed to be completely unrippable, yet Zedd's creation was able to cut through it like it was butter. What happened?"

Zordon sighed. "UMF can only be cut with a mono-molecular edge. It appears Zedd, has discovered how to equip his monsters with this, no doubt stealing the knowledge from Mondo. Unfortunately, I know of no way to reinforce your suits. I am afraid that you will just have to be even more careful when in battle."

Tommy woke up with a few hours later with a headache, which practically screamed for Excedrin. Two or three bottles worth. "Either that, or I could just shoot myself," he grumbled, sitting up. He teleported away, hoping that some air would help.

"Feeling better?" a voice behind him asked. He turned to see Lillian sitting on the ground beside him. At his questioning glance she explained: "Your friends said you weren't feeling well." She tried talking to him for a few minutes but it soon became clear he was not in the mood for conversation. "I can see I caught you at the wrong time. I'll speak to you again."

"Wait!" he called, grimacing as the noise made his headache worse. "I was wondering. Would you like to go to dinner and a movie with me tomorrow night? I've been trying to get up the guts to call you ever since the dance."

She flashed him a dazzling smile. "I'd love to. Meet you at the theatre at eight?"

He grinned. "Actually, I was hoping you could pick me up. My car's in the shop, and I live too far from the theatre to walk."

She chuckled. "Sure, I can pick you up- if you don't mind riding a motorcycle. Where do you live?" He gave her his address, and she promised to pick him up at seven-thirty. Then she moved off, leaving him alone with his thoughts.

The next evening, Tommy was nervously waiting for Lillian to come pick him up. His parents had been ecstatic to learn that he had a date. Teddy had been ecstatic as well, but for a different reason, now that Tommy had a date, the heavy-duty teasing could begin.

When the doorbell rang, Tommy nearly knocked both his parents over running to answer it. Outside, Lillian stood, dressed in black jeans, a blue silk shirt, and a black leather jacket. In her hands, she held a black motorcycle helmet that bore an interesting resemblance to the one she wore the night before. Tommy raised an eyebrow, and she chuckled. "I've had it for about a year and a half, ever since I turned sixteen and bought myself a motorcycle. Come on, I'm parked right by the curb."

Tommy waved goodbye to his parents and followed her out the door, grabbing his own leather jacket as he did so. When she reached the motorcycle, she lifted the seat up and pulled another helmet out of the compartment beneath. This one was red, a crimson colour which showed up well even in the moonlight. Lillian handed it to him and mounted the bike. Tommy pulled the helmet on and settled in behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist.

"You like this arrangement?" she asked, sounding amused.

"Oh, yeah," he grinned. "I should ride motorcycles more often," he responded, squeezing gently. This time, when she chuckled, he could feel her stomach muscles rippling.

"I'll hold you to that," she replied. "Hold on!" She started the bike and roared off into the night.

After the movie, they went to dinner at Mario's, the best Italian restaurant in Angel Grove. Tommy watched, slightly amazed, as Lillian consumed an order of cannelloni that would have made Rocky pause, and finished it off with a large helping of spumoni. "How do you eat that much?" Tommy asked, fascinated.

"I have a Black Belt in Tiger Kung Fu," she told him, swallowing. "I practice every day, and Tiger is a very energetic, powerful style. It burns a lot of calories. I need it too since I don't have many friends to back me up, I really am a loner. Oh, sure, I have a few friends, but nobody really close until now. I've never- dated anyone before you, either."

Tommy's jaw dropped. "You mean, this isn't just our first date, it's your first date ever?"

She nodded, unable to meet his eyes.

"Why?"

She shrugged. "Well, no one ever asked me, and there wasn't anyone I liked well enough to ask. I guess I was scared of rejection. As a result, I kind of have the reputation of being a cold fish. I never really bothered me all that much. People ignored me, I ignored them back. I didn't really need anyone, or so I told myself."

"Weren't you lonely?" Tommy asked softly, remembering his days as the Green Ranger. Even when he hadn't been losing his powers, or under a spell, or bearing the brunt of Rita's latest little trick, there had been an indefinable barrier between him and the other Rangers. It might have been of his own making; it certainly wasn't of theirs. It was certainly there, though, a mental and physical separation, an attitude of "I don't need them, so if I lose them, it won't hurt so much." The only problem was the loneliness. He had been filled with it, utter and consuming. If it hadn't been for Kimberly and Jason, - Tommy shook his head, dispelling his dark thoughts. The important thing was that they had reached him, had broken through his wall, and brought him out. Those days were over now, and even though he had accepted them, he didn't have to dwell on them.

"Yes, I was lonely," Lillian admitted, drawing him back to the conversation. "I just didn't admit it, even to myself. I always told myself that I was happier on my own, where I didn't have to live up to other people's expectations. I said I was just a loner by nature. What I really was- was a coward. I was too afraid to take a risk, for fear of being hurt."

"You're not alone anymore, Lillian," he told her, looking into her eyes. "I'm here for you. I know what you're feeling. In a way, we're very alike. I'll always be here to listen."

She took his hand and held it for a moment. "Thanks, Tommy. That means a lot to me."

They stared at each other for a second before the silence became uncomfortable. "So why did you buy a motorcycle instead of a car?" he asked curiously.

"One, it was a good deal cheaper. Two, I like motorcycles. They're fast, they're responsive, they're really a lot more fun than cars. I'm an adrenaline junkie. Cars are boring."

"I'm sorry I asked," Tommy chuckled. The two teens then reapplied themselves to their desserts, their conversation turning to other things.

**To be continued**

Disclaimer: I do not own the Power Rangers, they belong to the respective copyright owners. Large sections of this story were originally written by Ellen Brand and featured in her series Personality Conflicts. They are used with permission and I thank Ellen for allowing me to do this. Lillian, Jamie, Christina and Katarina are COE versions of Lillian O'Neil, Jamie Zedden, Christina Collins and Katarina Petronov from Personality Conflicts. The original names and their characters are the property of either Ellen Brand or Jennifer Bigley.

**Ties the Bind Part 3 - Enemies Bound by Purpose **

"Beautiful day for a walk, isn't it?" Jamie asked, looking up at the cloudless blue sky.

"Yes, it is," replied Jason.

"Sure thing." The two teens had turned in the direction of Jason's house when a horde of foot soldiers teleported in, blocking their path.

"Just what we don't need right now," Jason grumped. He didn't recognise the scarecrow like warriors although he sensed that they posed a very real threat. He allowed himself to wonder whether this was a new move on Rita and Zedd's part, or whether there was a new player involved. He did realise when the battle started that while unrelenting, they were stoppable, a hard kick to the head was enough to literally knock the stuffing out of them.

"It's Morphin Time! Red Ranger Power!"

Nothing happened.

"Something's stopping me from morphing," he commented.

"So I noticed," Jamie replied. She summoned her sword. "Stay behind me," she ordered. "Come on scarecrows, let's rock."

The fight was brutal. Jamie was like living lightning, carving through the Crowmen as if they were nothing at all. Jason joined in, discovering that any blow that exposed the Crowmens' straw innards, was sufficient to disable the new fighters. He was doing well until a black clad arm curled around his shoulders and something sharp and cold was pressed against his throat.

"Enough playing, drop the sword, girl," the Crow Master ordered. Jamie whirled to see Jason held hostage by the heavily cloaked figure, a sharp sickle resting against his throat.

"Drop Jason," she returned sharply, "or I drop you."

Crow Master laughed contemptuously. "You aren't carrying a gun, Ranger. And despite your abilities with that sword, there is no way that you could reach me in time to save your lover here."

Jamie raised an eyebrow, but decided not to debate her relationship with Jason with some wacko. "If you kill him, there won't be enough of you left to build a toaster, I can promise you that."

Crow Master shrugged. "Perhaps I didn't make myself clear. I hate mankind and would love to see this one dead. I would gladly suffer the effort of losing a sword fight to you and having to find a replacement body to carry it off. However, as much as I want that, I have another agenda, one that requires you meat sacks alive. Now, I'll be happy to go with either agenda. The spirits will be angry with me for denying them their treat, but I'm very good at planning on the run. You, therefore, have the choice. Do I gut the Red Ranger, or do you surrender to me and buy the both of you some time?"

Jamie sighed, then dropped the sword into the grass, where some Crowmen quickly recovered it.

"Excellent!" Crow Master laughed, a strange sound from such an insane woman. "Now, if you'll both accompany me, I have some matters to attend to which require your presence." Two Crowmen grabbed Jamie's arms roughly, and the whole group disappeared in a column of corn dust.

They materialized in a cavern. Jason groaned. "Not another weird space. I'm getting so sick of these things that I could just hurl."

Crow Master laughed, clearly amused. "No, not a weird space as such, more of a Quasi-world. This place doesn't exist in your world, but it is here that I produce my Crowmen. Not much comfort, but look on the bright side. You won't be staying that long and in death you'll be helping me to revive my master." Jason and Jamie were shoved into a small, dead-end side passage. Bars of stone slid into place across the opening, sealing them in and confirming that despite appearances, they were not on the farm.

"Not to be cliché," Jamie sighed, "but what are you planning on doing to us?"

"Both of you have a link to the Morphin Grid," Crow Master replied. "His link is stronger than yours, but every little helps. I intend to drain that energy and use it to revive my master."

"Oh please," Jason grumbled.

"I take it this isn't the first time this has happened?" Jamie asked.

"Remind me sometime and I'll tell you about it," Jason promised. "Seriously, this has been done so many times it's not funny."

"How true," Crow Master agreed. "Unfortunately it is necessary. My Crowmen are exceptional creatures, but they lack the Morphin energy I require. Their very existence drains my powers, so I need another source. You will be that source, and when you're gone, I'll find one of your friends to replace you. This cavern is magically enchanted to leech energy from your link to the Morphin Grid by absorbing your life force and turning it into something I can use. The stronger your link to the Power, the longer you'll last.

Jason, as Red Ranger, you have three hours at most before you lapse into unconsciousness, and two hours after that you will be a lifeless husk. Your little girlfriend might stay awake almost two hours; Zarakins have a way of drawing on their environment in times of need. I assure you that she'll surely die after four. It will be a quick death and I guarantee it will be anything but painless. Still, at least you won't have to watch her die." Laughing maniacally, he teleported out, leaving the two teens to their fate.

Letting out a long, frustrated breath, Jamie sank down against the far wall. Almost reluctantly, Jason joined her. "We'll get out of this, you know," he told her. "The others will save us."

She nodded. "I know. I'm just tired."

He wrapped his arms around her neck and smiled at her. "It'll be all right. We'll be okay."

In the Power Chamber, chaos didn't just reign, it poured. An old joke, perhaps, but it was exactly what had popped into Rocky DeSantos's mind as he watched his friends attempt to find Jason and Jamie. Zordon had called and alerted the Rangers to Crow Master's attack, but by the time the Rangers had arrived, no one was there. Although they had not recognised Crow Master, the Rangers, especially Adam, were trying to find their missing friends, but to no avail.

"Ai yi yi, Zordon!" Alpha cried. "I can't get a fix on them. Someone seems to have blocked off every avenue of tracking!"

"Power Chamber, please respond. I know you're not going to want to talk to me, but this is urgent! Power Chamber, please respond." A strange voice floated through the room, coming from the speakers near the viewing globe. As one, the Rangers turned toward the globe and saw the image of a man, in his mid-forties, with sandy brown hair and hazel eyes.

"Zedd, what do you want?" Zordon asked, startling all the Rangers. They had known that Zedd had once stolen the body that had resembled a human, but the knowledge hadn't really sunk in. It was hard for them to equate this rather handsome man with the image of Zedd that they were used to.

"Damn it, Zordon, my daughter is missing! All I want is to get her back! I can't do it alone, and I don't think you can, either. If we pool our resources, though, maybe we can find her. I'm asking for a truce, please. For Jamie's sake."

Something in the man's eyes touched Tommy's spirit. Despite all the hatred he had built up for Zedd over the past few years, Tommy believed him. With all his evil, Zedd obviously cared about his daughter very much. He wouldn't try a double-cross until Jamie was safe. "I say do it," Tommy replied, his voice hard as steel.

"I agree, Tommy. Zedd, stand by for teleportation into the Power Chamber."

A flash of red light, and Lord Zedd in his human form stood before them. "I know we are enemies, Rangers," he said, "but my daughter's life is at stake. I will not put her in jeopardy, no matter what."

Tommy nodded. "Understood. What do you think you can do that we can't?"

Zedd sighed. "First, I can lower your search field somewhat. This thing, Crow Master, he has them somewhere in either a terrasect or weird space on Earth."

"How do you know this?" Tanya asked with a mix of curiosity and suspicion.

"First, they can't be on the moon, or I would know. You can't hide a Ranger's power from me when they're that close. They can't be any farther away, because those Crowmen are incompatible with long-distance transportation spells. That leaves Earth, and the only places on Earth that he could shield are other dimensions."

"Anything else?" Adam asked.

"Yes. I know how these things work, and I could help you search for them. I also have this." Out of a sub-space pocket, he pulled out a sword, which bore a great resemblance to Jamie's. "This is the twin of her blade, constructed from the spoils of war, it has a few added abilities. One of those included the ability to find its brother sword."

"So why couldn't you just use it yourself?" Tanya asked suspiciously.

"I don't have the power or the range to penetrate those places mentally."

"But we do," Kat remarked, light dawning in her face.

Inhaling deeply, Rocky took the sword's hilt in both hands. Closing his eyes, he sent his mind ranging out over the dimensions. The magic of the sword seemed to guide him, and very soon, he found what he sought.

"I found them!" he cried, her eyes flying open. "She has them in a terrasect whose entrance is in a cave in the Angel Grove hills. Unfortunately, she's put up a barrier around the area. We can't get to them." The Rangers deflated. "There's worse news," he continued. "She's draining their life forces. They both have three hours to live, I'm afraid. Jamie is being drained faster than he is, but is feeding from the environment. She may actually have more time. It's hard for me to tell." At Rocky's revelation, Zedd's face went chalky white, and Tommy knew that he hadn't made a mistake in his judgment of the older man.

"If only we could get to them," Tanya sighed.

"I'm working as fast as I can," grumbled Adam.

Jason came awake slowly at first, unwilling to leave his dream of taking Emily to Prom. Reality was stubborn about inserting itself, however, and he soon became conscious of the hard stone lying beneath him and Jamie lying beside him. With great effort, he turned to her, and was alarmed at what he saw. Jamie's skin, always redhead-fair, was now dead white, and her breathing was shallow. He had to get her out of there before it was too late for both of them. But how? He was too weak to lift a finger, much less break stone bars. If he had his Ranger powers, things might be different, but they were blocked.

Or were they. Suddenly, Jason had an idea. His Morphin powers had been blocked when they had been fighting the Crowmen, but perhaps the Crow Master had forgotten to block them here. It would be risky, especially if the magic that had already left him weakened drained them as well. And he would only get one shot at it, after which his body would be too tired from the effort to try again.

Focussing his energies, Jason reached down into himself before drawing his morpher, looking for the core of power, which resided within him. Feeling it flood him, he cried out. "Red Ranger Power!" Scarlet light flashed, and when it cleared, Jason was standing up, feeling completely normal. ~Not much time,~ he thought to himself, noticing that already the edges of his uniform were flickering. ~Let's go!~ Aiming his Blade Blaster at the bars of his cage, he fired, blowing the door to smithereens. He turned back to Jamie and gently picked her up in his arms. Then he dashed down the corridor.

About halfway along, he ran into a troop of Crowmen. One just happened to be carrying Jamie's sword. Placing Jamie behind a rock for safekeeping, Jason opened fired, pleased to see that they were also vulnerable to heat. The Crowmen were quickly disposed of, and Jason moved on, this time with Jamie and her sword.

He made it out of the barn without further incident and quickly realised that it had been an illusion. In truth the Crow Master had kept them in a cave. He also knew that he wasn't going to be able to go much further. His vision was beginning to blur and his knees were weakening as the effects of the cell caught up with him. In his arms, Jamie started to stir, and he put her down.

"Jason?" she asked groggily, coming to full awareness slowly.

"Sorry, that's as far as my powers go," he told her.

"So much for the great prison break!" Jamie looked up to see Crow Master sneering down at her. Slowly, she rose, her sword clenched in one hand.

"Okay, I told you earlier. Mess with Jason and you'll be sorry."

Crow Master summoned a deadly looking scythe. "Foolish girl! I don't think you're quite recovered from the effects of my energy drain yet. I doubt you can keep up with me."

Jamie just set her grip. Crow Master was right, of course. Her vision was blurry and her muscles were weak. She probably couldn't defeat him. However, she damn well wasn't going to let him know that. "C'mon, rag head. Let's roll."

"They're out of the cave!" Adam cried. "Jason's collapsed, Jamie's fighting with... whoever that is."

"And that damn field's still up!" Billy protested, "I can't get us in."

"Maybe you can't get in," Zedd replied, "but I can." He disappeared in a flash of red light.

With a lightning-quick manoeuvre, Crow Master knocked the sword from Jamie's hand. A swift kick dropped her heavily to the ground. "Good-bye, child," he laughed, lifting his scythe above his head. It streaked down towards her face, and Jamie closed her eyes, not wanting to see.

CLANG! The sound of metal striking on metal caused Jamie's eyes to fly open. Crow Master's stroke had been blocked by a 'z' ended staff. Holding it was a tall man with sandy hair. He darted a look back over his shoulder to make sure Jamie was all right, and she gasped.

"Dad?" she whispered.

"Well, well, the mighty Lord Zedd," Crow Master remarked. "I've heard of you, but I didn't expect to see you here."

"Obviously. Otherwise you would have made your shield to keep me out, too." The air was filled with the sound of clashing metal as Zedd and Crow Master sparred. "You mess with my property and you're going to regret it."

"Ha!" he scoffed. "Do you really think you can beat me? I am the Crow Master, born of the seeds of evil. You are no match for my power!"

"I have yet to see any power," Zedd replied, hurling a fireball at him, which he blocked. "Yes, I see it all now. You are nothing, a two bit nobody with a speck of magical ability trying to make a name for himself. You're not worth preserving, unless you tell me who sent you, who is this master that you wish to revive?"

The Crow Master laughed and tried to attack again, prompting Zedd to throw another fireball. This time the Crow Master did not manage to block it and was incinerated. Concerned, Zedd turned back to his daughter.

"Jamie, are you all right?"

"I'm a little dizzy, but other than that, I'm fine," she lied. Actually, she was exhausted, but she wasn't going to let Zedd know that.

"Come along, we need to get you and your - friend to the Power Chamber."

Jamie did as she was told, wondering how on Earth Zedd was going to get into the Power Chamber. Her question was answered when she felt all three of them dissolve into their component molecules. When they reformed, the Rangers were staring at them. Gently, Zedd and Jamie laid Jason down on a convenient table.

"He's fine," Zedd informed them. "Just exhausted from using his powers in the middle of an energy drain."

Not trusting Zedd's diagnosis, Kat stepped forward and carried out a short examination of her friend.

"He'll be all right," she told them. Turning to Zedd, she smiled warmly at him. "Thank you."

"I didn't do it for free," he told her before turning to Jamie. "You are mine and no other may claim you... Anything else is irrelevant" He turned towards Tommy. "Our truce is ended, Rangers. When I leave here, everything goes back to normal."

Tommy nodded. "Understood." In a flash of red light, Zedd disappeared. Tommy turned to Jamie. "Are you all right?" he asked, concerned.

She nodded. "Nothing about ten hours sleep won't cure. Alpha, drag me out another one of those pallets, would you? I think I'm going to sleep right here."

"Rangers, the rest of you should go home. I will call you when your friends awaken." Nodding, the Rangers teleported out, except Jamie, who had already fallen fast asleep.

In his lunar fortress, Zedd sat, staring absently into space. Finster tiptoed around the corridors, having learned not to disturb his master in this mood. Zedd was deep in thought. Why had he helped save the Scott boy when he could have left him there? It went contrary to all logic. He should have let the brat die and danced at his funeral. Instead, the Rangers would be as strong as ever. There was no explanation for his actions.

~Simple, your saving him made your daughter happy. If he'd died she would have hated you. So long as she doesn't hate you, even if she doesn't love you, she can be turned.~

Absently, he reached out and took his staff. Soon, his eyes were glowing the same red as the staff. Things were much clearer now. There would be no more truces with the Rangers. He would destroy them one by one, and if Jamie refused to join him or got in the way, too bad. He was not going to let a snip of a girl cause his downfall.

**To be continued**

Disclaimer: I do not own the Power Rangers, they belong to the respective copyright owners. Large sections of this story were originally written by Ellen Brand and featured in her series Personality Conflicts. They are used with permission and I thank Ellen for allowing me to do this. Lillian, Jamie, Christina and Katarina are COE versions of Lillian O'Neil, Jamie Zedden, Christina Collins and Katarina Petronov from Personality Conflicts. The original names and their characters are the property of either Ellen Brand or Jennifer Bigley.

**Ties that Bind Part 4 - Release from the Darkness**

Two weeks later

"The Devil," Lillian mused, studying the spread in front of her. "The dark side of human nature, passing away." Her finger moved to the next card. "The Tower. The breaking of a current situation, the old making way for the new." Turning over the next card in the spread, she stopped.

Tommy raised an eyebrow. "Death? What does that mean?"

She smiled at him. "Not necessarily dying, it's simply a reinforcement of the Tower. A great change is coming." What she didn't mention was the difference in meanings. Death was in the position of what will come, and signified simply a change, an upheaval. The Tower, in the position of what might be, signified breaking out of the old ways, and usually meant a change for the better.

Moving on, the next card that she turned over turned out to be two cards. Lillian frowned. She had never dealt out two cards to one position before in all her time practicing with the cards. When she realized what they were, she gasped. "The Lovers and the Two of Cups. Two instances of a relationship renewed or begun. Something very strange is going on here."

Tommy frowned. The two of them were in the Youth Center, where Lillian had promised to show him her Tarot cards and how she read them. The sample reading she had done, on the situation in general, had begun to spook her, however. Deliberately, to lighten the mood, he shrugged. "What do cups have to do with love?"

"Cups correspond to Hearts in the ordinary deck. In addition, cups represent water, and water represents the emotions. The Two of Cups represents the formation of a bond, usually love."

He nodded thoughtfully. "Does this stuff really work?"

She shrugged. "I've been wrong before, but not as often as I've been right. Now, maybe my clients and I have read into the reading, but it always seems to work."

"I'm sure things will turn out all right," he reassured her. "Come on, we have to meet the others in the park soon. If we don't hurry up, Rocky and Jason will have polished off all of the food!"

Laughing, the two teens packed up the cards and left the juice bar hand in hand, the strange predictions temporarily forgotten.

In the park, Tommy sat on a blanket and watched his friends laughing and running around like grade-schoolers. Jason, in particular was the most energetic. With a sigh, he thought about the way things had changed since he had become a Power Ranger. He had a new team now, consisting of his original team, Aisha, David and Samoht that operated on an as-needed basis. It was a team that had thrived, especially Jason, whose position was most comfortable, having been placed there by friends and teachers for most of his life.

The Zeo Ranger team was as strong as ever and the Gold Ranger had pretty much been accepted as the sixth unofficial member of the team. For some reason though it was hard to think of Trey as the sixth Zeo Ranger, there was still that slight gap to overcome where ideology and personalities were concerned.

The changes had for the most part been good, but there were always drawbacks. The incredible closeness they had all felt during their time as Rangers had been lost. No longer was everyone else's best friend as old and newer Rangers tried to interact. Now there were tight and loose bonds, even though everyone was still friendly. Adam and Rocky had drawn even closer together, and Trey seemed to spend most of his time with them. The Triforian prince and Rocky had formed an unusually close friendship, for reasons none of the others could fathom. Sighing again, Tommy turned to regard his girlfriend, Lillian. She simply sat, watching the others play and laugh, smiling occasionally, but making no move to join in the celebration, blissfully unaware of the turmoil in her boyfriend's outwardly normal life. Tommy shook his head. Once again, he was almost forcibly reminded of his days as the Green Ranger. It had been so hard for him to join in the fun, partly from guilt, partly from shyness, and partly from an inner reserve that made it hard for him to relate to other people.

Smiling, he rose to his feet. Crossing to where she sat, he reached down and pulled her up. "Come on," he told her. "We're going to play Frisbee."

Ignoring her laughing protests, he dragged her over to where Jason, Zack, and Tanya were throwing the little plastic disk around. "Mind if we play?" he asked.

Jason shrugged. "Suit yourself, bro," The five teens tossed the Frisbee around for a while, and Lillian gradually lost her reserve, laughing and teasing with the others.

Finally, Jason begged off, pleading exhaustion. Sitting under a tree with a sigh, he closed his eyes and relaxed. When he felt somebody sit next to him, a quick glance revealed it was Jamie.

"How you feeling?" she asked.

Jason and his girlfriend Emily had broken up a couple of days ago, the stress of his maintaining a secret causing unnecessary strain on their relationship. While he and Jamie were not dating, their friendship had grown steadily stronger.

"I'm okay. Except- does if feel like it's going to storm to you?" he asked curiously.

"No," she shook her head, confused. "The sky is clear, the birds are singing, and the pressure is constant. I can't feel any of the oppressive wind that comes with a thunderstorm. Why do you ask?"

"I don't know. Zordon once told me that the residue of the Gold Power might leave me sensitive to energy currents, and I can't shake the feeling something big is on the horizon."

"You aren't the only one to feel that way. Look," she pointed. Out on the green grass, Rocky, Adam, Kat, and Trey were playing football. Adam seemed distracted, enough so that he bobbled a pass which promptly hit him in the face. Trini, sitting talking to Kimberly, kept losing the thread of the conversation.

"Every Ranger with any psychic ability whatsoever is totally out of their skull this morning. Even some of us who aren't Rangers," she added, pointing to Christina Collins. After her run-in with Lord Zedd's army, Zordon had maintained a watch over Christina and Katarina, and had concluded the girl had some obvious if untrained psychic ability. He had asked the Rangers to consider approaching her and training her as a potential ally. "Even I feel it, and I'm barely telepathic. I guess carrying a mystically powered blade allows me to feel something."

Jason bit back as laugh. Since she had come into the Rangers' lives, Jamie had proven herself a valued comrade. And while her lack of powers made her vulnerable, her skills as a warrior more than compensated. She was almost an unofficial member of the team.

As with all the others, something was buzzing at the back of his mind, and he couldn't seem to hold his concentration. "I hope we find out what's going on soon," he remarked, "or we're all going to be nervous wrecks."

"Hmm," Jamie mused. "I wonder if that's the idea." Her gaze was instantly drawn up to the blue sky.

Up on the moon, the atmosphere was almost as charged as that of Angel Grove Park. Lord Zedd had been his general fiendish self, striding around his throne room, plotting the demise of the Power Rangers as if he was still lord and master of the moon, and that the events of the past two years had not occurred. Everything seemed almost normal.

Except it wasn't. Lord Zedd had snapped. At least that was the general consensus among his underlings. In fact his recent act of parental care had weakened the demon's hold on its host's body. In a desperate attempt to reassert control, the Emperor of the Dark Galaxy had become obsessed with the Power Rangers, to the point where he was willing to put himself in danger to destroy them.

Rita had left the night before, not saying where she was going, but promising that she would destroy at least one Ranger by the time she returned. That had done little more than pushed Zedd further as he refused to be outdone by his wife.

In the Youth Center, Kimberly and Lillian were sitting by and giggling as Zack went through his trademark magic act. Finally, he got to the card tricks, and offered the deck to Kimberly for the "pick a card, any card," segment. She picked the two of hearts, and he went on with the trick. However, when he did the next one, she again picked the two of hearts. Lillian frowned at the deck.

"Zack, can I see those cards?" she asked. He turned the cards towards her so that she could see that they were all different. "Kim, could you pick a card again?' Shrugging, Kimberly reached out and drew a card from the deck. Once again, it was the two of hearts. Kimberly looked up at her two friends in shock.

"What are the odds against that?" Kimberly asked, her eyes wide.

Zack shrugged. "I dunno, but they're high. Lillian, you're the card expert. What does the two of hearts mean?"

"The start of a love affair, the formation of a bond. It corresponds to the two of cups in the Tarot deck, and symbolizes two lovers plighting their troth, or making a promise of betrothal."

Zack raised an eyebrow at Kimberly, who blushed beet red. "I have to go. I have homework to do," she excused herself, leaping up and running out the door.

"Zack, something very strange is going on here. I keep turning up the two of cups in my Tarot readings, and now this. Something really odd is about to happen."

Zack shrugged. "Don't look at me, I'm just the entertainment."

"That's ridiculous," Kimberly muttered to herself, striding through the park. "I just came off a relationship, and I know better than to start one on the rebound. Of course, Tommy did, and look how his turned out. Still, I seriously doubt that there's a great romance in my future."

A shout interrupted her thoughts. "Hey, Kimberly!" Skull called, running to catch up with her. "Don't you know you shouldn't be in the park alone?" he asked, grinning.

"Are you offering your services as a bodyguard?" she giggled. Skull could always make her feel better, no matter what. He looked good today, she noticed. His loose blue jeans and red shirt hid his skinniness, and he wore a small gold stud in his ear, as opposed to the long, dangling earring he usually wore. To complete the picture, he was not chewing gum, an extremely unusual sight. As always, however, his dark hair was adorably mussed. ~Good grief, he's cute!~ Kimberly thought to herself, astonished.

"I do have some experience body guarding, you know," he told her seriously. "And it really isn't safe for you to walk through the park alone. I'd be happy to escort you, milady." He executed a charming bow, causing Kimberly to dissolve in giggles again.

"Okay, Skull," she laughed. "You've got a deal." They walked on, talking and laughing together, and Kimberly marvelled at how comfortable she felt when she was with Skull. ~The only person I ever felt this way with was Tommy,~ she thought wistfully. She almost laughed at the image of her dating Skull, and then stopped. That actually wasn't such a horrifying image. Skull was considerate, sweet, and obviously liked her a great deal. He had come a long way from the little punk who had such an atrocious crush on her in the old days.

Kimberly was jerked rudely out of her thoughts when Goldar appeared before them with an army of Tengas. "Hello, humans!" the monkey laughed evilly. "Empress Rita requests the pleasure of your presence!"

"Run, Skull!" Kimberly yelled, dropping into a fighting stance.

"Where to?" the detective asked practically. "We're kind of surrounded!"

"Shit," Kimberly cursed. "Looks like we're going to have to fight." The two teens launched themselves at the Tengas, and Kimberly was surprised to note, out of the corner of her eye, that Skull was actually holding his own. They were gravely outnumbered, however, and the Tengas had soon grabbed them, holding them fast. In a hail of feathers, the entire group disappeared.

"Kimberly's what?" Tommy cried, slamming his hands down on the console nearest him.

"She and Skull were kidnapped while they were walking through the park. We can no longer find them on our scanners," Alpha repeated, staying well out of the Red Ranger's reach. He had seen what the young man could do in a rage, and had no desire to be hit with flying debris.

"Why?" Trini asked. "What could Rita possibly want with them?"

"Take a wild guess," Jason replied grimly. "As for Skull, he was probably just in the wrong place at the wrong time. He and Bulk seem to have a gift for that."

"So what do we do?" Jamie asked practically.

"I guess now, all we can do is wait," Adam sighed.

Kimberly and Skull were dropped rather unceremoniously into a cave-like cell, with rough rock walls and a dirt floor. "Goldar, you big winged monkey! What are you planning to do with us?" Kimberly screamed.

"You'll find out, Miss Kimmie," Goldar laughed. Then he and the Tengas disappeared, leaving Kimberly to bang on the force field that kept them in the cell. Sighing, she turned back to Skull, who was examining their surroundings with wry amusement.

"These guys have a thing for caves, don't they?" he grinned at her. "That time that Goldar kidnapped the teen leaders, from that Peace Conference thing, Bulk and I tailed them, and sure enough, they went into a cave."

Kimberly smiled, remembering. Goldar had kidnapped the six teen leaders to make his evil Power Rangers, holding them hostage so that the Rangers would turn over their Power Coins. Thanks to Billy and some chocolate coins, however, they had managed to trick Goldar and rescue the teen leaders.

"Well, I guess we're going to be here a while," she sighed, sitting on the floor and leaning against a wall.

"Hmm," Skull replied, banging on the force field. "You might be right. I don't see any way of getting out of here. Unless of course, you've got something up your sleeve-" he turned back to her, "Pink Ranger."

Kimberly leaped to her feet. "What? What are you talking about? I'm not the Pink Ranger."

"Not anymore, no. I'd say you probably gave the position to Kat, am I right?" Her jaw dropped, all the answer Skull needed. "Hey, I am a good detective."

"How- how did you know?" Kimberly managed.

"Well, you obviously knew tall, dark, and gruesome out there, and as far as I know, the only people on a first-name basis with those goons are the Power Rangers. Then it hit me. You wear a lot of pink, a weird watch, and when you left, the girl who suddenly started hanging out with all your friends sounded a lot like the new Pink Ranger. Australian accents are not that common in Angel Grove. Then a lot of other things made sense, like how the five of you got out of detention that one time, when those evil Rangers were tearing up the city. You teleported out, didn't you?"

She nodded, still startled by this display of intelligence on Skull's part. He smiled crookedly at her. "I'm not dumb, Kimberly. I just made everyone think I am. It got me more attention that way. The teachers were always oohing and ahhing over you guys. I was never going to be smart enough to get attention that way, so I fell in with the wrong crowd and got attention that way. Not real smart, but I was a little kid. After that, I just sort of got into the habit of being a punk and acting dumb. I'm trying to clean up my act, but it hasn't been easy."

"Skull, I'm sorry. I've been pretty mean to you over the years, haven't I?"

"Naw! Kim, you've always been great. I've been a complete dork. It was just- I didn't know any other way to get you to notice me. I mean, you were always hanging out with Jason, and Zack, and you had every guy in the school trailing after you. I figured the only way I'd get you to notice me, was to be a jerk. Pretty stupid, huh?"

She smiled at him. "Well, I've been kind of stupid, myself. I never noticed what a great guy you are. I just thought you were another one of those guys with a stupid crush on me."

"I was," he grinned. "I don't have a crush on you anymore, though, Kimberly."

"No?" she asked, feeling a little disappointed.

"No," he replied seriously. "I'm in love with you. I think it happened somewhere in ninth grade, which must have been when you became a Power Ranger. You went from being a pretty, sweet, nice girl to being a courageous, beautiful woman. Everyone could see that you'd changed. It was pretty obvious that your biggest worries weren't school and clothes anymore. It was like watching a jeweller cut a diamond. The real value appears. I realized I was in love with you when it didn't bother me that you were with Tommy. I just wanted you to be happy."

Kimberly was speechless. "Skull, I- don't know what to say," she stammered. He held up a hand to quiet her.

"Don't say anything. I don't expect anything. I just- don't think I'm going to get out of this, and I wanted you to know."

"Skull," she stepped forward, trying to organize her thoughts. "I-" Just then, however, Goldar appeared, interrupting her.

"Bad timing," Skull sighed. "All right, what do you want?"

"You two are to come with me," Goldar sneered. "My empress has a little surprise prepared for you."

"I don't like surprises," Skull muttered as the Tengas closed in on them.

"Me either," Kim replied. Reaching out, she took his hand. He was startled for a moment, then squeezed it tightly as they were teleported out of the cell.

On the moon, Zedd watched the events on Earth, glowing fiendishly. "Hmm," he mused. "So Rita has kidnapped Kimberly, has she? Tommy must be going out of his mind! Let's take advantage of this, shall we? Hmm, something he'd never be able to raise a hand to, but something that could easily defeat him. I have it!" Pointing his staff at the Earth, he sent a bolt of lightning hurtling down towards earth. It struck a photo of Kim that Tommy still kept on his dresser. In a flash, an almost exact duplicate of Kimberly stood in Tommy's room. Almost, because she was dressed in an outfit Kim would never wear. It was black, completely onyx black, and tight to the skin, hinting at what lay beneath without actually revealing anything. On her feet were black boots with thick, high heels, giving her an extra two inches. At her back hung a katana, and a black hood, rather like that of a ninja, was around her neck.

"Lord Zedd, I am ready for your orders," she said, in a voice without emotion.

"Dark Lady, you are to go to the center of town and cause a commotion. When the Power Rangers show up to stop you, destroy them! If you manage to capture the Red Ranger, you may do with him as you wish."

She bowed, her eyes flashing a dark red. "Thank you, my lord." In a flash of black, she disappeared.

Kim and Skull found themselves in a large chamber, with strange and rather unnerving designs on the floor. At the other end of the room from them stood a large stone altar, with a number of rather nasty-looking tools resting on it, and a large green crystal ball that flashed at irregular intervals. In the center of the design was a post with chains on it. Rita stood to one side, chuckling evilly.

"Welcome, Kimberly. I'm sure you're just dying to know what's going on here, so I'll tell you. This is the same spell I used on your little boyfriend when I made him the Green Ranger, although I've taken a few more precautions. This time, no one will be able to break my spell!"

"Fine, Rita, you've got me. Just let Skull go. He's not part of this."

"Oh, but he is, Kimmie. You see, those are the precautions I was talking about. To cement the spell, I need the blood of a good man, freshly shed. Heart's blood," Rita leered.

Skull swallowed hard. "Ouch," he muttered. "No one's ever accused me of being a bleeding heart before."

Kimberly smiled slightly. Skull's wisecracks were simply his way of dealing with his fear, much like Rocky and Zack. All three made jokes to cover up their fear. "I won't let anything happen to you, Skull," she whispered.

"If you're thinking about morphing, Kimmie, don't bother," Rita smirked. "The crystal on the altar creates a field which keeps you from morphing near it. And don't even think about a last minute rescue. We're in the center of the Labyrinth of Chorida, in a dimension near Earth. No one can teleport in or out."

"Looks like we've got a problem," Skull sighed. "Look, the lady with the bad hair over there obviously believes that you still have some powers. Is she right?"

Kim nodded. "Yes, but I still can't morph with that crystal around."

"Not a problem. Just be ready to fight when I give the word, and be ready to morph when that crystal breaks."

"What?" Kimberly hissed.

Skull flashed her his cutest grin. "Trust me."

Kimberly sighed, but did as he asked.

Skull returned his gaze to Goldar as Rita began preparations for the spell. He didn't have much time to pull this off, because once those Tengas put the chains on Kimberly, any hope for his plan would be lost. Even so, he took the time to tune out all external distractions, focussing directly on Goldar.

The space monkey was larger and stronger that Skull, by a great amount, but Skull had one big advantage. Goldar thought he knew Skull. The time that Goldar and Rito had spent in his garage had given them a false impression. Like everybody else in Angel Grove, Goldar had underestimated Eugene Skullovitch.

Since becoming a detective, Skull had finally found something he loved doing, something that he wanted to do for the rest of his life. As a result, he had thrown himself into it wholeheartedly, learning everything he could about the profession. One thing he had learned was, while it wasn't as exciting as TV and books pretended, you still ran a rather high risk of getting punched in the face. That was why he had begun taking self-defense classes. Now, he had a pretty good idea of what he was capable of, and a very good idea of Goldar's abilities. If he hit him hard enough and fast enough, he might be able to take the goon by surprise long enough to get rid of that crystal so Kim could morph. Tensing himself, he whispered to Kim, "Now!" and threw himself at Goldar.

Even as he did so, Kim ripped into the Tengas, knocking them every which way as they attempted to close in on her. Flipping and kicking, she managed to keep the Tengas extremely confused, wishing mightily for her ninja powers as she did so.

Skull, meanwhile, had been lucky enough to take Goldar completely by surprise. A quick spin and a kick to the shins, and Skull had Goldar's sword in his own hands. "Mind if I borrow this, Goldie?" he asked, with a manic grin. Not waiting for an answer, he kicked Goldar in the stomach and headed for the altar.

Rita, realizing his goal, screamed, "He's heading for the crystal! Stop him!" Rito, who up until this moment had been watching from the sidelines, took this moment to become involved. Skull suddenly found a large walking skeleton standing between him and the altar. Rito raised his sword and attacked with a downward cut that Skull just managed to parry. Out of the corner of her eye, Kimberly saw the fight and realized with a shock that Skull obviously knew what he was doing. He handled Goldar's sword like a master.

Finally, with a sweeping side cut, Skull knocked Rito's sword out of his hands, sending the skeleton scrambling away. Leaping up onto the altar, Skull grinned down at his quarry. "FORE!" he yelled, sweeping the sword in a golf club-type arc. The crystal flew across the room and shattered against the wall in a flash of brilliant white light.

Even before the light had faded, Kimberly was springing into action. "Pink Ranger Power!" she called. Another light flashed, this one pink and the Pink Ranger stood ready, bow primed for action.

"Nice," Skull told her approvingly. "Let's get out of here."

"There's a door that way," she pointed. "If we can get out of the labyrinth, I can get us home."

"Then let's go." They ran for the door, a disarmed Goldar and a horde of Tengas on their heels.

Tommy was pacing around the Power Chamber, looking for all the world like the panther his Morphin Warrior uniform bore, when the alarm went off. "Damn it! What now?" he cried, stunning his friends with the savage tone in his voice.

"Rangers, observe the viewing globe. Lord Zedd has released the Dark Lady, his newest monster, on Angel Grove. She is in the shopping district creating quite a ruckus."

On the viewing globe, they could see a definitely female figure, dressed in a skin-tight version of a traditional ninja outfit. She wielded a katana like an expert, sending the citizens of Angel Grove running for their lives. "We have to stop her," Adam cried.

"But- what about Kim?" Tommy asked helplessly.

"We'll still be here, man," Jason told him. "If anyone can find her, Alpha can."

"I guess so," he sighed. "Right. It's Morphin Time!"

In a flash, the ten Zeo Rangers were in the shopping district, facing off with the Dark Lady. "Well, Power Rangers, how nice of you to come. I'll have to find something to keep you busy, won't I? Putties, attack!" A horde of Zedd's Putties materialized out of nowhere.

"Split up!" Red Ranger yelled. "Rocky, Trey, go left! Kat, Tanya, Adam, go right! You all take the Putties, I will handle the kunoichi here."

"You're welcome to try, Red Ranger," she laughed. Her voice brought him up short. Something was familiar there, but he couldn't put his finger on it. Shaking his head, he threw himself into the battle.

The Rangers fighting the Putties were doing marvellously, but no matter how many Putties they downed, more kept coming. "Man!" Blue Ranger puffed. "Zedd must be throwing his entire Putty army into this! I don't know how long we can keep this up!"

"As long as we have to," Gold Ranger replied, knocking two Putties into each other. Their Z-spots collided and the two disintegrated.

Meanwhile, Red was getting beaten badly by the Dark Lady. A side kick knocked him into a tree. With a foot-sweep, Dark Lady then knocked Red Ranger off of his feet. To his utter astonishment, she came and sat on his chest, trapping his arms against his sides. Reaching for his helmet, she chuckled throatily. "Let's get a better look at you, shall we, Red Ranger?" Popping the catches, she removed his helmet. Then she reached up and pulled off her own mask, shaking her hair so that it fell loose around her face. "Hello, Tommy."

"Kim?" The look on Tommy's face was totally shocked. "No, you can't be Kim. She's been kidnapped by Rita. Who are you?"

"I can be anything you want me to be," she whispered. "Lord Zedd will allow me to spare your life. Think of it, Tommy. Together, you and I can rule the galaxy. You will be next in line for Zedd's throne. And I will always be at your side. You can't deny you want it, Tommy. The darkness in your soul finds my offer very attractive. Certainly, you can't say that you don't want me"

"Yes, I can. You're pretty enough, I guess, but it's so cold. You don't have any of the life or warmth that made Kimberly so attractive to me. As for your offer, yeah, it's tempting, but not very. I don't want power, or control, and I certainly don't want to be a ruler. I've got my dark side, but it doesn't tend toward that. I'm happy with what I have, and you can't offer me anything more. Certainly not a pale copy of Kimberly. I don't even have those feelings for her anymore. Why on earth would I have them for you?"

Dark Lady's face became chillingly cold. "I would reconsider, if I were you, Red Ranger," she threatened, pulling a knife from her boot and resting it against his throat. "If you die, who will rescue your precious Kimberly from Rita?"

"My friends," he replied, looking her straight in the eye. "You can kill me, if you want, but it won't change anything. There will still be Power Rangers, and they will still fight Zedd without me."

"But you'll be dead," she reminded him, pressing the knife closer to his throat.

"So what? I came to terms with my own death a long time ago. It doesn't frighten me anymore. Go ahead and kill me. You don't frighten me any more, either."

"Very well." Dark Lady tilted his head back, baring his throat for the killing strike. Before she could send the blade home, though, she was knocked off Tommy by a blast of pink energy.

"Didn't anyone ever tell you not to mess with a Ranger unless you want to deal with all of them?" Pink Zeo asked.

"Let's take her together," Tommy remarked, putting his helmet back on.

"Right." The Rangers advanced on their target. Although she put up a good fight, Dark Lady was no match for the two incensed Rangers. Very quickly, she was destroyed.

"Tommy, are you okay?" Pink Zeo asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just worried about Kim." He stared at the sky. "I hope she's all right, wherever she is."

At that moment, Kimberly and Skull were hiding behind one of the rock walls of the Labyrinth, taking a much needed breather. They had ditched their pursuers for the time being, but Kimberly still had an arrow on her bow, and Skull held Goldar's sword at the ready.

"Skull, when on earth did you learn to use that thing?" Kimberly asked incredulously, nodding to the sword.

"This? Oh, my uncle is a world-class Olympic fencer. He's been giving me lessons since I was big enough to hold a foil. I thought fencing was really cool, so I started taking lessons in other types of swordplay. I'm at my best with a foil, but I can make shift with most other types of blades."

She shook her head. "Skull, you are just full of surprises." He chuckled in response. They were silent for a while, then Kimberly looked up at him again. "Skull, about what you said in the cell earlier."

He gestured dismissively. "Oh, forget about it, Kim."

"No. I don't want to forget about it, Skull. There's something I need to say to you. You are a wonderful, sweet person, and I've been stupid not to see it before this. I'm still healing from my break up with Tommy, and I've been really grateful to have your company, I really have. Skull, I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'm not in love with you." He looked the other way then, resignation in his eyes. Taking his chin in her hands, she turned his head so that he couldn't look away from her. "I'm not in love with you, Skull, but I think I'm getting there."

He cocked an eyebrow at her. "Yeah?"

"Mm-hmm. I already like you as more than a friend. I would like to see more of you, that's for sure."

"Well, would a date help? You, me, candlelight dinner for two at Chez Paul, a bottle of sparkling cider, it could be magic," he grinned at her.

"Yeah," she replied, smiling back.

"Yes!" Skull cried, pumping one fist. "If we get out of this alive, next Thursday?"

"Sure." Kimberly was suddenly conscious of how close their faces were, and how cute he was, and how unlikely it was that they were going to get out of this. Slowly, their heads moved together, their lips almost touching.

"There they are!" Goldar shouted, breaking the mood.

"Very bad timing," Skull grumbled, springing to his feet. Kimberly was up almost as quickly, firing arrows at the advancing Tengas, who then scrambled for any available cover.

"I want my sword back, Human," Goldar growled.

"Yeah? Then catch!" Skull cried, hurling the sword at Goldar. The blade flew end over end, tumbling like the world's biggest throwing knife. Goldar was forced to duck as the blade narrowly missed his head and ended up clunking several Tengas, who weren't so lucky.

"I can't believe that worked," Skull gaped in shock. "That's not supposed to be doable."

"You can complain about it later," Kimberly yelled, pulling on his arm. "Come on, the entrance is right out there!"

Snapping out of his daze, Skull followed her out into the sunshine, Rita's army hard on their heels. No sooner had they left the shadows of the Labyrinth, however, then Kimberly grabbed Skull's arm and teleported them both to the Power Chamber, leaving a very frustrated Goldar to curse them both soundly.

"Tommy!" Trini's voice cried from Red Ranger's communicator. "Kimberly's okay! She and Skull escaped from Rita and they're both here. He knows all about the Rangers, so we have a bit of a problem on our hands."

A crackle of energy behind him made Red Ranger turn slowly. "Um, Trini? It appears that we've got a bit of a problem here, too. Zedd's just showed up, and I don't think he's happy. We'll talk later. Tommy out."

"This is the last time you Power Pests ruin one of my monsters," Zedd bellowed. "This time, I will destroy you myself!"

"This is not good," Red Ranger remarked as the team regrouped behind him.

"Really, Sherlock?" Yellow Zeo asked innocently. "What was your first clue?"

"Power Rangers, try to destroy the staff!" called Red Ranger, remembering the last time he had fought Zedd. "That's his power source. Let's go!"

The Rangers charged, and the battle was on. Zedd quickly proved that he was a formidable fighter, throwing the Rangers back as quickly as they came at him. Realizing that they were outmatched, the Rangers called on their Power Weapons. Still, however, Zedd was too strong for them. One by one, he sent them flying back to land in little heaps on the ground.

The battle escalated as the Morphin Rangers teleported into battle, weapons at the ready. Kimberly tried her arrows, but Zedd deflected them with his staff. Moving in close, Jamie tried to hook the staff from his hands with a sword. He swept her off her feet, aiming the staff at her as she lay stunned on the ground. A lethal charge of white energy built up at its tip. Looking up at him, Jamie extended her hand. "Dad," she whispered, "don't."

Zedd's hand began to tremble, and at the last second, he pulled the staff away, sending the charge harmlessly up into the atmosphere.

Red Ranger saw his chance and moved in. The two fought for long minutes, until Red Ranger brought his sword down in a strong slice. Zedd, as Red Ranger had expected, blocked by raising his staff over his head. However, nothing could stop the Zeo V Power Sword, which had been forged from the heart of a falling meteor. It sheared through Zedd's staff like a knife through putty. There was a brilliant flash of light, and the staff was suddenly a snake lying on the ground.

The Rangers had not been ready for this, but luckily the Morphin Rangers had a solution. As the Zeo Rangers rapidly formed the Zeo Blaster, their half-powered comrades were already pooling their abilities. "We call on the power of all those combined!"

"Zeo Blaster, Fire!" the five main Rangers called, training their beam on the snake.

"Gold Ranger Power!" A beam of light left the Golden Power staff, focussing on the snake.

"Lightning Strike!" Jamie called. Bolts of lightning left the tip of her sword and struck the snake. The influx of power was too much for the snake to withstand, and it vanished in a bright flash.

Zedd had been forced to his knees by the loss of his power, and now, as the Rangers watched, he flickered, the demon part of him trying to maintain control over its human host.

"No, you will not win this easily," he told them, standing defiantly. "I am Lord Zedd, I cannot be defeated!"

He summoned his own sword and charged the Red Ranger, his desire to defeat the collected heroes overcoming his survival instinct. Red Zeo pulled his sword away from the Zeo Blaster in time to meet Zedd's blow, just as Jason's sword landed on the villain's metal exoskeleton. Jamie loosed another volley of lightning and this time without his staff, there was no where for Zedd to go.

"Power Down!" Tommy ordered. The Rangers responded quickly. "Zordon, we need the Zeo Crystal, now!"

The crystal appeared at his command and Tommy held it out towards Zedd. The villain looked up, not realising what the teen had in mind until he saw Tanya, Kat, Rocky and Adam place their hands on the crystal.

"The Zeo Crystal will purge all evil," Adam said, remembering what Zordon had told Tommy when he had gone to retrieve it from the Caves of Deception.

Tommy nodded and offered Jamie a quick smile. "How about we try and free your dad?"

"No, you cannot do this!" Zedd protested as they moved toward him. Possession of the Zeo Crystal would have meant unlimited power, but Zedd knew that evil could not touch it directly. Why else would Master Vile have used it to power the weapons of the captured Ninja Zords instead of using it himself?

"Forgive him his trespasses and deliver him from evil." Rocky could be heard whispering, changing the words of the prayer to suit.

"Amen," Tommy responded as the crystal made contact with Zedd's body.

It happened very quickly, the dark power of the demon was bombarded with the untainted energy of the Zeo Crystal. The power was surging, flushing the evil from the man, freeing Jamie's father and almost driving the demon that was Lord Zedd from his soul.

He had been forced to his knees by the cleansing, and now, as the Rangers watched, he flickered between the demon image they knew and the more natural form they had seen previously. A cloud of black mist rose up as the dark being was physically driven from its host. But the demon known as Zedd had been around for too long to simply succumb to the purification. He struggled against the inevitable, twisting his putrid essence and splitting himself from his poor victim's life force.

"This isn't over Rangers!" the wraith promised before being swept away by the wind.

Jamie stared at the place where a moment before Lord Zedd had been, stood her father. Tears ran freely down her face as she realised they had succeeded. Zedd by this time had fallen to his knees again, his body weakened by the loss of the evil magic that had been maintaining it.

"Oh, my God," Zedd choked. "What have I done?"

At a signal from their leader, the Rangers demorphed. Tommy walked over to the kneeling man and put his hand on his shoulder. "What you did, you had no control over. It's in the past. You can't change it; you have to live with it. What's important is what you do now," he said, remembering when he and Jason had played out this little scene, years ago.

"Red Ranger, for what I have done, can you forgive me?" Zedd asked, looking up at Tommy. The pain in his eyes was evident. Tommy smiled at the older man.

"Yes, I can. The others may have more trouble, but I understand. I have no grudge against you."

Accepting Tommy's offered hand, Zedd rose slowly to his feet. "Jamie," he started, crossing to his daughter. "I- know that I haven't been a very good father to you. I missed so much of your childhood, and I am sorrier than you will ever know. I realize that we cannot go back to what has been, but could we- maybe- start again? Could we try to be a family again, a family of some sort?"

Jamie stared at her father for a long moment, then threw her arms around him, bursting into tears as she did so. "I'd like that. Just so long as you friends alone."

Zedd chuckled. "I won't be any more protective than any other father, all right?"

"Deal," she sniffed, wiping her tears away.

"Would your mother- still be interested- in seeing me?" he asked hesitantly.

"She still wears your wedding ring," Jamie smiled. "Other than that, you'll have to ask her yourself."

Still keeping one arm around his daughter, Zedd turned to the rest of the Rangers. "Thank you for helping me."

"Don't mention it," Kat smiled. "It's our job to help people."

"I say we all go back to the Power Chamber," Adam suggested. "We can talk about this better there."

"Right," Tommy nodded. In a rainbow of coloured light, Zedd and the Rangers teleported out.

"Rangers, I am very proud of all of you. You came through this fight with flying colours, especially you, Tommy. Zedd, it is good to have you on the side of the Light once again."

Zedd smiled sadly. "It's good to be back. Listen, all of you. I'm not really Zedd anymore. I've really changed too much to go back to that. I'm just plain old Lawrence Zedden now."

"Mr. Zedden, you know of course, that with the demon exorcised, you will now age at an accelerated rate to make up for the time you kept the aging at bay."

Larry nodded. "I know, Zordon. Of course, accelerated for you and me is completely normal for Earth humans. I won't live too much longer than Leslie, and that's the way I like it. Now, my powers are gone, but I'm still a Zarakin, and I still have this." He pulled out his sword, brother blade to the one Jamie possessed. "If you ever need me, I'm more than willing to help you."

In a corner, Skull was still reeling from the events and revelations of the past few minutes, but he was absorbing it rather well. "So, what about me?" he asked casually. "Can someone drop me by my house, or am I walking home."

Kimberly grinned. "Skull, you know you can't tell anyone about us being the Power Rangers, right?"

"Of course. I'm a goof, but I'm not stupid. I always thought Bulk's ideas about unmasking the Power Rangers were silly anyway."

"Skull, you showed exemplary courage under fire today," Zordon rumbled. "You were extremely brave and kept your wits about you. We may need your help again. If we ask, will you give it?"

"Of course! In a heartbeat!"

"In that case," Billy grinned, bringing a pair of boxes out from behind a console. "This one's rainbow, this one's purple and white," he informed them, pulling out two communicators. The rainbow one went to Skull, and the purple and white one went to Larry.

"Billy, how did you know?" Trini exclaimed.

"I didn't," Billy shrugged. "It's just that we've given out so many of these things that I decided that I might as well get a jump-start on the next ones."

That brought a laugh from the assembled population. "Typical Billy," Zack chuckled.

"Who's up for a party at the Youth Center?" Jason asked.

"Yeah!" all the Rangers replied.

"You kids go on," Larry smiled. "I've got some catching up to do." He teleported out, and no one had any doubts as to where he was heading. Larry Zedden didn't have an easy task ahead of him. The Rangers exchanged amused looks and headed for the Youth Center.

"Pick a card, any card," Zack grinned.

Skull groaned. "Do I have to?"

"You wanted to be part of the group," Kim giggled. "You have to put up with this like the rest of us."

Skull sighed, but did as Zack asked.

"Okay, now don't tell me what it is. Is your card- the two of hearts?"

"As a matter of fact, it is. Kimberly, what's the matter?" Kim had an odd look on her face.

"Zack, let me see that deck," she asked. When Zack was less than forthcoming, she grabbed his wrist and pulled it towards her. He lost his grip on the cards and sprayed them all over the bar. More than half landed face up, allowing Kimberly to see that they were all the two of hearts.

"Zack, you jerk," Kimberly laughed, smacking him playfully.

"Gotcha," Zack managed to gasp, although he was laughing hard enough that tears were welling up in his eyes.

"Did I miss something here?" Skull asked.

"I kept picking the two of hearts this morning, before all this craziness started. Lillian said it symbolized the beginning of a love affair."

"Well, then," Skull smiled, picking up one of the cards and handing it to her. "I guess you could say that our romance was in the cards." He grinned at his own pun, and then hurriedly ducked Kimberly's swat. As the three teens cleaned up the cards spread around the bar, Kimberly marvelled at how things had fallen into place for all of them. ~Maybe there's something to those cards after all,~ she mused. ~Just maybe.~ Destiny was fine, but Kim wasn't going to trust it too far. ~This time, I know what I'm doing,~ she thought to herself, looking at Skull. ~Cards or no cards, We're going to come out on top.~

**The End**

Disclaimer: I do not own the Power Rangers. All characters belonging to that show are the property of their respective copyright owners. No money is being made from this fanfic. Nyghtmayr is a hybrid of Ellen Brand's creation of the same name and Marvel Comic's Nightmare. The Horrors are from a Manga I saw. The Morphin Warrior concept, the Rangers' families and minor demons belong to Ellen Brand, Samhaine was a ghost in Ghostbusters and is also a holiday that takes place around the time of Halloween. Doctor Strange, and associated characters are the property of Marvel.  
Author's Note: This story is based in the Conquest of Evil Universe. It can be read separately although it is recommended you read all stories for background information.

**The Nyghmayr of Halloween**

Most people live normal lives. They are born, grow up, go to school, graduate, perhaps go to college, perhaps not, get jobs, get married, have kids, die. Their lives are for the most part predictable and sometimes boring. They are remembered only by their loved ones and change the world only in little ways that no one notices. They're the lucky ones. They're the ones that don't know how cruel fate can be.

Then there are others, the poor innocents singled out to do so much more and to suffer the consequences they never asked for. Most often those who have been given a destiny - a fate - more likely than not wished they hadn't.

On Halloween most people get to enjoy the festivities, to trick-or-treat or just sit at home waiting for the next day to come. Even those required to fight the forces of evil on a nightly basis are able to relax on this night when the forces of darkness refuse to set foot in such a tacky setting. The native demons, vampires and other supernatural creatures took the night off, with the exception of a few of the newer one's who either hadn't found out yet or didn't care. They generally didn't last long.

Sadly, not all those destined to fight the forces of darkness enjoyed a peaceful night. While the supernatural tried to keep a low profile, there were those that did not feel the same way. The extraterrestrial demons like Lord Zedd that plagued the planet had no respect for Halloween; in England an evil wizard was not only active on this dark holiday, he planned a bloodbath to celebrate the occasion.

For those who stood in the way of such forces, Halloween was no guarantee of a peaceful night. This year would be no different. On the map of Angel Grove, there was a blind spot, an area so ripe with evil that at certain times of the year it prevented the Power Chamber's scanners from penetrating. It was a location so vile that villains like Rita and Zedd chose to avoid it. The sins committed on the land were numerous and had occurred over many decades, the most recent being a brutal shooting during the sixties. Angel Grove's authorities had covered it with a warehouse in the hopes of disguising the unhealthy ground, but a monument to evil was a monument to evil no matter how they tried to make it appear otherwise.

It was a place known to attract evil, and it had done so again; a new faction had surfaced after spending years in the background, keeping themselves hidden from view. This was a group of fanatics who had given their lives and those of their children in service to their demon. They were willing to give up everything in return for a little power. And for a place to practice their deadly arts, they had chosen the center point of the darkness, the oldest warehouse in the Abandoned Warehouse District had attracted a new evil.

From the outside the warehouse remained the same as it had been since its construction. Made of corrugated metal, which was stained with the washed away rust from its fixings. The windows were made of darkened glass and were secured from the outside by chicken wire. Some had fallen out with age, but they were a minority as the building seemed to defy gravity and time. Unlike the surrounding buildings, it lacked the abuse of youth; there was a lack of vandalism as if even the punks knew better than to touch the metal shell.

Inside it was another story. The dividing walls had been torn out to expose as much space as possible. An altar had been erected at the far end where the few beams of natural light entered. A large pit had been prepared in the center of the floor, the sides coated with metal to ensure the contents remained. Above the pit a gangway had been constructed and was joined to a makeshift room constructed from prefabricated crates. It was there for a single purpose: to hold the humans contained within until the time came for them to be dropped into the pit. Holes drilled in the base allowed blood and other fluids to drip into the pit several hours before it was needed.

Dark figures draped in thick woollen cloaks walked the length of the warehouse, mumbling words of prayer to direct the evil ground to aid in their ceremony. Others entered on occasion, depositing another captive they had managed to grab without suspicion and then leaving to find yet more sacrifices. At the altar one of their number stood, his words matching those of his brothers while his eyes focussed on the crate above. As he chanted, he inhaled the thick incense that added to the madness.

The little girl was terrified, no more than ten years old and alone in the darkness of the unlit room. There were others nearby, but they could hardly count as company, corpses were - hopefully - incapable of conversation. Her heart raced as she waited for someone to help her, knowing that to scream for help - to make any sound louder than her soft rapid breathing - would only bring them back all the sooner. And they scared her more than anything.

"Do not fear child," one had said as he had handed her a scrap of food, perhaps her final meal. "You will not suffer for too much longer, I promise."

She had believed him. Despite all the cruelty she had suffered and the knowledge that she would be brutally killed to give these men what they wanted, she desperately believed that he was being totally honest with her about this one small point. She was the last of those needed for the sacrifice and as such would be kept alive until the end.

Master Keets - Hunter to his friends - a former disciple to the Sorcerer Supreme of the Earth Dimension was taking full advantage of the calm after the storm that surrounded recent events in his life.

He wore the illusion of elegant yet casual attire, his unruly hair covered the left side of his face with shadow, as he searched the wondrous aisles of his favourite used bookshop, "I Browse". This shop was surprisingly not a part of the Magical World and if asked neither the owner of the shop nor her current customer would claim to consider themselves as part of that community. It was too pretentious for their tastes, filled with those who defined magic to their beliefs and placed laws in place to limit others from proving them wrong; he had heard the declarations of what was considered dark magic and found them ludicrous and oppressive. However those who made such rules could not touch him for the moment.

The young woman, who had inherited the shop from her recently departed great-great-grandmother, was quite knowledgeable of the tomes that lay therein, having spent her entire life exploring the dimly lit corridors of this literary sanctuary.

Keets knew that, like his former mentor's Sanctum Sanctorum, a mystic aura leant the perception that this shop's interior extended far beyond the architectural constraints of its exterior. He valued the shop as an excellent resource, and had cast several spells of protection about the place over the years to ensure that nothing untoward would happen to the Greenwich Village fixture. It was safer than many places in the magical world he often moved within during his life. Within its walls, he had bumped into the likes of Agatha Harkness, Doctor Druid, and Wanda Maximoff in past visits, all upstanding users of magic according to his mentor, Stephen Strange. He felt certain that there was more to the family that owned the shop than met the common eye.

"Aha! Here it is, Master Keets! 'Tablets of the Nameless Pharaoh', Volume XX by the Rametu's court scribes. I knew I had seen this before!" The lovely young bookkeeper was in her mid-thirties, slim and petite, with brown eyes full of wonder and an endearing naiveté regarding matters beyond her domain. Her hair was raven black, and her skin tone, though healthy, conveyed a lack of time spent in direct sunlight.

"Ah, Ms Craftswitch, your grand-dame would have been so proud. Thank you!" He smiled genuinely; partly for the thrill of success in finding the tome he had sought for hours, and partly at the profoundly pleasing lilt of the young woman's voice.

"Please Sir, call me Priscilla."

"Ahem! I am not far older than you, my dear. Sir makes me feel like my father." He laughed quietly, exhaling through his nostrils. Despite appearances he was only in his early thirties, though the greying goat beard he had grown over the last few months made it difficult to tell. "Please, call me Jonah, too. After so long I suppose, we should dispense with such formality."

Pricilla's lips parted to reveal a pearly white smile. "Very well… Jonah." She looked away shyly for the briefest moment, then looked up again. "Jonah?"

Keets had grown suddenly pale, his eyes widened in shock. "They wouldn't dare." He sounded outraged as he stared into emptiness. "Their foolish quest for power will doom us all."

"Master Keets!" she repeated, growing concerned. "Are you all right? I can fetch Doctor Strange if you need help."

Keets snapped out of his stupor. "No." he snapped, then continued less forcefully. "There is no need, I don't want his help. I am all right." He handed her back the book. "There is a disturbance in the fabric of reality that attracted my senses." He looked sheepish. "I never perfected the art of guarding my senses from such effects. Master Strange would be most displeased, if he cared."

There was some bitterness in his tone; his separation from his former mentor had not been on the most amiable grounds. Their disagreements had been growing more and more vocal in recent months and had almost ended in violence.

"You should tell Doctor Strange, he is the Supreme Sorcerer."

"He is also helpless in this matter for the rift has opened in one of the places where he is forbidden to intervene, but I am not."

It was true, Doctor Stephen Strange had been named the Sorcerer Supreme of the Earth Dimension, yet there were places where he was not allowed to use his powers. It had been deemed that there was a balance of power to be maintained between the forces of good and evil, and to maintain that balance, his ability to act had been curtailed. Now he could not intervene in events without higher permission.

Master Keets had no such restriction upon him save the implied warning his former mentor had given him when he had become a disciple. But then, Jonah was no where near as powerful as his former teacher, lacked the many wonderful artefacts that his master's status allowed him and as a younger man, lacked the experience of his one time role model.

Angel Grove, the source of the current disturbance was one such place where Stephen Strange was not allowed to tread. The events that took place there were deemed outside of his control. Most other sorcerers had been warned to stay outside of events in that place. Hunter however felt inclined to break the ruling, well aware of the consequences.

"Fools, they play with forces they cannot hope to understand. The Coin of Balaragos reveals their vile schemes."

His hair lifted, revealing a blue eyepiece covering his left pupil, summoned by the power of his coin. "They seek to unleash a demon, an abomination that feeds off the darkness found inside of mankind; a dire situation, made worse by the blood needed to summon him."

His eyes opened, a pained expression of indecision briefly gracing his features. "I must go immediately, evil can only triumph if I do nothing." His black levitation cloak, a gift from his former teacher floated to him at his command and he fastened it with the Peacock Pin, one of the select artefacts he had located from his chosen deity. They were as mysterious as they were old and he had only started to unlock their secrets; sadly he had yet to reach the level of power and knowledge necessary to control such artefacts to their fullest capability.

"Be careful Jonah," She said.

"Don't worry," he said as he levitated from the ground, travelling through the roof of the building and toward Angel Grove. He wasn't trying to put her mind at rest, he just didn't want her concerns on his conscience.

Angel Grove

It had been an odd day for the Rangers of Earth. While there had not been any monster attacks or even a hint of trouble, there had been an uneasy feeling in the air. Then they had been contacted by Zordon and told that he would lose contact with the Earth for twelve hours due to solar activity. Even though the Rangers had learnt to function without Zordon, losing his wisdom and leadership made it all the more important for them to remain alert.

As the day progressed, Alpha had reported that the Power Chamber's computer had detected unusual energy disturbances that while unusual did not seem to suggest the start of an invasion. The shifting energy had led to strange sights, like Angel Grove Lake transforming into gelatine, which had been bizarre - and, according to Rocky, extremely tasty - while others like the reported stampede of animals from the forest had caused some concern. And when the animals at Angel Grove Zoo had started acting strangely, the Rangers had returned to the Power Chamber, seeking an explanation.

"All the activity has been surrounded by this energy reading," Adam told them as he retrieved a printout from the Power Chamber's slow but reliable Swift-9 printer.

"Magic?" Tommy asked.

"It's not Rita," Adam told them. "Nor is it one of Mondo's machines."

"How can you tell?" Rocky challenged.

In answer Alpha walked over to the computer and started fiddling with the controls. The systems responded to his command, replaying footage from around the world. "Using the computer, I was able to keep an eye on the Moon," he said proudly. "There had been no teleportation to Earth since yesterday."

"It could be a time-delayed spell," Adam said, "but I doubt it."

"Why don't we just pinpoint the source and go and investigate?" Rocky asked.

The others nodded, they couldn't think of a better alternative.

"This is it," Green Zeo said as they reached the warehouse. He was holding a small palm scanner that was heavily wired into the box on his back, allowing him to interrogate the device with a thought. "There's an intense build-up of a psychic residue, enough to aid a magical ceremony, if they have the right means of channelling it."

He didn't say more, most of the Rangers knew what he meant or could make a good guess. The building's past had left an imprint of psychic energy, which when used in the correct way could be almost as potent as magic. Blood was the key, blood and fear. Together those two elements added to the darkness of the site and allowed those involved in the ritual to open a doorway between realms.

"How do we stop them?" Blue Zeo asked, touching what he perceived as the perimeter of the building's dark aura. As he did so his suit seemed to fade, the non-magical powers failing to travel through the psychic field.

Rocky was a trained dream walker, able to provide spiritual healing to those that needed it. Such training while unneeded on a day to day basis, did have a habit of making itself known from time to time. Such as the acute sixth sense that told him to not to push any further; the buzzing in the back of his mind seemed to warn against entering the building at all.

"Your senses serve you well Blue Rangers," a voice said from behind.

The group turned rapidly, ready to fight, weapons poised. It was a sight that would make anyone with even a smidgen of good sense back up and reconsider their actions.

Keets was not a normal man though and had seen many terrifying sights. His control over his outward appearance was such that if he had felt intimidated by their sudden and severe response, his body language showed no sign of it. Instead he remained floating before them in plain view, his hands were open and raised in a nonthreatening manner.

"I apologise if I startled you," he said, "I forget how startling my arrival can be. I mean you no harm Rangers, the Coin of Balaragos has found you to be pure of spirit." As he spoke a set of scales appeared, outlined as blue energy before him, a feather on one side and a representation of the Rangers on the other. The feather was the heavier, a judgement that suggested that by the standards of the deities he invoked, the Rangers were worthy.

"And who are you?" Blue Zeo asked.

"I am known as Master Keets, Sorcerer of the Mystic Order and Disciple of the Sorcerer Supreme." It was true, despite their severe disagreements he had never formerly been dismissed from his master's service. "I am here to protect this world from threats outside of this dimension."

As he spoke, he noticed the Rangers tightening their grip on their weapons as if his words had convinced them that he was a threat. He thought over what he had said and what he knew about the Power Rangers, his senses - through the Coin of Balaragos - seeking out more knowledge. ~By the Hosts, they are but children. I sense the work of another sorcerer here, perhaps that is the reason for their distrust.~

"Forgive me my friends, I had not realised you had been in contact with the magical community. Of course you would show animosity toward me, though I swear I am a grand sorcerer; the only spirits I invoke are those on the side of the light."

The Rangers visibly relaxed. The Rangers had learnt a great deal about the different users of magic and what separated the wizard from the warlock, the sorcerer from the enchanter. One thing had been clear though, that sorcerers were considered dark while grand sorcerers were supposedly the epitome of light magic; his powers were drawn from the combination of mind, body and soul, along with the forces he invoked.

Seeing them relax, he continued. "I came here to offer my aid against those who seek to unleash a terrible threat upon this world to further their selfish goals."

The Rangers lowered their weapons and it was Trey who spoke. "Perhaps you had better start from the beginning."

"The Cult of Amuk is a secret society bent on bringing forth demons of unfathomable power, both natural and supernatural. They are descendants of a race that once worshipped this force, but since they found a new leader, greed has corrupted them. Now instead of freeing their master to serve him - a selfless desire that has always prevented them from generating the negative energy required to summon him, they believe they can turn him to their will. I suspect that not only will they fail to enslave him, but if freed it will destroy them and then the world."

"If we stop the ceremony then he cannot cross over, right?" Tanya asked suspiciously. She had a bad feeling about the answer.

"I fear that the ritual has already begun and has been going on for some hours. I only became aware of it when they finished gathering the energy and attempted to use it. Regardless of our actions now, something will cross over."

"Then we need to move quickly," Red Zeo proclaimed.

"Yes we must, but with caution," Keets agreed. "Blue Ranger has already discovered that the imprint of this building can disable your powers. You cannot rely on their protection in there, so I will invoke the ancient power of Ordshum to strengthen them."

Then a white aura appeared around the six Rangers for a moment. Then it was gone.

"All right guys, let's go," Red Zeo said when the process was complete.

With renewed determination the six pushed their way into the building, failing to notice the sorcerer falter behind them. The power he had invoked was potent, but required a sacrifice on his part. While the spell protected them, he would feel a fraction of the pain that the spell blocked.

The Rangers abandoned any pretence at subtlety as they stormed the warehouse. In their minds the Cult of Amuk was as evil as Rita or the Machine Empire. By summoning a demon they were putting the world at risk, an act that made the Rangers consider them the enemy. They burst through the doors, weapons drawn and ready. They fired at the altar, the sacrifice pit and anything else that could aid the ceremony, not noticing when one of the black statues they had fired upon remained intact. They freed the lone surviving captive, a young girl who was catatonic from her treatment, preventing the final part of the ceremony from taking place.

"You are too late," the Order's high priest proclaimed when he spotted them. He was dressed in the style of a cardinal, his black beard trimmed to give him a more authoritative appearance.

One of the others continued on his leader's behalf, speaking with a German accent. "The power has been invoked, nothing can prevent his arrival."

A black pool opened where the altar had been, a portal linking the Earth Realm with that of the demon's home. The Rangers summoned the Zeo Cannon and fired, unsurprised when the blast had little effect on the dark void.

"You cannot stop it, Rangers," the priest laughed. "He shall come forth and then the power shall belong to the Cult of Amuk."

"Stay your hand!" Master Keets commanded. "I invoke the Chains of Light, you will not finish your vile deeds."

A paper chain of white energy snaked toward the high priest and bound him securely, preventing him from using any magic. A useful trick, similar to one Doctor Strange utilised and once again lacking the power of the Sorcerer Supreme's techniques.

"No, the ceremony incantation is complete, the gateway is open. Something must come forth."

The priest's cries were ignored as Master Keets joined the Rangers in trying to seal the portal.

"The Coin of Balaragos shall seal this rift," he proclaimed, pulling out a golden key, another of the mystic artefacts that formed his power and had caused him so much pain in the process. "No, it does not seal! The Coin of Balaragos cannot repair this breach, some power greater than my own prevents it."

"The building," Rocky realised, "it's feeding off the building's energy!"

"Gold Rush!" Trey cried, using the Golden Power Staff to hold back the darkness that wanted to pass through the magical gate.

Despite their effort a pool seemed to stretch outward, the tear between dimensions growing. Something was forcing its way through, but not from the place the Order had expected. This force was from a dimensional gap, using the ceremony for its own evil purposes. There were screams from the center of the warehouse as a dark swirling void opened beneath the Order members, swallowing them into the darkness as a black dragon-shaped shadow the size of a Saint Bernard emerged, snapping at the air.

"Who are you?" the priest demanded. This was not the demon he had prepared for, the one whom he had spent weeks researching methods of harnessing for the Cult of Amuk' purposes; this was not the seemingly minor entity he had planned to conjure while draining most of the psychic energy into his vessel.

"My name is not for the ears of mortals, you may call me Nyghtmayr, soon to be master of this world."

"By the Bonds of Histania, I command you to tell me your name!" the priest cried, panic evident on his face.

The shadowy form laughed at the absurdity of such an idea. "My power is not for taking mortal, especially by an impostor. Though you will make a tasty snack." The shadow extended, swallowing the priest leaving only a dark pool in its wake. "Did you really believe you could fool me? The Cult of Amuk was founded to worship Nyghtmayr long before they chose to worship elsewhere; this ceremony was doomed so that the way could be prepared for the coming of my Shadow Empire. And by imitating the High Priest, you removed the final safeguard."

"Zeo Pistols," Red Zeo called. "Fire!"

Their blasts went through the shadowy form, emerging on the far side.

"You should know better than that little shadow," Nyghtmayr proclaimed, causing Tommy to falter. "Yesssss, I remember the darkness within you, it will be interesting to feed on you when I have secured my hold on this world."

"Power Rangers, you must destroy him," Master Keets declared. "He does not yet have the power to remain here!"

"Sssssssilence, sorcerer!" the shadowy form snapped; having fed upon the souls of the Order, it was strong enough to transform, taking on a more human appearance. "Even you are not immune to the power of your own dark emotions."

The shadow exploded outwards, engulfing the Rangers and their ally, consuming them with its dark powers and dragging them into itself. The assorted heroes fought back, but were soon swallowed by the black pool. The Head Priest sensed his opportunity and tried to make an exit.

"Going somewhere?" Nyghtmayr asked. Heavy chains emerged from the darkness, wrapping themselves around the escaping villain's arms and legs. "Not today, we have games to play with you, impostor."

As it spoke, the man's disguise was shaken loose, revealing the villain who called himself the Master. He had taken over the cult, hoping to use their beliefs to enhance his power.

"Come lowly one, there is a special hell waiting for you."

Screaming objections, the Master was dragged into the darkness.

"Yesss, already I can feel your powers feeding me, Rangers, let your powers become mine as my Horrors consume you. Fyar, Dowyt, Hatryd, Bytyrness and Despayr come forth."

Portions of the pool split away, forming bubbles of darkness that floated into the air and hovered there. Inside each sphere one of Nyghtmayr's minions attacked them psychically. The globes of dark energy solidified, forming cocoons of darkness.

"And you sorcerer, your cries shall herald the dawn of my new reign as you face the true power of Nyghtmayr."

~Foolish,~ Master Keets admonished himself. ~So foolish; I should have realised this demon was psychic instead of being purely magical. How could I ask the Rangers to fight their own emotions when I myself have no hope of doing so?~

The minor demons that Nyghtmayr employed were as psychically gifted as their master, capable of creating illusions in the minds of its victims. They had split off, each choosing the Rangers in which they hoped to stir the dark emotions. Bytyrness had chosen Kat, converting her surrounding into a movie studio with the Pink Zeo Ranger strapped to a chair, her eyes drawn to the screen as random images of her time under Rita's spell played out.

There they were, Tommy and Kimberly. No matter how much Kat tried, Kimberly was there or at the forefront of his mind. She watched her, jealous that the petite girl had everything she wanted, needed. She saw herself mistreated by Rita and Zedd while Kimberly had everything she could ever want.

And then the images changed, showing Kat as the Pink Ranger, the screen splitting down the center so that she was always compared to her predecessor. Kat performed a good deed, Kimberly was pictured organising the charity event of the year; Kat and Tommy enjoyed a day together; Kim and Tommy were married with children.

"You were never the first choice, never the one who had everything. You don't belong in her colours, you are not the Ranger she was!"

The words were true; she was nothing compared to Kimberly.

"Why?" she asked rhetorically. "Why did I have to be Pink? I could never compete with Kimberly, sweet, pretty Kimberly. Tommy never loved me, he was always interested in her. Everyone prefers Kimberly. What do I matter?" she asked weakly before breaking down into sobs.

Dowyt was a powerful emotion, capable of bringing the greatest of warriors to a sudden halt. And the minor demon who had taken that name was an expert in manipulating the mind and showing his victims just what they wouldn't want to see. Adam was his selected target. Quiet, shy and sensitive, Adam was a perfect target. And even though he had overcome his doubts in the past, the demon was certain his efforts would prove more successful than Goldar had been.

Reaching into the boy's mind, Dowyt sought those key figures, the people that Adam valued the most; those whose opinions truly mattered to him. Drawing from memories and deep-rooted fears it fashioned the image of Adam's father, the bull headed man the Green Zeo Ranger had made his peace with months before and who was currently staring down at his son with disdain.

"Look at you Adam. I work hard to make Angel Grove safe and you're out their endangering lives with your antics. This is fantasy Adam, nothing more. You're not making a difference, you're just going to end up killing somebody. I'm very disappointed in you, Adam. I had hoped that you'd wind up doing something important, not running around in Spandex. Why do you think I spend so much time at work? I never wanted to be home with you."

"But-" Adam protested.

Now Dowyt was at his best, stirring the appropriate memories of the many nights when Trevor Park had not come home. Recollections of the father figure that had missed so many of the events that his eldest son held dear: the games, the birthday parties, and the many important tournaments that had come and gone during his life.

A tear slipped down Adam's cheek and Dowyt chittered coldly. It manipulated the boy's senses again, shifting from the loving parent to his loving girlfriend. Tanya appeared, dressed as she did when she had first arrived in Angel Grove, yet with the confidence she had developed over time. The message was clear for anyone to see: I never needed you, your help meant nothing to me. "You're so worthless, Adam," she said, looking down at the kneeling Ranger, her lip curled in contempt." She held out her hand, pushing him backwards before looping her arm around Shawn's waist and kissing him passionately. "At last, a real man instead of a wimp. You were never my prince charming, though the role of frog suits you."

Adam started to shake, his body reacting to the stress that plagued his mind. Dowyt was pleased to see the reactions, switching from the love of his girlfriend to his best friend, the man Adam trusted above all others to stay by his side through thick and thin. But when Rocky appeared, he slung his arm around Shawn's shoulder and stared down at Adam.

"You always were the weak one in our friendship Adam, always relying on me to help you, never capable of fighting your own battles. Aisha and I carried you during that Ninja Competition. We never needed you except the competition would only allow teams of three." Rocky laughed. "You're crying, you really thought I could be your friend? I only hung out with you all those years because I felt sorry for you and where did it get me? Shawn was right, I've got better friends now, who needs you?" Adam fell to his knees, as Dowyt continued to pull out false memories of his friends abandoning him one by one.

You always were the weak one Adam, if not for the need of numbers you would never have been a Ranger. Nobody wants you, your friends don't need you. You're nothing!"

~It's true,~ he thought despondently. ~I am worthless. Nobody wants me, and why should they? I'm nothing. No one.~

As his doubts consumed him, he sank to the ground, crying bitterly and Dowyt laughed, transferring the energy generated by the boy's inner turmoil to Nyghtmayr.

Rocky was an interesting case. That the normally calm and carefree youth could harbour such depths of despair? The minor demon of the same name drew eagerly upon the abundance of guilt and self-loathing, opening the scars created by Rocky's own nobility and conscience.

The illusion it created was of a hospital room in which lay the crippled form of Josie, surrounded by her wailing mother and distraught father.

"You promised no harm would come to my daughters," her father said accusingly. "Does this what you call keeping them safe? My daughter is critically ill because you abandoned them… I trusted you to protect my daughters, their blood is on your hands."

"Look at me!" Josie cried. "Look what you've done by dragging me into your fight. They say I might not walk or write again, I won't be able to feed myself; they're not even sure if I'll be able to keep breathing by myself!"

She gasped, desperately trying to catch her breath as the doctors closed in around her.

"See what you have done to my family, my precious daughters?" her mother asked, slapping him around the face. "How many others have you killed or injured Rocky? How many deaths are you responsible for?"

Despayr changed the scene. In place of the hospital bed was an open coffin. Jennifer sat up, her face blue despite the makeup applied by the funeral home.

"You promised we would be safe Rocky, you promised to protect me. Where were you when Minion blew me into that tube, where were you when he hurt my sister? You promised and then you didn't save me, Rocky," Jennifer hissed. "You failed, and I'm dead. It's all your fault, Rocky!"

And then he was cast into Angel Grove, forced to walk the streets and to look into the eyes of those who had died during the attacks on the city. They called out to him, telling him it was his fault while the villains that had killed them appeared to thank him for his failure.

"You're alone son, and a failure." This last image was what Despayr figured would push Rocky over the edge. The man the Blue Zeo Ranger missed so much, his own father, regarded him sadly. "You promised to take care of your mother, but you spend all your time gallivanting around with your Spandex-clad friends. Jennifer would be alive if you had not been out there risking your life. You failed her and everyone who cared about you. You let me down," the elder DeSantos said as he regarded his son disdainfully.

The followed the final blow as all illusions were removed and Rocky was left alone in the darkness. Quiet settled over him, and he realized that he was all alone. "Please, don't leave me," he sobbed. "Don't leave me alone. I'm so sorry!" He collapsed to the ground.

All those deaths, all your fault. You failed each and every one of them. Yet you live while they have to suffer or are dead. How many more must die Rocky before you see how truly hopeless you are?

Despayr had been right, seeing his father had been the thing to push Rocky over the edge and the Blue Zeo Ranger broke down. "I'm sorry! There's nothing I could do! Oh, God, I'm sorry!"

Despayr's laughter filled the darkness and was soon joined by Nyghtmayr's own wicked laugh as he fed upon the energy such negative emotions created.

There's nothing to fear but fear itself," Tanya kept saying as she walked through the darkness.

Her words echoed off of the nothingness, mocking her as she walked on. Images flashed before her, disjointed glimpses of the things that concerned her. They played continuously through her mind, the fear that her parents might die or worse forget about her totally. She saw Adam becoming best friends with Shawn and turning his back on her while her Shawn - who had dumped her so cruelly - He was standing there with his arm around his current girlfriend Veronica. The three of them had laughed at her before fading away. Fyar had finally found a fear it could wield efficiently.

"I want my powers back!"

Tanya looked up to see Billy standing before her, a look of pure determination on his face.

"It was a mistake to give them to you, I thought you could do a good job, but let's face it, Tanya, you don't belong here. You were just in the right place at the right time when Aisha needed a courier. I even felt sorry for you, which is why I let you have my crystal. I thought you would learn and get better or have the decency to return the powers to someone who could use them. I'm tired of waiting Tanya, you are no longer a Ranger."

"Billy, please," she begged.

It wasn't the thought of losing her powers that concerned her, it was the anger radiated by the former Blue Ranger that scared her. Had she really let him down that much? She had always feared she could not fill the shoes of her predecessors. But while she had accepted she would never be as good as Aisha, she had hoped to make Billy proud.

Billy was replaced by Zordon, his tube miraculously restored although she didn't ask how.

"Tanya, I am afraid this arrangement is not working. We had hoped you would make a valuable contribution to the Rangers and the people of Angel Grove. You have not done so. I am sending you back to Africa and will find someone else to take your place. I assure you that this is the last time I will use a courier when we need a hero."

"Face it Tanya," Shawn said, "this is a man's job."

She felt a pain in her chest as the Yellow Zeo power was taken from her and handed to Billy who had suddenly reappeared. The former Blue Ranger grinned and then frowned.

"This doesn't feel right anymore, you've tainted it," he told her.

"Let Veronica have it," Shawn suggested. "She's up to the job."

"Yes, Veronica has all the traits to make a suitable Ranger," Zordon said. "She is cunning and not afraid to break the rules. She will make a welcome addition to the team."

They all vanished, leaving Tanya with her thoughts.

You're nothing more to them than a charity case. Billy gave you the powers out of pity, not because he thought you deserved them. You are nothing!

Tanya never answered, she was too shocked as her worst fears came true.

Fyar chuckled as it felt the depths of Tanya's emotions. It laughed even harder as it exposed her to her fear of Aisha's reaction.

"I feel so honoured," Hatryd stated. "You have so much emotion within you, Tommy, any of my brothers could have fed from you; fear, bitterness, doubt or despair. Your memories yield them all in abundance, young Shadow. But I can feel the hate and anger within. Of all the dark emotions it is the strongest and the easiest to summon. I don't need to trick you into hating Tommy, you are consumed with hate."

An image of Rita appeared, laughing at him as she cast a spell to make him the Green Ranger. He saw Goldar mocking him as the Green Candle burned, Zedd as he repeatedly used the weakened Green Ranger against his team-mates. He saw Rito as the skeleton destroyed their powers not once, but on two occasions, robbing him of the chance to make amends for all he had done. Other villains followed, most notably Gasket who had turned him into a puppet of the Machine Empire.

This was so easy for Hatryd. He didn't even need to manipulate the thoughts to get a reaction. Just the sight of those he hated was enough to generate the psychic energy the minor demon wanted.

"You hate them so much for what they have done. You hate that they've taken away your friends, powers, any chance any you might have had at a normal life. They hunt you at every turn. You hate them, or do you?"

Tommy fought, perhaps the only Ranger who had put up some sort of resistance, but Hatryd was far older and much more experienced. The demon easily broke down the Ranger's mental blocks, delighting in the raw emotions that lay exposed.

"Look upon the one you hate the most," Hatryd hissed gleefully. The energy produced when Tommy obeyed was almost overwhelming.

What is there not to hate? It's all there: the weakness, the endangerment of friends. Nobody could love such a worthless being that doesn't even value itself. Do you really hate him?

"Yes," Tommy sobbed, "I hate myself!"

Outside of the cocoons, Nyghtmayr fed eagerly on the multitude of psychic energy the Rangers produced. Tommy was especially bountiful and the demon planned to set all his minor demons on the boy, once they were finished with their own victims. There again Trey was equally delicious in his own way. The Gold Ranger's fear of failing, or worse, turning out like Terr was an interesting train of thought to follow.

"Do you see sorcerer? All this pain and suffering is through you. If you had not involved yourself, none of this would have happened."

Master Keets could no longer hear him, his mind lost in the suffering of not only himself, but of those around him. The emotions of the Rangers overwhelmed as his own bitterness was brought to the surface.

"He was right," he whispered, still too stubborn to break down. "Doctor Strange was right, My selfish actions did cause the deaths of those around me; the mystical Coin of Balaragos did bring nothing but harm and misery. How could I be so blind?"

"Yesss, give in to your emotions, all of you. The powers you generate will stabilise me on this night of darkness. And then, I shall truly feed upon this world."

But Master Keets did not hear the commands or anything else. As his emotional turmoil reached its peak, his desires started to override his fear and regret. He wanted to make amends, needed to make things right. His spiritual self broke away from his body, seeking out help in his astral form. His one desire: to get help.

New York

Doctor Stephen Strange sat in his home meditating as he sought a greater understanding of the magic or magik as he referred to it. His body reflected the way he felt, old and haggard, a side effect of his recent encounter with the demigod Gozarius. The confrontation had taken him beyond his physical form and during the battle on a different plane, his body had been subjected to a cowardly attack. The side effects were diminishing daily, but it left him looking like a man in his fifties, which he was. He had a receding hairline of short hair and a small moustache.

As he tried to channel the forces at his command to heal his wounds, the amulet on his cloak, an artefact of great power started to shine, rousing the Sorcerer Supreme from his trance state.

"By the hosts!" he exclaimed, feeling a sudden disturbance. "So much suffering, who could have caused… this. My disciple, what have you gotten yourself into that could cause this?"

Through the bond of teacher and disciple, he felt the despair of Master Keets and the emotions of those around him. For a moment he and his wayward student were one, all previous arguments forgotten as they shared the events that had occurred.

"Forgive me my student… I never believed that such a power… Yes, the all seeing Eye of Agamotto senses it too… a force of great evil has invaded this world. I must move to stop it."

With a thought he summoned his red levitation cloak, a gift from the previous Supreme Sorcerer and strapped it on. He flew towards the ceiling, phasing through the roof of his sanctum sanctorum.

Angel Grove

Ernie's annual Halloween party was in full swing and once again the portly owner of the Juice Bar had outdone himself. The whole building had been transformed into a haunted house complete with skeletons and pumpkins. As Monster Mash played in the background, Ernie skilfully dodged his way through the crowd, wearing his traditional vampire costume.

"Hey Ernie," Jason Scott, Red Morphin Ranger greeted, as the bar tender placed down the drinks he was carrying.

"Hey guys," Ernie replied, his eyes move around the tight-knit group of friends, all of whom were either Power Rangers or part of their small group of allies. His eyes lingered on Kimberly, Jason, Sam and their friend Jamie. Something was wrong, they hid it well, but he could tell from their body language that they were distracted. "Where are Tommy and the others?"

Ernie looked up as David Trueheart slipped into a seat between Zack and Billy giving him a knowing smile. The young man's mind was not on his brother's whereabouts, he was wondering where he could find a certain Katherine Hilliard.

"They had some business to take care of," Jason answered, gesturing to his left wrist.

Ernie nodded, curiosity replaced by mild worry.

"I'm sure they'll be here soon," Trini offered.

Ernie took the opportunity to move on, greeting other customers who were either regulars at the Juice Bar or one of his lesser businesses such as the Angel Grove Bowl. As he moved around, he never noticed the red cloaked figure shifting towards his favourite customers. If had, he probably would have commented that the older man looked right at home at a Halloween Party.

"Can we help you?" Aisha asked when the stranger approached. They had noticed him when he first entered the Youth Center although to his credit he had not been trying to hide his activity and had been openly looking for them.

Doctor Strange looked at them carefully, searching them for trace of magic. He found they had all been touched by the greater powers in one way or another. The girl, Jamie, had even managed to produce a sword from somewhere.

He cleared his throat, looking uncomfortable at the role he had been forced to adopt. "I am afraid Miss Campbell that it is I who needs to help you."

"How do you know her name?" Zack asked. The Rangers were growing nervous.

"My name is Stephen Strange and I know your names the same way that I knew where to find you." He opened his cloak slightly, lowering his voice. "My amulet allows me such knowledge and when I asked it to find me the Power Rangers, it led me here."

"We're not the Power Rangers," Zack said. After dealing with Bulk and Skull during their attempts to learn the Rangers' identity, denial came easily.

Doctor Strange smiled at him. "I have been told that the best lies are those founded on truth and you have proven it. You might not be the active team, but you are Rangers."

There was silence, the tension evident on the faces of the Rangers; Kimberly looked as if she had been caught sneaking out of her house late at night.

"I mean you no harm, but I do request you hear me out," Doctor Strange stated. "Will you agree?"

The Rangers nodded, wanting to believe that once they did so they could convince him he was wrong.

"Then let the Veiled Mists of Shou-ju-tere conceal us from prying eyes and ears!"

As he spoke, a thin vapour arose and surrounded their table, dampening the noise from outside and limiting their view, allowing the Sorcerer Supreme to return his to normal volume.

"My name, as I told you, is Stephen Strange, I am the Sorcerer Supreme of Earth. I have come to aid you in your future encounters with the demon Nyghtmayr." He held up a hand, preventing Zack's question. "Nyghtmayr is an extremely ancient demon summoned by those seeking to harness another demon. I fear your friends are in grave danger having succumbed to his mastery of the psychic powers."

"Nyghtmayr is a terrifying foe, a demon of extraordinary power with his own horde of minor demons; a psychic leech who cripples his enemies by attacking them through their emotions. His minor demons are each capable of drawing forth negative emotions and wielding them as skilfully as any weapon."

Now he had the Rangers' attention. They regarded him cautiously, the worry etched into their faces.

"My disciple, Master Keets was with your friends when Nyghtmayr was unleashed. It is through the psychic link we share that I know your friends are alive, but in grave danger. Should they give up he will absorb their souls and their powers. Until he does so he is trapped in one place."

"So how do we stop him?" Jason asked.

"To defeat Nyghtmayr you must first make your way into his new domain and free your friends. The Zeo Rangers have the power to banish him if they have faith in themselves." He looked at the youths before him. "Each of you has a link to each of the Rangers be it as a friend, a predecessor, a comrade or as a brother."

"Let's do this!" Jason cried.

"I'm coming too," Jamie said.

"Then let us be off," Doctor Strange agreed after staring at the girl for some time. His body was suddenly alive with the raw power of what he called magik. His amulet glowed as he recited a spell of teleportation. "Arise, you sulphurous mists! Heed the power of Fear! Carry us now to The Realm Unreal - carry us to - the location of our foe!"

"That doesn't rhyme." Zack complained. The others ignored him.

And they were moving rapidly through time and space, shifting only a short distance in too short a time to measure. They appeared outside of the warehouse where the Rangers were being held, the black void having grown to surround the building.

"By the Hoary Hosts of Hoggoth, he is stronger than I feared!" Doctor Strange exclaimed.

"How do we cross that?" Kimberly asked, referring to the violently shifting entry to Nyghtmayr's dimension on Earth.

"The magic within you will allow safe passage," Doctor Strange told them. "I shall remain here and attempt to stabilise the two dimensions to aid your progress; it will take all of my concentration to freeze the shifts between the interior and exterior of this building. Please Jamie, will you guard me while I surrender my consciousness to this task?"

At her nod, he started to mumble, preparing himself by lowering his defences.

"Let's get to work." Jason declared. "It's Morphin Time!"

"Green Ranger Power!"

"White Ranger Power!"

"Purple Ranger Power!"

"Blue Ranger Power!"

"Yellow Ranger Power!"

"Pink Ranger Power!"

"Black Ranger Power!"

"Red Ranger Power!"

As the eight Rangers morphed and Jamie moved into a guard position, the Sorcerer Supreme adopted a meditative position as he entered a trance like state. His body was levitated by the mystical energy at his command, his hands glowing with the bluish tinge of energy as he strained to push the Rangers into the warehouse.

"Good luck Rangers, this is as far as I am allowed to help you. I fear I have already done too much."

As the teens entered they were greeted with the sight of their friends bound in dark cocoons, only their heads visible and their helmets missing. Their eyes were closed and they appeared to be dreaming; from the screams they would occasionally issue it was clear that these were not pleasant dreams.

"Ssssso, more morsels have entered my domain," Nyghtmayr gloated. "You were foolish to come here when your friends have already fallen to my minor demons."

"Release them!" Jason shouted, angered at the sight of his friends displayed in such a manner, his already uncontrolled powers flaring in his rage.

"Or what?" the demon asked. His form was decidedly human now, solid and while grey he was at least not the deep shadow he had been upon release. His body was still out of proportion, his arms and legs looking too long for the rest of him. But with each passing second he grew more substantial and looked less ridiculous. "There is little you can do to harm me. I on the other hand can destroy your friends with a thought should you lift a hand against me."

The teens looked at each other, unsure about what to do. They couldn't risk their friends but they certainly couldn't allow Nyghtmayr to finish tormenting them.

"Return to me, my Horrors. Humans, I'll offer you an alternative," the demon stated, raising his hands. "If you can defeat me before your friends lose all hope I will return to my dimension. Should your friends give up before you defeat me, I shall feast upon your souls as well as theirs."

"How do we know we can trust you?" Zack asked.

"You don't," the demon replied. "But to show my confidence I will only use one emotion against you, the most potent of emotions; I shall use fear."

"We accept," Jason said firmly.

"Then prepare Rangers to face your darkest fears and remember, in this dimension everything is real."

A wave of darkness crashed down upon them, transferring them into Nyghtmayr's world of illusion and trickery.

Doctor Strange's astral body floated through the warehouse, seeking his teenage allies. He heard the offer made by the demon and Jason's brave if foolish acceptance.

"Do not interfere, sorcerer," he heard Nyghtmayr warn, appearing as a thin shadow in the doorway of the warehouse. "If you do so they will lose."

"I will not intervene in the Rangers' business," Doctor Strange replied, "but I will do all in my power to foil your plans."

He didn't dare to intervene in the teenagers' battle in case he somehow hurt them. Nyghtmayr's power was vast, even managing to block the sight of the All Seeing Eye of Agamotto. But just because he could not aid his allies, did not mean he couldn't give the demon other things to worry about.

Nyghtmayr had chosen the scenario he knew would break the Power Rangers Zeo. For heroes held in such wide regard, the prospect of defeat was a source of great fear. Nyghtmayr had linked their minds together, allowing the group illusion of failure to play out in their minds, each Ranger's own fears reinforcing those of his or her team-mates.

He had implanted memories of the battle against Minion that they had lost, resulting in their capture and torture at the hands of their enemy. They had been captives of Minion for almost two days and had been tortured for at least half that time.

Nyghtmayr concentrated, watching as their dreams took on a sinister edge. This was a situation where he could assume a part and direct the Rangers' emotions, his task made easier because the nightmares were based upon facts. He manipulated the senses of their minds, cloaking himself in Minion's body. Now he got to play the bad guy.

Minion stalked down the corridor of his fortress, licking his lips in anticipation of what he would find after just twenty four hours of the Rangers being subjected to his hospitality. He stopped outside the chamber and pressed his hand to the panel, waiting as the door opened mechanically. Magic would have achieved a similar effect, but it seemed some of the science nerd genes he had inherited from Billy remained in his system and he had decided to indulge them.

As he walked inside, he looked around and was pleased with what he saw; Katherine and Tanya had been removed from their various tortures and strapped to tables.

Minion wanted them to regain some strength before the torture resumed. Rocky had been left attached to the machine Minion had named the Twitcher.

Minion moved over and studied Rocky's face. For over twenty-four hours Rocky's left leg had been twitching relentlessly due to the stimulation provided by the machine. The constant movement was causing continuous discomfort, preventing the former Ranger from concentrating on anything but the pain.

He turned the device off, delighting in the look of relief that flashed across the Ranger's face.

"Shall I turn it back on, Rocky?" he asked, laughing at the fear in the teenager's eyes.

It was amazing how something so simple could have so much success. Minion allowed his hand to hover near the switch, watching as that caused the Ranger's eyes to shift constantly between his captor and the device. He wanted to stay and continue the process, but there were so many rangers and so little time.

"Order, order, silence in court!" The judge hammered his gavel on the bench, angered by the outbursts from the public gallery. Not that he seemed too surprised, this was a trial for a terrible crime he was presiding over. "Anymore outbursts and I'll clear the court; then nobody will see this criminal get her just desserts."

Trini Kwan looked around her, unused to such animosity. She knew that she was the defendant in this case, but was unaware of exactly what she had been accused. It seemed though that this was sham of a trial where even her own lawyer treated her with contempt and had told her in the first few minutes of the trial, he hoped she would hang.

"The witness may continue," the judge said.

"And then Trini went berserk," Zack told them. "She was screaming and moving her arms all over the place, she nearly killed all of us."

"And what happened then," the prosecutor asked.

"She killed him!" Zack answered, staring at his former team-mate with a look of absolute hatred. "Zordon never should have chosen her to be a Ranger. He must have known she'd end up a murderer."

Once again there were angry cries from the public gallery and the judge had to call several times for order. "I realise this is an outrageous crime, but will the court please wait until she is pronounced guilty before shouting."

"No further questions," the Prosecutor said.

"I have one question," the Defence Lawyer said. "Do you really believe that your former friend is indeed a cold-hearted murderer with no moral sense of right and wrong who could easily kill again?"

"Yes," Zack answered, staring at her with enough venom to make her squirm. "Trini's a control freak, last year she tried to force all the students in her year to sign virginity pacts."

Which you didn't sign yourself, a treacherous voice in the back of her head noted. Still holding out for Billy?

"And if she couldn't get her way?"

"Nobody dares to stand up to Trini after what she did. She killed an innocent man just because he wouldn't get out of her way. And worse still, she used her Ranger powers to do so."

"No further questions your honour," the lawyer sighed.

"You may go Mr Taylor," the Judge said.

"Um, do you mind if I join the others to see her get what's coming to her?" Zack asked.

The Judge nodded his consent.

"I have one last witness to call your honour," the Prosecutor, "although after hearing from Rita Repulsa and all of her team-mates, I fail to see the need. Call the victim!"

Green light coalesced in the witness box, eventually reforming itself into the alleged victim. Trini's eyes widened when she saw him and she understood that she was indeed guilty. This had been her fear since the day Rita had told her truth. Her sins had caught up with her and the Green Ranger she had killed during their first encounter with Rita's trump card was now standing in front of her, in full armour.

"It can't be," she whispered.

"Oh but it is Yellow Ranger," the Green Ranger answered. "I was there during that first battle and you killed me, remember? I do, I remember the pain as your Blade Blaster tore into me and Rita had to teleport me to safety. You never cared, never showed any remorse."

"I didn't know," Trini barely whispered.

"Ignorance is no excuse," the Green Ranger said sharply. "Even you know you were wrong. Admit it, Trini. You're a murderer."

"No!" her head snapped up, eyes blazing with calm conviction. "I am not a murderer. Yes, I killed the first Evil Green Ranger and ended an innocent's life because of my actions; I regret having to do that every day, but I was left with no option. I killed you because you were about to kill children! And while that may make me a murderer, I admit that if the situation arose again, I would do the same."

"The fact remains, I died," the Green Ranger commented flatly. Though there was an undertone in his voice Trini couldn't place.

"You had every opportunity to back down, to give me some other option. You enjoyed the killing of others while I would give my life to avoid it." She looked at the Judge. "Have I entered a plea?"

The Judge looked surprised, as if this was not a point he had considered. "You want to plead not guilty?"

"I plead guilty," she stated causing shouts to go out from the gallery. "Guilty of killing the first Evil Green Ranger, but not guilty of killing his alter-ego."

Green Ranger coughed. "Actually…" Trini glared at him. He sighed and waved a hand in dismissal. "Never mind…"

"I will not cheapen his memory by pretending that I am solely responsible for that death. That honour falls to the person who took an innocent and placed them under her spell and used them as a weapon against her foes. I may have killed him, but Rita murdered him. And I have no reason to fear justice, should it come."

She turned to look at the Judge, her eyes glowing yellow. "This ends, now!" Yellow light flared from her body, engulfing the area. When it cleared, Trini was gone, causing an uproar in the courthouse, which was somehow surviving without her. In the center of the chaos, Green Ranger crossed his arms, gazing at the place where Trini had been.

Next was Tanya. Minion had trapped her at the bottom of a long tube. Minion had sealed the sides, top and bottom of the tube so she only had a limited air supply. Then he had started to pump in a drop of water every thirty seconds. It was a slow torture. Tanya knew she could not escape and that eventually she would drown.

This was a special kind of fear, one that only a master like Nyghtmayr could control. The knowledge of what was to come, that she would indeed drown added to the terror as second by second more water was added. The noise, the sights and the very feel of the tube intensified the emotions she felt.

Tommy's torture was simple but effective. He had been tied with his hands above his head and had a Robo Trooper punching him at regular intervals. Each blow cracked his ribs causing him to scream in agony. But Minion had programmed the Robo Trooper to allow enough time between blows for the Ranger healing to take effect. For the Robo Trooper it meant a few seconds of action followed by long periods of waiting. For Tommy it meant constant and nearly unbearable pain.

Minion studied the boy's wounds and could tell the Ranger healing was starting to fail.

"Is it painful Tommy?" Minion asked.

Taking his finger, he traced the still bloodied wound, where the Robo Trooper had switched from fists to spiked blades. Soon if there was no let up Tommy would be crippled for the rest of his life. Minion nodded to the Robo Trooper to intensify his assault. If Tommy survived another day Minion decided, he would stop the torture. But, he doubted Tommy would live that long.

"When you become too weak to fight back Tommy, I will enjoy returning you to your rightful place as the Green Ranger. Then I will use you to cut down everyone you love until there is no way for the spell to be broken.

Tommy had no fear of physical harm, but the thought of being weakened to the extent where he could be put under the control of another once more terrified him. There was no doubt that Tommy's greatest fear was becoming evil once more.

And next to him Katherine was having a similar experience. But where Tommy's torture involved pain, Kat's was centerd around pleasure and humiliating her through it.

"Who's a good kitty then," Minion crooned as he ran his hand over Kat's restrained body. "You're a beast Kat, a monster waiting to lose control. And I promise I will help you to become a monster once more."

Finally Minion moved to where Adam was sitting, forced to watch the others suffer. Minion looked at the former Ranger and could see he was broken. Tears streaked down his face caused by the hopelessness of his situation.

"Would you like me to harm them further, Adam?" he asked.

The boy shook his head.

"I'll make a deal then. I'll kill one and save the others. But you have to choose which Ranger will die. Will it be your girlfriend or your best friend?"

Double fear for Adam. Not only did he have to choose between his friend and his girlfriend, something he always feared, but now he was responsible for the death of either one or all of his team-mates.

Five Rangers, all trapped within their own minds, facing their own fears. Now he would confront them with a terror he knew they could not overcome and they would be lost. And their friends would follow.

I'm old! Zack realised as he walked into the room. His skin had shrivelled like an old prune, his eyesight had grown poor and every move hurt due to arthritis. This was not the first time he had seen this nightmare and he already knew how to defeat it. Now he just needed to remember.

He looked around at his surroundings and found himself in a nursing home. He caught the attention of a young nurse who walked over to him.

"There you are Mr Taylor, we've all been worried about you. What with the monster alarms."

"You know me?" Zack asked, confused.

"Of course we do Mr Taylor," the nurse said cheerfully. "Don't you remember? The others brought you here when you fell ill."

"Others?"

"Yes Tommy and Jason. They were very concerned about you and told us you were once a Power Ranger." The nurse looked around to ensure nobody could overhear them. "Of course, apart from the director and myself nobody is aware of this small fact. Your secret is safe and I am sure the others will be able to save you once again."

"Thanks," Zack said as the nurse helped him sit. "Is Minion still on the loose then?"

"Of course not Mr Taylor. "The others dealt with him soon after they rescued Zordon. I don't think you need to worry about him again." As she spoke the nurse wheeled Zack around the nursing home towards his room. Normally Zack might have noticed that he had not been in a wheelchair when he sat down. Now, Zack was too scared to think straight.

Of all the things Zack had valued, his youth and ability to have fun had been one of them. His time as a Ranger had made him even more aware of how precious life was. Now it was gone. He was too old to help his friends, have fun or even remember what it had been like to do so.

"No, I can still help my friends," he said defiantly. "Age brings wisdom and experience. I do not need to fear old age."

Black light flared from his body, causing Nyghtmayr to flee.

Zack continued on his way.

Angel Grove High School had always been the place where Kimberly was the center of attention. She had many admirers who would watch her closely when she was in the hallways. Today though nobody seemed to be looking at her. In fact, most of the students were going out of their way to avoid looking at her.

"Not this again," Kimberly complained before falling into her expected role.

"Miss Hart," Mr Caplan called from down the hall. "Haven't you forgotten something?"

Seeing the blank look he received, the principal reached into his pocket and produced a brown paper bag. He handed it to Kimberly who looked at it questionably.

"For your head," Caplan explained. "Put it on."

"You must be joking," Kim retorted.

"Young Lady, put that bag over your head or you will be removed from the premises."

Kimberly looked at the bag again; thinking it was a prank and put it over her head. Around the corridor students sighed in relief.

"Thank you, Miss Hart," Caplan said. "You may go to your lessons now."

Kimberly did as she was told, leaving the lockers and heading to the girls' toilets where she could see what was on the bag. Once inside she looked in the mirror and was amazed to find it was nothing more than a bag.

"I tell you, if Mr Caplan hadn't stepped in with that bag I could have vomited."

Kimberly ducked into a cubicle as two of her classmates entered. One was Aisha and the other was Trini. They were talking about someone and for a moment Kimberly was tempted to join in. Until that was, she realised they were referring to her.

"I can't help feeling sorry for her," Trini said. "I mean if it hadn't been for that accident she would still have her looks."

"I know," Aisha replied. "I just can't bring myself to talk to her. Do you think she remembers what happened?"

"I doubt it," Trini replied. "Zordon made sure she had no recollection of the events that happened. Unfortunately it means we have to leave her alone or she might start to remember."

"It's just that she looks…"

Kimberly lost the rest of the conversation as Trini and Aisha left. Gingerly Kimberly walked outside and looked in the mirror. Taking a deep breath she lifted the bag, looked in the mirror and fainted.

I'm hideous, Kim thought as she regained consciousness. Her face was horribly disfigured and twisted. She began to wonder, what had happened to her that made her so ugly?

But you've always been ugly. Why else would Tommy have left you for Kat?

Kim knew it was true. Although she had written the letter, it had been as a precaution against Tommy dumping her. She knew Kat had been desperately trying to get her hands on Tommy since the day she arrived in Angel Grove. Kat was tall and blonde, while she was a short brunette. She seriously doubted had it come down to a choice that Tommy would have chosen Kat.

No, Kim thought. You left Tommy because you didn't want him be lonely.

Yeah right! You knew you'd lose him because you're nothing but an ugly, worthless piece of human excrement.

Kimberly sank to the floor as the words ate away at her. She knew they were true and nothing she could do would change that.

Crap! She thought. Come on Kim, you know that looks are not everything. And if you lost them trying to help the others, so what?

She started to think more clearly; suddenly realising this was one of her deepest fears and embarrassing fears. Embarrassing because it was so self-centerd. She had always been known for her looks and although a fine athlete, it would have been her face she was judged by.

"I am not ugly!" She said. "And if I am, then I am not going to let my looks rule my life. You lose Nyghtmayr; it will take more than an illusion to stop me."

"Hey David," Ernie greeted as the teen entered the Youth Center. "You're just in time for the ceremony."

"Ceremony?" David asked.

Looking around he could see that the place had been rearranged with all the seats pointing towards a podium. Looking around he saw the seats were packed with people he knew. When they saw him enter, they started clapping.

"I knew you could do it!" Zack told him enthusiastically.

"Affirmative," Billy agreed. "The resemblance is even more striking now."

"Guys please," Ernie interrupted, guiding David towards the podium. "We need to get this done."

"What's going on?" David asked, totally confused.

He looked at the pictures on the board, they were of him. There was the picture of him holding a championship trophy over his head, of him teaching with Jason and of the television commercial he had filmed for a Karate school.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Ernie began. "As you know, David has decided to adopt his brother's life, to become a copy of his brother. He's become a hero by helping the Rangers and now as the final step for him to become more like Tommy, he will be changing his name to Tommy."

There was widespread clapping in response to the announcement.

"But I don…"

He was cut off when Ernie handed him a red shirt and tied his head back in a ponytail.

"It started as a wish to help, but before long things went out of control," Ernie said. "How can David keep his normal life when he's been drawn into Tommy's world of monster fighting?"

How indeed, that was a question that had been plaguing David since he met his brother. He wanted to be part of his brother's life, but he didn't want to live it. His greatest fear was that once he started aiding the Rangers he would be drawn into doing so on a regular basis.

They won't leave you alone; you'll become just another Ranger. What about your father or your home? Do you really want to live like Tommy?

"But I'm not Tommy," he said. That was true. Tommy had been born destined to be the Green Ranger along with the pain that accompanied such a fate. He had suffered setback after setback and yet he hung in there regardless. There were many things about Tommy that he admired, traits he would not mind possessing. But that was the life he wanted for himself and it took many things to make a man.

"I'm David and it'll take more than a morpher to change that."

"Watch your mouth Ranger or you might end up like your brother, powerless and of no help to your friends."

"Tommy was never powerless, he just didn't know the power he possessed," David reasoned. "And even if I was stripped of my powers, I would help regardless."

Ernie and the other humans in the room vanished, replaced by a dark shape.

"You will be destroyed. Run, while you still can."

"I will fear no evil," David said forcefully as the darkness shot towards him.

"But would you fight it if you had the means?"

Where had that voice come from? It sounded disjointed and although sensing no malice, David felt himself shiver.

"Nyghtmayr has destroyed me," it continued and David felt a slight mental touch and knew he was speaking to the spirit of the Master Keets that Doctor Strange had mentioned earlier. "I seek revenge, you seek to rescue your friends. Together we may accomplish both. Will you allow me to aid you, White Ranger?"

~Of course I do,~ David thought. ~I need to help the others.~

"I thought you would say that," Master Keets said as his astral body, the only form in which he now existed and which would soon fade, appeared. He opened his hand, revealing his precious coin. "O Mystic Spirit of Balaragos, unite with this champion and let this demon feel the sting of the Light!"

Light flared from the astral coin bathing David in white light and was absorbed into his uniform. He could feel the power but didn't know what to do with it. Even as his fears evaporated and he was freed from Nyghtmayr's influence, the new powers told him what he needed to do.

"Metallic Armour, Power Up!"

Light radiated from his body, cutting through the shadows, obliterating them as he pressed on into the warehouse, seeking out his brother and their friends.

"Happy New Year!"

It was the dawn of the thirty-first century and Sam Revilo was miserable. He had lived for so long, condemned to eternal life and denied the sweet release of death. Memories flashed before him of countless friends, comrades and children dying before his eyes while he remained the same.

The illusion ended abruptly as white light filled the area, negating the illusions. Sam found David and the astral form of Master Keets before him.

"Surely you cannot be afraid to live?" Master Keets said. He pondered the question for a moment. "No, you are just afraid that you won't die. Allow me to defeat the demon for you by ending your fear. You will die, just like everybody else, regardless of the spells that brought you back to life."

"Thanks," Sam said, his fears gone and a sense of just how foolish he had been in the first place.

"We have to find the others," David said. "Time's running out."

Together they made their ways toward the cocoons.

The area was a wasteland, the animals dead and the village ruined. The people had been forced to move on because of an oversight. They had been so convinced that a young girl had solved their problems that they had failed to spot the virus that had swept through the area less than a month later.

It's gone, Aisha, all gone. You failed them all when you ran off instead completing your task.

"We trusted you," Ashala said, turning to look at the girl she had taken in. Then she faded away.

You left them when they needed you, abandoning them so you could prance around in Spandex.

"No!" she said forcefully, "The village functioned before I arrived and they will survive despite my leaving. I didn't make them successful, they did. And I won't allow my doubts to degrade them."

Nobody wants you, the Rangers were only too happy to see you go.

"Nobody forced me to go, Ashalla's village needed help and I was able to aid them."

You cannot succeed, you are doomed to failure.

Aisha's powers flared, causing the darkness to retreat. She didn't say a word as the light from her body was joined by white light, which eradicated the shadows. As they faded, she found herself reunited with Billy, Zack, Kimberly and Trini. Sam and David joined them moments later, leaving only Jason to join them.

"Hold on Tommy, just a little longer," Kimberly whispered.

Jason had not fallen foul of Nyghtmayr's illusions. Instead he had found himself battling the demon itself, a battle that he was rapidly losing. He had already reached his maximum power, burning his life force away as he lunged at the demon.

But Nyghtmayr was toying with him, using the Red Ranger's temper to draw him onward, knowing that sooner or later either Jason would fall or the Power Rangers would surrender.

"You're getting weaker Jason," Nyghtmayr stated. "Better to just give up."

"Or he could wait for his friends," Zack stated as the seven teens arrived.

"Ssso you avoided my illusions, you can join your friend in death. Or do you believe you can win?"

"Of course they do," Doctor Strange answered as his astral body appeared. "And belief is all they really need."

"I told you to remain out of this," Nyghtmayr threatened.

"Evil can only triumph where good men do nothing," Doctor Strange replied. He turned his attention to the teenagers. "Each of you has the power within your hearts to defeat Nyghtmayr. Allow that power to surface now, unite and banish this evil."

"It is too late, give in to the inevitable," Nyghtmayr urged.

"By warmth of heart, your pain I feel," the Sorcerer Supreme chanted, his palm pointing towards the Rangers, "Grant me the power your wounds to heal!" All doubts disappeared as their strength was renewed. "Now, finish it," the Sorcerer Supreme told them before returning to his physical form.

"We call on the power of all those combined -"

"Release them," Minion said, gesturing to the various devices the Rangers had been strapped to. It had been a week for them.

Bronzo did as he was told, throwing the Rangers to the ground at his master's feet. Minion waited for the Rangers to recover enough to hear his words.

"For the last few days I have tortured you all and enjoyed every moment of it. But now, I think to myself am I being fair? I've had many opportunities to kill you and I have not allowed any of you to take a single shot at me."

Reaching into subspace, he pulled out a collection of fully charged blasters. He threw them to the ground in front of the Rangers.

"For a count of six I will drop my defences and allow you to take as many shots at me as you wish. I should warn you one would be enough to kill me. Should you succeed you will be teleported back to Angel Grove."

He looked at the Rangers lying on the floor, each displaying various states of comprehension. Adam's face was a blank. The boy had withdrawn so far into himself Minion doubted anything would draw him out again. Tommy simply stared, his face filled with a mixture of fear and hatred.

"I can see you all need a little encouragement. Bronzo, pass me our guest."

Bronzo pushed a young boy towards Minion. They recognised him as Trey, suffering from his own nightmares. He squirmed in Bronzo's grip, glaring at Minion in defiance.

"Well here's the deal, when I reach six either you will have shot me or _little_ Trey will be dead."

"No," Tommy begged. "Don't do it."

"One…" Adam stared stupidly at the weapon in front of him.

"Three…" Kat's fingers touched his blaster and stayed there, unmoving. She wondered suddenly why she'd put them there.

"Four…" Rocky tried to reason it out. He had the blaster in his hand; all he had to do was shoot. So why couldn't he?

"Five…" Tanya realised she was terrified, afraid of failing, afraid of dying.

"Si…"

Five blasts struck him in the chest, turning him as they collided with his chest. Minion staggered back and promptly reverted to his true form, the disguise dropped as the Rangers stood up.

"You will have to do better than this Nyghtmayr," Tanya said. "We've face this before and we learnt from it. We won't be scared into inaction. Losing a battle is not to be feared, it's to be avoided."

"Five of you cannot defeat me," Nyghtmayr stated. "I know your weaknesses."

"And so do we," Rocky countered. "We're a team and we look out for each other."

"And now we're going to make you pay," Kat promised.

"Besides," Trey said, suddenly reverting to normal. "There are six of us."

"Back to Action!" Tommy cried.

"… Red Ranger Power!" Jason called adding red energy to the mix.

The cocoons holding the Zeo Rangers in place chose that moment to burst open, releasing the Rangers they held captive.

"Zeo Cannon!" the Zeo Rangers called, firing their weapon as the Morphin Rangers unleashed their combined energy, which amplified the light from David.

Nyghtmayr tried to retaliate, refusing to be destroyed by the intense light. His body reverted to shadow as all the stolen energy had been depleted when the Rangers had broken free from his influence. Still the demon retained his grip on his new home, using the warehouse as an anchor.

"Foolish mortals, I cannot be vanquished."

"H-h-h-he's right," Jason said, sounding fearful. "Fall back!"

The others looked confused as they were dragged back towards the doorway.

"Yesss, runaway Rangers," Nyghtmayr urged as he tried to feed off their fear. "What is this?" There was no fear or confusion; they were faking.

"You don't think after facing ourselves that we'd fear a mere demon did you?" Tommy asked. "We needed to get outside of this warehouse before we could destroy you."

The shadows drew inward as Nyghtmayr laughed. "You cannot destroy me, we are on different planes."

"But the warehouse is in our dimension," Billy pointed out. "And you overlooked a vital part of our strategy."

When the Rangers had entered the warehouse, Jamie had remained behind to protect Doctor Strange. When he had returned from his mental expedition, Jamie had been released from her role as bodyguard, and had started to use her sword's power to weaken the structure of the warehouse; since he was not a part of the warehouse, but was simply using it to bolster himself, he hadn't even noticed the damage the female warrior had caused.

A dark shape descended from the sky as the Rangers joined their friend blasting the corrugated structure. When Trey summoned Pyramidas, the Rangers had continued to fire while Jamie had been teleported into the machine, allowing her to channel her sword's power through the Zord's weaponry.

"You forgot about Jamie," Jason told the demon.

"And that means you couldn't stop her from undermining the structural integrity of the structure," Billy added.

"Let's finish this!" Tommy cried. "Nyghtmayr, see you in Hell!"

"And now you will feel the power of Pyramidas," the Gold Ranger's voice declared.

"Lock on and fire!" all the Rangers called at the same time.

The bombardment was spectacular, demolishing not only the warehouse, but the corrupted ground beneath it. The firepower intensified, cleansing the area in a single strike.

The dark pool through which Nyghtmayr had appeared, sucked him back into the darker plane of reality that was his natural habitat. With a final protest the pool vanished, leaving the Rangers standing victorious.

Next Day

The Rangers and their allies were too tired to talk much that night and so arranged a meeting the next day with Morphin and Zeo Rangers, and the Sorcerer Supreme in attendance. After introducing their new ally to Zordon, who had been monitoring events on Earth, but had been unable to advise them, the group retired to Doctor Strange's mansion in New York for the discussion.

So it was that they were sitting on a variety of comfortable chairs discussing all aspects of their lives and the events of the previous night. The Zeo Ranger had apologised for the loss of Master Keets, but Doctor Strange had reassured them that there was no need.

"Last night you all overcame the most difficult of foes, your own weaknesses. In comparison Nyghtmayr was a simple opponent. I congratulate you. I am certain that with the courage and intellect you displayed last night, it can only be a matter of time before all those that challenge you are vanquished. As for my apprentice, he is far from gone and perhaps in time he will find a way to return to this realm. I did."

"What about the Order of Shadow, should we add them to our list of enemies?" Adam asked.

"No," Strange replied. "The impostor who led them to release Nyghtmayr is gone. If they wish to survive, the Order will first need to decide what they stand for. Maybe this experience will change them for the better. I doubt they will trouble Angel Grove again."

"Well, we had best be going," Rocky said, sensing the conversation had reached an end.

"Goodbye Rangers. In this world, nothing is certain but I feel our paths will cross again."

The Rangers waved and then teleported away, but not before they had had Strange's servant, Wong take a picture of the two teams and the Sorcerer Supreme united in the battle against evil.

After the Rangers had gone, Doctor Strange was able to assess the true cost of the previous night. After the defeat of Nyghtmayr he had been called to justify his actions and refute the charges that he had overstepped his boundaries. He had argued that his role as Sorcerer Supreme allowed him to interfere in times of crisis and they had allowed him to decide when such intervention was justified.

The argument had degenerated and he had been forced to use his position as leverage. In the end his actions had been deemed justified, but his ability to hold the conceptual beings of the Universe to ransom had led them to strip him of some of his powers.

Still, it had not been a total loss. Unable to force him to comply, they had been forced to agree to his conditions and the powers had been handed over to another to aid him in a matter he was overseeing.

So where did that leave him? He was still the Sorcerer Supreme, the threat of Nyghtmayr was gone and he was in need of a new apprentice. An owl flew through the window and waited as he detached the letter it carried. He turned the envelope carefully noting the return address: Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Only after the owl was on its way with his reply did he stop to think just how convenient its arrival had been. Still, he needed to find a new disciple, so perhaps this was a good place to start.

**End**

Disclaimer: I do not own the Power Rangers. All characters belonging to that show are the property of their respective copyright owners. No money is being made from this fanfic. The basic storyline and parts of this chapter were created by Matt.  
Author's Note: This story is based in the Conquest of Evil Universe.

**Battling Insomnia**

It was early in the morning and the Revilo household was quiet. There was no sign of life yet except for in one place - the kitchen. There, Sam Revilo, the house's only living occupant sat contemplating his future. The events of Halloween had changed his outlook on his existence. No longer did he believe himself doomed to live forever, but instead gifted with a second chance.

And for all their fears, the Zeo Rangers were recovering further every day after their encounter with Minion. Facing their fears in Nyghtmayr's deceptions had helped them considerably. They had even decided to remain Rangers until they graduated, giving both teams the opportunity to find and train replacements.

"One day at a time," Sam reminded himself as he conjured a cup of coffee. "Nobody knows what tomorrow might bring."

Sam was on watch duty when the alarm sounded; the Rangers had taken it in turns to remain in the Power Chamber with Alpha and Zordon. This allowed them to help decide which team or combination of Rangers should be used. He expected to hear Alpha shouting 'Ay-yi-yi', but the little robot was busy overhauling the Zeo Jet Cycles. He quickly switched the alarms off so nobody else would be alerted and checked up on the problem. As he watched the view screen, he saw a disgusting, green-clad knight.

He wasn't doing anything yet, nor did he need to. The scanners had been programmed to alert the Rangers as soon as anything happened.

"Zordon, call in the others," he said. "I'll go on ahead."

"Very well Sam," Zordon rumbled.

"It's Morphin Time!" he called. "Green Ranger Power!" As the energy transformed him, he hit the control on the console to make himself teleport away; Zordon had already set the coordinates of the monster into the teleporter.

Vartri stood waiting, he knew it wouldn't be long before the Rangers showed up. He was surprised when he just saw a flash of red energy approach. As Sam appeared, he laughed. "Just one Ranger. Are you trying to make this easy for me?"

"One Ranger's all it's gonna take to stop you!" Sam said, facing the monster.

"We'll see about that." Vartri grinned, showing off his rancid teeth.

"Aw man, you never heard of a toothbrush?" Sam asked, repulsed at the sight of them.

"Hey, no need to get personal!" Vartri said, unsheathing his sword, which was completely clean, unlike everything else on him. The blade of the sword was spotless and polished to a brilliant sheen.

"Oh, you wanna duel?" Sam asked as he summoned his own sword. "Dragon Blade!"

He charged forward and swung the blade towards the monster, which brought up his own sword up to block it. The two circled each other rapidly, attacking as soon as they noticed a gap in the other's defence, both managing to block most of the attacks, although every now and then, one of them managed to land a hit.

Vartri suddenly managed to pull away slightly and turned round, bringing his sword round fast. It struck into Sam's upper arm, cut straight through the protective suit and right into his flesh. He flinched slightly, but didn't let it bother him. Instead he just moved away, getting out of the knight's reach.

"I got it!" the monster called out. He held up the sword which now had Sam's blood trickling down one side of it. The sword teleported away, but Vartri stayed.

"Hey, you damaged my uniform! You're going to pay for that," Green Ranger warned. He held up the Dragon Sword and attacked, hoping to slice the monster to pieces. He was unfortunate though since Vartri somehow found the means to block the Ranger's attacks.

At that point the other Morphin Rangers made an appearance, battering the monster while David waited for his turn. At a shout from Jason, the White Ranger made a series of rapid slashes, generating a batch of energy arrows that hovered awaiting his command.

"Fire!"

The arrows raced toward the trapped monster, just as Aisha, Trini and Kimberly delivered the perfectly timed kicks needed to throw him into the path of the White Ranger's attack. Vartri screamed as the arrows tore into his hide, but somehow managed to hold on.

Billy took the initiative to attack, using his Power Lance to ruthlessly harass the monster before allowing Zack to use his shoulders as a launch platform; the Black Ranger brought the sharp edge of his Power Axe down onto the waiting monster's head, only to cleave through the hand the Vartri raised in defence.

Jason was quick on the uptake, jumping in to land two diagonal strikes, a quick horizontal slash and a vertical slash. He turned away, allowing Sam the opportunity to finish the fight. Sam did so, pouring a little of his power into the Dragon Blade, he made a series of rapid movements, creating a ball of green light. Then he thrust the point of the blade through the mass of energy and released the burning energy toward Vartri. The blast struck the monster and Vartri was blown apart.

"You wanted to face the whole team and that's what you got," Sam laughed as he sheaved his weapon and the team teleported back to the Power Chamber. As he went, he thought back on the battle. "Wonder what was with that sword disappearing?"

The Moon  
Present Day

"It worked exactly as planned," he announced to the darkness. "Vartri was destroyed and the Rangers still live, but I have this."

He laughed, holding up a small vial containing a small amount of red liquid.

"Samoht Revilo's blood," he said in answered to an unspoken question. "Such a powerful substance to keep the body running, keeping it warm and allowing him to survive. In my hands this is so much more, it is a weapon."

He was a strange warrior, slightly demented from over using his skills. He looked human, but he had several weapons over himself and looked more than capable of using them.

"With this blood and my soldiers I can create warriors that can target him specifically. It takes some time for them to adapt to it, but once done the results are well worth the inconvenience."

Later that morning, the Power Chamber was busy. After the battle Sam had explained what had happened and Zordon had expressed concern when he had heard that the monster had drawn blood. From there he had set Alpha to work checking Sam for signs of illness while he consulted his archives on Vartri. By the time they were finished, Sam was desperate to rejoin his friends and grab something to eat.

Afternoon and evening passed, the night fell. Some of the Rangers had arranged to meet up for the evening, just talking or mucking about. Sam for his part returned to his home, deactivating the illusion spell for the evening. He couldn't wait to get to bed. He was falling asleep almost before he lay down.

He was just drifting off to sleep, when he heard someone say, "Come on Green Ranger, we're waiting for you!"

He sat up quickly and checked his communicator, it hadn't been activated and there was nobody else in the room. He was confused, especially since a quick look revealed that both the house and the street were empty.

"Alpha, this is Sam," he said into his communicator.

"Ay-yi-yi," the answer eventually came from Alpha, "What's wrong Sam? Why are you up this late?"

"Has anyone tried to contact me?" he asked.

"No, the communicator logs show no sign of activity since this morning." Alpha replied quickly. "Is there a problem?"

"No, I must have been dreaming. Sorry to bother you." he said, cutting the communicator signal. He took one more look round, then lay back down and closed his eyes. Mere seconds later he heard it again.

"Come to us!"

He shot up in his bed and looked round again.

"Who are you?" he asked, not knowing if whatever it was could hear him.

"You will find out soon enough, but you must come to us," the voice answered.

He thought for a moment, then stood up and said, "I'm on my way!" He morphed and teleported away. Teleporting without knowing the destination was risky, but the Green Ranger trusted that whomever it was speaking to him wanted him intact.

The Green Ranger landed on a dark plain. He couldn't see much of anything as it was so late and there was no moon. He looked round, hoping to see something, but there was nothing.

"Okay, show yourself, who are you?" he shouted.

"Who are we? We're your worst nightmare!" one voice called out.

"Are you sure you want us to show ourselves?" another voice asked.

"Of course!" Sam called back.

"Very well, so be it!" a third voice called, this one was the same voice he had heard before.

Suddenly, from some unknown source, the whole area was illuminated. Sam looked to where he had heard the voices and saw them. The first was a tall, human looking man in vague armour, carried an array of weapons. The second was a suit of armour, well part of it. It was the main body, waist, arms and head, but no legs. It just floated there holding a classic broad sword in his hand. The third looked like some kind of werewolf. It was covered in grey fur and held its clawed hands out in front of itself. Its snout was lined with glistening, razor-sharp white teeth.

"Who are you and what do you want?" Sam asked, as if he didn't already know.

"I am Brak, this is Ferrin," he said, pointing first to himself and the to the werewolf. Next he pointed to the third person, "and this is Phasm. We want only one thing. And that's you... dead!"

"And what makes you so sure you can succeed where so many others have failed?" Sam asked.

All three just laughed at him. "You'll see!" Brak said confidently.

"Stop talking and start fighting!" Sam snapped, eager to finish them and get back to his bed.

"Very well. Ferrin, attack." Brak ordered. In a split second, the wolf creature had pounced forward and landed next to the Green Ranger. He slashed his claws across Sam's chest, knocking him down to his knees despite the Green Ranger's shield preventing any real harm. He looked up at the monster that was about to strike again and acted on impulse. He swept his leg round and knocked Ferrin to the ground, then back flipped away.

"Man, I can't be bothered with this right now. Blade Blaster!" Sam called out, drawing the most basic weapon at his disposal. Immediately changing it to sword mode, he ran toward the monster, delivering a few blows before thrusting it through the werewolf's chest. The Green Ranger had always been a fierce and powerful fighter, he felt pleased that even with a simple weapon like the Blade Blaster he could hold his own. The creature howled in agony, then fell to the ground dead, slowly sliding off the end of the blade.

"One down, two to go!" Sam grinned as he looked over at the other two. "Who's next?"

"Phasm, go!" Brak said quite calmly, not even seeming bothered by the defeat of Ferrin. The armoured ghost flew towards, its sword held in a position to strike.

Sam saw it coming and decided that perhaps this opponent deserved something more forceful. "Dragon Blade!" he cried. The elongated version of his Dragon Dagger appeared at his command, just in time to block Phasm's strike. Instead of slicing into him, as it would have done before, it just sparked against his weapon, forcing him back and confirming that Phasm was capable of delivering a powerful downward strike. "That was a big mistake, buddy!" he growled as he quick-stepped another blow, causing Phasm to overreach.

He struck the Dragon Blade against the ghostly armour, but it had little effect. He tried again and still caused very little damage. Phasm lashed out at the Green Ranger, first a hard punch, followed through with a shoulder swipe from the sword. Sam fell but wasn't down. Normally in that situation, he would retaliate with a leg sweep to give him time to recover, but as Phasm had no legs, that was impossible. He rolled to the side, then backwards onto his feet and jumped away. He thrust his hands out in front of him, the palms pointing at the ghost warrior. Using his hands as a conduit for the Morphin energy, he fired a ball of fire that struck Phasm hard. The armour fell to the ground, disassembled and unmoving.

"So much for them two!" Sam called out, looking over at Brak.

"Now don't speak too soon!" Brak smiled cruelly.

"Wha..." Sam started, but he was struck from behind before he could even finish the word. He fell to the ground and instantly rolled over, looking up at his assailant. It was Phasm. He had been reassembled.

Brak watched impassively as the Ranger battled the empty suit. That was all it was, an old suit of armour that Brak had fitted with artificial intelligence.

"It takes more than that to defeat me!" Phasm said, his ghostly voice echoing about inside the armour.

"Really?" Sam asked. "Well I got plenty more to give. Let's see if you can take it! Dragon Blade, Energise!" At the Green Ranger's command his sword was transformed into a glowing column of energy. With a cry of rage he charged toward Phasm, slicing at him then turned and came back, attacking him again. Over and over he ran past, causing ever more damage to the ghostly warrior. Finally, he stopped. He turned to face Phasm, who was weakened, but not defeated.

"Siek-yah!" he cried, driving the point of the blade into the armour, causing the energised blade to explode with energy. As the dozens of energy flares struck him and exploded, they melted his armour away. Within seconds it became no more than a discoloured pile of slag on the ground.

"Okay, just you and me now!" Sam said, despite being worn out completely.

"Me, oh no Ranger, you haven't proven worthy of my notice. Besides, I have other things to do." Brak said, and disappeared.

"So much for those clowns!" Sam commented, before teleporting away himself.

Sam arrived back in his room, powered down. He got straight into bed and closed his eyes. He was almost asleep when he was disturbed again.

"GREEN RANGER!" he heard Brak shout.

Reluctantly, he opened his eyes and answered. "How are you talking to me?" he asked.

"That's not important. You will come to us now!" Brak ordered.

"Why, so you can challenge me and get so severely beaten that you have to run away in sheer terror?" Sam asked.

"Your overconfidence will be your undoing," Brak told him sagely. "But right now you have no choice. Either you come to us, or we'll come to you!" Brak said.

"I'd like to see you try." Sam laughed, reinforcing the protections he had placed around his home.

"Very well, I can see that a demonstration is in order," Brak said. He went silent and seconds later, Brak appeared in front of him. He pulled out a sword and swiped it towards Sam. He jumped out of the way and the weapon sliced into a pillow, releasing a cloud of feathers.

"Okay, I'm convinced!" Sam called out. Brak disappeared and Sam got to his feet. "Okay, I'm coming!" He morphed and teleported to wherever Brak had gone.

Sam appeared back in the mysteriously lit battleground. He looked around again and saw Brak standing with three more warriors. They all looked like humans dressed in tight fitting black Ninja suits and masks. The first had a red band tied round his forehead; it's ends flapping around his shoulders in the slight breeze. The second had a White band and the third had a Blue band.

"How did you do that?" Sam snapped at Brak. He was already tired from the last fight and didn't have the patience to be polite.

"That's my secret!" Brak smiled cruelly. "I'd like to introduce you to the Shadow Ninja's. They should present somewhat more of a challenge than Ferrin or Phasm did. NINJA'S ATTACK!"

The three black-clad warriors charged at the Green Ranger. The first flew at him with a punch, the second with a kick towards his head and the third followed through with a kick to the stomach. Sam blocked the punch, ducked the first kick and grabbed the last foot in his hands and spun the Ninja round. The White Ninja, whose foot Sam was holding, swung round in the air hitting Red and Blue to the ground. Next the Ranger let go of the White Shadow Ninja who landed between his two companions.

"Pathetic!" Sam commented, turning to their leader. "I've fought Tengas who could do better than that!"

Brak glared at him and grinned as he saw the three Ninjas getting to their feet behind him. Instantly, Sam brought out his Blade Blaster and fired two shots over one shoulder, then a third over his other. Each shot hit one of the Ninjas. "Come on. Attacking from behind. I thought they would have at least had honour!"

"Your confidence will be your undoing, Ranger!" Brak swore.

"Don't count on it." Sam said back. The Ninja's recovered from the shots sooner than expected, so Sam never even saw what hit him. He collapsed to the ground and felt a sharp pain in his back. He reached round and pulled something out. "AAAAARGH!" he shouted as he pulled it out. As he brought his hand round where he could see it, he saw a blood-covered shuriken.

He flipped up onto his feet and looked at the Shadow Ninja's who were back on their feet. "WHO THREW THAT?" Sam screamed at them. Surprisingly, Blue and White both pointed to Red. "Right, you'll pay for that!"

He threw the small spiked disc at the Red Shadow Ninja, but the Ninja had incredibly fast reflexes. Almost before the weapon had left Sam's hand, he had thrown two more of his own. The first struck Sam's out of the air, while the second cut into his chest. 'Man, how are these things getting through my suit?' he thought to himself, ignoring the pain as he removed the shuriken.

It was quickly becoming apparent that his Ranger uniform was not sufficient for the battle. But he remembered how Zordon and Alpha had developed the Metallic Armour to withstand greater impacts. When the Morphin Ranger powers had been recreated, Metallic Armour had been installed.

"Metallic Armour, Power Up!"

The center of his chest glowed, projecting light in front of him. As he watched, the light surrounded him to form a highly reflective armoured layer.

~Hopefully this should protect me from any more!~ he thought.

Using his Power enhanced muscles to throw himself forward, he flew forwards as the three Ninja's surrounded him. He let loose a round of punches and kicks onto each of them. They stepped backwards slightly from the impact, but the blows had little effect. All three of them simultaneously held their hands out at their sides and a long thin sword appeared in each one. They swung them forward, each using both their swords to attack the Ranger's mid-section. They were rewarded with a loud clang, but little else.

The Ninjas tried again, this time searching for weaknesses before landing their blows. Sam cried out as one managed to penetrate his armour. It seemed the armour increased the sensitivity of the nerves when damaged; he felt like he was going to be cut in half. Knowing that pausing to worry about the injury would just lead to further assault, he responded with a quick roundhouse kick, knocking them to the ground. They didn't take long to start getting up, but it gave Sam just enough time to bring out his Blade Blaster, now coated with the Metallic Armour.

He swung the bladed weapon at Blue Ninja and then shifted it to blaster mode and fired a shot at Red. Shadow Blue's swords broke as the armoured weapon sliced through them. Now he was just left holding two handles with about two inches of blade left on them. Red was once again temporarily knocked to the ground as Sam's blast struck him.

"Okay, now I finish this!" Sam called out. He jumped away and the three Ninjas regrouped. After holstering his Blade Blaster, Sam used his armour's reflective capability to blind the Ninjas.

Taking advantage of their blindness, he unleashed a ball of green fire, but only struck White and Blue as Red jumped out of the way. White and Blue were obliterated in the resulting energy blast, but Red was only knocked onto his back.

"Metallic Armour, deactivate!"

He liked the extra protection provided by the armour, found it useful in battle, but the truth was that using it was draining. So he was relieved when he transformed back into his standard uniform and the Dragon Blade appeared, ready for use. Without hesitation, Sam jumped to where Red was just getting back to his feet. Whilst in midair, the Dragon Blade began to glow. Green Ranger swiped his main weapon at the last remaining Shadow Ninja as he landed. He instantly fell to the ground, defeated.

Exhausted, Sam turned to face Brak, but he was already gone. "I'll get you Brak, I swear it!" Sam called out. "Okay, time to get back." He hit the teleporter's controls and teleported away in a beam of green energy.

Adam, Aisha, Rocky, Katarina and Tanya had met up for breakfast, deciding that they would grab a snack at the Youth Center before heading to school. When Sam walked in he was so tired that he failed to notice the concerned looks his friends gave him. He walked sleepily over to the counter, ordered something and then joined the others at their table.

"Geez, you look awful, man!" Rocky commented. "In fact you look like you've been stepped on by a Zord!"

"Yeah, I'm just not sleeping too well right now!" Sam answered.

They all carried on talking as they ate their breakfast and before long, they were all finished and ready to leave. Adam, Aisha, Rocky and Tanya headed to school while Katarina left for the academy where she would meet Christina. Sam, having nowhere to go, decided to head to Angel Grove Park, unaware that he was being watched.

"He is weakening. It will not be long before he is crushed!" Brak said confidently as he observed the Green Ranger. Using blood for scrying was a difficult art. "In this I have already surpassed the likes of Rita and Zedd. In all the direct assaults the Rangers have faced, all the knockdown drag-out fights, rarely have they been defeated unless it was against a being of almost godlike power. I don't have that power, but my tactics will prove correct. They may not be fast, but they are effective!"

A few hours later Sam walked into the Power Chamber and went over to Alpha. "Hey Alpha. Where's everybody else?" he asked, unable to find any of the other Rangers.

"Sam, they were all looking for you before. They've finished school for the day and decided to go and relax for a while. They told me to tell you to meet them as soon as you got back." Alpha said to him.

"Thanks Alpha. I'll see you later." Sam said, rushing off outside to see the others. He teleported to a secluded spot just outside the park and then headed straight for the area they all usually went to.

"Hey!" he said as he approached them.

"Hey, where have you been? We spent ages looking for you!" Tanya commented.

"Oh nowhere I just had to do something. Nothing important!" Sam answered. None of them asked any more. They knew that when Sam gave an answer like that, no amount of questioning would get any more answers out of him. "So what are we talking about then?" Sam asked, not wanting to stop the conversation.

"Oh, nothing important!" Kimberly smirked back. Everyone else started laughing.

"Oh you're real funny," Sam grinned.

"Hey enough of this. Who's up for doing something fun?" Rocky asked.

They all agreed except for Sam. "No it's okay," he said. "You guys just go on!"

"Hey come on Sam, don't be a sour puss," Skull urged.

Sam half-smiled, the former bully turned detective had a way of making him laugh. "Why not!" he said, not wanting them to think there was something wrong. They teleported back to the Power Chamber and made their way to the simulator, while Skull watched from outside.

"Okay guys," Adam said, taking charge of what was a mixed team morph. "It's Morphin Time!"

"Green Ranger Power!" Sam cried immediately.

"Pink Ranger Power!" Kimberly called.

"Purple Ranger Power!" Aisha added.

"Zeo Ranger II - Yellow!" Tanya called.

"Zeo Ranger III - Blue!" Rocky toned, glad that Katarina was still at the academy.

"Zeo Ranger IV - Green!" Adam finished.

They changed into their uniforms and started fighting against the preprogramed foot-soldiers, but within seconds of changing, Sam had doubled over in pain and let out an agonized moan.

"What's wrong?" Rocky asked quickly as they gathered around.

The pain started to go away, so Sam stood back up and thought quickly. "It's nothing, I just haven't been feeling too well. It's nothing really," he commented. "You guys carry on, I need to step outside for a minute." They all watched as the Green Ranger walked away, demorphing.

"Sam..." Aisha called out, starting to follow him.

"Let him go." Adam said, stopping her.

"But there's more to that than he's saying!" Aisha insisted.

"Yeah, but from what we know of Sam, do you think he'll open up if we push him?" Aisha shook her head. "Right, for now he's just best left alone."

"Then let's just get fighting I'm in the mood to beat some serious butt!" Rocky said enthusiastically. Morphing was the ultimate high for the Blue Zeo Ranger, especially when he was not required to save the world.

"I'm on Rocky's team!" the others called together. They knew facing Rocky when he was in the mood for fighting was slightly dangerous.

"Hey Sam. You all right?" Tommy asked as he and David sat beside the clone.

"I've been better!" Sam mumbled.

"Sorry, what was that?" Tommy asked, not quite hearing right.

"Nothing. I'm fine."

David just looked at him. His role as the White Ranger was strongly linked to healing and he had inherited a small amount of empathy. As such he could sense that something was wrong. "You sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, don't worry about me," Sam grinned, forcing himself to put on a show. He wasn't sure why, but it seemed important to keep his friends from finding out about Brak.

"You don't look like you've been sleeping well," David said finally, but chose not to push further.

Sam sat there while the two brothers conversed, but eventually excused himself to go and find the others. He hadn't seen any of them yet since the incident earlier, and he thought they'd be worried about him by now.

It didn't take him long to find them. After their practice, they had headed for the Youth Center. They were walking in the door just as he was about to walk out.

"You all right now?" Rocky asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I told you, it was nothing!" Sam insisted.

"Glad to hear it." Rocky grinned as the youths made their way toward a table and ordered some food.

Rocky didn't know why he had followed Sam, but something had caused the Blue Zeo Ranger to worry; a few years of Rangering had taught him to trust his instincts. He caught up with Sam just outside his house. "Hey Sam, wait," he called out as he ran up to him.

"What?" Sam asked.

"Are you all right?" he asked.

"Why does everyone keep asking that?" Sam complained.

"Maybe because we're concerned for you." Rocky said bluntly. "You're a part of the team, and we stick together. You might be two hundred years older, but you're still a friend."

"Okay, so what makes you think there's something wrong?" Sam asked.

"You've been acting really worn out, and for the past few days you've looked worse than I've ever seen you look!" Rocky said.

Sam just stared at the Blue Ranger. "You're pretty observant! I guess you're right; there is something wrong, but I don't want to talk about it right now. I should be sorting it out pretty soon anyway, so don't worry about it!"

"Are you sure?" Rocky asked, not quite believing that he would sort it out himself.

"Yeah I'm sure, now thanks for the concern, but I've got things to do." Sam said as he turned and walked up the path.

Rocky was left standing there alone in the street, so he just decided to go home.

That night, it wasn't too late before Sam decided to go to bed. He knew what he expected to happen, but he felt it was best to get it out of the way sooner rather than later. No sooner had he started to drift off to sleep when it happened again.

"Wake up Green Ranger!" Brak said loudly.

He opened his eyes and said tiredly, "Usual place?"

"Of course!" Brak said, "And hurry up."

"Green Ranger Power!" he called out as he got up. Instead of teleporting straight away as he usually did, he waited for a moment. Once again, as soon as he was morphed, he felt an incredible pain rush through his entire body and he started to feel sick. A few moments later, he started to feel better, so he teleported away.

Reappearing in the usual area, he looked round to see what monsters Brak had brought with him this time. He had a large bird-like humanoid monster at one side of him and a mechanoid that looked a lot like the Terminator to the other.

"Let's get it over with!" Sam said. "Who's first?"

"That would be me!" the bird-like creature said. It jumped into the air and swung an arm in the Green Ranger's direction. A barrage of feathers shot from his arm, several striking directly, the rest exploding the area around him. It followed through with another dozen or so of them. As the second flurry of feathers approached, the Green Ranger pulled out the Dragon Blade and struck them from the air.

"Nice try, bird brain!" Sam called out. "But you'll have to do better than that!"

"Better? Oh I can do better!" the bird called back. From its position, hovering in the air, it swept down and attacked Sam, then flew back into the air. It was back down again, attacking and back into the air before Sam had even stopped reeling from the first. Sam tried to strike the creature with his weapon as it came for a third pass, but it was much too fast for him.

~Can't match him for speed, maybe what I need is power!~ Sam thought to himself.

"Green Nova Bolt!" he called out, going straight for one of his strongest attacks. He fired at the flying creature. It had flown round him and attacked him in the back before the shot could even reach him. Sam tried again as he turned to face the creature.

Once again, it was behind the Ranger as he fired. Sam started to concoct a plan. He looked round at Brak and the robot warrior, then at the bird creature. He turned his back to the robot warrior. "Dragon Flame!" he shouted, then turned to face the mechanoid. As expected, the bird flew down to attack him, but accidentally flew right into Sam's trap. As the Green Ranger fired, the powerful shots obliterated the bird and carried straight on to hit the robot. Both monsters were instantly destroyed.

"Hey," Sam grinned. "Two birds with one stone!"

"Very clever, Green Ranger." Brak said. He watched the Ranger, who now just stood there, waiting. "What are you waiting for?"

"I'm waiting for your next monsters." Sam said. "Not much point in me going home, just to be called back here two minutes later, is there!"

"Nice try, Ranger!" Brak grinned at the Green Ranger's ingenuity. He teleported away.

"Guess I win." Sam said. "I hope that's it!" He hit the teleporter control and disappeared in a flash of white energy.

As he got back to his quarters, he waited ten minutes before trying to sleep again. If Brak were going to continue, he'd do it straight away. When no further invitations to fight came, he lay down on his bed and closed his eyes.

When Sam awoke the next morning he knew it was going to be a bad day. He felt awful, the pain he had experienced just after morphing was now present even when he was in civilian form. He rolled over and tried to go back to sleep only to be disturbed by the doorbell. He sighed when he realised he had been about to morph and teleport away when he realized it wasn't Brak that had awoken him, it was the door. It seemed recent events were getting to him more than he had thought. He walked to the door and opened it, by which time his Mom had already shown his guest upstairs; he had obviously been exhausted if he had forgotten to cancel the illusion charms. He had expected Rocky, so he was a little surprised to discover it was Zack.

"Tommy and the others had to go fight a giant egg whisk," the Black Ranger told him as if that explained everything. Surprisingly, it did.

"So, what can I do for you?" Sam asked, putting as much energy into the greeting as he could manage, but between the battles, lack of sleep and events of the past few days, that was very little.

"Somebody asked me to check up on you," Zack told him. "Actually, seven people asked me to check up on you."

"Really. It's okay. I..." Sam started, but halfway through he was cut off by Brak.

"COME OUT GREEN RANGER!"

"Sam, are you all right?" Zack asked.

"Yeah. Sorry, I was just saying..."

"I'M WAITING RANGER!" Brak shouted, starting to get impatient.

"I need to go out for a bit Zack," Sam said quickly.

"Hey, slow down man, what's wrong?" Zack asked.

"OKAY, LOOKS LIKE I'M COMING IN!" Brak said. A second later, Brak appeared in front of the Green and Black Rangers.

"Who are you?" Zack demanded. He took in Sam's apprehension and asked, "not a friend of yours, huh?"

"He's Brak. Get out of here. I'll deal with him." Sam shouted.

"No way. We're a team that means we fight as a team!" Zack told him. "It's Morphin Time! Black Ranger Power!"

"Green Ranger Power!"

The two of the transformed, and again, Sam felt the pain. It was much worse this time. He collapsed to the floor, holding his stomach and head where the pain seemed worst.

"Sam, what's wrong?" Zack asked, kneeling down by him.

"Oh this is too easy!" Brak grinned. He stepped forward and sliced at Zack's back with his sword.

The Black Ranger screamed, but turned round, bringing out his Power Axe. He swiped it at Brak, but it just passed straight through him. Brak stepped forward again, striking at both the Rangers. Sam, who was still down from the pain of transforming, just took even more damage. Zack collapsed beside him as he took the strong hit.

"Next time, Green Ranger, you will come when I call, otherwise your little friend here won't be around much longer." Brak said. He walked over and picked up the now demorphed Black Ranger and teleported away.

"Zack!" Sam shouted.

Seconds later five bursts of light heralded the arrival of Jason, Kimberly, Trini, Aisha and Billy; David had been needed to help Alpha.

"Sam, what's going on?" Jason asked.

Sam stood up and demorphed. His house was a mess, but the illusion charms had held, making it appear that nothing was wrong.

"Brak took Zack." Sam said quickly.

"What? Who's Brak?" Kimberly asked.

"No time to explain. We have to get to the Power Chamber." Sam said before teleporting. They followed him and appeared in time to hear him shouting. "Alpha, Zordon, we need you!"

"I am already here Sam," Zordon replied calmly. "What is the problem?"

"Zack's been taken by Brak!" Sam said.

"When did this happen?" Zordon asked, alarmed by the news.

"About a minute ago. He appeared and attacked us, but I couldn't help him. He beat us and he took him!" Sam reported.

"From the way you're talking, it sounds like you already knew Brak!" Jason commented, his voice hardening. "What's going on Sam?"

"And Sam," Tommy continued as he entered from another chamber, "tell us everything!"

Sam stood and explained everything that had gone on, from Vartri's first attack, right through to the events that had just taken place, although he still didn't mention the pain from when he morphed.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Rocky asked. The Zeo Rangers had joined the others.

"I don't know. I wanted to, but something stopped me."

"Alpha, perform a scan of Sam's brainwaves," Zordon instructed.

Trini and Billy moved over to help. It was the Blue Ranger who succeeded. "I am detecting an external stimuli," he told the other.

"Vartri's sword no doubt contained a poison that would compel Sam to act alone," Zordon guessed. "I applaud you for having the strength to even explain events under these circumstances. But remember, asking for help isn't a sign of weakness!"

"Yeah, I know." Sam replied. A black aura appeared for a moment and then disappeared, signalling the end of the compulsion.

"So, how are we going to rescue Zack? Do we even know where he is?" Aisha asked.

"I think I know where he is, but I can't go there until Brak calls me. I just concentrate on him and I can teleport there." Sam said.

"So we just have to wait for him to contact you?" Trini asked.

"Yeah. Once I teleport, I need you to keep a lock on me and you can all follow. It shouldn't be long now, he doesn't usually give much time to rest between attacks." Sam commented. "I think we should morph now."

"Tommy and the Zeo Rangers should remain here in case you need backup," Alpha told them.

"Okay, It's Morphin Time!" Jason called out.

Sam hesitated for a moment, then held out his morpher and called, "Green Ranger Power!" He braced himself for what he knew was coming. He tried to hide it, but the intense pain was too much for him. "Aaaargh!" he called out as he fell to his knees. The others rushed to his side and steadied him. This time the pain didn't subside. It just stayed, eating away at him.

"Rangers, quickly, get Sam onto the bio-bed." Zordon ordered. They lifted him up and laid him down on the medical bed. Zordon immediately initiated several scans. "Hmmm!" he mumbled.

"What is it, Zordon?" Trini asked.

"He is suffering from power poisoning!" Zordon commented.

"What's that?" Tanya asked.

"It happens when the powers are used continually without allowing the body to rest. I suspect it was Brak's plan all along. He needs to rest before he exerts himself any more." Zordon reported.

"I'M WAITING FOR YOU, GREEN RANGER!" Brak called, interrupting.

Sam sat up and said, "We have to go. Brak is waiting for me!"

"By going, you put your own life at risk!" Zordon commented.

"But I don't have a choice," Sam said back. "I'm the only one who can fight him. Zack tried, but couldn't touch him."

"It appears Brak is using the blood he stole to target his attacks. Only the person who has the correct blood can hurt him or his monsters."

"I can think of one course of action that would eliminate that advantage," Billy said.

When the others looked at him, he explained. Seconds later the Green Ranger was teleported into battle. As soon as the location was set, the others all followed.

Green appeared in the dark area once again and looked round for Bark and Zack. He was there, stood facing him. To his side, de morphed and tied up, was the Black Ranger.

"Let her go. This is between you and me!" Green Ranger called out.

"Oh I wouldn't say that!" Bark grinned as several monsters appeared. "Looks like it's six on one!"

"Oh I wouldn't say that!" Green Ranger said back, mocking Brak's words as the Pink, Yellow, Blue, White, Red and Purple Rangers appeared. "Six on six. Seems fair to me!"

Brak sniggered. "We'll see!"

The Rangers didn't hesitate for even a second. They rushed forwards, bringing out their weapons. Each one attacked one of the monsters, Green Ranger taking on Brak himself. It didn't take long for the Rangers to realize why Brak had been so confident. Their weapons passed straight through the monsters, having no effect at all.

Now came the monsters' turn. They struck at the Rangers and had no trouble at all in attacking them. The powerful monsters threw around the Rangers. Again they tried to attack, but had no success.

Green Ranger had apparently failed to notice what was happening to the others. He was too busy fighting with Brak. He was actually able to hit him, but he wasn't doing too well. Evidently the pain from the power poisoning was slowing him greatly.

Green Ranger was knocked aside as the Red Ranger was thrown into him. They both struggled back to their feet and went over to join the others who had regrouped.

"Okay everyone. Blade Blasters!" Green Ranger ordered. They all brought out the weapons and aimed at Brak. "Fire!"

They all shot, but it was only Green Ranger that managed to make contact. The shots from the other weapons just passed straight through him.

"What's going on?" Jason asked. "Sam, why are you the only one who can hit them?"

"I don't know. You guys get out of here. It's up to me!" Green Ranger said.

"No way. We're in this together." Trini insisted.

"Yeah, but if you can't even hit them, what good can you do?" Green Ranger asked.

"We can still rescue Zack." Billy commented.

"Okay. I'll try and keep them busy. You guys get to Zack and get him out of here." It was a noble plan, just the thing a Ranger would have come up with. And before anyone could argue, he had charged at the group of monsters, Blade Blaster held high. He swiped through the first two monsters, which fell at his feet, defeated. The next ones weren't quite so easy. They all struck at him at once and stopped him dead in his tracks. A punch from one and two simultaneous kicks from the others was more than enough to knock him down. A leg sweep had them all knocked down beside him before he even hit the ground.

Meanwhile, the other five were slowly working their way around to where Zack lay. For the moment, they were unchallenged, but as soon as Brak saw them, he left the other three to sort out the green clad warrior and went to deal with them personally.

"Where do you think you're going?" he asked them.

"Get out of our way!" Kimberly snapped.

"Make me!" Brak said back. "Oh, I forgot. You can't, can you!" He laughed and fired a shot at them. They dodged and White Ranger returned fire, injuring the villain.

"Can't we?" he asked innocently.

"We know all about your little blood key," Purple Ranger told him.

"And we took appropriate steps to make sure we could get around them," Billy added.

White Ranger had his sword drawn and ready. "I think my blood is close enough to Sam's to counter the effects."

While he was distracted, the Zeo Rangers had snatched Zack and teleported away. By the time Brak had decided the Rangers were bluffing, the Black Ranger was safely back in the Power Chamber.

"Enough!" Brak growled. "Nice bluff Rangers, but you cannot harm me. Well, maybe White Ranger, but I have no intention of allowing that. And since I can harm you... Cyclone Cannon!"

With a quick roundhouse kick, Green Ranger sent the three monsters flying. He looked round to where he'd heard the shout and saw comrades fall before the power of the large weapon. "No!" he cried out as he ran in their direction.

Brak smiled as he saw the Green Ranger coming at him. By the time the Ranger realized what Brak was smiling at it was too late. The three monsters had fired at him. He felt a sharp pain in his back and another in his legs. He fell and passed out for a moment, when he woke, only about a minute later, he was lying on his back. He opened his eyes and saw the three monsters and Brak standing over him.

"Are you in pain Green Ranger? I bet the power poison has reached its peak by now. Can you feel it burning?"

"Yeah," Green Ranger admitted. "But this isn't over, yet."

"How can you say that? You're beaten Sam, admit it!"

Then the Green Ranger laughed. "You're a fool Brak," he said. He watched the outrage cross the villain's face before continuing. "You forgot there are two Rangers who share Sam's blood. David's blood is close enough that he can hurt you," Tommy said as he removed his helmet, revealing the Red Zeo uniform hidden by a glamour, "but mine is almost identical."

"You're still beaten," Brak told him.

"I could be," Tommy agreed, looking at a spot behind the villain's back. "But if I'm here, where's Sam?"

Realisation crossed the villain's face. He twisted, preparing himself for the attack from behind, cursing his stupidity for allowing the Rangers to get around his defence. He should have known that Zordon would have that information to hand.

"What?" he wondered when he found that his opponent was not there.

He turned back to face the Red Ranger and was struck by the full force of the Green Ranger's magic. The Green Ranger didn't speak as he twirled his sword ready for the next strike, nor did Tommy as he stood next to him. Together the attacked, breaking the villain's blood warding as their energised swords delivered a final and ultimately fatal slash.

"Zeo V Star Blast!"

"Green Power Slash!"

Brak stumbled back, smoke billowing from his body, the occasional eruption of dark energy showed that their blows had been successful and Brak would not survive much longer. In desperation, to buy himself time he drank a purple potion and grew.

"I will squash you like bugs!" he told the Rangers.

Sam paused and looked at Tommy. "Why do I never get tired of hearing that line?"

Tommy chuckled as David joined them. "I need Zeo Zord power, now!"

"We need Dino Zord power, now!" David and Sam called at the same time.

"Red Battlezord!"

"Dragonzord!"

"Raptor Zord!"

"POWER UP!" they cried together.

The Raptor Zord grabbed Brak and threw him to where the Dragonzord was waiting. The Green Ranger's machine made short work of the villain with its tail, leaving it to the Red Battlezord to finish the job by unleashing its gattling cannons.

"It's all over," Tommy announced, causing Brak to laugh.

"It's never over Rangers," he told them. "This was just the beginning."

"Who are you?" David wondered.

Brak stopped laughing as the three Zords attacked. Just before his demise he stared them in the face, his expression was serious as he told them: "I am just a pawn."

With that, Brak was destroyed and the Rangers returned to the Power Chamber.

"So Brak's plan focussed on his ability to isolate Sam from the rest of us," Trini said later as the Rangers and Zordon discussed the events of the last few days.

"Indeed," Zordon agreed. "Brax's race possess the ability to shift out of phase with this dimension, however while phased they can only touch members of their own race. It makes them effective bounty hunters."

"Brax discovered a way to use the blood of his victims, creating a blood bond. Using that bond he was able to drag Sam out of phase sufficiently to cause him harm," Alpha continued.

"But he forgot that Sam was a clone and that Tommy would possess identical DNA," Billy said. "And since David is Tommy's twin, his blood was close enough to count."

"So what happened when he tried to harm us?" Zack asked. "Because I didn't feel like I was shifting out of phase."

"Simple," Zordon told him, "whenever Brak decided to attack he simply phased back into this dimension. That way he could attack without fear of injury."

"Well I'm just glad it's over," Sam said. "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to catch up on some sleep."

His departure was the signal for the rest of the Rangers to leave and return to their normal activities, something they were happy to do. Zordon however remained. Something was wrong, they had learned that Brak was acting to collect a bounty, but who had placed it and why? Until he knew the answer to those questions Zordon couldn't help but think that perhaps they had made an error and that this was just the start of a bigger plot.

**End**

Disclaimer: I do not own the Power Rangers. All characters belonging to that show are the property of their respective copyright owners. No money is being made from this fanfic. The basic storyline and parts of this chapter were created by Matt.  
Author's Note: This story is based in the Conquest of Evil Universe.

**Children of the Dragon Part 1 - Uncontainable **

**Prologue**

Hell was a place where seconds, hours and days could seem like centuries. It was a monstrous place of death and humiliation, where even the most basic rights of the individual were overlooked as the residents transformed the high and mighty into quivering and fully compliant servants. Over centuries of application, physical and mental pain was combined to break their subjects, quashing even the most meagre hopes and ensuring that any hint of individualism was instantly stamped out. Hardship, misery, boredom, fear and pain were the prime motivators as they performed the perfect physical and psychological make over.

The Master was one such subject. Formerly a Time Lord from the planet Gallifrey, an advanced species who had used his superior mind to attempt to gain power. He had misjudged and had as a result been dragged into a place where he would learn to regret. In his philosophy the Master had never been a firm believer in the afterlife; as a Time Lord he possessed the modified genetic information that led all of his kind to actively dismiss the notions of magic and the existence of mystical demons. He believed in aliens, extra dimensional entities and to some extent minor feats of psychic ability. Nyghtmayr had been just a strange creature that he could manipulate in the same way that he had countless others. He had been wrong about Nyghtmayr and he had been very wrong about demons.

After all that he had experienced, he was even prepared to admit that he had been very very wrong about the existence of Hell. He wasn't sure if he was physically there or just some small sub-dimension dedicated to his suffering, but he definitely believed in the human concept of eternal suffering.

His tormentors had made it their mission to give him a true understanding of suffering. To them pain and pleasure were so close that the difference was negligible. Screams of agony were to their ears the same as amused laughter. It was a lesson that had left him broken as the three demons had destroyed him only to rebuild him stronger than before, ready to break him again. At some point while one of the demons had been teaching him just how much pain could be extracted through the application of sharp and dull hooks, one of his wounds had become infected. The wound had not been treated, the anticipation of the pain such an infection would cause as his flesh was allowed to rot.

The infection should have been lethal, but the demons had kept him alive to increase his suffering. His ability to regenerate, a Time Lord's valued escape from death had been lost when he had started living beyond his designated number of lives. Still it seemed that death was not his chosen option as he continued to endure suffering beyond imagination.

No, he would never give in to death, not when he had evaded it so many times in the past. And here in a dimension intended for those who were not living, it was doubtful he could die anyway. He was also a genius and just as he always kept one last trap in reserve, so he also managed to conjure one more means of escape.

In this case salvation came from a piece of coral had had been growing inside his twisted body. It was a part of his former TARDIS and after the prescribed period, it was now sufficiently charged. Like many living things it had the natural desire to return to its home. And when it vanished to rejoin the rest of the TARDIS, it took the Master with it. It was not a pleasant journey, but he didn't feel the pain. The torture he had endured had destroyed his pain receptors.

And in a blink of the eye, the Master returned to life. Well, half-life was a more accurate description since there was no question that the deformed creature that had been ejected back to the mainstream universe could ever be described as healthy.

**Prologue ends**

Erlion  
Long Ago

Zordon regarded the figure before him carefully. He reached out with his abilities, hoping to gain some insight into the man's character. It was a misguided desire to find a redeeming feature that could offset the maximum sentence. The life of a suspected criminal was in the balance and it was Zordon's job to answer the powerful being's single and direct question.

"Zordon, as the casting member of this panel, I ask you to state your verdict," the Judge said.

Zordon was silent, allowing the Power and his gift of prophecy to guide him. Was the accused guilty? Unquestionably. Was there anything, even the slightest indication to suggest that he could be redeemed? Zordon could sense only darkness within the self-proclaimed warlord's mind.

The evidence of war crimes though had been pretty compelling. In the last year Drac'cuul had done more than simply conquer worlds, he had committed countless atrocities against the citizens of the universe. A crime was a crime, regardless of the victim's stance in the war between good and evil. In fact some of the warlord's greatest atrocities had been committed against those many would describe as evil dictators. He had allowed those that followed his command to pillage the wealth of those they preyed on. Those who refused his right to rule them became casualties of war. The monsters he summoned had caused environmental disasters on ten worlds in the last fourteen months.

He had been caught in the act of overseeing the murder of women and children that dared to stand against him. He had been taken to Erlion to stand trial although it had taken a team of IGPF officers backed up by cybernetically enhanced Guardian Units to restrain him. Luckily once in restraints, Drac'cuul had been isolated from the power of the Morphin Grid. A special crystal prevented him from using magic while in the trial room.

Zordon looked at the judge, one of the longest and most respected High Councillors to serve the galaxy.

"Guilty, High Councillor."

"I see. And as spokesmen for the jury, do you find any reason for leniency?"

Zordon pondered the question. Drac'cuul was not a part of the United Alliance of Evil, he had no loyalty to a greater power other than himself. In fact, he had made it clear repeatedly that he saw the warring sides in the ongoing struggle between good and evil as a symptom of some universal disease. A disease that could only be cured by bringing the population to its knees and then restructuring the political, economic and military structures to his blueprint.

Was Drac'cuul evil? Zordon wasn't sure. He was tempted to describe him as misguided or even insane. But somewhere deep inside Zordon knew that Drac'cuul was just as evil as some of those he had killed. The question then became could Drac'cuul be reformed, could the destructive schemes that he masterminded be put to more constructive use? His uncertainty was enough to override his instincts.

"Yes High Councillor, I do. I believe General Drac'cuul may never reform, but this court must show the attributes of mercy and compassion that he failed to show his victims. That is the line that separates us from the wicked. Drac'cuul has always been a political advocate of changing the universe for the better. I applaud his dedication, but I cannot condone his methods, which is why he is here. I suggest that he receive an indefinite sentence until such time that he is no longer a threat."

"This is an outrage!" Drac'cuul shouted. "I do not recognise this panel, this travesty of an organisation has no authority over me. How dare this mockery of a court hold me to account? This is a panel of no-name peasants. I am Drac'cuul, Lord of Dragoria, Master of the Black Dragon..."

"Drac'cuul, your titles have no bearing on this case. You took the title of Lord without the consent of those you forced to obey you. You have been found guilty of multiple counts of slavery, genocide, murder and theft," the Judge said, ignoring Drac'cuul's outburst. "You are clearly an intelligent man who should have known that hiding behind the defence of committing such atrocities for the greater good would never be a valid defence. You are a danger criminal that cannot be allowed to continue; never again will you be allowed to commit such heinous crimes. You will be taken from this place to a facility where you will be held away from those you sought to abuse. In view of the likelihood that your associates will attempt to set you free, you will be taken from this to the Kaku Penal Colony in the Logsdon Cluster. May the Power have mercy upon you."

"This court has no jurisdiction over me! You will pay for this Zordon!" Drac'cuul shouted again. "And it's Lord Drac'cuul! Show me the respect I deserve!"

"Alas Drac'cuul... that is the respect you deserve."

"You need pay his words no heed Zordon," the Judge said when the struggling villain had been removed. "He will not be released until he has reformed and even then he will be in no position to threaten you."

"I have no fear for myself High Councillor," Zordon replied. "I only feel sympathy for those whose lives have been ruined by Drac'cuul; I regret that we were unable to stop him sooner."

"As always you have managed to get to the point of the matter my friend. Thank you again Zordon, I do not know where we would be without you wisdom and sense of justice."

"May I ask what you did with his weapons, he seemed quite attached to them?" Zordon asked.

"I assure you they will be disposed of in such a way that Drac'cuul will never be able to find them."

Drac'cuul's arsenal had been the reason why the criminal had been so difficult to capture. It was made from a combination of mystically enhanced armour and a magically crafted sword. Stripping him of his armour had been a major part of neutralising the threat that Drac'cuul posed to the universe. Disabling the many enhancements he had placed on his body had taken longer.

Zordon closed the link from his private dimension to the courtroom, paid his respects to his fellow jurors and returned his attention to his post monitoring the planet Earth. He felt just the faintest tinge of bitterness that Drac'cuul may someday be freed whilst he had been imprisoned for the rest of his life for fighting evil and trying to be a good man.

Still, there was no point in feeling bitter because it would do him no good. Zordon had never regretted the sacrifice he had been forced to make in order to defeat Rita Repulsa. She had betrayed him by breaking the truce he had arranged. In a last effort to ensure she was restrained until a force arose, capable of dealing with her evil, Zordon had sealed her inside a Space Dumpster.

The result had been ten thousand years spent alone, apart from the occasional council meeting. Alpha Five had been repaired by Lexian after the final battle with Rita and sent to Earth. Alpha had with Zordon's instruction built the first Command Center. Together they had formulated a master plan to eradicated the threat of evil once and for all.

Kaku Penal Colony Spaceport, the Logsdon Cluster  
Present Day

The powerful hover jet stopped in front of the prison transport ship. Inside were twenty of the most dangerous captives in IGPF custody. Some were going to be imprisoned and some had been sentenced to termination. No chances were taken with such a major transfer. The IGPF had poured, as many resources as it could into ensuring a full contingent of officers were available for escort duty.

The IGPF's role in the day to day running of the Council planets had developed from a limitation placed upon the Power Rangers. Although they had the full authority of the Council to repel invaders who threatened their worlds, the Rangers could not act against the everyday scum who preyed on the defenceless. It had therefore been decided to create a second group with a separate command structure, the IGPF.

Unlike Power Rangers, members of the Inter-Galactic Police Force were not compelled to remain on one world, although they did have officers on each Council world as liaisons with the local law enforcement agencies. IGPF officers could travel to any planet and patrol space to prevent crimes from running illegal drugs to murder. Over time a close relationship had formed between the IGPF and the Rangers.

The planned transfer was so important that for the first time in recent memory, the gap between Ranger and IGPF officer had been closed with the creation of the SPD: the Special Prison Detail. SPD officers served in the IGPF, but had been granted pseudo-morphers that allowed them to wear Ranger style armour for up to an hour.

Each morpher contained a blank Power Coin, minted at a secret location. Instead of being linked directly to the Morphin Grid, the morphers drew from alternate sources. When transformed, SPD officers had increased stamina, speed, strength and accuracy. Their armour was designed to function against those most likely to attempt a prison break. They were equipped with special energy shields concealed in their left-hand gauntlet and a laser pistol that functioned as a police baton. In addition they had access to the strongest handcuffs ever created.

Only ten IGPF officers were qualified to serve as SPD. Together the ten were a force that had ensured that prison transports throughout the galaxy remained secure.

A siren sounded and the SPD officers snapped to attention. Each was dressed in heavy black body armour, only the lower parts of their faces were visible. No weapons could be seen hanging on their bodies, they kept them stowed in the armoury for safety.

Inside the hover jet the prisoners had been arranged according to their destination and restrained as necessary. For some that mean having their arms and legs shackled to the seat, for others it meant being placed in a secured cage and for some it meant before secured in a block of solid carbonate. On board the prison transport special arrangements had been arranged for each captive to ensure they could not get away.

The six Guardian Units snapped to attention as the doors opened. Being cybernetic they were beyond bribery, they were expendable and they didn't need weapons to stop a revolt. A simple twist of the neck was enough to subdue a convict permanently.

The prisoners due for transport looked up as the Marshal in charge of the transfer stepped into the hover jet. "My name is Marshall Duros. You will obey each and every instruction I give you to the letter. You will not attempt any form of escape or you will discover your current accommodations are considered lenient. Obey the rules and respect the authority of the IGPF officers acting as your escorts and this trip will be over quickly. If you do not obey the rules, this trip will be the longest journey you will ever make." Turning to the officers standing ready behind him, he added, "Move them out."

Forty unarmed officers entered the hover jet, each of them having signed away any rights if they were taken hostage. Without a weapon there was no way their prisoners could steal a gun. Together they escorted, dragged and pulled the prisoners out onto the floor of the space port.

"Activate containment field!" Duros ordered, pointing at the hover jet. "Begin environmental purge."

An energy screen appeared across the door of the hover jet. Inside poison gas was pumped in followed by a discharge of radiation to kill any organic life left inside, thus ensured there were no stowaways. Then the hover jet was sent back to the prison by remote control.

"Let's get these prisoners processed and placed on board people," Duros shouted. "I want to be out of here within the hour."

The Time Vortex

Following his release from his hellish torment, the Master had started seeking a way to rebuild his damaged body. He had searched the database seeking a way to counter the damage he had suffered at the hands of the Punishment Demons. He had found and stolen a TARDIS and reconfigured it to serve as his life support. Once the reconfiguration was complete, he had set a course for the Sol System, somehow knowing that the little blue planet would hold the answer. When the name Drac'cuul had appeared, he had taken a closer look at the file. While the renegade warrior who had somehow managed to incur the wrath of villains and heroes alike didn't interest him, there was a potential use for the failed warlord.

Drac'cuul had been one of the more successful warlords that had plagued the universe, mostly because he had set out to conquer any planet that was not already under his control. He would be a perfect patsy to use in the Master's schemes.

Arranging Drac'cuul's freedom had taken time, finding the mercenaries he could trust to complete the task even if he couldn't trust them not to turn on him afterwards. In the end he had found a pirate clan willing to work for the stolen credits he had offered and had granted them the lives of any other prisoners or guards as a bonus. Now it was just a case of waiting for the pirates to complete their task.

Kaku Penal Colony Space Port, the Logsdon Cluster,  
One Hour Later

It had seemed like an endless process, but eventually all the prisoners had been processed and taken aboard one of the three transport ships the IGPF had decided to use. Each prisoner had been rigorously inspected for foreign objects they might attempt to use to escape. Every cavity and orifice had been check, a long and demanding task considering not all the prisoners and IGPF officers were anatomically human.

Eventually it had been completed and Drac'cuul was transported on board the third prison ship. Escorted by six armed guards he was taken to an empty area in the center of the ship. There his guards chained him to a fixed metal chair. A solid cage of titanium alloy was placed around the chair. The bars extended to form a ceiling over Drac'cuul's head and a floor under his feet. Beyond the cage was a second set of energy bars. Four laser beams had been placed on the outside and four Guardian Units positioned around the perimeter. Finally a three-part door opened into a gas-filled airlock.

The entire cell had been created to be independent from the rest of the ship. From there, Drac'cuul could have no influence over the rest of the ship and should any accidents occur the officers could be sure he would not be freed. With the last prisoner in place the organic officers left the cell area, sealing it behind them. Only robotic officers were allowed in the detention areas during flight.

At the signal all was clear the space port's operators opened the force field containing the prison ships. All three craft lifted off and joined their escorts in orbit above the planet. Today in addition to their normal escorts they had four advanced level fighters to assist. Phoenix, Eagle, Albatross and Scorpio were ready for action. Each ship had been created using Ranger technology as a reference point. Each ship had been given a special function within the escort.

Phoenix and Eagle were the lead ships, both capable of high speed travel. The Eagle served as the command ship, relaying data back to the vessels they were escorting, while Phoenix was the trouble-shooter, meeting possible trouble makers before they got too near. The Scorpio was the troop and supply ship, providing a refuelling bay for those fighters that accompanied the prison ships.

Phoenix was a large blue and red spacecraft, originally fitted for planetary use. The phoenix was fast mainly because of its small mass compared to most ships. The twin engines at the rear provided most of its thrust, with additional power from the additional engines fitted to each wingtip. Crewed by five officers, the Phoenix was capable of releasing three one-man fighters and carried enough artillery to make it a virtual fortress.

Eagle had originally been designed for exploration. Powered by its four rear-mounted engines the ship did not have any defences of its own. However, it did sport the largest holding bay in the fleet and always had a squadron capable of dealing with any attackers. To prevent any suicide gambits wiping out its vital passengers, Eagle was able to release the docking bay into space. It could also and use its own limited shield to provide protection.

The Scorpio was a troop and supply frigate. It was primitive and difficult to fly, but had regenerating shields that put most ships to shame. Scorpio's main purpose on this transport was to provide a simply rear guard against pursuers. If necessary, the Scorpio could ram an incoming ship and survive intact.

The Albatross was one of only two ships made in its class. Originally built for the colonists of KO-35 it had at one point been known as the Kappa Megaship. The exact designers of the ship were unknown, except they had at some staff been involved in a deadly war. The Albatross had been found with its crew in hibernation. There they had been revived and trained to form the backbone of SPD. The Albatross had been refitted, but the crew liked the ship and the commander of the IGPF arranged to purchase the craft and had had the Zord interfaces removed.

What made the Albatross truly unique was its computer system. On KO-35 the Rangers used an AI unit known as DECA. The Albatross's computer Zen made DECA resemble what Earthlings referred to as a ZX81. Zen was more than a simple computer. He had sub-computers handling every task on the ship and everything was linked back to him. Whereas DECA could only monitor the different parts of the Astro Megaship, Zen could monitor, control and repair any part of the Albatross from almost any damage.

The main design feature about the Albatross was its four-part drive system. The main power and hyper rush systems were found at the rear of the ship. From out it resembled a large green ball pulsating with energy. The engines were linked into a long fuselage to the seven-man control bay at the front. From the main fuselage three detached engines were suspended, forming an equilateral triangle. Each engine was the length of the main fuselage, culminating with a powerful weapon's array near the front. From the rear the Albatross looked like a large green ball, but from the front it looked like a four-pronged death machine.

Despite these four powerful ships the IGPF had long accepted that small ships were needed to deal with the fast attack cruisers that sometimes attacked convoy. As a result eight IGPF fights surrounded the convoy at all times. Each craft was a Tri-winged fighter piloted by two IGPF officers. The machines were fast and effective both in and outside of convoy formation. They were hyper rush capable and had an advanced targeting system.

As the convoy linked their computer systems together Commander Duros had a green light. Giving the order to his crew the fifteen strong prison fleet jumped to hyper space, on course for Eltare.

Space  
Later

~How had it gone so wrong?~ Lieutenant Gallen wondered as he struggled to free himself from his Tri-fighter's wreckage.

In less than half an hour a simple escort mission had turned into the largest tragedy in IGPF history. It had happened so quickly that Gallen doubted anyone could have done anything to prevent it. Three escort ships and many snub fighters destroyed, the Albatross crew forced to abandon ship and then captured, three transport ships devastated, their prisoners whisked away to freedom and worst of all the SPD operatives serving as marshals had been killed.

It had started out as per the briefing, the convoy had jumped to hyper space and the pilots had settled in for a two-hour journey to Eltare. In hyper space the ships were impervious to outside influence, or so they thought. An explosion had rocked the convoy after only an hour. The ships had reverted to real space, nobody aware of where they were or what was happening.

Communications, scanners and even radio signals had been rendered useless by the explosion. At first Gallen had thought they were under attack, but nobody could have attacked them from outside hyper space. Then the realization had set in. It had not been an external attack; it had been a bomb planted in the convoy's path, designed with the sole purpose of forcing the convoy to re-enter real space.

The bombing of hyper space convoys was a rare but often successful technique favoured by pirate who preyed on royal tour ships. First, the attacker would find out the path its target was likely to take and pick an area where there were few worlds capable of lending assistance. Next a high yield gravity generator was positioned to force any ships to slow. Normally that would be enough for a pirate ship to attack the exposed craft.

But this attacker had had more sinister motives than robbing a goods transporter. Instead of waiting for a ship to re-enter real space the attacker had attached the gravity generator to a graphite bomb. The result was an immediate short circuit in every electrical system throughout the fleet.

Then the attack had started. A single ship had appeared, larger than Phoenix, Eagle and Scorpio, although not quite as large as Albatross. It had fired its entire laser battery at the crippled ships, knowing that they had no chance of surviving such a barrage without shields. Smaller fighters had launched from the larger craft and began to pick off the defending snub fighters, ship by ship.

The SPD operatives' fighters had been trapped inside Phoenix, not because they were disabled, but because the docking bay doors had been jammed shut when the power failed.

Gallen and his copilot Officer Gort had chosen that moment to try and act. Together they managed to rewire their small ship, freeing it from Eagle's ruined computer. The moment they did so their ship came to life.

"What now?" Gort asked as they directed their ship towards the nearest attacker.

"We get a message sent to IGPF Headquarters and try to keep as many of those fighters away as possible," Gallen replied. His words were not as gallant as they sounded. A quick look at his status board had told Gallen that a jump to hyper space was currently impossible due to the failure of the Navigation computer.

"Targeting system is online, shields at sixty percent," Gort reported, activating the weapons and letting Gallen control their flight.

"Two second burst right yoke," Gallen said.

As he spoke, Gallen fired the afterburners and pulled the ship to the right. Zeroing in on the nearest ship, he fired, pitching hard left to lock onto a second.

"We have three ships heading towards us," Gort told his companion. "One has fired a heat seeker."

"Activate diversion," Gallen instructed.

Gort pressed a series of buttons and a torpedo was launched, keeping speed just behind them. At the last moment a second torpedo was launched, detonating the first and catching the attackers' heat seeker in the blast.

Gallen was not done yet. Guiding his small craft towards Invincible, the largest of the three transport ships he attempted to dock. A thought had occurred to him during the brief fire fight and he hoped he was wrong. Before he could dock another of the attacking ships moved in.

Gort took a moment to identify the craft they were facing. Similar to the Tri-fighter in the form of its three wings, the craft had no nosecone, the cockpit ending in a simple transparent screen. The fighter had been identified as a Yoke Fighter, used exclusively by the Shogun Pirate Clan.

In the time it had taken for Gallen to realise his plan would not work another four fighters were heading in his direction. Using the wreckage from The Scorpio as cover, Gallen was able to turn his fighter to face his pursuers. Pushing a button he reset his engines so they fired in different directions. Waiting until the attackers were within range and then pressed the 'engine engage' control and the fire button at the same time.

Propelled from different directions the fighter started to spin, firing its deadly lasers at the same time. For a full two minutes the fighter continued to spin, shredding the attacking snub fighters before slowing.

"Gallen, we need to move, now!" Gort shouted as he noticed the large cruiser closing in on them. Too late Gallen started the engines. The Tri-fighter's canopy shattered, depressurising Gort's section of the cockpit. Gort was torn out of the hole into the cold vacuum of space.

Gallen had not been much luckier. The fighter had continued moving, crushing his legs as it smashed into the remains of another fighter. He had the oxygen to survive, but he knew he would never walk again. Without power and with little hope of rescue Gallen was forced to watch as his colleagues were taken from their ships. He saw a fire fight from inside the transporter, which he assumed was the marshals' ship. Then the fighting had stopped and the attackers had gone, taking the prisoners and some of the guards with them.

Now Gallen lay dying among the remains of his fighter. He doubted anybody would ever find the convoy in time if at all. He had no doubt they had been hijacked as far from the nearest Council planet as possible. Even the tiniest movement hurt now and Gallen knew he could not go on. Struggling against the pain, he reached for the ejection switch. The remains of the canopy were blown into space and Gallen died.

The assault had been the perfect combination of careful planning and the Captain's insistence on the excellence of those following him. He had calculated the convoy's exact path and had been able to plant the hyper space bomb on their course. The explosion had had three main purposes, but had actually achieved an unexpected plus. Of course the ships had been left stranded, without communications or weapons, which was the first aim. At the same time an emergency system had released the cell area from each transporter. It had been easy for the Shogun forces to overrun the cells since the guards had all been deactivated in the explosion. The bonus had been that the explosion had smashed the crystal used to prevent Drac'cuul from wielding his magic. By the time his rescuers had arrived he had already teleported away from his cell to the Phoenix's survival module.

Drac'cuul had wanted revenge and had decided to take it out on the SPD operatives. They had bravely returned fire and used their limited powers to the best of their abilities. In the end though Drac'cuul had mercilessly killed six of them, leaving the team's commander and his top officers alive. It fell to Drac'cuul's sense of humour to torture his victims. Their one hour charge exhausted, the remaining marshals would have only a limited time to live before the air ran out and with the other ships gone, they had no chance of getting away.

Finally one of the pirates had convinced Drac'cuul it was time to leave. A small snub fighter had somehow managed to fly long enough to destroy some of their fighters. The officer had been quickly dealt with and the mercenaries had returned to their original tasks, taking prisoners.

Then their task complete, the pirates had changed course and headed away.

"So you are the one I owe my freedom to," Drac'cuul greeted as he approached the Master. "I am told that I you my freedom."

"Warlord Drac'cuul, so good to finally see you," he replied. "I trust your incarceration has not had any lasting effects."

Drac'cuul's aura flared angrily at the speculation that he was in any way diminished.

"I believe I am as powerful as ever," Drac'cuul replied. "Now, what do you want with me? I am not a puppet for you to order around."

"I don't have to order Warlord Drac'cuul," he responded. "On the contrary, I believe you will find this a pleasurable task. That is assuming you would enjoy the opportunity for resume your previous campaign, after taking revenge of course, especially against..." He paused briefly to give his words the desired emphasis. "Zordon of Eltare."

Drac'cuul's eyes sparked as he heard the name of the man he blamed for his incarceration. The Master smiled to himself, noting the way Drac'cuul had been baited into displaying his anger earlier. It seemed that he had read the warlord's character perfectly.

"Zordon of Eltare?" he boomed, his usual coldness replaced by rage. "I would give anything to destroy Zordon of Eltare!"

The Master was silent, waiting for Warlord Drac'cuul to continue. He could tell the oppressive silence made Drac'cuul nervous. He was glad.

"But I cannot do it yet; I need my weapons"

The Master nodded. For all his arrogance and boasting Drac'cuul was actually intelligent. Without the sword and armour, which functioned as a means to guide the power flowing through his body, Drac'cuul could not show his true prowess.

"The weapons will prove easy to reclaim. Indeed you will hardly need my help at all, unless..." He let the words hang, tempting Warlord Drac'cuul to ask the question.

"Unless what?"

"Well, Earth is defended by a team of Zordon's students. They call themselves Power Rangers."

Warlord Drac'cuul laughed. "Why should a team of Rangers threaten me? I am Drac'cuul, Lord of Dragoria, and the Master of the Black Dragons. Do you even know what that means?"

The Master chose to ignore the question. "You were Lord of Dragoria, time has changed and that planet is under new leadership. And your followers... if they survived then they have performed their tasks beautifully, integrating themselves into the most respectable parts of society. The rest were purged following your imprisonment," the Master corrected. "Unless of course you can take command of their new leaders."

"I am the Master of the Black Dragon; that alone assures their loyalty whether they like it or not," Drac'cuul told him, "Even those that have died. With my armour even the most wilful citizen is my pawn. All Children of the Dragon are mine to command and none may stand against my word. Now tell me again why I should feel a bunch of children pretending to be Rangers?"

"Show some respect Drac'cuul, or I will have you ejected into space," the Master warned. "Your abilities are not under scrutiny here, only your knowledge of recent events. Those children playing Rangers have seen off Rita Repulsa, Lord Zedd, Master Vile and the Machine Empire. They are not to be taken lightly. Some of them are Morphin Rangers and the others possess the Zeo Crystal."

"The Zeo Crystal?" he asked. Drac'cuul recalled that Master Vile had been obsessed with the Zeo Crystal and had offered a reward for whoever presented it to him. "It's of no importance. They are children and I am a warlord. Zeo Rangers or Morphin Rangers, I shall crush them all!" Drac'cuul swore.

"Do not believe yourself infallible," the Master warned.

"Let me retrieve my armour - just my swords will do and I promise I will deal with Zordon and his pupils."

"Very well Drac'cuul, if you insist," the Master said after a pause. He enjoyed the anxiety that cross his face when he seemed undecided; as if he would really turn him down. "I can see that insisting that you retrieve all the pieces of your protection before facing them. You may do things your way, but if you fail, we will do things my way." He pushed a few buttons and the TARDIS shuddered as it briefly landed and then departed from the Earth.

**To be continued**

Disclaimer: I do not own the Power Rangers or Doctor Who; they belong to their respective copyright owners. No profit is made from this fanfiction. Series wise this adventure takes place during the Eighth Doctor Series of books.

**Children of the Dragon Part 2 - Unredeemable **

The shrine of Redemption, Dragoria

Kno' lit the final candle and kneeled before the altar as she had done every day since she had been appointed as High Priestess of her order. That had been over five thousand years ago, when the exploits of Zordon of Eltare were still enough to inspire the younger generation to serve the Power.

In recent times Kno' had had more than the daily rituals to concern herself about. As the High Priestess of the Dragon she had been charged with the duty of protecting some of galaxy's greatest weapons, including one of the swords that the criminal Drac'cuul had used in battle before his capture. Once it had been a powerful and beautiful blade. Soaked in the blood of the helpless though it was had become a tool of the darkness.

Kno' had always had a strong link to the Morphin Grid and her totem animal, the Green Dragon. Not only was that link due to her personality, but through her ancestry. Her race had evolved from reptiles instead of apes and retained some of their race's most notable features such as the thick-scaled skin. She had hoped that through daily meditation she could use magic to purge the evil from the blade and restore some of its beauty. Sadly it seemed that the dark magic placed on the blade and the blood that it had drawn had given the blade an aura that perverted it for all time.

"That sword belongs to me I think," a voice said.

Kno' turned and found Warlord Drac'cuul watching her. It didn't take her long to recognise him, she had seen his picture many times in the past. Plus she had been expecting his arrival since news of his escape had reached her.

"How dare you enter this sacred place?" she demanded. "Such sacrilege is punishable by death."

Drac'cuul flicked his tongue, an act that made his Dragorian features more obvious. In the presence of his sword he could feel the dark magic flowing through his veins, growing by the second. With an animalistic howl he charged the Green Master. She replied with a similar battle cry as plated armour formed around her body giving her a scaled appearance as she prepared for combat. From her hip holster she drew a small green dagger covered with the gold symbol of the dragon.

"Pathetic!" Drac'cuul sneered. "A true warrior doesn't need the Morphin Grid to hide behind."

Although weakened without his sword and armour, there was a definite change as he drew on his reserve of magical energy. He snatched a large wooden axe from one of the walls and wielded it clumsily as the two warriors met in combat, trading blows that would have shattered a normal person's body. Despite the extra strength that Drac'cuul exhibited, Kno' was more than able to hold her own.

"Hurry up, Drac'cuul!" a new voice shouted.

While Drac'cuul had kept the Green Master busy, the Master had grabbed the sword. He tossed it to Drac'cuul who felt an immediate surge in his power.

"Hear me, Green Master," Drac'cuul almost hissed as he tried to draw the power from his sword to enhance his will. "I am the Master of the Black Dragon, ruler of all those tied to the Dragon be it by magic or blood and you will heed me. Stop this attack, now!"

Kno' hesitated for a moment before recovering her wits, almost succeeding in taking Drac'cuul's head off with an energized blow. But Drac'cuul had no intention of fighting fair. Her distraction had allowed him to vanish from sight to rejoin the Master. The Time Lord produced a small cylinder, fired and Kno' screamed as her body experienced the pain of having the moisture removed. She knew there was little time left, but with her last strength sent her morpher to her successor. There was no way she would be responsible for the creation of an evil Ranger. Drac'cuul did not seem to care. He was on his way to regaining his former strength.

"Zordon of Eltare beware," he said menacingly as he waved his sword in the air with one hand while still holding the axe in the other. "The Master of the Black Dragon, has returned. Wait... this is just one of my swords, where are the others?" He looked down at his opponent expecting an answer and was horrified to discover that she was beyond caring. "Fool! I needed her alive, now how will I recover the rest of my weapons?"

"Are you saying that you are incapable of defeating the Rangers with one blade?" the Master asked, knowing that his words would have the desired effect. Drac'cuul was just too proud to accept such an insult and despite his protests to the contrary, he was not thinking clearly enough to see through the Master's manipulation. Besides, to the Master's mind Drac'cuul only had two hands and already wielded a sword and an axe, why would he need more blades?

"Of course not," Drac'cuul blustered. "I can defeat those children now if I wanted to."

"Indeed," the Master said as he stepped over the fallen Morphin Master, "then why not put that boast to the test and see if you can still command some of your little toys?"

Earth

"It's over Scorponoid!" Red Zeo shouted from inside the Zeo Megazord.

The machine didn't respond. It wasn't programmed for witty banter. In fact the machine lacked the complexity of most of Mondo, Gasket and even Sprocket's creations. It was more of a tank than a robot, operated by a single gold painted Cog that had been hooked into the cockpit as a control system. Still, despite its crude nature, the machine was unquestionably deadly; twin pincers that could deliver a sharp punch, concealed acid sprays that had damaged the Megazord's shielding and of course its powerful tail that could pierce and electrify the Zord.

The Megazord landed a few punches and succeeded in grabbing the machine's tail, allowing the Super Zeo Megazord to slice it off. Together the two Zords crushed the machine, destroying the cockpit as crushing the Cog in the process.

"Okay, let's go home," Pink Zeo said.

She waited for her leader to give the signal. Tommy didn't react. It was then that Tommy and Rocky removed their helmets, a strange look on their faces.

"Guys?" Green Zeo asked.

"Sorry Adam," Red Zeo said, snapping to. "Let's go."

When they got back to the Power Chamber, the Rangers were surprised to find Alpha scanning both Sam and Jason. Both of them had the strange expression that the others had seen on Tommy and Rocky earlier.

"Zordon, what is going on?" Kat asked.

"Rangers, I have just received word that a vicious criminal known as Warlord Drac'cuul has escaped from his imprisonment and is responsible for the disappearance of the Green Morphin Master, Kno'. Kno' had been charge with protecting Drac'cuul's blade, a weapon that distorts and taints the Green and Red powers. Jason, Rocky, Sam and Tommy are feeling the presence of Drac'cuul through the Morphin Grid. He is a dangerous foe and I believe it will take all your strength to fight him."

"Where is he now Zordon?" Jason rasped.

"His current location is unknown, however I believe that he will make his way here to Earth."

"So what do we do?" Sam asked.

"For now all four of you must rest while Alpha and I decide our next course of action. Billy is in the Holding Bay repairing the Zords after their recent battles." Reluctantly the Rangers teleported away so Zordon could issue his next set of instructions. "Alpha, send a message to the Morphin Masters. Advise them that Drac'cuul has gained control over his sword's special ability; warn them that Rangers with the Dragon totem are at risk."

The little android scurried to obey as Zordon silently prayed his Rangers would be strong enough to beat back their new opponent. ~They have faced so much, but Drac'cuul is a different sort of villain, his crimes more heinous because he sees himself above the need for law and morals.~ He pushed that thought as far away as he could. His Rangers would never accept defeat without first trying and Zordon was not willing to give up either.

A faint noise caught his attention. An image appeared on the Viewing Screen. "Enjoy peace while you can Zordon. Because tomorrow will be the first day in the Age of the Dragon!"

A tiny rip in the fabric of time and space was all it took. The strange object faded three times before stabilizing. The light on the top flashed in sync with the sound of grinding gears. After a loud explosion from inside and a cloud of green smoke the object finally settled behind Angel Grove Police Headquarters. Some would say the object would have looked at home there except the American police force had no use for a Victorian Police Box outside its headquarters.

There was the sound of more grinding gears as the object attempted to escape back into the vortex where it belonged. A male voice swore in a dialect so old it had been forgotten even on the distant world where it had originated. The swearing stopped; to be replaced by choking as yet another cloud of smoke billowed from the door.

"Of all the times for the TARDIS to break down, why did it have to be now?" a voice grumbled.

The door opened as a young girl with blonde hair struggled outside, choking on the strong fumes that wafted out of the open doorway; a brown haired man followed her Unlike his companion, he was not coughing although his nose wrinkled at the disgusting smell.

"I'm not sure," he told his companion, making sure to check that they were responsive and not showing signs of exposure. "The old girl has been acting - strange recently. Too many journeys to alternate time lines and dimensional rifts for it to just be a coincidence. It's almost as if she's preparing herself for something. Or is she preparing me?"

"So she did this on purpose," the girl guessed. "Great, the last thing we need is a time machine that only takes us where it wants to go."

"The TARDIS has always had a mind of its own," the second man admitted. "She's just asserting herself for some reason. Besides she didn't exactly land here of her own accord, I pulled the emergency lever. There again I couldn't have you two suffocating, could I?"

"So those fumes were poisonous then?"

"Lethal," he replied pleasantly, smoothing out his green frock coat. "It does make travelling unpleasant."

"Unpleasant? You tell us your own time machine tried to kill us and you only describe it as unpleasant?" the blonde asked incredulously. She couldn't believe that he could make such a statement and keep smiling.

"Well it could have been deliberate, an attempt to force us to go where she needs us to go, but more likely it's accidental. She is getting on a bit and should have had a service five hundred light years ago." He frowned. He had been as reluctant to return to his home planet of Gallifrey as he had been to land on Earth during the late Twentieth Century. The latter was out of concern for his companion, the former from fear of what chance had taken place since the last time he had been there. "One of the recycling units used to direct the flow of mercury for the fluid links failed. The smell is from the chemicals added to the tanks to warn of any leaks. Not exactly fatal compared to mercury vapour, but the enzymes in the tank have decayed, creating ammonia." He studied the instrument in his hand before continuing. "The vapour extractor failed, probably due to old age, creating a deadly atmosphere." He patted the box affectionately. "She's actually quite embarrassed about it, aren't you old girl? Still, until we can purge the gases, replace the fluid links and repair the machinery, we're stuck here."

"So all this is due to you failing to book it in for a service," the girl surmised.

The brown haired man known throughout the many galaxies as the Doctor frowned, remembering that the last time Sam had taken on this tone he had ended up at a Green Peace rally being shot at by angry protesters.

"You're right, it's my fault," he admitted, deciding that this was not the best time to get in an argument. "It should have been taken care of in the five thousand light year service package. Unfortunately the problem with using a stolen TARDIS and falling out of favour with the High Council is that booking a technician is too much hassle."

~Especially,~ he thought, ~when a trip to Gallifrey risks being drawn into whatever political shenanigans they're involved in.~

He pulled another device from his pocket, this time it was an electronic pad with a small pen connected to it via a wire. He turned and looked at the police box for a moment then stared into the sky, trying to sense something.

"Well we've done it again," he decided finally. "Either we're in an alternate reality or somebody has managed to rewrite Earth's geography. We're in America, or at least a part of it. The country is the wrong shape though, almost as if someone had slipped an extra piece in."

He wondered briefly if the TARDIS really had malfunctioned and directed them to the nearest compatible universe or whether it had had an ulterior motive in bringing them here. The shape of this Earth was very strange, lots of strange areas of land added to the map. The idea that somebody had sent him there to investigate was outrageous, especially with the restrictions President Flavia had put on Celestial Intervention Agency after the Borusa Interregnum. Still, the Doctor knew he was not popular on Gallifrey, especially with all the rumours of political posturing. He wouldn't put it past them to find a way to shift him out of the way.

"This place looks familiar," the Doctor said, not quite understanding how it could be familiar when he had just discovered that the place hadn't existed on the Earth he knew." He looked at the pad again. "Let's see... late Twentieth Century Earth I should think from our surroundings and the number plates. Odd, a large number of signs in Japanese yet we are in the United States. I'm surprised we're not in England, but the sky says it all."

Samantha laughed at the comment when he illustrated the lack of rain.

Why the Doctor chose to take a young girl with him on his journeys, was beyond his peers. Many of them did not understand the Doctor's reason for doing anything, even those who had spent extended periods in his company. They had been amazed when he had proceeded inside a year to eliminate the Daleks and Cybermen during his previous incarnation, but had failed to understand why he had not continued to wipe out the Sontarians and Reutons at the same time.

In truth the only person who knew the Doctor's motives was the Doctor himself and even he couldn't be sure on occasion; the trouble with meeting your past and future selves was that it was easy to manipulate yourself into acting in certain ways. He allowed people to accompany him for no better reason than he enjoyed having somebody around to ask him questions and stoke his ego. He also found that a pretty face was a good distraction during long journeys. It helped that his companions often found themselves out of their depth and needed rescuing. It made him feel important to know they relied on him to get them out of trouble.

"Does that thing tell you where we are?" She asked, pointing to a sign that had been painted over with graffiti and now read: WELCOME TO THE FREAK ZONE, right above KILROY WUZ ERE. "Even if you don't recognise the geography, the name of the town would be useful."

"Freak Zone," the Doctor repeated. He wondered where on Earth the Freak Zone could be and why he suddenly had a bad feeling about being there? He looked at the datapad again, fiddling with its settings until he hacked into the military's Global Positioning System settings. "Must be some local nickname, this is Angel Grove, California."

Angel Grove? The Doctor knew the name but couldn't remember where from. He couldn't be certain that he really remembered at all. A Time Lord's memory was supposed to recall every path they ever walked, but recent events had proven that the Doctor's memory was open to manipulation. He knew he had been here before in a previous life, but why?

"Zordon!" he cried suddenly as the appropriate memory surfaced. He had been here before to visit a friend of his, an Eltarian named Zordon. "Good old Zordon. I bet he has a way to help us." He trailed off. "Why would he be here though?"

His memory rapidly filled in the blanks, overwriting the sense of wrongness as it did so.

"Doctor..." Sam trailed off, noticing that he seemed lost in thought again. He'd been doing that a lot recently. "Doctor? Doctor!" she shouted urgently. "We've got company!"

The Doctor examined the new arrivals. He noticed that there was something odd about the group. When they transformed into strange creatures with gold heads and wearing black jumpsuits, his suspicions were confirmed.

"Sam, when I say run, RUN!"

Pushing his companion out of the way, the Doctor exploded into action. As the only humanoid with two arms to master Venusian Aikido the Doctor was a skilled fighter. Feet and fists moved swiftly as he expertly threw his opponents and dropped them to the ground. Whenever two attackers collided, they disappeared. He stood back as the survivors struggled to stand, noticing that Sam had managed to drop one with a low blow.

Somewhere along the line they had managed to multiply, six men becoming eighteen warriors. Those who survived their first attempt managed to stand again ready to attack once more. Sam by this time had given up and was running, leaving the Doctor to hold them off. He managed for a while before their numbers gave them the advantage.

The Power Chamber

The alarm had sounded in the Power Chamber. The occupants had been surprised to discover Skugs attacking a trio of unidentified humans; it was not unheard of for Grimlord to divert his attacks to Angel Grove, but it was a rare occurrence.

"Any idea what they're after?" Adam asked.

"Not yet Adam, we can only assume they are a part of Grimlord's plan to invade this dimension," Zordon answered. Following the battle with Minion the Rangers and their allies had met a few times, comparing notes on their various enemies.

A small beeping could be heard from one of the little used computer systems.

"What is that?"

"It's a temporal disruption inside the Morphin Grid," Alpha reported.

"Grimlord probably detected the disruption and sought to secure whatever was causing it for his own purposes," Zordon offered.

"Locating source now..." Alpha murmured as he manipulated the controls.

"There is no need Alpha, I believe that since Grimlord has chosen to attack those humans that they are the source of the disruption. Direct your search in their direction."

Alpha did as he was told. Both strangers were generating strange energy readings. Using the Power Chamber's computer link to various databases, he was able to discover that one was an anomaly, originally human with strands of unknown genetic material added at a later date. According to the computer she was Samantha Jones currently located in Angel Grove. At the same time, it suggested that she was in her parents home in London. Alpha and Zordon assumed that meant that she was a time traveller who for some reason was located in her recent past.

The other was even more of a mystery. His identification was almost impossible since according to the computer his energy signature did not exist within the Morphin Grid. There were very few races that did not appear in some form and only one race was known to travel outside of their own star system. A quick scan of his biology revealed that the man was indeed alien, his physiology matching that of a known race of time travellers that the people of Eltare had fought alongside in the past.

"Ai-yi-yi-yi-yi the computer search has triggered a state of alert around the world."

"That is to be expected Alpha," Zordon rumbled. "Use the Viewing Globe to search the surrounding area for anything unusual."

"There!" Adam said when the image changed to that of the police box. "Why would something like that be there?"

"I believe you are correct Adam. I am also certain that these people do not pose a threat although they could use some help."

"Shall I go and help him, Zordon?" Adam asked.

Zordon considered for a moment, then decided that he did not want any of the travellers or their strange box to fall into Grimlord's hands. "Yes Adam, help them in any way possible and then convince them to return here. I have a feeling they may prove valuable allies. May the Power protect you!"

"Zeo Ranger IV - Green!"

"Hi-yah!"

Something green landed between the Doctor and his opponent. A quick kick shoved of the attackers into one of the others. There was a surge of electrical energy and both were gone. The green figure then kicked two more constantly urging them to attack. The Doctor did likewise, impressed by the other fighter's skill, although personally he hated violence.

As the attackers dwindled, the green stranger drew a pistol from his side and squeezed off six shots, each a direct hit that served to put their opponents down. He ceased fire as the attackers fell, aimed slightly to the right, destroying something on the curbside. The remaining attackers flickered and promptly vanished from sight.

The sounds of fighting caused Trevor Park to abandon his reports and run outside, his gun drawn and ready. First thing he noticed was the blue box with the words Police Box written on the top. As far as he knew his precinct had yet to become a museum so that piece was out of context. Second thing he noticed was that the shouting had stopped. Looking around he noticed two figures, a man and a young girl who was out of breath having run around the block. The girl seemed to be studying something at the side of the curb, totally oblivious to the armed police officer.

"All right," Trevor said as he approached them, gun drawn just in case, you couldn't be too sure with all the wackos in Angel Grove. "Put your hands where I can see them without any sudden movements!"

"Of course Officer," the brown haired man said, "is there a problem?"

Taking a note of the Victorian frock coat that the man was wearing, the state of his clothes and the fact that he looked slightly out of breath, Detective Park had him marked as slightly mad.

"Just a few questions, Sir," Trevor replied, pleased that the duo appeared cooperative at the moment. He nodded to two officers that had followed him outside. "Bring them inside, we'll need to see what happened before deciding what to do with them. Have Edcott fetch the CCTV tape."

Trevor Park was nothing if not a good cop. He prided himself on his job and ensuring he got the whole truth. The men and the girl seemed to be his only source of answers at this time.

Sideways in time, on a displaced plane of existence, out of phase with the known universe, there was another Earth, an almost identical planet that waited in the darkness for the call of its master. This was where the Dragon Empire had been born. Evolution wise the Dragon People and their world had come first, but the apes on Earth had gone on to prosper, unaware of the plight of their more advanced neighbours. The other planet had been displaced around the same time that the asteroid that had marked the end of the dinosaurs had collided with Earth. It would one day be proven that the disaster had been caused by a larger chunk of the same asteroid.

It had been an accident that Drac'cuul had found the gateway to this lost planet, which had watched the rest of the universe evolve and had seen the corruption of its population whether they claimed to be good or evil. During the darkest times this planet's occupants had lived their lives, watching mankind, waiting for the day when they would be able to step into the normal universe and drag it back from the brink of moral decay. It had taken longer than their leader had thought, but in Drac'cuul they had had the means to stop the corruption, a sickening stain that they were protected from in their displaced condition. Unfortunately by allowing Drac'cuul to stay however briefly on their world, they too had been corrupted.

It was on this planet that Drac'cuul had been given his armour and had been charged with the duty of bringing new order to the cosmos and restoring the Dragon People to their rightful place. Over the years Drac'cuul had forgotten some of what he had learnt, twisting the teachings to match his hunger for power while retaining the belief that what he was doing was right. It was to this planet he now returned seeking followers to renew his mission.

In the barren wastes created by the continual shifts in gravity he found a sleeping island where at his command, an ancient force stirred. The occupants obeyed his will just as he had been told they would. His sword resonated through the Morphin Grid, singling out those who shared a particular totem and marking them as future followers: the Children of the Dragon. The slumbering occupants of the island awakened at his command, their bodies heeding the call to arms while their minds were slower to awaken. Following their pledge of total and undying obedience to their chosen emissary, the four Sentinel Dragons returned to life.

Four plots of earth lifted from the ground to expose the decaying bones of Drac'cuul's servile creatures, so very like the Elemental Beasts the Rangers had fought just months before, but these were not the raw uncontrolled representations of nature's dark side, they were the destructive tools of a madman. From the pits left behind, fire ignited to consume the bones. As the fire ceased the rebirth began. Moving slowly at first but with ever-increasing speed the bones clicked back into place. Muscles formed in the joints followed by the scaled skin of the dragons. Smoke emerged from their nostrils, as they stood upright and looked to the sky. Raising their arms, their magic replenished the armour that had degenerated since their demise.

They transformed slowly, allowing the magic that made them appear as dragons faded away, shifting and shrinking their bodies back into their almost human appearances. Like many of Drac'cuul's followers they were capable of calling forth protection from the Morphin Grid, and unlike the Dragon Rangers of Earth, they didn't need Zords; when their bodies channelled all the power available to them, they became Zords.

Despite the similarities and in some cases it was impossible to tell the difference between humans evolved from apes and those whose ancestors were dragons save for a few small bonelike claw marks on the side of the face, in others the differences were glaringly obvious. The skin tone and colour amongst the Dragon People varied from race to race, some were seemingly less human and more monstrous while others appeared almost normal. Skin colour was not limited by a single pigment; oils secreted through the pores gave them a wide range of possibilities, even green and blue.

Of the four recent revivals, one was a deep red, similar to somebody left in the snow far too long while the second was a light blue with ice dripping from his nostrils where the smoke emerged, and the third was a dirty brown and much larger than the others; he was used to fighting without having to think. Finally their leader, the green-scaled dragon emerged. After checking themselves over the four dragons passed through the gateway that Drac'cuul and the Master had opened - for it seemed only the Master of the Black Dragon could lead these forces back into phase - for wherever their master wished them to be and where the fun would begin.

From deep space the Master and Drac'cuul watched the events unfolding on Earth. While Drac'cuul was preoccupied, the Master had searched the planet hoping to find an alternative to Drac'cuul's armour and a way to shorten their partnership.

Trevor Park was frustrated. Here he was wasting his time with an interview that should have ended by now, but for the refusal of the interviewee. He peered into the blue eyes of the man sitting opposite and wondered if there was anyway he could release him and pretend the whole affair had never happened. So far every answer the man had given only served to raise another question.

"Look," he tried again. "We know what happened, the CCTV footage was very clear. Skug attacks are rare in Angel Grove, but they happen from time to time. Just answer a few questions for the records and we can call it a day. Now, what is your name?"

"I am called the Doctor," the man replied.

"Your full name," Trevor insisted, gesturing to the sheet in front of him. "It's only for the records."

The Doctor thought for a moment. It had been a while since he had been asked to give his full name and had been unable to divert the question. "Doctor John Smith," he said finally, choosing the most common name he could think of.

"'Doctor John Smith' is it? If you're going to come up with a false name, at least decide on it before hand and choose something original."

"Well at college I was known as Theta Sigma," the Doctor confided.

"And where was that?" If he could find out the college, perhaps he could contact them and discover if anybody knew him.

"Gallifrey," the Doctor told him.

"Gallifrey, where on Earth is Gallifrey?" Trevor demanded.

"No where on Earth," the Doctor admitted. "Gallifrey is my home planet."

Trevor's mouth opened and closed again as he tried to think of a response. Part of him wanted to say that was an outright lie or that the Doctor was mad. However, this was Angel Grove, a place that attracted the strange and unusual. It stood to reason that an alien would turn up there. Although it would not be the first time that somebody had turned up claiming to be a dark lord or something just for the attention.

"So you're an alien. Why are you here, invasion?"

"A mechanical problem, my - er, transport broke down and we had to land here," the Doctor replied pleasantly, not willing to get into a discussion about alien invasions. He had seen more than enough of those. Still, that was a thought, a way to solve the problem.

"It seems that the young lady who was with you..."

"You mean Sam?" the Doctor asked enthusiastically, always happy to help the authorities with any small problems and generally transforming them into big problems. "A lovely girl, English you know."

"Well this Sam claims you're a time traveller and that you invited her to join you. Now which is it?"

"She told you all that?" the Doctor asked. "That's terrible! It hasn't happened yet. Not for another - six months."

"So which is it, are you a time traveller or an alien?" Detective Morris intervened. "Or are you a Power Ranger?"

"Why can't I be both?" he wondered out loud. "Wait, did you say Power Ranger?"

The Doctor was surprised. He had sensed something unusual on this Earth - for he was still not certain whether he was in his own universe or had somehow strayed sideways in time - but realised something must have gone wrong; things must have been very bad for the powers-that-be to sanction a Ranger team on Earth. Indeed Aquitar was the nearest Council planet and the Doctor could not see a team of Aquitians lasting very long on Earth. ~Maybe Triforia or Eltare,~ he thought. It was time to bring this interview to an end.

"Hey!" Morris shouted as the Doctor placed his hand into his pocket. It had taken the best part of an hour to empty those pockets and there was still stuff inside. The investigation had not warranted depriving the trio of oddballs of their clothing; there was actually no law against being attacked by extra-dimensional mutants.

"Just getting some identification for you Detective," the Doctor said. Now he knew the situation was serious he was determined to make a quick exit and speak to Zordon. Fishing out an identity card he handed it to the detective.

"Oh," Detective Morris said, his entire demeanour changing as he glanced at the psychic paper. The face on the pass bore no real resemblance to the man sitting opposite him, but the low level telepathic field meant he saw what the Doctor wanted him to see. "That explains everything."

Trevor took a look at the paper and after blinking a few times to clear his vision had to admit that everything seemed to be in order. "Sorry about that, Sir."

"Oh quite all right," the Doctor said. "Now go and call - General Norquist for me. There's a good chap."

Morris stared at the Doctor's face for a moment, but before he could carry out his instructions, there was a knock and Trevor opened the door to the interview room to see a younger officer waiting for him. He also noted his son, Adam standing to one side.

"Excuse me sir," Officer Hanker said. "Your son insisted on talking to you."

Nodding Trevor escorted Adam to a private room leaving the Doctor with Officer Hanker. "Okay Adam, what's this about?"

"Dad, you have to trust me on this. You need to let him go."

"Already taken care of," Detective Park answered. He saw the look of disbelief on his son's face and took pity on him. "Believe it or not, he hasn't committed any crime. We had to check his identity before we could release him, but since that's all in order... Hanker; release Doctor Smith and Miss Jones. My son has agreed to show them the way to the air base."

"Thanks Dad," Adam whispered.

Trevor regarded his son for a moment, searching for the right words. He couldn't find any words to describe how he felt, so he chose to say nothing. He changed his mind though as Adam guided the strange man to the door and called out: "Adam, be careful. You owe me an explanation later."

Power Chamber

As Adam returned with the Doctor, the alarms sounded. The other Rangers quickly appeared, gaining a raised eyebrow from the Doctor when he noted their age and the fact they were all from Earth.

"Rangers, it appears that Warlord Drac'cuul has regained some of his former powers and has sent his Sentinel Dragons to destroy Angel Grove," Zordon told them.

"We're on it Zordon!" Tommy said. He and Jason exchanged glances and almost laughed before growing serious. "It's Morphin Time!"

"Zeo Ranger I - Pink!"

"Zeo Ranger II - Yellow!"

"Zeo Ranger III - Blue!"

"Zeo Ranger IV - Green!"

"Zeo Ranger V - Red!"

"Gold Ranger Power!"

"White Ranger Power!"

"Black Ranger Power!"

"Pink Ranger Power!"

"Blue Ranger Power!"

"Yellow Ranger Power!"

"Red Ranger Power!"

"Purple Ranger Power!"

"Green Ranger Power!"

"Zordon, so good to see you again. I thought you'd retired, become a monk or something," the Doctor said adjusting some of the sensitive scanning equipment.

"Morphin Master," Zordon corrected.

"Well old friend it seems you've been busy since my last visit," the Doctor conceded.

"And you have changed many times as well, Doctor," Zordon replied with a smile. "It is good to see you again. The people of Eltare still speak your name. A shame they never had the opportunity to see you after the battle."

"At least I am still intact," the Doctor said defensively. He stopped joking, sensing the pain that comment brought. "Unable to leave that time warp then?"

"If I were to leave there is only one place I could go," Zordon answered truthfully. "I am not prepared to make that journey yet; my Rangers need me and I cannot abandon them."

"No, no of course not," the Doctor replied. Good old Zordon, always thinking about the greater good. "Oh, this is Samantha Jones, a good friend of mine."

During his time in the Command Center and later the Power Chamber Zordon had always noted the faces of those who noticed him for the first time. All the Rangers had been shocked, sometimes even in awe of a vast head floating in a plasma tube. Sam's reactions were much the same although she was quick to cover her surprise.

*Still picking up the pretty ones I see,* Zordon commented to the Doctor via the telepathic link they had created during their previous meeting.

*Alas I don't think I can ever let her go,* the Doctor admitted, showing Zordon the memory of his recent encounters.

"I am honoured to meet you both," Zordon said out loud. "I remember meeting the Doctor's previous companion and I am grateful to know he still has the benefit of friends to keep him out of trouble."

"Eltare?" Sam asked looking at Zordon but directing the question to anybody who would answer.

As normal Sam's inquisitive nature was emerging just as it did first time she forced the Doctor to take her on a trip. She had matured a lot since then. Having faced death on many occasions, she had hardened into a better person. Sam was also in the unique position of being six months outside of her time zone; to her this was the past.

"It's a planet on the far side of the galaxy," the Doctor explained. "One of the seats of government and home of the Morphin Masters."

"And the Morphin Masters are?"

"Magic users," he clarified.

"Oh," Sam said. "I thought you didn't believe in magic."

The Doctor didn't answer although for once he wished Sam wasn't quite so observant. As a Time Lord he wasn't supposed to believe in magic. To the contrary he was supposed to be opposed to magic in any shape and form due to a genetic imprint that was a part of being a Time Lord. Something had changed, much the same way as he had lost his shadow, and he couldn't help but feel that it was not a good thing.

In the past he had always justified his interactions with Zordon and the Morphin Masters, choosing to believe that since their so-called magic could be linked to an extra-dimensional source it was scientific rather than mystical. Or had he? Had he really known Zordon, the Morphin Masters and their enemies, or was this just another memory that had been implanted for his benefit? He had experienced such a phenomenon recently, a memory added that he knew had appeared suddenly.

He sighed. Things had been so simple before he had energy

"I take it there is a reason you chose Earthlings to become Rangers?" the Doctor asked.

"You know as well as I what the human spirit is capable of," Zordon replied. "That is why you protect this planet. I have watched for ten thousand years and have seen them grow into the society they have today. Besides, Aquitians would not last very long on this world. We tried, but they had to return home. Rita Repulsa, Lord Zedd and the Machine Empire have been trying to take over this planet for a while now."

"And I thought Daleks and Vampires were the worst that could happen," Sam stated.

Zordon remained silent for a moment, reaching out his senses to touch Sam's mind and was surprised by what he found. The Doctor's memories were correct, Samantha was indeed the perfect travelling companion. She was brave, intelligent, good company and possessed an absolute belief in the Doctor.

The red Sentinel Dragon opened its mouth and let loose a burst of flame to incinerate the nearby cars and buildings. It had been years since the last time he and his brothers had been free to serve Drac'cuul. The time added to his homicidal nature causing him to enjoy the destruction even more.

Looking around he could see his fellow dragons were enjoying the activity even more than he was. Moving toward the harbour district, he stopped. There at the bottom of the harbour he could sense another dragon, older and more powerful than the four Sentinel Dragons put together.

The four Sentinel Dragons started to feel fear for the first time since their release. Here was perhaps the one thing that could stop them unless they acted immediately.

"Sentice, freeze the waters and let our adversary remain in his grave," the lead Sentinel instructed.

The blue scaled dragon known, as Sentice stood straight and pointed at the water below. Unlike most of his fellow dragons he could breathe more than just fire. Opening his mouth, he breathed towards the docks, freezing the water, the machinery, the buildings and the workers. Breathing in for a second blast Sentice felt something strike his back. Looking around he saw Red Zeo picked himself up off the ground where he had bounced after striking the dragon.

"LOOKS LIKE SOME LITTLE MONKEYS HAVE DECIDED TO PLAY WITH FIRE," Sentire, the red skinned dragon bellowed as he took in the Rangers assembled with weapons drawn ready for combat. "I THINK THEY NEED TO COOL OFF A BIT."

Sentice was only too happy to oblige, shooting another blast of ice at the Rangers, this time the droplets forming into projectiles.

"Golden Shield Wave!" Gold Ranger called, swinging the Golden Power Staff around over his head and generating a burst of energy similar to the Gold Rush.

"Sentaire, take them!" Sentire shouted.

Like Goldar, Sentaire had wings when he wanted them. Unlike Goldar, he was still in the habit of using them in combat. Flying forward he passed over the energy shield and sank his claws into the Gold Ranger's armour. Flying off, the dragon lifted him into the air.

"Blade Blasters!" Red Ranger called. "Fire!"

Eight blasts illuminated the sky as the Rangers tried to bring the Dragon down without hurting their teammate.

"Zordon, is the hop scotch teleport working?" Blue Zeo asked.

"Yes Rocky," Alpha replied.

Without a word the Blue Zeo Ranger teleported onto the back of the dragon. Drawing his Zeo Sword he stabbed the dragon in the back. Not hard enough to kill, the blow made the dragon howl in pain and drop its prisoner. As Gold Ranger teleported away Blue Zeo was thrown to the ground, landing with a sick crack. In a flash of light the Blue Zeo Ranger was gone.

"Trini, teleport back to the Power Chamber and make sure Rocky's okay," Red Ranger ordered. "David, go as well in case they need you."

"Hellfire!" Green Ranger called, pointing his sword at Sentice. Green fire shot from the blade engulfing the dragon in its power.

ROAR!

The fourth Sentinel Dragon had not wasted time fighting the Rangers face to face. Instead it had moved behind them. With a loud battle cry it ran into its prey, knocking Rangers left and right as it made its way through their ranks. It had grown a razor sharp tail and used it to knock the Rangers to the ground.

"Time to bring in the heavy artillery," Green Ranger decided. "Battle Armour - Activate!"

"Battle Armour - Activate!" Red Ranger shouted in agreement.

When the Morphin Rangers had retrieved their new powers, Ninjor had taken the opportunity to throw in as many experimental features as possible. The Battle Armour was just one of those new features and had been added to the Green and Red Ranger powers.

At their command heavily armoured suits dropped from the sky, opening at the back to allow them to step inside.

"Power Weapons ready," Pink Ranger commanded, drawing her bow.

"Zeo Power Weapons!" Red Zeo called in agreement.

The Rangers charged, their weaponry bouncing off the dragon's armoured hide.

"Zeo I Fire Cloud!" Pink Zeo called.

"Cosmic Cannon!" Black Ranger yelled after missing Sentire on two occasions with his Power Axe. Switching the axe to Cosmic Cannon mode, he fired a single shot to knock Sentire away to the spot where Green Zeo and Purple Ranger were waiting.

"You hurt my friends, I hurt you!" Green Zeo shouted angrily. "Zeo Power Hatchets!"

"Zeo Power Nunchuks!" Yellow Zeo added.

Slipping the chain from the Nunchuks around the dragon's neck she held him there until Green Zeo landed a double blow between the eyes.

Red Zeo and Red Ranger targeted Sentaire next. Between Jason's Battle Armour and Tommy's rage the dragon was quickly forced onto the defensive.

"Time for a Gold Rush!"

The cry was as much of a shock to the Rangers as the dragons. They turned top where the Gold Ranger was standing, Golden Power Staff outstretched in his hand. In response the dragon struck Gold Ranger across the chest with its tail.

The Master's TARDIS

"This is going better than expected," Drac'cuul commented.

"Of course it is," the Master replied. "Two Rangers injured, the White and Yellow Rangers are busy with their blue friend and Adam..." He took a moment to look at the way the Green Zeo Ranger was fighting. There was a lack of concentration and skill caused by his anger. "Adam seems to be having problems as well. Tell the Sentinels to take out the Purple Ranger or Yellow Zeo Ranger next."

This was better than the Master had hoped. The Zeo team was lacking in numbers and the Master intended to take Adam out without hurting him. ~Losing Rocky was bad enough, but losing Tanya or Aisha as well?~

"Maybe we should step this battle up a bit," Drac'cuul suggested, closing his eyes to channel his magic through his sword. "Now my Sentinels, show them your true magnificence!"

Flames circled the four Sentinel Dragons as they started to grow.

Trini, David and Rocky appeared in the Power Chamber at the same time, the latter barely conscious and too distracted by pain to know where he was. The Doctor was quickly next to them, using his basic medical skills to help stabilize the boy.

"Zordon, will he be all right?" Trini asked.

"The back injury he received from Minion's forces was aggravated during the fall," Zordon said. "Although the Power will prevent permanent injury and his Ranger healing will speed up recovery, he will need to rest."

"Why don't you two return to the battle?" the Doctor suggested. "We'll look after your friend."

"Back to action!" Yellow and White Ranger called together.

"The truth now?" the Doctor asked looking at Zordon.

"Rocky is risking permanent damage to his back by remaining a Ranger. However, it is his choice to take that risk and I will respect his decision. For now his injuries will heal although they would heal faster if his powers were in standby mode. I fear at this point that the disruption to his system might kill him if we were to do it for him."

There was a fondness in Zordon's voice as he spoke about the young human. It was obvious that Zordon cared for those in his care. The Doctor could hear the underlying concern and decided to try to help.

Digging through his extremely long pockets, he finally found the small whistle he was looking for. Putting it to his lips, he sent a small subspace signal to his oldest companion. The signal had been received inside the TARDIS. A telepathic link established to alter the controls for a short trek through space. Over his lives the Doctor had finally managed to control the short leaps necessary to move the TARDIS to the Power Chamber. With its gears still groaning the TARDIS appeared in the Power Chamber.

"Still a police box?" Zordon asked when the TARDIS arrived.

"I haven't had time to fix it," the Doctor lied.

In truth he had given up attempting to repair the Chameleon Circuit on his TARDIS after his last attempt had failed. He had thought about taking it back to Gallifrey for repair. After all, as ex-president of Gallifrey and the Time Lord who was responsible for the destruction of the Daleks, the Doctor had a few favours he could call on. Sadly if the Time Lords were to get their hands on his TARDIS there was no guarantee that they would return it.

"Wait here," he instructed. "The atmosphere is too poisonous for humans, but I should be able to find what I need." He returned with what at first glance resembled a gramophone. "A sonic projector," he explained. "If I can find the right frequency, perhaps we can switch his powers into standby without the shock."

"Are you sure it's safe bringing the TARDIS here, I thought you wanted to fix it first?" Sam asked.

"Have a little faith," the Doctor told her. "There, a little variation and we have a sonic stasis field. He'll remain barely morphed long enough for his body to repair itself, but without the stress of being fully morphed and without the need to risk injuring his neck by removing the helmet."

Only Zordon noticed him cross his fingers.

"Relax Rocky," the Doctor whispered.

As the Blue Zeo Ranger relaxed his pain faded. Slowly his body relaxed and the Blue Zeo Ranger's helmet appeared to vanish.

The four dragons grew their individuality showing as they did so. Sentaire's green skinned grew thicker. His powerful wings grew larger as his mouth became more pointed. The legs and torso thickened with sharp talons forming on his feet and hands.

Sentice also grew wings. Not the big powerful wings of the air dragon, but the short and stumpy wings that allowed him to swim through water. Fins developed on the feet and front paws. A large blue horn emerged from the tip of its nose.

Senterra formed into a quadruped, its scaled back giving it strength. His tail elongated with a sharp point on the end, the claws on the tip of his four stubby legs grew longer and the head became hinged, to attack from any angle. The Rangers knew if he dragged them down there would be no way back up.

Sentire underwent a major change. When he had transformed, he was a large red dragon with a yellow underbelly. A second head had grown into place as well as two very powerful wings. Claws grew from his feet and a lethal triangle formed at the tip of his tail. Through enlarged nostrils he blew jets of smoke, his two horns glowing with energy.

"We need Ninja Zord power now!" the Morphin Rangers called.

"Let's show him them the power of the Ninja MegaFalconzord!" Red Ranger instructed.

"Ninja MegaFalconzord Power Up!"

"Ninja Battlezord Power Up!" Green and Purple Ranger added.

The Crane started to fold to form the head while at the same time the Frog transformed to become the legs and the Bear converted to become the Ninja MegaFalconzord's upper body. The already modified Ape and Wolf joined onto the Bear to form the arms as the Crane linked on to become the head. Then the whole upper body joined onto the Frog as the Falcon Zord linked onto the back. Hands formed over the Ape and Wolf's heads.

The Panther Zord stood on its hind legs. The head rotated downwards to become the chest and the front paws became the arms. The Hawk Zord's wings and head folded into the body as the Hawk Zord joined onto the shoulders of the Panther to become the head of the Ninja Battlezord. The Panther's tail converted into a Power Sword as Purple and Green Rangers slid into the cockpit ready for action.

The four dragons responded instantly. Senterra swiped the Megazord with his tail whilst Sentire and Sentice delivered a barrage of fire and ice. Super heated joints rapidly cooled and frozen armour instantly melted transformed the Zords into crippled war machines. Sentaire swooped from the sky lifting the Ninja MegaFalconzord into the air and dropping it to the floor.

"Zeo Zord V!" Red Zeo called.

Once seated inside the phoenix Tommy targeted Sentaire's wings.

"Jason, we need to split them up," he said moments before an ice blast froze the controls and the Phoenix crashed to the ground.

"We've got to get it together guys or Zordon's going to be looking for some new Rangers," Jason noted.

"Zeo Rangers, return to the Power Chamber immediately."

Power Chamber

"Zeo Rangers, return to the Power Chamber immediately."

Rocky's eyes snapped open. All pain was gone. Somehow the Ranger healing had been working overtime and his back had healed to the extent where what had been a serious break was now little more than a bruise that would be subdued when morphed. He had heard Zordon's words and knew it was time to get back to work.

The Doctor and Sam had not been idle during their time in the Power Chamber. Whilst Zordon had been telling Samantha stories about Rangers of Earth, the Doctor had been searching for some equipment to rig an extractor fan for his TARDIS.

"Who built those vehicle Zords?" he asked as he re-entered the chamber.

"Billy," Zordon replied.

"Billy, as in William Cranston?" the Doctor asked.

"You have heard of him?" Zordon asked. He knew the skills of the Blue Ranger were well respected, but to have reached all the way to Gallifrey was amazing.

"The whole Earth will, one day," the Doctor promised, giving in to the urge to drop little hints about other people's futures. It was a nice party piece, but also very dangerous at times.

Further discussion was cut short as Trey, Tanya, Tommy, Kat and Adam reappeared in the Power Chamber. A quick reunion took place between the Rangers and the now recovered Rocky.

"Rangers, I am sorry to call you away in the middle of battle, but it was necessary to do so. I have had time to analyse the data from the Viewing Screen and your Zords, and combined with news I have received in the last few days I have been able to learn the nature of this enemy. Observe."

The image appeared of Drac'cuul as he had once been appeared on the screen, back when he had been the dark slayer of thousands of innocents, protected by armour that granted him protection and aided his ability to control the people of Dragoria.

"I believe that Drac'cuul has arrived on Earth," Zordon explained. "If he has already retrieved his sword, a mystical blade that allows him to control those connected through a blood link to the Dragorian Empire or through magic to the Dragon, and will no doubt seek out the other portions of his armour. Now though he appears to be more concerned about revenge against this planet for my testimony at his trial."

"So we stop his dragons and then find Drac'cuul," Tanya said.

"No Tanya, as long as Drac'cuul is capable of controlling the dragons, they cannot be defeated. Destroying or gaining possession of his sword is the only way to stop them."

"There's only one problem," Adam noted. "We don't know where Drac'cuul is."

"We do not know his location, but he has been on the planet at least once in the recent past. Despite leaving, his ability to control the Sentinel Dragons even with his sword is extremely limited; his maximum distance from Earth cannot be further than the Moon and since he cannot breathe in space, he must be in a ship."

"May I see?" the Doctor asked. He started messing with the controls, searching for energy readings that matched those that Zordon had offered earlier. "There's something out there," he commented. He frowned. "Odd, not many vessels come with temporal shielding."

The Rangers looked at the image of a meteor on the screen wondering what the Doctor was talking about. Sam was the first to notice, her mind was still open to the possibilities that existed when travelling with the Doctor. Despite the series of minor mishaps that had plagued their adventures, she still maintained absolute faith in the Doctor.

"It's a fake," she said. "Like putting a large box around a smaller box and forgetting to close the lid fully."

"Alpha, where are the sub-dimensional scanner controls?" the Doctor asked.

"Here," the little android replied.

Moving to the control panel the Doctor began some rapid rewiring while Alpha manipulated the controls with a skill that could only be accomplished by being a part of the machinery that made it operate.

"And a quick alteration to the stability signal unit," the Doctor muttered. "And we should begin to see what we shall see."

Turning the power up the Doctor repeated a trick he had learnt in the art of decrypting temporal signatures. For a short time a grey box replaced the image.

"And there's the answer," he announced.

"What is it?"

"A TARDIS," the Doctor said darkly, exchanging glances with Zordon.

"I thought the Time Lords stayed on Gallifrey?" Sam asked.

"Not all of them," Doctor corrected. "There are some who choose to travel the Universe and see the sights. And a few more who have been banished or are wanted criminals. And since most of those who do so have a less-than-legitimate reason for staying hidden, I think it's safe to say that whoever is in there is not on our side."

Meanwhile the battle had taken a turn for the worse and the Morphin Rangers were struggling.

"Shogun Megazord!" White Ranger called from inside the battered Ninja MegaFalconzord.

In the distance the eight Shogun Zords started their run across Angel Grove, transforming as they did so into the oversized Megazord. The Black and Purple Shogun Zords transformed into the legs, the Blue Zord creating the lower torso, the Green and Pink Zords merging into the upper torso, Yellow and Red Zords forming the arms leaving the White Shogun Zord to fold into the head.

Teleporting to their new Zord, the Rangers targeted Sentice. Ice blasts reflected off the hardened body of the Zord.

"Shogun Spin!"

The powerful Zord started to spin like a top building potential energy for future release. The natural movement allowed by the spin push the Zord towards the monster. Both its hands grabbed the monster as its increased momentum pushed it into the sky. With Sentice now stretched over its head the Megazord stopped, turned upside down and dove into the ground. All the stored energy was released in all its explosive force. The Megazord stood to see the remains of the monster struggle back to its feet.

"Shogun Megazord Sabre!"

The flaming sword made a swift movement from left to right. As the sword arced its way back to its starting position, Senterra interfered, driving his tail into the path of the sword. The flames extinguished as they hit the heavily armoured hide. The distraction was enough for the ice dragon to drive his horn into the Megazord's chest.

The four dragons teamed up for a moment battering the Zord before throwing it to the ground near its Ninja counterparts.

It had taken a few minutes and resembled a piece of modern art, but the Doctor assured the Rangers the parts they had fitted together were more than adequate to force the other TARDIS to land on Earth.

"I still don't see why you need a tea bag," Sam said. "Or the hot water and sugar."

"For a cup of tea," the Doctor replied, shoving a kettle in her direction. "Helps me think."

Sam had seen the Doctor create some pretty impressive equipment before, but this was a bit beyond even her unlimited faith. She knew the Doctor was a genius even if he was not the inventor he had been a few decades ago.

"You'll see Sam," the Doctor reassured her, sensing her doubt. To the Rangers he added, "Shouldn't you be getting ready?"

"Okay, starting the pulsar array now," the Doctor told them. "Just have to reverse the polarity of the neutron flow... and there we go."

"Coordinates set," Alpha reported. "Teleporting now!"

"Back to Action!"

Far from the Power Chamber the computer on board the Master's TARDIS received the first burst of a subspace signal, a low rate greeting requesting the machine to open a communication port. It replied according to its software, requesting processor identification while triggering a small alert light on the console for its operator's attention. The request sent, it opened its receiver ready for a reply. That was when the Doctor's device sent its message, a complex signal that required more of the TARDIS's runtime than it could afford.

The system dedicated its resources to handshaking the communication, allowing a second simpler command to slip through on the frequency needed to draw the TARDIS away from its orbit and direct it to a new location that the Doctor had chosen. And the first thing the Master knew that something was wrong was when the center column of his console started moving and all attempts to change course were blocked by a software crash.

A TARDIS grown in the pocket dimensions on Gallifrey would have been immune to such a ploy, but the Master was using a machine he had built himself using segments of his original machine and replacing the sentient core with an almost intelligent computer. The Doctor hadn't known this, but was relying on the idea that the owner of the TARDIS would investigate the source of the signal.

"Arrrrgh, damn it!" Red Ranger swore as Sentire released the tail of the Tyrannosaurus and sending him crashing into the Raptor.

Having failed with the speed of the Ninja Zords and the size of the Shogun Zord the Rangers had chosen to try endurance. With Dragonzord trapped under a sheet of ice Green Ranger had joined Purple Ranger in the cockpit of the Stegosaurus.

"Spike Attack!" Purple Ranger shouted.

The spikes of the back of the Stegosaurus glowed as the tail fired at the lead dragon. Meanwhile the Triceratops was charging at Senterra, Mastodon was using its freeze cannon of Sentaire with Pterodactyl diverting the winged dragon's attacks and Sabre-toothed Tiger pouncing on Senterra allowing the Raptor Zord time to attack.

"Let's show him some Megazord power!" Red Ranger called as the dragons slowly regained the advantage. "Bring them together!"

Immediately the Pterodactyl, Mastodon and Triceratops reverted from their current forms into the tank like Zords they had been during the original Rangers' time. Gone were the powerful moving legs or wings to be replaced by fixed wings and tank treads. The Sabre-toothed Tiger lowered itself to the ground, its tail end transforming to create a socket for the body. The back end of the Triceratops also folded over and the two Zords moved together.

Next the Mastodon transformed and split to form the cannons and front shield, joining the front and rear of the Tyrannosaurus. At the same time the Tyrannosaurus joined with the Triceratops and Sabre-toothed Tiger as the Pterodactyl slotted into place behind the Tyrannosaurus's head.

"Fire!" the Rangers called together.

The Dinotank stopped dead and fired. Sentaire soared skyward, his tail on fire, Sentire folded his wings to protect himself, Sentice was knocked to the ground under the intense fire and Senterra just stood taking the worst of the assault and showing little reaction.

"Switch to Battle Mode!" Red Ranger ordered.

The Pterodactyl detached from the Dinotank. The tank manoeuvred so it was standing up on the Triceratops and Sabre-toothed Tiger, which now formed the legs. The Tyrannosaurus's head folded down to reveal the face of the Dino Megazord. The arms formed by the Mastodon hung by its side as the Pterodactyl slid into place to form the chest plate.

"We need the Power Sword!" The other Rangers called in agreement.

"We need to divide our efforts to better utilise our capabilities," Billy said.

"Right," Jason said, guessing what his friend meant. "David and Aisha go back to the Shogun Zords, Zack and Kim can take the Thunderzords, Billy and Trini try to get the Ninja Zords back in the fight; Sam and I will handle the Dino Zords."

"Right!" the others agreed.

"Thunder Zords - Chariot Formation!" Pink and Black Rangers called.

The recently created Thunder Zords surged into life. As the Lion, Griffin, Firebird and Unicorn came together to form the Assault Team, The Minotaur and White Tiger Zords moved in front, strong chains linking them to the trailing Spider Zord on which the Assault Team landed.

Meanwhile the Red Dragon converted to humanoid mode and slotted into the waiting chariot, staff pointed forward like a long lance as the two lead Zords dragged them into battle. Once again the Rangers attacked and once again their Zords were crushed by the teamwork among the four Dragons.

"Red Dragon Thunderzord Power!" Red Ranger called, noting it was the only Zord still able to move. "Now it's time to make this battle dragon versus dragon."

"I'm with you Jason!" Green Ranger called. "Dragonzord!"

Holding his sword aloft Sam heard the familiar tune of the Dragon Dagger floating over the harbour. Quietly he hoped this was going to work.

The Zeo Rangers arrived in the desert outside of Angel Grove. As they readied themselves there was a loud groaning as the unknown TARDIS was forcibly relocated.

The door opened and a disfigured being led Drac'cuul outside.

"Ah, the Zeo Rangers," Warlord Drac'cuul sneered. "Six of Zordon's little children."

The now partially powered warlord drew his sword and axe, and concentrated his will in order to summon more warriors to serve him. A small clutch of eggs appeared in front of him, hatching and expanding into red armoured Dragorian Soldiers. He pointed his sword at the enemy and his servants attacked.

As the Rangers threw themselves into battle, quickly learning not to stay still long enough to be made a target of the warriors' fire breath, Drac'cuul led his own attack, striking Pink and Yellow Zeo from behind before pitting his skills against Green Zeo. As he fought, experience and skill making up for his lack of raw power, it was clear that the younger combatant had an advantage. When Adam switched off with Trey, the Gold Ranger put up an even stronger defence, Golden Power Staff blocking the axe while Green and Blue Zeo dealt with the remaining Dragorians.

Red Zeo found himself pitted a larger warrior as he tried to approach Drac'cuul's companion. Armed with a large spear it was clearly the leader of the small army. The two combatants faced off, each a capable fighter and neither willing to give the other the upper hand.

"Zeo V Power Sword!"

While the Dragorian's spear gave it a greater reach, Tommy was able to land a few blows from the tip of his blade. When the Dragorian made the mistake of using the wooden shaft of his weapon to block a blow, Tommy energised the blade, cutting the spear in half. He took advantage of his opponent's surprise to land a kick to the Dragorian's chest, knocking the warrior down. A punch to the face kept him there.

Pink and Yellow Zeo were back on their feet, assisting Green and Blue Zeo to keep the weaker yet more numerous Dragorians at bay. As they finished their opponents, they joined Gold Ranger who was growing frustrated with Drac'cuul after the villain had displayed that he was just as capable an opponent up close as he was at a distance.

Fighting together the Rangers' slowly gained the advantage. The Zeo V Power Sword proved no match for the warlord's enchanted blade, though with the assistance of Blue Zeo's Arm Blades, he managed to slice through the wooden shaft of the axe. A kick to the throat did prove effective, stunning Drac'cuul long enough for Red and Blue Zeo to deliver a low punch to the stomach.

"Zeo III Power Spin!" Blue Zeo called from close range.

His attack allowed Green and Pink Zeo to grab Drac'cuul's arms so Yellow Zeo could unleash her powered blow.

"Zeo II Power Punch!"

Another Power Punch from Green Zeo followed along with a succession of Kung Fu kicks as the aggression built up over the day was released. Anger driving him forward, the Green Zeo Ranger found new strength and the warlord found himself on the defensive. Lacking his own suit of special armour and having refused to wear the standard armour to protect himself, he decided that escape was the better option. But as the Rangers closed in it appeared that capture was inevitable. As a combined blast from the Rangers' Zeo Pistols deflected from his blade he was pushed further back. Soon he would be disarmed and taken back into custody.

That was when the Master chose to act, directing his TARDIS to unleash a stream of electrical energy that stunned the Rangers long enough for Drac'cuul to gather his wits and join his comrade. The two villains moved inside the TARDIS and sealed the doors.

The Power Chamber

"The Master," the Doctor whispered.

There was something in his voice that Sam rarely heard from the Doctor: hate. Whatever his relation to the Doctor, this creature had done something to earn himself the Doctor's absolute loathing. There was also a hint of disbelief.

"Do you know him?" she asked.

"It can't be him," the Doctor reasoned. "He fell into the Eye of Harmony, there's no way he could have released himself unless... last time I saw him I had crossed into my own past... we must still be out of phase."

Somehow that didn't make sense; the Master was his nemesis, they had to stand on an equal footing and the Master he had faced during his fourth incarnation was not a match for his current self. On the other hand the last time he had seen the Master, had been when the evil genius had attempted to capture his granddaughter; Susan had escaped and in the process the Master had received a mortal wound that he naturally blamed on the Doctor instead of the near child who had inflicted it. That Master had been an incarnation that the Doctor had later encountered years before.

He shook his head. Sometimes keeping up with regenerative cycles was extremely difficult. That was why Time Lords normally greeted each other with a telepathic burst.

"Doctor, who is it?" Sam asked more forcefully than she intended, her words having the desired effect of snapping the Doctor out of his deliberations. She knew exactly what she needed to say to keep him focussed. That was why she was his ideal assistant. It saddened him to think that he had created her to be that way and the because of him she no longer had a life of her own.

"His name is the Master," he told her, "a mathematical genius of the first order, a homicidal egomaniac who wants nothing more than to rework this universe to meet his vision at the cost of freewill. If he is helping this warlord of yours then he has something to gain from the deal."

"Is he a Time Lord then?" she asked.

"He was a Time Lord, I'm not sure what he is now. I can't be sure about his TARDIS either. The Master has made so many changes to himself over the years, it wouldn't be surprising to know he'd altered his TARDIS too."

There was a trace of admiration in his voice as he spoke, remembering the friend he had known during the old days before events had made them enemies. But there was no going back, the Master had gone too far in his quest for power and the Doctor could no longer rationalise such acts as being purely self serving. The Master had joined the forces of darkness, something that as a Time Lord he was forbidden to consider; by taking a side in the battle between good and evil the Master had forced his fellow Time Lords to take a stance on an issue they refused to acknowledge.

The Doctor thought about what he could do, but there was only one option. The Master had stepped outside the Laws of the Old Houses, it was the Doctor's duty to eliminate him.

"We'll deal with him later," the Doctor decided as he watched the Master's TARDIS depart. "For now let's concentrate on those dragons."

"Alpha, teleport the Zeo Rangers to join the others," Zordon rumbled.

"Right away Zordon," Alpha replied. "They can use Pyramidas to recharge the Zords."

Angel Grove

The four dragons felt the difference as their power faded. The Red and Green Rangers now in their own dragons were winning. Dragon Zord had thrown Senterra away and was dealing with Sentice. Red Dragon had grounded Sentaire and was drawing Sentire away. If the rangers could get their Zords back online, they stood a chance of victory.

"Pyramidas, Power Up!"

The Rangers looked up, recognizing the voice as Trey and the Zeo Rangers returned to the battle. The four Sentinel Dragons looked up as the large Zord flew overhead as if sensing that their end had come.

"Energising Zord, now!" Gold Ranger called.

A bolt of energy left the Carrier Zord's apex, focussing onto the Megazords' solar energy collectors. The energy that struck the fallen Zords revitalised their reserves.

"Mega Dragonzord, full power!"

"Ninja MegaFalconzord, power up!"

"Thunder Megazord, full power!"

"Tiger Zord, Warrior Mode!" Saba called taking control of the Zord while David was occupied elsewhere.

"Shogun Megazord, full power!"

The Dino Megazord and Dragonzord teleported to where Sentice was lying. The Dragonzord opened up to fit around the Megazord. Green and Red Ranger took aim and prepared for what was to follow.

The Thunder Megazord and Tiger Zord teleported to where Senterra was waiting. Thunder Saber drawn, the Pink and Black Ranger waited to make their move.

Waiting inside the Ninja MegaFalconzord, Yellow and Blue Ranger checked their systems. Ensuring the remote control for the Ninja Battlezord was, they were ready to take out Sentaire.

White and Purple Rangers crossed their fingers, hoping that this time their attempt to finish the dragon would succeed. The Shogun Megazord was more intimidating than ever.

"Here they come," White Ranger remarked.

Silence reigned across the battlefield. Everybody knew what was about to happen. Nobody wanted it to happen, but the dragons charged and the fight began.

The Ninja MegaFalconzord took off after Sentaire. A brief air-to-air battle took place before the Zord caught the dragon and threw him to the ground. The Ninja Battlezord was quick to follow up, using its sword to keep the dragon in position. When the time was right, Billy and Trini initiated the power dive, using their Zord's two-fist finisher to destroy the air dragon.

Black and Pink Ranger were not far behind, after nearly demolishing the dragon with a punch, the Thunder Megazord powered up the Thunder Sabre and the Tiger Zord added its own energy blast. Senterra barely had time to blink.

"Dino Ultrazord!" Green and Red Ranger called.

The Mega Dragonzord stepped into Titanus and the giant Zord fired. Sentice tried to counter with ice seconds before exploding.

With only Sentire left the other Rangers teleported to the Shogun Megazord. The dragon of fire put up a good fight at one point incinerating the ground from under the colossal machine. It was then that the Rangers' initiated their spin attack, sucking the dragon's flames into a vortex where the energy quickly dissipated.

The Dragon drew back as if waiting for the final blow. In the end destruction came not from the massive Zord the dragon had been fighting, but from the Zeo Ultrazord that had formed while it was distracted.

"Fire!"

The battle was over and the Rangers had emerged victorious.

Power Chamber

"Congratulations Rangers," Zordon said once Aisha had been recovered. "You have prevented Drac'cuul's dragons from succeeding. You have also caused Drac'cuul to retreat, a sign that he is not as strong as he once claimed. I believe this will prove useful in the future; the Dragorian Empire has moved on since the time that Drac'cuul served as their overlord. Even now he only commands those that fell in his name before his incarceration. The others will not follow a weak leader, even if he can force the remains of their ancestors' to obey him."

"In times to come the Dragorians will expand their empire, colonising empty worlds as they go. They will prove an important power in the next century," the Doctor explained, his tone respectful. He was a dignitary of the Dragorian Empire and had reason to admire the race they would become once they finally escaped the madness of Drac'cuul.

"It's not over yet," Tommy told them. "This wasn't a one off attack, Drac'cuul held back."

"That's right," Aisha agreed, "he didn't come to Earth until we forced him to."

"Meaning he's planning something," the Zack finished.

"And since the Master wouldn't have saved him unless he had needed him, there must be something they want," the Doctor said softly.

"In other words," Kimberly said, sparing a glance at the Viewing Screen, "this isn't over."

Dragoria

"I have failed you," Drac'cuul admitted, looking out where the audience would be had he been standing on a podium addressing them instead of transmitting his image to not only them, but to those who would hear his voice across the universe. "I underestimated the enemy, I allowed the Sentinel Dragons to underestimate the enemy. I believed that as children they would be weak, I was wrong. They breed their children strong on Earth."

He looked down then threw his head up with what he hoped was new determination appearing on his features as he allowed a small amount of passion to enter his words.

"No more! We will not fail again because we will never again underestimate the enemy. Loyal subjects of this great empire are already in position, even in my absence they have taken positions in the political, financial and military powers of the universe. Even now they await the signal to commence operations. Then we will bring down the existing system, throwing aside the forces of good and evil that are responsible for the corruption. The past is behind us and the future will be ours by right of conquest."

The sound of clapping filled the TARDIS as the Master deactivated the transmitter. He looked up to find a very amused Time Lord. "Touching speech Drac'cuul, but regardless of the pretty words, your plan failed. So now, we do things my way."

The Master laughed as he walked away from his ally. True he needed the warlord for his plan to succeed, but sooner or later Drac'cuul's usefulness would be at an end. He sobered as the pain returned with a vengeance. There would be time for insane laughter later. For now they had work to do.

"I managed to find the rest of your armour, but I would advise you to retrieve some of you more powerful warriors first since you appear incapable of defeating the Rangers without it," he said, quietly adding: "and I cannot be rid of you until it is in my possession."

**End of Part**

Disclaimer: Power Rangers, Doctor Who and any other shows featured in this fanfic do not belong to me, but rather to their respective copyright owners. In addition parts of this fic have been inspired and directly borrowed from the Fatal Fury movie Armour of Mars and scenes surrounding the Galactic Council and certain confrontations were borrowed from Ryuranger's Ultimate Power Rangers series. The fight scene between Ken and Ryu is something I remember from Daniel Sauve and John Latu's Ninja Zeo series.  
Author's Note: This is the third and concluding part of the Children of the Dragon storyline and is part of the ongoing Conquest of Evil series.

**Children of the Dragon Part Three - Undefeatable?**

Antarctica

The placement of a structure in the otherwise barren landscape had been a talking point throughout the scientific community for months. It had only been recently that funding for an expedition became available. Geophysics results taken from a satellite had revealed the remains of a settlement. Further research had revealed a set of deep underground ruins that appeared to resemble a large pyramid.

The team led by Doctor Smith, a scientist better known for digging up the remains of dinosaurs in Africa or perhaps undertaking an excavation of the supposed resting place of a legendary floating island, had made swift progress through the wilderness, spurred on by their team's leader, who had insisted on taking personal charge of this his first personal dig. He had stopped periodically to examine a particular stone or to photograph more of the strange writing that littered the walls. He was like a kid in a candy store. There was a greedy look in his eyes as he ran his fingers across a crumbling column.

"This is extraordinary" he admitted. "Such complex writings, and it's all untouched; the treasures here must be immense."

He continued explaining to his companions what some of the hieroglyphics meant, although there were some that even he couldn't decipher. The thought never occurred as his crew poked, prodded, photographed and generally disturbed the site, that they should have left it well alone.

Weeks had passed and the initial enthusiasm had given way to days of hard work and nights of continuous drinking. Outside the ruins the exploration team's support crew had established a base camp. Travel in and out of the area was dangerous, not to mention extremely expensive, so any discoveries would be stored until they had found sufficient treasure to justify a pickup. Alternatively they would remain without outside contact save perhaps the odd supply drop, until the team was ready to leave.

"In other words," Bear had muttered, repeating the words he had used the first day as he had lugged another chest into the storage shed, "we're here until the good doctor becomes bored and decides to visit some shrine in Paris."

His co-worker didn't reply, causing Bear to roll his eyes in disgust. Some people just didn't have a sense of humour when it came to their employers. He on the other hand believed that when somebody was willing to seek him out with offers of big money, the last thing they were going to sack him for was opening his big mouth.

"What's the matter with you Denzil?" he asked, sticking his head out of the shed.

He gasped at the sight before him; his friend, the man who owed him twenty bucks, was lying in the snow, his face filled with horror and his hands covering a massive hole where his stomach should have been.

"What the fu…"

Something moved. It was not totally visible, but left a slight blur. He shouted out, hoping that somebody would hear and come to his aid. Nobody came; they were all dead. Before he could turn to run or reach for the revolver he kept in his back pocket, something appeared. It resembled a reptile and snarled briefly before crushing his skull.

"Nicely done my dear Drac'cuul," a voice rasped from the shadows. "Now if you'd please keep the noise down, we can let our underlings do their work."

Doctor Smith was growing increasingly frustrated. He had not been amused to discover as the weeks had passed, that the greatest discovery of the century was in fact an elaborate trick that some cruel rival had decided to play. The site had been filled with contradictory evidence and artefacts he could only conclude had been placed there as a joke. Rusted armour had no context in its current surroundings, a damaged computer of some description proved that this was the work of a careless prankster. The only thing of value had a brass short sword contained in an oak box that at best could be dated back to Roman times.

~And completely out of place in an Egyptian pyramid, which is totally unheard of in this location. What is going on?~

It was money down the drain, valuable time that could have been spent exploring something worthwhile. And while the expedition had been sponsored, the loss of professional standing that this disaster would bring, angered him. It was an expensive and quite immature prank and he would ensure that those responsible paid for it.

He had sent the rest of the team on ahead, ordering them to make immediate arrangements to pull out of the area. They would take the armour with them although the best he could for was some recognition for donating it to a museum. He certainly had no desire to remain in the freezing conditions any longer than necessary, especially since there was nothing to gain by doing so.

As he pulled himself through the entry hole, he picked up the wooden box that he had kept the sword in and scowled at the thought that one of his workers had just left it there. He opened it and his eyes widened as he observed the golden inscription on the lid.

"What were those idiots thinking, leaving this lying around?"

He stormed out of the entrance, fully prepared to give whichever idiot was responsible a piece of his mind when the sight before him caused him to stop abruptly. The camp was silent, dead bodies were littered across the ground; the site foreman had been strung upside down from the supply hut.

Smith was not a stupid man and faced with the options of running or facing whatever had killed his companions in such a gruesome manner, he chose to survive. There wasn't anywhere to go, but he hoped that a radio call for help would lead to his rescue. As he reached the appropriate hut, which his support team had prepared in a surprising short time, it burst into flame as a bolt of blue energy struck the metal surface.

There was a blur of motion in front of him and he found himself facing the person he assumed was responsible for the deaths of his staff. It surprised him to find that it was a woman since the brutality of the crimes had suggested a much large attacker. She was dark skinned with a bald head and large earrings and wore tight black leather pants with an equally tight dark red top covered by a fur-lined white coat and knee-high grey boots. She winked at him and flashed him a smile moments before leaping into the air. From there she extended her hands, unleashing a torrent of destructive energy bolts, which ripped up the ground surrounding the archaeologist.

Smith scrambled out of the way, desperate for escape he lunged for the only clear path, not realising that despite the outward appearance that she had a distinctively poor aim, the woman was herding him. He ran toward some wooden crates hoping to find something, anything to aid his escape.

He scrambled onto a snowmobile and frantically keyed the ignition. As he looked up, he saw two figures standing on a hill up ahead, their faces shadowed by the sun shining behind them. One of them appeared to nod and the other larger man jumped forward. His fists glinted and Smith realised he was wearing knuckle guards of some sort. They sparked as the man pushed them together and then drew them apart again before driving them into the ground just inches ahead of the speeding vehicle.

Smith screamed, not worrying about appearing macho when his life was on the line. He twisted the throttle control furiously as he tried to force the machine to move faster.

The large man grinned as his prey turned sharply. "That is how we handle the little squirt," he told her as if he were an expert on the matter.

"You missed as well," she pointed out pleasantly.

"He'll wish I hadn't," he promised.

Smith urged the vehicle on, but despite being made for the conditions, the unnatural terrain made progress increasingly difficult. He looked toward the still shadowed figure and saw him shake his head. Their part in this little caper was over; Drac'cuul was obviously going to take the kill for himself.

Doctor Smith spotted Drac'cuul up ahead and tried desperately to find a way out as the escaped villain unleashed an energy bolt and destroy the snowmobile, throwing Smith into the snow. Smith picked himself up, his hands wrapped around the one artefact he had retrieved from the site, which until now he had managed to conceal.

Drac'cuul stalked forward, his companions close behind. "The sword in that box under your arm is mine. Would you pleaseâ ‚ " return it?"

"These are my finds," Smith argued. "My expedition found them, my team was the first to reach this location. If you have a problem, take it up with our sponsors."

"Ah but there my dear Doctor Smith lies the problem," the Master stated, the sun no longer behind him and his hideously disfigured face fully exposed. "_This_ is your sponsor and I assure you he is extremely pleased that you managed to open this site for him. Now if you'll just hand over the sword, we can end our business relationship."

"That wasn't the deal," Smith shouted defiantly, "Any finds will be placed in a museum!" There was no way he was going to allow all his hard work and more importantly, if this man wanted his finds so much, the price was going to skyrocket.

"A shame," the Master stated, turning away, but not before allowing Smith a full view of his face. "You could have been useful in the future Doctor Smith. I am sure there are other expeditions we would have been willing to fund."

As the Master spoke, Drac'cuul was driving his clawed fingers through the unfortunate archaeologist. It wasn't the playful kill that the chase had been leading to; the Master of the Dark Dragons had decided to finish his prey with all the savagery of his race. His hand now crunched into a powerful fist ripped through the scientist's chest, causing bone and heart to burst from the exit wound.

The Master walked forward, prodding the dead doctor with his foot as Drac'cuul bent over the body and recovered the box that Doctor Smith had been guarding. He opened it and removed the sword from its container.

"See? It recognises its master after all this time." He raised the sword and drew the blade he already in his position. "Come to me my armour, I command it!"

There was a rumbling deep within the pyramid as the pieces of armour, those that Doctor Smith had dismissed as mere junk, started to move. Attracted by their master's will, the pieces were drawn through the stone structure and out through the exit where the pieces waited for his command.

"Assembly Protocol, Activate!"

The pieces combined to form the empty armour shell that he remembered. He was pleased to see that the armour's computer system was responding to the basic command sequence. Without the short sword he would have been unable to command it to this extent.

"Start-up Protocol, Activate!" he called, invoking the magic stored within the armour's Artificial Intelligence. The eyepieces glowed in response to the command, the colour changing as its systems moved through its start-up routine. As they finally showed readiness, he walked behind the shell and after using the short sword to slice his palm, placed his hand on the slightly discoloured area. "Identification Protocol, Activate!"

[RUNNING… DNA SCANS COMPLETE…]

"Unlock!"

Nothing happened. He tried again, smearing his blood over the DNA sensor and waiting for the computer to acknowledge his identity and for the rear of the suit to open so he could step inside.

[DNA SCANS ALREADY COMPLETED… IDENTIFICATION PROTOCOL STAGE TWO INITIATED… ENTER UNLOCK CODE]

"I am the Black Dragon, unlock!"

Again nothing happened except for the message repeating in his mind. He repeatedly tried wiping his palm over the sensor and instructing the system to reboot. The onboard computer continued to obey him until he demanded that the armour opened, at which point the system refused to comply.

[INCORRECT CODE… IDENTIFICATION FAILURE… SYSTEM SHUTDOWN]

"It won't work," he complained after repeating the process before trying to disassemble the armour. "It's stuck together."

"Naturally my dear Drac'cuul," the Master responded, studying the armour. "You ordered it to assemble and it will remain so until you instruct it otherwise."

Drac'cuul tried to order the armour to disassemble, but failed to get a response.

"It appears the Council have outwitted you, Drac'cuul," the Master rasped. Seeing his companion's confusion, he explained. "They clearly couldn't destroy the armour and knew that if you recovered the sword, you would have the means to summon it wherever they hid it, correct?" He received a nod. "They couldn't overcome your programming, so they added their own."

"No, they couldn't have," Drac'cuul said, unwilling to accept that they could have done such a thing. But then, the upgrade command was not a protected function so long as the programmer held the sword, a loophole he would be certain to close once he found a way around this limitation. "Echo upgrade!"

[ADDITION SOFTWARE INSTALLED AT DATE RESET]

"Remove upgrade!"

[ENTER UNLOCK CODE]

"Remove upgrade, now!"

[INCORRECT CODE… IDENTIFICATION FAILURE… SYSTEM SHUTDOWN]

"You see Drac'cuul, by ensuring that you need a code to do more than assemble the armour, the Council has stopped you in your tracks."

He saw the look of anger in Drac'cuul's eyes and relished it. The Dragon races of the universe were so proud of their ability to control their emotions that he took great pleasure in watching Drac'cuul constantly lose his temper.

"You can rant all you wish, but unless you enter the release code, that armour will remain useless to you." ~And to me as well.~

"No, this is my armour; I alone control it!"

"But by your own admission, you don't control it," the Master told him calmly. "That leaves you with only two choices: find a way around this code or find the code."

Drac'cuul forced himself to remain calm although there was a part of him that just wanted to rip everything around him to shreds, and then take his revenge to the Council directly.

"Do not worry so much Drac'cuul," the Master told him. "I have a way for you to find out the code and take some extra revenge against Zordon. Tell me, how would it feel if your enemy not only gave you the code, but begged you to use it."

"He would be declared a traitor," Drac'cuul said. "Yes, I like that."

"Then this is what we shall do…"

It was a rare opportunity for the people of Angel Grove to see a properly recognised and locally sponsored Street Fight, so as expected the makeshift stadium overlooking the Grand Convoy Dry Dock facility in Angel Grove. Booking one of the top-ten fighters in the world for an exhibition fight had been difficult, apparently Angel Grove's Sport and Social Director had called in every favour he was owed in order to get the 'official' World Warriors Champion and the top contender for that title.

Tommy, Samoht, David and Rocky had managed to get seats in the second row. Kimberly and Skull were further back in the stands having decided that they preferred some private time together. Jamie and Jason had made a similar decision while Billy and Trini had gone to the movies with Adam and Tanya. The other Rangers had begged off, saying they had other things to do. From the smell of Zack's aftershave the others had been more than willing to bet what their friend had in mind.

As the Rangers settled, they had a clear view of the mocked up private yacht, one of the trademark sets for these contests and in this case, not a part of the contest. A normal looking man, Japanese with blonde hair and moustache, dressed in a black suit with a bow tie that was obviously too large for his neck walked out in front of the crowd. He carried a small microphone with him.

"Ladies and Gentlemen," he began. "Tonight's entertainment will be a special non-title match for purely exhibition purposes. Tonight, we will see two friends and rivals fight purely to entertain you. Entering the arena from his yacht, the good ship Eliza… the Number One Contender… KENNETH MASTERS!"

Ken emerged from the plywood model of his yacht as sparks flew in the background and raised his hands to the applause. He pumped his fist in the air even as the announcer introduced Ryu, the World Champion. He grinned as they clapped fists. "I am gonna wail you, you know."

Ryu grinned, years of friendship and rivalry had taught both men how to banter. "Sure… says the guy whose three-year-old beat him. You will be able to have more kids after where Michael punched you, I hope?"

"Oh, you are cruising…" Ken continued as the crowd went wild, "you are so cruising!"

"Was that…?"

Watching from further back, Trey had been expecting a show of martial arts and perhaps some of the more interesting techniques. Chelsea had shown him a few street fights the Olivers had recorded, and he had been particularly interested in what Chelsea had described as the Squirrel technique.

Chelsea nodded. "Fireball. These fights are part real and part showmanship. The difficulty is deciding who is using what." She smirked. "Just wait until Masters lets loose the Flaming Dragon Punch, that's when it really becomes hard to tell the difference."

The two competitors continued with a flurry of punches, kicks and throws mixed in with the occasional high-powered move mixed in.

"Wow," Trey exclaimed as he saw both competitors attack with a spinning kick. He had seen Rangers perform similar moves when morphed, but this was something else. The two men met in the center of the arena, both managing to land a powerful blow to their opponent's chest before flying backward.

"Draw," the Referee announced when time ran out. "Round two!"

Both men grew serious, the joking around over as they both wanted the win.

How the match between Ryu and Ken had ended would remain a mystery to the Rangers, since Zordon had summoned them to the Power Chamber after detecting Drac'cuul's activities.

"Zordon, why didn't the Council split his armour up like that and hide it on different planets?" Trini asked.

It didn't make sense. There were so many planets in the galaxy, so many ways to hide a suit of armour. Why would somebody make it easier for the villain than it had to be?

"At the time he was sentenced, the Galactic Council wanted to divide his armour as you described, however it was quickly discovered that once Drac'cuul reclaimed any part of it he would be capable of tracking down the sword that functions as the control key. Since the armour could not be destroyed and was impossible to contain, scientists found a way to ensure that it could not be controlled. An extra level of security was added to its operating system requiring a code in order to open the shell so the controller can wear the armour. That code cannot be overridden and cannot be removed. Even though Drac'cuul has somehow managed to recover his weapon, he can wield it."

"But why leave it where he could recover it, why take that risk?"

Zordon looked uncomfortable. "At my suggestion the Council took steps to ensure that the armour was protected by placing it inside a decommissioned Zord that had been reconfigured into a powerful defensive structure. The pyramid was protected to ensure that neither Drac'cuul nor his followers could remove any part of the armour. It was not my idea to have the hiding place here on Earth; that decision was out of my control and unfortunately gave Drac'cuul the opportunity to find a way around the safeguards by using Earthlings to do his dirty work."

"So now he has this armour, but cannot use it, right?"

"There is always a chance that Drac'cuul will attempt to bypass the security program," Alpha told her.

"However, once Drac'cuul assembled the armour that method of deprogramming became impossible."

There were so many uncertainties where Drac'cuul was concerned. The Black Dragon was capable of controlling some of the brightest minds and putting them to work solving the problem. In addition the Doctor had revealed just how dangerous an ally the Master could be if it was in his interests to see Drac'cuul succeed.

~So what can I predict?~

He knew that Drac'cuul would not give up and assumed the villain was capable of discovering why the armour didn't function. That meant that he would attempt to discover the unlock code.

~And since only members of the Council have access to that information he is likely to seek his answers away from Earth.~

"What can this armour of his do, is it like Ranger armour?" Kimberly probed.

"Drac'cuul's armour was crafted by the Weapon Smiths on Vulcanus to enhance his natural abilities and allow him the physical strength to dominate the dragons," Alpha explained. "The armour draws energy from the atmosphere and uses it to enhance its wearer's abilities."

"So if he does find a way to use it, we're in trouble."

"That's not going to happen," Jason interrupted, "because we're going to find him before he can do so."

"But he could be off the planet by now," Kimberly pointed out.

"No, he's not," the Doctor told her.

"How can you be so certain about that?"

The Doctor pointed at the screen he had been watching while Zordon had been busy with the explanations. He hadn't really been paying attention and would probably wish that he had later, but he was sure Samantha had been listening. She really was the perfect companion.

"Because he's right there."

It was a tried and tested trap. That the Rangers knew that it was a trap and couldn't help but respond just made it all the better. So it was with the knowledge that only would the Rangers make an appearance, but that they would be expecting a trap that forced him to be even more underhanded. Of course in a situation where the Rangers were already expecting a trap and had no doubt prepared for some sort of ambush he was left with little choice but to play it straight… until the opportunity presented itself.

"Children of the Dragon awaken," Drac'cuul ordered.

He had chosen to attack a city close to Angel Grove but far enough away to slow any warning that Zordon might give them. His force of humanoid dragons were terrorising the citizens, making them flee from the horrendous creatures. And then the Zeo Rangers arrived and the fun really started.

The Rangers had been quick to teleport to the scene, deliberating sending only the Zeo Rangers so the Morphin Rangers were available as backup. With their Zeo Swords they cleared a path through the throng of Dragon People while Gold Ranger devastated them with blasts from his Golden Power Staff.

They gradually gained the upper hand as they whittled down the opposing army until only a few stood in their way. Things were going too well and the Rangers were expecting some sort of trick. However when Drac'cuul made his appearance, they were unprepared for the way he chose to ambush them.

"Hear me, Children of the Dragon! I Drac'cuul, the Black Dragon and your master, command you. Stop!"

The foot soldiers obeyed immediately, allowing the Green, Yellow and Pink Zeo Rangers to finish them with a little assistance from the Gold Ranger. Only then did they realise that Rocky and Tommy had also stopped moving.

"Blue Ranger, attack those that defy me," Drac'cuul ordered, delighting as Blue Zeo turned against his friends.

Deep inside Rocky was fighting against the command, but his ties to the Black Dragon, a link that forced all those that were either physically or magically connected to him to obey his instructions. His mind resisted but his body was already striking Green Zeo across the head.

"Now Stella, while the others are distracted."

Unnoticed by the Rangers, Stella stood atop a tall building with a heavy iron bow, her aim fixed on the only Ranger not fighting. She watched the Red Zeo Ranger as he struggled to overcome the outside influence, just as he had struggled against previous attempts to control him. His resistance to the Black Dragon's innate ability to control what he referred to as the Children of the Dragon was a testament to the Oliver stubbornness. Still, he was incapable of moving to aid his friends.

"Tommy Oliver, demorph," Drac'cuul instructed, delighting as the Red Zeo Ranger obeyed albeit very slowly. "And die!"

The archer loosed her arrow at the defenceless Zeo Ranger and celebrated as the shot pierced her target's shoulder. The Ranger dropped to the ground, released from Drac'cuul's influence. The other Rangers soon surrounded their fallen comrade; Rocky too had been released from the Black Dragon's control. As the foot soldiers vanished, the Rangers tried to understand what had happened and the reasons why they had been drawn out just so the villain could launch a sneak attack on one of their number.

Their attention was drawn away from their injured comrade when Drac'cuul chose to appear before them, carrying a metal disk. He saw them raise their weapons and smiled cruelly.

"Do not be reckless, Rangers," he warned.

"We can handle you," Tanya shot back.

Drac'cuul appeared to consider the response. "How true. But if you do 'handle me' the chances are your friend will die." He tossed the disk to Green Zeo. "That disk contains the available information about the poison placed on the head of the arrow, the symptoms, the time the Red Ranger has left and my demands."

"How do we know this isn't a trick?"

"You don't. Tell Zordon to take whatever precautions he has to, but the fact remains that your friend's time is running out and only I can save him."

That caused the Zeo Rangers to pull their Zeo Pistols ready to take him prisoner. There was no way they were going to allow him to escape if he could cure their friend.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you, Rangers," the Master warned, emerging from a door that had just appeared to one side. "In fact we'll have none of that heroic nonsense. Drac'cuul won't give you the cure unless his demands are met and any attempt to force him will either fail or not succeed before the deadline and your companion expire. He's very stubborn like that you see. And for the record, I doubt you could take us by force it you tried."

"What do you want?" Tanya demanded.

"Drac'cuul's demands are on the disk and as for me… I want nothing from you, Rangers. Drac'cuul will be meeting my demands."

"Now, run along before Tommy becomes too weak to transport." Drac'cuul instructed. He sounded as if he truly enjoyed the power he held over them. He turned to the Master and told him conversationally: "When the skin around the wound turns light green, any attempt to teleport him will spread the infection throughout the Morphin Grid."

Vowing that they were not finished with the Black Dragon, the Rangers teleported away.

Power Chamber,

"Tommy!" Kimberly and Jason cried when the Zeo Rangers appeared in the room.

"Alpha, secure the Power Chamber!" Billy shouted.

David was already at his brother's side along with Samoht. "White Ranger Power!" He placed his hands on either side of Tommy's head and concentrated on trying to heal the fallen leader of the Zeo team. "It's not working," he said, panicked.

"Everybody calm down!" Zack shouted.

Rangers and Morphin Masters stopped to regard the Black Ranger, so often underrated, but suddenly one of the few Rangers in control.

"Alpha, teleport anyone who is not a Morphin Master or a member of Tommy's family out of here. Send them to the Briefing Room," Zack continued.

Alpha did as he was told and soon only David, Samoht and Zack were left. Alpha punched a few controls and a medical bed appeared in the Command Chamber. White Ranger moved back to his brother's head and tried again to heal him. Samoht morphed and started feeding energy to his white teammate.

Tommy's body glowed bright red as his friends tried to help him. His Zeonisers appeared on his wrists, the small crystal crackled as the foreign energy in his body reacted with his powers.

"Thalian!" Zack shouted. As the Master of the Mind Aspect appeared, the Black Ranger continued: "Help them!"

Under the guidance of an Aspect Master, they were finally able to stabilize their friend. Then came the difficult part: examining the fallen Ranger's wound. White Ranger carefully ripped off his brother's T-shirt. Underneath they could see the arrowhead poking through the flesh. A strange green and web seemed to spread from the tip of the arrow. The webbing pulsed in time with Tommy's ragged breathing.

"The wound is closed and the bleeding has stopped," White Ranger said. "I can't stop the poison though."

"Drac'cuul gave the Rangers a disk," the Doctor recalled.

"Alpha, play the disk," Zordon instructed.

"Ah Zordon, so good to see you again," the image of Drac'cuul said as it appeared on the Viewing Screen. "Or at least it feels good to imagine what is running through your mind at this moment. Your little Ranger has been poisoned Zordon, he will die unless my demand is met. And it's simple Zordon, no negotiation, and no unreasonable requests. I want the unlock code for my armour. That's it, nothing else. I don't care how you do it; I don't care what favours you have to call in. I'm not even going to set the time limit here Zordon, Tommy is. In twelve hours his body will enter a state of irreversible breakdown. In cryogenic suspension he might manage a few days after which he cannot be cured. And before you think of coming here seeking some potion or device that can cure your friend know this: only my armour can repair the damage caused by that arrow and only at my command."

The image switched its angle, allowing the Rangers a view of the armour in the background.

"You have your time limit Zordon, I suggest you don't miss it."

The Viewing Screen went blank and Zack took control again. He didn't like acting as leader. True he had filled in for Jason during the Green Ranger's initial rampage, but then the team can only consist of four Rangers and all of them had been in fairly good shape. Now there were more than ten Rangers, one of whom was unconscious and three who were emotionally too close to Tommy to be of much help while Tommy was hurt.

"Alpha, find the others," Zack ordered.

"Billy, Trini and Adam are in the Laboratory Seven, Aisha and Kat are with Kimberly, they've managed to calm her down although I can't explain her reaction. Samantha is with Tanya and the Doctor is working on something in the Zord Bay. Trey is sparring with Rocky and Jason is waiting in the Briefing Room."

"He's not angry with me is he?" Zack asked.

"Zachary, you did what was in Tommy's best interests," Zordon said. "Had there been too many Rangers, David would not have been able to perform his task. You have shown a clear head under pressure. But now it is time to call the Rangers together."

"Right," Zack agreed. "Alpha, teleport all the Rangers to the Briefing Room. We'll put Tommy in the Medical Bay."

"And that's the whole story," Samoht told the assembled Rangers. "If we don't give Drac'cuul the code, Tommy will die."

"I don't trust him to keep his word," Jason said.

"Based on his past actions I doubt he would honour his side of the bargain," Billy said.

"Even if we honour our side," Trini agreed.

Rocky had been quiet throughout the meeting so far, but now spoke up. "I'm sorry guys. This is my fault."

"Nonsense Rocky," Zordon boomed. "Drac'cuul's abilities have been honed throughout his lifetime. So far as I know there is no way for you to resist his call as he proved by commanding Tommy to remove his armour."

"So what do we do?" Tanya asked.

"There is no way we can allow Tommy to die," Kat said.

"Kat's right," Kimberly agreed. "But we can't give him the code either. We don't even know the code, do we?"

"No, Kimberly, we do not," Zordon admitted. "The code was stored in the Central Archives on Erlion. I do not believe that the Council will allow us to access it."

"They can't think it's worth Tommy dying for

Disclaimer: I do not own the Power Rangers or any other series used in this fanfic. No profit is being made from this venture.

**Wheels in Motion**

The battle had taken a disturbing turn that the Rangers had not expected. When they had first been alerted, they had assumed that this was one of Rita's monsters, a little ugly even by her standards, but made from either clay or an organic material combined with magic. The Zeo Rangers had taken the mission, assuming that the battle would not require the presence of the Morphin team.

Then had come the surprise. As the Zeo Megazord's blade had cut through the grey skinned brute, they had been surprised to find that it was not one of Rita's creations; inside the horned beast's skin there was the cold metallic shell of a Machine monster. The realisation that their last cut had probably not even phased it didn't sink in until the monster was on the move again, an uncontrolled engine of destruction.

"How do we fight it when it keeps walking away?" Tanya asked, frustrated by the machine's lack of interest in battling them. It seemed far more interested in blowing chunks out of nearby buildings.

Before they could find a strategy, a figure appeared on the building to the beast's left. It was another machine, clearly female but certainly not Archerina. She appeared to be partially human given the areas of flesh that were not covered by the dull grey metal. And she carried a whip, a long thick whip with an oddly serrated attachment on the end and which crackled with purple energy as she gently flicked it through the air.

"Who is that?" Kat asked.

The others didn't know, but as they watched the mysterious woman leapt onto the beast's shoulder. She lashed the beast with her whip, cleaving away a thin strip of fleshy material. Instead of glancing off though, the sharp blades on the whip dug into the creature's shoulder. The beast started thrashing as she sent wave after wave of purple energy through the steel cable.

"Oh no, she can control it," Adam realised.

The whip was a method of robot control, allowing her to gain access to the machine's circuitry and from there allowing her to control it. The serrated edges provided an interface while the purple energy transmitted instructions in a way that would punish the machine should it decide not to obey.

"Duck!" Rocky warned as the beast suddenly gave them its undivided attention and loosed a stream of fire.

The Megazord twisted, allowing the flame to pass by its left side before closing the gap between them. As they marched forward, they changed Battle Helmets, allowing the Megazord to use its firepower against the machine.

"Red Battle Zord!" Tommy called.

Using a two pronged attack, the Rangers were able to outflank their opponent and deliver a devastating blow with the Power Sword. They were not surprised as the machine dropped to the ground that the smaller robot abandoned her post. They were surprised when she turned her attention to them.

For months the virus left in the Power Chamber's computer had remained dormant, awaiting a designated condition that Gasket had specified; only when the Zords were deployed against a monster capable of controlling them but lacking the ability to bypass their software failsafes, would the virus trigger. As the lone female warrior used her whip against the Red Battle Zord, the virus detected that its time had come.

The virus generated an error in one of the Power Chamber's subsystems - a little protected and hardly noticed subroutine dealing with the teleportation of organic waste into the sewers that ran through Angel Grove. By distorting the coordinates so that the computer attempted to teleport the empty canisters to the exact spot where they were sitting, it created a power drain that increased as the Power Chamber's computer assessed that it needed more power to complete the transfer. In a rapid escalation the circuit breakers tripped for a fraction of a second, just long enough for the virus to lower the protection on the Zords.

From somewhere the woman had managed to find a second whip. As she jumped toward the Red Battle Zord, she used the left-hand whip against its chest panel. The whip bounced away, by the second whip somehow managed to chip away a flake of armour. That was enough for her to scramble the machine - for there was no way she could actually control the Zord.

As the red Zord crashed, she repeated the attack against the Zeo Megazord, affecting its operating system enough that the Rangers were forced to abandon their position or risk injuring innocent people. They jumped free, landing on a roof top where she was waiting.

"Who are you?" Tommy demanded as they fought.

Getting close was proving especially difficult since her whips seemed to be able to change direction at a moment's notice.

"You can call me Ferris," she told him as she blasted the Rangers with a ball of electricity.

She didn't wait for the Rangers to recover from her first strike. She lashed out with both whips, throwing the Rangers around. With a more precise flick, the whip coiled around Blue Zeo's neck, gradually tightening until it cut off the flow of blood to the brain. There was a misconception that the quickest way to strangle somebody was to choke them from the front, using the hands to crush the windpipe. In fact crushing the arteries on the sides of the neck was a quicker and easier method of killing. And as the whip seemed to pulse, the crushing power increased, quickly bring the Ranger to his knees.

"Stay back!" Ferris warned as the other Rangers approached their friend. "I only need to make a small movement and Rocky is dead."

"Let him go or well shoot," Red Zeo told her, never lowering his Zeo Pistol.

"If you shoot, he'll be killed immediately, no matter whether I survive," she answered, walking toward her hostage.

Tommy didn't lower his weapon. There was no point in doing so since it would allow her to gain more hostages. As much as he hated to admit it though, they could not free Rocky... yet.

"Goodbye Rangers," Ferris laughed as she teleported away, taking the barely conscious Ranger with her.

"He's regaining consciousness," somebody said, the voice cold and slightly familiar.

"Good. While the study of the human subject is interesting, I compute that our time is extremely limited."

Rocky cracked open his eyes and tried to ignore the pounding in his head. Where was he and how did he get there? And why couldn't he move? The last question was answered as some of the feeling returned to his extremities. Somebody had bound his arms and legs tightly to whatever chair he had been placed in. The bonds allowed very little movement and with the dim light he was very uncomfortable.

"He is now aware, we can begin," the female voice stated.

There was a whoosh of power as a spotlight was turned on, the powerful beam causing him to close his eyes and squint until he became comfortable with the glare

"Hello Rocky, I've been waiting a long time for this," she said.

Something hard struck the side of his face; she had slapped him. He saw her move to strike him again when the robotic voice intervened.

"Not now, we need him undamaged."

"Of course, my apologies," she responded and Rocky thought for a moment that she had curtseyed.

"Do not let it happen again. When the process is complete, you may do with him as you please."

Discussion ended the female turned her attention back to Rocky and pulled a long probe into position. Rocky's eyes widened slightly. It was a mind drill, he remembered Trey telling him how the Machine Empire enjoyed using them to extract information from prisoners. It was not a pleasant experience and he remembered that not all those exposed to the device survived having their minds forcibly copied.

"You recognise this then," the female observed. "Good, it will save time if you know the damage it can cause. Don't move."

The Mind Probe was a very sensitive tool. If the subject moved too much, the beam would not be able to restore the information after copying it. Deciding that he did not wish to become a vegetable, Rocky tried not to move as the device was activated. That didn't stop him from trying to resist or the scream as the machine tore every available thought from his head.

"The first probe is complete. The computer estimates twenty minutes for a surface copy. If you want an accurate copy it will take longer," she reported.

"Complete the surface scan and then place him in the empty tube. The computer can complete the scan with him unconscious once it has mapped his mind; we do not want to allow him a chance to escape."

"Sit back and enjoy the experience, Blue Ranger," she told him, leaning deliberately forward so he could see her face. Disbelief was the obvious emotion, followed by panic. "From here things only get worse."

"Josie?"

Whatever answer he received was drowned by his screams as the probe was reactivated.

Awareness returned hours later and despite having slept for hours, Rocky was exhausted. It was difficult to focus on what had occurred, but he did remember Josie's face as she had started the probe.

~Was it Josie or a machine that looked like her?~

Josie and her sister Jennifer had been allies for months when the Rangers had discovered that they were secretly agents of the Machine Empire; Josie had been aware of her origin while Jennifer, who Rocky had dated for a while, had believed that she was human. Jennifer's death had led to the Rangers destroying the Machine Sky Base, an event that should have destroyed Josie as well.

It appeared that she had survived the experience, the attempt to repair her damaged skin had failed, leaving vast potions of her body exposed. In fact only her legs seemed to have been repaired following her destruction.

"So you're awake." He recognised her voice this time despite the slightly robotic undertone.

"How..."

"How did I survive?" she asked coldly. "Unlike humans, we machines are capable of surviving a few knocks. But it was a close thing. For a long time there was darkness. It wasn't until your battle with Minion disturbed the remains of the Sky Base that things changed. Don't look so surprised, we landed on the surface of the Moon in an area shielded from observers on the Earth below. I don't know why Zordon didn't detect us, maybe Minion damaged his surveillance more than he let on."

That was true. Zordon's satellite network had been vast, but following recent events, there were massive gaps in the sensor net. It was possible that Ferris - and whoever her companion was, had managed to survive without being detected.

"But we destroyed everything in the Sky Base," Rocky pointed out.

"You couldn't destroy everything, even if you had gone through the wreckage blasting whatever survived your first attempt, something would have survived. Actually you did a thorough job of destroying the complex and everything within it; I was lucky that anything had survived and that he chose to repair me."

"He?"

"Prince Grommet of course," she told him, evidently amused. "Did you think that there wouldn't be backups? He is a member of the Royal House of Gadgetry after all."

Grommet? Rocky wasn't sure whether or not to be relieved by that news. The Rangers had encountered Grommet twice and on both occasions he had been thought destroyed. He hadn't done anything that marked him as a major threat to the Rangers, except for the fact that he had survived two attempts to destroy him. The Rangers had truly believed that he had been permanently disconnected following the destruction of the Sky Base; his program had resided in the centralised computer banks.

"It wasn't easy for him to survive," Josie told him. She had been monitoring and decoding the electrical impulses of his brain. "Most of Prince Grommet's programming had been lost during the explosion, but his core data had been downloaded to the more versatile body of Mechanised Infiltration Unit Seven, known to humans as Josie Belle, better known as me."

Grommet's programming was far more complex than Josie's, and from the moment of transfer he had been able to rewrite the inferior machine's repair systems, prompting her circuitry to reroute essential functions and gradually restore minimal functionality as his most recently acquired memory had replayed over and over again.

_Klank flicked the switch, powering down the prince's circuits before he could overload._

_"I will begin work immediately Sire," he promised._

_"There is no rush, you have other duties to fulfil. Grommet will not know how much time has passed." Mondo walked from the room, not seeing the faint glow of his son's eyes narrow behind him. "Now, onto more important issues, has she been prepared?"_

In that instant King Mondo had managed to destroy the loyalty of one of his staunchest supporters and the machine that had prevented Gasket from taking over the empire in the King's absences. His careless dismissal coupled with Grommet's fractured logic center had encouraged the prince that his father had become defective. And like all defective machines in the Royal House of Gadgetry, part of Grommet's program called for its immediate replacement.

"The prognosis was not positive at the beginning," Josie explained, "This body had suffered severe fatigue and impact related damage that had led to the failure of repair programs. It took months for Prince Grommet to reroute the higher brain functions so that he could guide the repair process. At that point he had allowed me to assume control of our runtime, after ensuring that it would be dedicated to restoring the localised network functions."

During the repair period they had interfaced closely. Josie had used the network link to interact with other servants of the Machine Empire to gain a true assessment of the damage.

"Repairing myself would have taken too long, but by attempting to gain control of a Cog or at least one of Klank's construction droids, I managed to speed up the process." She paused so that she could look the Ranger in the eyes. "I survived no thanks to you and your friends. Now you're going to help us destroy the Power Rangers."

Rocky laughed. He couldn't believe his luck that of all the things Josie or Ferris, as she called herself could have chosen to do to him, she had decided to turn him evil. It was a plan doomed to failure, it had done so every time that Rita, Zedd, Gasket or Mondo had tried it in the past.

"I won't work for you," he told her defiantly. "You can force me, but I'll fight you all the way."

"See my prince, I told you he wouldn't understand," Ferris said, clearly not addressing the bound Ranger.

"Your ability to anticipate the behaviour of the human subject has been noted," came the reply from Prince Grommet.

As Rocky watched, Grommet descended from on high, a single red eye mounted on a robotic arm that allowed him to move around the room.

"I know my appearance is less than aesthetically pleasing," Grommet stated, mistaking the Ranger's expression. "However given the power this new form provides, it is a perfectly logical choice."

"You're nothing more than a computer," Rocky stated.

The response was for his chair to start spinning, granting the teen a quick and unobstructed view of the room he was in as Grommet deigned to increase the light. The room was a small office with a clear window and door that led to a large factory.

"I am much more than a computer," Grommet told him. "I am the mind of this complex and control the foundry, the factories and the distribution network. From here I can create my Cyborgs and dispatch them to target your little city."

Rocky processed what he had been told and quickly reached the conclusion that Grommet was right, he was more than just a computer. The prince appeared to have a complete manufacturing plant at his disposal, and Rocky hated to think what the machine would do with that technology. More importantly, Grommet was the manufacturing plant and if he ever found a way to become mobile.

"You do not realise just how much I control," Grommet continued. "This factory was once used to build flying machines before Gasket took it over and replaced the workers with Infiltration Units."

"Prince Gasket replaced the entire town," Ferris corrected.

The thought of an entire town filled with creations of the Machine Empire, going about perfectly ordinary tasks, fitting in among the general population until ordered to strike, was probably the most frightening thing he had learnt since he had woken up.

"Not just the town," Grommet told her. "Gasket's logs reveal that he planted many agents in positions around the Earth, all waiting for the order to strike. Imagine it Ranger, a lone saboteur in one of Earth's energy production facilities, traitors in your armies and leaders. Gasket's plan was extremely logical, unfortunately my brother's processing abilities were too limited to oversee the task."

"So you see Rocky, it doesn't matter whether you are willing to surrender, the Mind Probe has already copied your mind. Once implanted into a suitable Infiltration Unit and given your Zeonisers, we can destroy the other Rangers from within." Josie paused and turned Rocky's chair towards the back of the room. "I calculate that you'll find the company most interesting."

If Rocky had had a hard time believing everything that had happened so far, it was nothing compared to the shock of the sealed chambers containing four humans he had believed to be dead.

"Yes, the Belle family," Grommet observed. "They're quite alive, I assure you. My brother kept them in case the Infiltration Units required replacement skin at anytime."

The other Infiltration Units had used a synthetic flesh product that they could replace every few days. However, due to their interaction with the Rangers, the replica Belles required real skin grown from samples taken from the humans. Gasket had kept the family unconscious, but surprising well cared for.

"Are they...?"

"No," Grommet answered. "They will continue to function until I deactivate their life support, just as you will survive until the Rangers are destroyed. I could release them now and they would awaken in a few hours with no memory of recent events."

"And now, you shall join them," Ferris told him. "I don't expect you to trust me, but I assure you that I am going to enjoy this, Rocky."

"Wait, you haven't finished the story," Rocky protested. He was desperate for some way to buy more time. Once they sealed him away, he doubted he would have the opportunity to escape. He needed to remain in control of his surroundings, or at least remain as in control as his current situation allowed.

"You're stalling," Josie accused, recognising the tactic. Since she knew that help would not be coming though she decided that there would be no loss in disclosing the information.

Time had passed in the ruined Sky Base as Josie made use of whatever machine she could take control of at any given time. As each day passed, she tried to compute new ways to speed up the process, but was limited by the materials available. In the end she had decided and Grommet had agreed, that the needed to get to Earth.

"Finding Cogs in the correct placement was extremely difficult," she told him. "I needed soldiers that were located close to one of the ammunition silos and that still retained their optical lasers; I don't know how such a stockpile managed to survive your little tantrum, but they were intact and primed."

Projecting the resulting blast had proven more difficult since Josie's processor had been damaged, making calculations difficult. It took a sustained explosion to lift the heavy metal components off the Lunar surface, followed by a smaller series of timed detonations to push it in the right direction.

"I calculate that a three millionth of a deviation was all it would have taken to miss the Earth altogether," she told him. "Fortunately Prince Grommet found the errors in my calculations before we attempted detonation. While you Rangers were preoccupied dealing with Minion, we managed to guide a large chunk of debris toward Earth."

Most of the structure had burnt up as it passed through the atmosphere, but some survived the heat of re-entry and a final explosion was enough to direct it to a landing somewhere in Russia. There Grommet had been able to signal Infiltration Units designed by Gasket and already on the planet to assist them. They were taken to one of Gasket's production facilities where work commenced on their new bodies.

"Wait," Rocky said as he tried to understand everything they had said, searching for something he could use to his advantage. "How are you going to convince the others I simply escaped, they're bound to run their scans?"

"That is why I chose this facility," Gasket boasted. "This is where my brother developed his limited time travel technology. I intend to use a few of the remaining units to transport Ferris, our new agent and myself back to the battle where I suffered my first defeat. There I will replace your past self with my agent, changing the past and ensuring a victory for the Machine Empire."

"Where is this factory anyway?" Rocky asked, still attempting to stall the inevitable.

"Do not answer that Ferris," Grommet ordered. "These humans have a habit of escaping from our forces. We do not need to give them a target to strike. Now, put him in the pod."

The Rangers had been searching for Rocky since arriving back at the Power Chamber. A detailed review of the battle had revealed the identity of their opponent, although it was difficult to understand how Josie had survived. Using that information though they had started searching for traces of Cog Oil.

So far their search was proving futile. They didn't know where Josie was hiding, Earth, or perhaps some distant planet. And with each hour that passed the chances of finding their friend alive diminished.

"Oh no, not another one," Kat whined as the alarm sounded. Continued attacks on the city had not helped their cause. They had called in some of their allies, Skull and Jamie to monitor the Power Chamber while they dealt with the likes of mechanised Godzillas and ugly mecha worms.

"Let's go guys," Tommy instructed, looking at the situation report. "We'll take the - is that a deep sea diver?"

"Affirmative," Billy told him.

"Good luck Bro," Jason said. "We'll try and keep the other one busy until you can get there."

The Morphin Rangers were not as effective against Machine monsters as the Zeo Rangers, although that was mostly due to their powers failing against the Iron that Mondo preferred using to construct his machines. Still they had proven that they could hold the flesh-covered monsters at bay long enough for the Zeo Rangers to finish them; the Power Sword had proven totally ineffective against them.

"It's Morphin Time!"

Awareness returned and Rocky was relieved to find himself back in the chair. The capsule had been a terrifying experience, and had he been Billy, he expected he would have gone mad from the confined space. He didn't know why they had awakened him again, they had taken pretty much everything they wanted before sedating him. Still, he had used the opportunity to learn more about his situation.

Apart from himself and the Belles, there were no other prisoners kept in the facility or at other locations. The Belles were being kept because nobody had bothered disposing of them yet. He had been a little taken aback to learn that Jennifer Belle was in truth named Jessica; she had adopted the name Jen after bullies had started calling her Jezebel. It seemed that when the Machine Empire had copied her mind their computers had taken her preferred name as her real name. Nobody would have noticed such a slip except perhaps her relatives, but it gave Rocky hope that perhaps there would be some flaw in the copy they were making of him that would tip the Rangers off to the impostor.

As he remained half-lying, half-sitting in the chair, his thoughts turned to escape. His Zeonisers had been taken from him and he was unsure what Morphin energy if any he possessed. His Dragon Orb had used up its powers and he no longer possessed a Gem Coin Transformer. It appeared that his only hope lay in retrieving his Zeonisers.

"Good, you're awake," Ferris remarked when she noticed his head moved. "You will repeat the words 'Zeo Ranger III - Blue'."

Rocky refused. It was clear that whatever failsafe that Billy and Zordon had placed on the Zeonisers meant that Grommet's copy was not realistic enough to use them. So long as he refused to help them, they wouldn't be able to use his powers as a weapon.

"You will say it, or the humans will be terminated," Grommet warned.

To illustrate his point the lights on one of the capsule dimmed, closing down the supply of fresh Oxygen and placing the occupant in peril. There was little choice although Rocky had to admit he was potentially placing more lives in danger.

"Okay, I'll do it, just don't hurt them."

A smirk spread across his face as the Zeonisers were brought over to him. It would take split second timing, but he was surprised that he had not thought of it before. Of all the weapons the Rangers had accumulated, the Gem Coin Blasters were stored in their personal pocket dimensions. When Grommet had threatened to close down the capsules, the miniature power supplies used to provide the various ammunition had popped into his head.

"No tricks, human."

"I'll need to be standing close to the Zeoniser when I say it," Rocky told them, "range is important."

He waited until the Cogs had approached, released his restraints and pulled him to his feet before summoning the Gem Coin Blaster loaded with standard ammunition and a Number Six cartridge. He threw the cartridge across the floor and fired, piercing the capsule and producing a blinding flash.

In the confusion that followed as optical sensors attempted to adjust to the burst of light, Rocky closed the gap toward his Zeonisers, strapped them on and morphed.

"Get him!"

Grommet ordered, but it was now a morphed Power Ranger that they were fighting as opposed to an unmorphed human. In his morphed form, Rocky easily dealt with the Cogs before turning his attention to Ferris.

"This time I won't let you live," she warned, wielding her whips.

"What is with those things anyway?" Rocky queried, as he narrowly avoided one of the razor sharp ends.

"Data suggests that machine success is inversely related to the number of control protocols. Logic dictated that removal of all control systems would make machines invincible, but prevent them from taking direction. Ferris's whip provides a control field that directs their attacks."

While Grommet was explaining, Ferris had not stopped her attack, pushing Rocky further and further back through the factory. But she was not just aiming for the Blue Zeo Ranger, some of her lashes were aimed at machinery, such as the vat of boiling liquid she attempted to empty over him.

He had already lost his weapons; his Zeo Pistol had been knocked out of his hand and his Gem Coin Blaster had been crushed by her whips.

"You cannot win, human," Grommet told him. "The odds that you manage to defeat Ferris are astronomical. She draws power from this complex."

Rocky dived under a wooden table, seconds before it was lifted and tossed aside by the barbed whip. Still, Rocky was not diving from side to side without good reason. He was guiding the machine through the factory, searching for something he could use against her.

"You're wasting my time, Rocky," Ferris called as her whip cracked the visor of his helmet. The other whip hooked his ankle and pulled it out from under him. "Give it up."

Instead of climbing back to his feet, Rocky chose to crawl under the machinery, using the time it took her to find him again to find the cable he needed.

"If you want me, come and get me!" he shouted defiantly, every bit the hero as he urged her to attack him.

When she did attack, he was ready, ducking the end so that it wrapped around the metal pipe work. He cheered as it did so, earning himself a questioning look from Ferris. When he revealed the electrical cable he had liberated from the conduit her eyes widened. Without hesitation he touched it to the whip, watching as she was electrocuted.

"That should prove a hair-raising experience," he quipped before taking off at a run back toward the Belles.

He had to hurry to get to the capsules, hoping that he reached them before Grommet managed to free Ferris or decided to destroy them. He hoped that the short circuit would distract the prince from what was going on. He had deliberately chosen the power cable that supplied the CCTV network.

"Where are you human? There is no escape, your friends cannot find you here. Surrender or I will dispose of the other humans."

Rocky ignored the prince. He knew that Grommet had probably already shut down the life support. It was more important to get the Belle's out of the chambers and away to safety. When he entered the room, he found that the chambers had indeed been shut down and from the look of the dials, the family had been without Oxygen for some time. He didn't hesitate to shatter the glass on Josie's capsule before moving on to do the same for Jessica and her parents.

"That wasn't nice Ranger!"

He turned at the sound of Ferris's voice. He was not surprised to see that she had gotten free. If also appeared that the electricity had had an adverse effect on her synthetic flesh. The high voltage had caused the cells to breakdown, causing the flesh to swell and take on a rubbery texture. Her face and chest were now metallic, her hair for some reason appeared to have turned into a bunch of long red balloons. She now carried a single whip, but the weapon appeared minuscule compared to her bulk.

She lashed out and he dodged again. The tails flew passed his shoulder and struck the open capsules, causing it to overload. Rocky had already freed Jessica and her parents, but Josie was still inside when the current struck her.

"If you don't want the other hurt, stay still!" Ferris warned.

The ground shook and Rocky smiled as the machine looked around for the source of the shaking. There was a crash in another part of the complex and she turned in time to see the Zeo Zord III storming through the factory.

"Not again!" she complained, but it was too late as Rocky teleported himself and the Belle's to safety as his Zord tore through the factory.

"Ferris, what is happening?" Grommet demanded; the loss of the CCTV cameras had left him blind with the exception of a single camera.

"The Ranger has gotten free," she replied as the Zord tore through the far wall, bringing the ceiling down as she teleported away.

Rocky had appeared in a panic and had quickly explained all that had happened. Working as a team, the Rangers had administered emergency assistance to the Belle's and transferred them to the Power Chamber's medical area. They would need to get them to the hospital where they could be properly taken care of, but before they could do so the alarms sounded.

"Ferris!" Rocky growled when the Viewing Screen revealed the machine rampaging through Angel Grove in an enlarged state.

"It's Morphin Time!" Tommy cried.

The battle had been short and the Rangers had emerged victorious. Ferris despite being a survivor, had easily succumbed to the Super Zeo Ultrazord formation and the Rangers had returned to the Power Chamber. They had been unable to use the Zeo Ultrazord, because the machine was still rampaging through the remains of Grommet's headquarters. It had returned shortly after the Rangers, slightly singed but otherwise intact.

At that point the Rangers had turned their attention to their guests.

Against impossible odds, Grommet had survived yet again. His program refused to be erased no matter how many unfortunate events he was forced to live through. As he waited in the darkness for his father to recover him, hoping that his last transmission to Mondo had gotten through, Grommet assessed his options. His body had been destroyed, his brother's factory had been damaged by the Blue Zeo Ranger; a little work and it would be possible to repair the production line. The production of synthetic agents was at an end since Grommet had erased the control program when he had downloaded his mind. Besides, with the containment tubes and mind probe destroyed, there was no way to collect the mind prints for future units.

Ferris had been fortunate to survive as long as she had, although the recent damage she had sustained had deleted her secondary memory point, the device that had allowed her to store and emulate the personality of Josie Belle. Without it she was just another machine, a broken and directionless machine.

"We will have our revenge Prince Grommet," she promised, her voice crackling due to broken insulation on her speech synthesiser.

Grommet's processors predicted that Ferris was almost useless to him in her current condition and estimated only a small possibility that her repair protocols could improve the situation. If she could not repair herself, he knew it would be a major setback to his cause. Ferris had proven to be an effective servant and by design she was an integral part of controlling the Neo-Machine Monsters. The additional loss of her combat skills and effectiveness against the Rangers made it an expensive loss.

If the human, Rocky, had not taken the Belle's with him, Grommet might have been able to build a replacement. Unfortunately even if he could still reach them, Josie, had been damaged during the escape and was no longer a suitable candidate for the creation process.

~Perhaps an alternative body design could be used'~ he mused, his Computer Aided Design software rapidly designing a new form for his servant now that secrecy was no longer an immediate concern.

It was not a total loss. There were still agents of the Royal House of Gadgetry in position around the globe. And while those agents could not influence major decisions, they were the eyes and ears of the Neo-Machine Empire that would lead to the eventual annexing of Earth. And while the Blue Zeo Ranger had damaged the complex, he had not destroyed it. It would be a time-consuming effort to return his kingdom to full capacity, but when it was restored, the humans would submit to the will of the machines.

The past.

It wasn't a legal action, strictly speaking, but it definitely felt like the right thing to do. The Belles had lost everything due to a plot by the Machine Empire and it seemed only fair that the Rangers helped them back into a new life. With Zordon's help the Rangers had taken advantage of Grommet's scheme while the Doctor had conveniently directed his attention toward his own time machine. In the end they had been able to use one device to transport the Belles, Rocky and the other Zeo Rangers to the site of Grommet's first battle on Earth.

After manipulating the official records they had allowed the emergency services to pull the unfortunate family to safety. The family retained only vague memories of the incident, which served to explain how they had been found on the remains of an experimental energy center.

In the past they would have the chance to live the lives they had lost and Josie would receive the medical treatment she needed. It wasn't the perfect solution, but in this case it was the best they could manage.

Angel Grove Hospital,

Josie Belle did not know how she had received her injuries, but she knew deep down that the Power Rangers were involved. The experts had told her she would never walk again, never be able to move more than her head and right hand to be precise. They had finally taken her off the life support, declaring that while she was physically paralysed, her organs were fully functional for now.

She would make them pay, the ones that had hurt her. She would find a way to destroy the Machine Empire and then she would turn her attention to the Power Rangers. She looked at her left hand, resting on the wooden bed table and willed it to move. It didn't even twitch, but that didn't mean anything to her. Josie Belle was a survivor, and one way or another, she would find a way to get her revenge.

"How are they?" Katherine asked.

In the days following the rescue of the Belles and their eventual return to ordinary life, Rocky had kept a watchful guard over them at the hospital where their oldest daughter was still undergoing treatment. The other Rangers and their friends, those that knew their real identities, had been growing more and more worried about him. It seemed that despite his assurances to the contrary, at least some of Rocky's feelings for Jennifer Belle had remained after her death.

The problem was that Jessica Belle and her family had never met the Rangers and had never been a part of their adventures. Rocky's relationship had been with Jen, not the woman that looked like her. Physical similarities aside they were not the same girl. It appeared that even if the Belles had known him, which they didn't since they had never met the Rangers before Gasket had kidnapped them and had spent over two years in cold storage, there was very little chance that he could rebuild the relationship he had once had.

"They'll be fine," Rocky told her. "They don't remember anything that happened to them, except perhaps the Rangers pulling them from their prison. I think Josie might remember more than she lets on, but she has more important things to worry about than us."

Even though this was not the Josie that had turned her back on the Rangers, it was very different to think of her as an innocent. If he were honest then Rocky would admit that he had felt a small amount of satisfaction when the doctors had revealed that Josie Belle would remain paralysed from the neck down for the rest of her life. It wasn't right, it wasn't fair, but that was life and Rocky couldn't help the way he felt.

"You miss her, don't you?" Kat asked.

Rocky considered the question. Did he miss her, really? He had already grieved for Jen once and had started to move on with his life. Jessica was not his Jen, but she had rekindled some of the feelings he had once felt.

"Yes," he admitted in the end. "But I'll get over it."

He had survived her loss once and as much as he yearned to approach her, he knew in his heart that he would forever be trying to turn her into Jennifer instead of Jessica. No it was better for her, for them - better for him, if he just walked away and let the Belles attempt to rebuild their lives.

"Come on, let's go and find the others," she urged.

Rocky needed his friends, he needed their support, and most importantly in Kat's mind, he needed something to distract him from thinking about Jessica. If he chose to approach them to talk, they would welcome him wholeheartedly, but she could see the pain that just watching caused him.

Reluctantly he nodded. The Belle's had been through enough, perhaps it was time to let them live without the added problem of being friends with a Power Ranger.

~What is it they say, it is better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all?~ he wondered. He snorted. ~Yeah, a likely story!~

He reached out and took Kat's hand, allowing him to lead her back to where the Doctor was waiting. They had been in the past for much too long. It was time to go home.

**End**

Disclaimer: I do not own the Power Rangers, they belong to the respective copyright owners. No profit is being made for this work.

**Claims to Earth**

"In conclusion I move that since Minion has indeed failed and that his sponsor has either been destroyed or is too scared of this council to dare show his face, all claims made by the Master be stricken from the record."

As Garvin, a low ranking official within the United Alliance of Evil finished his speech, the assembled members nodded in agreement. It had been a lengthy enquiry into the events surrounding Minion, Maxell had been keen to ensure that there would be no further objections to his rightful control over the United Alliance of Evil.

As he looked down at the assembled villains, he could tell that the vote was a certainty. It was only through deference to proper procedure that he bothered with a show of hands as the votes were counted and weighted according to the political standing of each member. He glanced at the result and noted that with a single spoiled vote, the decision had been unanimous. Earth was open for the taking again; this would be when the real arguments started.

"The vote is carried, we will now move onto the next item of business," he stated, wishing that things could be that simple. As Master Vile rose from his seat though it was clear that nothing within the Alliance could be that straightforward.

Maxell had chosen a high table for this debate, allowing him and the senior councillors to look down on the more powerful members that made up the core of the forum. To the far left sat Master Vile, his son Rito Revolto and daughter Rita Repulsa. Rita also held the voting rights normally reserved for her not-quite-dead husband Lord Zedd; the demon was still searching for ways to regain a physical presence and was largely ignored by the proceedings. Mother D, the appointed head of the Dianthe Kingdom while he daughter Divatox was absent, was sitting close by with her son General Havok; the Dianthe Kingdom had yet to express an interest in Earth although Divatox had made a formal petition to approach the planet.

At the far-right hand side of the chamber stood - for they found it extremely difficult to sit - the Machine Empire. Mondo and Gasket each claimed to represent the Royal House of Gadgetry, Archerina was acting on behalf of her father and had agreed to vote in support of her husband. The voting powers of the Machine block and the Magic Users were almost equal. It would be the unaligned members such as Count Dregon and Scorpius who held the ultimate power.

"Before we move on, I wish to declare that the House of Vile formally declares Earth as part of its empire. Our forces led by Rita were there first and remains ready to strike under the command of her and Lord Zedd."

Possession was nine tenths of the law, and Maxell had to concede that at the last count the majority of the forces invading the Earth belonged to Zedd, Master Vile and Rita. They had a very strong case.

"I object," Gasket called. "The Machine Empire under my guidance made more progress where Earth is concerned than Rita, Zedd or Master Vile combined. Clearly the Earth should be marked as Machine territory."

"Progress?" Rita sneered, "you ran away as soon as your daddy came back and we blew them up."

"Nevertheless, the Royal House of Gadgetry did drive Rita and Zedd from Earth and made a legitimate claim. Rita and Zedd should never have returned to the planet," Gasket told them.

"The fact remains Mondo, that my daughter and her - husband, did manage to return and still have a few forces close to Earth, something that your Machine Empire lacks."

"But we do have a presence on Earth," Machina interrupted, "tell them darling."

"I have here a copy of a communication from my son Grommet. He is currently active on Earth along with numerous Infiltration Units. The Royal House of Gadgetry has already conquered the planet. We just haven't told the natives yet. Our claim to Earth is far more logical."

"And what would YOU suggest?" Master Vile asked. "That your own forces be allowed exclusive rights to Earth. My daughter has been attacking Earth since the Ranger problem arose. I suggest she be placed back in her original role and any conquest be attributed to the House of Vile."

"You are a fool Vile!" Mondo shouted. "The Machine Empire came closer than anyone to conquering the Earth. We should be allowed to conquer the planet."

"Order, Order" Maxell bellowed. "We have had this argument every time this council has met since the Machine Empire approached Earth. I will not allow this organisation to suffer because we cannot agree on such an unimportant matter."

"With respect Maxell, Count Dregon has been in orbit around Earth during both Rita and Mondo's attempts and is the only villain not to retreat for repair or run away due to an outside threat."

Maxell glared at the insignificant fool that dared speak out. He wanted order, not more reason for fighting.

"Enough!" he bellowed. "This chamber remains in a state of neutrality as required by our charter. I suggest you all remember what happened to the last person who broke one of our treaties."

He waited for the idiots around him to absorb his words before he continued. His decision on the matter would prove controversial and he expected both factions to break his ruling. Still, he needed to do something; if Mondo decided to fight, all the magic users in the room would not stop him.

"Earth will remain off limits until further notice. Since Mondo and Vile claim they have forces there to conquer the planet, those operations will continue. However, no member of this council is to approach Earth without permission. Do we have an agreement?"

"Aye!" those villains already attacking the planet cried.

"Against?"

As expected the opportunity to upset Mondo and Vile's claims to Earth unified the council to vote against the proposal. Mutual self-interest prompted their cooperation as they fought for their rights to conquer the valuable planet.

"The Nays have it," Maxell decided. "Earth is to be considered an open target until further notice."

It was amazing how quickly the hall could empty as the various factions rushed off to summon their fleets and launch their attacks on the little planet that promised so much power to whoever controlled it. Master Vile and the Machine Empire stalked out, outraged that they would be forced to share their prize.

Maxell looked around. He hadn't even called an end to the meeting, but since it was lacking a quorum, he had little choice but to suspend all business until a later date. Surprisingly he found he wasn't annoyed by the change of plans. In fact, he welcomed the chance to be away from the imbeciles that accounted for the rest of the council.

**End**

Disclaimer: I do not own the Power Rangers, they belong to their respective copyright owners. No profit is being made from this piece of fan work.

**Breakout**

Washington DC  
More than two years ago

"As you can see gentlemen, recent months have proven interesting. The threat posed by Namor has been dealt; steps are being taken to ensure he never resurfaces," Nick Fury, Head of SHIELD, Presidential Advisor and one of America's greatest war heroes said. His real name had been lost somewhere in the archives when he had assumed his current post and would only be found when he died and a new face took on the role of Nick Fury. "However there are still questions that need to be asked. And unfortunately I am the person required to ask and answer those questions.

What would we do gentlemen if a more powerful hero turned on us, or was placed under a spell? Even worse, consider the entire JLA being compromised or the Power Rangers switching sides. This country needs countermeasures, a way to ensure that should an individual or group of super humans turn rogue, we will have a means of stopping them."

"I maintain that we should order the JLA and these Power Rangers to place themselves under military command," General Galt said.

"We took that approach," General Latima replied. "The Power Rangers ignored the order and the JLA said if necessary they would change their name to Justice League and repeal any political affiliation."

"Yes, we sent a team of lawyers to negotiate voluntary contracts," General Ross agreed. "The problem is that the Justice League refuses to ally themselves with any government organisation or to provide the true identities of their roster, making monitoring a problem."

"That is why we are here General," Fury interrupted. "By suppressed order of the President this committee is authorised in cooperation with similar bodies around the world to found, organise and support a new team of super heroes to operate strictly within national boundaries. The JLA can serve the world; these groups will serve their country first. Their everyday activities will be to fight crime and protect the planet; their exploits will receive media coverage and high-ranking recognition. We're going to make role models out of them as heroes this country should be proud of. However, their priority missions will be to deal with rogue super humans."

"And what if one of these teams of politically acceptable heroes turns?"

"That is why we allow the JLA to remain. We cannot trust these people to monitor themselves, but if one group were to act as the counter balance to the other should work. In addition the President will be asking the Justice League maintains a maximum of twelve members on active service at any one time. He has allowed the Power Rangers to affiliate themselves with the Justice League, but they will no longer be considered active members. Let the others serve as individuals on a local level. Doctor Furman?"

"Thank you, Colonel Fury. We have developed a two-phase stratagem as a solution. Phase One will be the creation of a new team based in New York."

"This will be an 'over the table' deal," Fury warned, "so make sure those chosen are suitable."

"Yes sir, our computer division is running background, medical and psychological evaluations on all perspective members and have been instructed to classify as On Record, Off Record and Unsuitable."

"What's about Phase Two?" Galt wanted to know.

"Ah, yes. You should find this interesting General since it relates to one of the projects under your command," the administrator answered.

"Just a minute Doctor Furman. What you are about to be told has been classified: Most Secret. You will not record this information in any way shape or form. You will not repeat this information to anybody; doing so will result in the silencing of those that have been told or could have been told. I'm sure you appreciate your loved ones enough to understand how serious this is. Okay Doctor, you may continue."

"Thank you, Sir. As some of you may know, there are currently thirty or more alien races that have either visited or are currently active on Earth. Most of those that remain are non-hostile individuals and can be found inside the ranks of the super hero teams we've been discussing. As such, their capture has proven difficult to justify as being within the National Interest."

"Not to mention those boys in Geneva have constantly refused to sanction such moves. Since they are the authority on this matter, we have to leave them be," General Alberta commented.

"Indeed. However, the more troublesome beings have traditionally been armies sent for the purpose of invasion. They have always been dealt with appropriately. There are a few who have not revealed themselves, although we're inclined to not create more problems by tracking them down.

In the early sixties, a spaceship landed here on Earth. The had been involved in some sort of space war and had united in a last ditch effort to escape. Their ship had been severely damaged while critically damaging their pursuer's ship. That ship came down in Ohio and the remains were handed over years later to research and development teams led by Muffett and Knight. The question arose about what to do with the refugees. Since this was before the UN Treaty on Extraterrestrial Affairs, the entire group was treated as an invading force and remained in government custody after the treaty was formed.

During initial testing of the flight crew - who were for the record dead on arrival, it was discovered that while they appeared human, they had many physical differences from humans raised on Earth. Their muscle and lung structure was different, no doubt due to gravitational anomalies between this world and wherever they came from."

"What happened to them?"

"Well, some were killed during experimentation; protocol at the time required that we ensured that we had a way to kill them if necessary. Incidentally the scientists found that bullets worked just fine. Many of the adults died within a few months, I suspect that they were dying before they started their journey. The children were placed into the adoption system - tagged of course to ensure that they could be traced if necessary. They were carefully monitored as they grew older and when they were old enough they were collected for further testing.

Our scientists found that when exposed to sudden changes in temperature their bodies reacted in a similar way to humans on this planet, but when exposed to extreme cold, their bodies could be revived years later so long as the proper precautions were taken during thawing. This allowed us to store them in a form of cryogenic suspension - similar to the one used by the Soviets for their projects - until researchers were ready for them."

"Thank you, Doctor Furman," Fury said, turning to address the rest of the assembled officers. "These visitors have remained as ' guests' of this government since their arrival. When Nixon came to power, he ordered that our scientists discovered as much as possible about them and for our military to find ways to use those discoveries. And that is what our boys in the research divisions have done, gentlemen. These groups have unlocked countless secrets that are now being developed as military ideas. Many of them have served this country in our armed forces and have proved to be excellent soldiers."

"Just how many people are we talking about?" one of the generals asked.

"To begin with there were six hundred," Doctor Furman answered, "two thirds of their number were below the age of majority and ten of the older passengers were pregnant. The last of the adults were shared out among those signed up to the UN treaty. Since then natural wastage has accounted for many of the older refugees and their involvement in the military and other roles. Of the two hundred children released into society, one hundred were collected for use in the Taskforce Operation."

"If I may Doctor Furman," Doctor Oakum said. "We discovered from those selected for research that while frozen the visitors experienced full cellular stasis without any signs of cellular degeneration and did not age. In addition their minds are highly susceptible to indoctrination processes, especially the Trask Method; they would make ideal soldiers if they weren't so valuable. A pair of fraternal twins aged twenty were turned over to General Galt's project six months ago."

Furman picked up the explanation. "Of course this meant that we had a large selection of fairly young test subjects available for whatever tasks we decided to give them. In addition we used artefacts recovered from the Oregon Dig and Super Suit technology from another source."

"My predecessor oversaw the implementation of the Taskforce Operation," Fury explained, one of the few times he acknowledged that he was not the first person to use the name in his current role. "Each project was organised over a three year life cycle; one year of intensive training, one year of active service against a non governmental threat such as terrorist cells, and a one year wind down period during which scientists checked for side-effects and conducted autopsies when the test subjects were 'retired'. Each year the Taskforce Operation trained ten recruits, five or six would go on to become active test subjects while the others served as reserves and control subjects."

"And their suits?"

"If I may," Doctor Oakum interjected. "While many of the ship's occupants were human, there were exceptions. Two had been fatally wounded during whatever combat they had recently engaged in. The third was later revealed to be the group's scientist, a weapon manufacturer specialising in the production of what experts have dubbed Super Suit technology. In return for the guaranteed safety of his companions, he agreed to produce five or six units a year, deliberately designed to expire after one year."

"Why?"

"Survival, General. By ensuring that he was the only one capable of creating this technology and that the finished product would expire after twelve months, he ensured that he was kept alive and well treated. Each year he produced a new set of suits powered by a different means, preventing us from reverse engineering the technology. His only requirement was access to his ship, which he used for parts during the manufacturing process."

"In addition," Fury added, "they were provided with prototype state-of-the-art machines to help them."

"Yes, our experts were able to adapt artefacts recovered from dig sites in Canada, Africa and Egypt, in addition to the Oregon volcano."

"With all due respect sir, Bahrain has not produced anything worthwhile for years and all attempts to convince him to cooperate have failed. The technology we could remove from the dig sites dried up around the same time. There is too much to analyse and not enough time to do so."

"Why did he stop?" General Narron wanted to know.

"He was not happy when he discovered our policy of placing both the equipment and test subjects beyond use after they had been active for twelve months." another general stated. "We have tried explaining that both the individuals and their suits were covered by international treaty requiring their elimination after twelve months."

"It has been some time since Bahrain created any technology for the Task Force operation."

"Interesting; why haven't we heard anything about these experiments?"

"Most of the test projects were undercover operations against possible threats and private armies. They were given cover stories and remained out of the public eye where possible; they have never been used as either black ops or front line troops in war. Project Vulcan was different because it was initiated in response to a partial alien invasion. Few know about its existence, but there were enough."

"Okay Gentlemen. That is most of the story and all you need to know at the moment," Fury said, "suffice to say that the President and his advisors consider these one man powered suits given to selected operatives the way forward. More importantly than their symbolic purposes, they will serve as a counter measure should the Power Rangers be deemed a threat to this nation."

"You expect them to turn then?"

Fury looked at the other man, pondering a response.

"It's my duty to consider such possibilities. I have to consider every angle; could the Rangers be turned by a spell, would they side with another nation in the event of conflict? I have to have all the options covered, counter measures for every threat and then redundancy measures in case those counters should turn or fail. I should tell you that we have an operative within the JLA and every other major group of super heroes, placed to take them down just in case they turn. The Avengers will have a direct government liaison and if necessary their structure will be changed according to need.

We need to know how these devices function; we cannot be held to ransom by an alien with a conscience. Namor was an example of just how dangerous these 'super humans' can become. As a consequence, funding to Arcadia Academy and other sites in the Taskforce Operation will in future be directed to Project Ultratech. Our priority is to reverse engineer the technology and then finding a way to create it ourselves. Dismissed."

Operation Taskforce, Vegas Facility, Research Laboratory 29, Section 18,  
Eight weeks earlier

Project Demon Hunter was entering the final phase of its development. Financially the Demon Hunter project was a real money spinner. The government was eager to obtain a ready programmed, fully trained operative equipped with reactive armour and advanced weaponry; a standalone soldier who could pose as a normal human in a civilian setting and yet packed an arsenal that rivalled that of a small country.

It was clearly the future of modern warfare, and as soon as the prototype unit passed its final tests successfully, the developers stood to gain millions for the ready-made product, spare parts and ammunition. That was nothing compared to how much they would make from selling the process to interested foreign governments.

The prototype unit had been tested at every stage of its development and the improvements to the next model would be far reaching, leading to even greater rewards in terms of upgrade packages and software patches. All things considered though the greatest problems lay not with the concept or the technology; for the most part the faults lay with the test subject.

The young man who had been volunteered for the project should have been given the same psychological and physical testing that astronauts endured before being allowed near a space shuttle. Their test subject should have been the best of the best of the best. Instead he was a kid they had picked from somewhere forced into a situation he didn't understand by people he didn't like.

The volunteer had endured painful alterations to his body as it was augmented. Body enhancing drugs had been administered to build strength through enforced exercise as scientists attempted to turn his less-than-perfect physique into something suited for combat. Combined with cardiovascular conditioning to improve his endurance it was a training program many athletes would have killed for.

Only when their test subject was deemed to be at his physical peak did they begin the next stage. Aside from the odd doctor to monitor his vitals signs, the medical staff were replaced by mechanics and technicians. Experimental techniques the government had purchased from a Canadian experiment years earlier allowed them to infuse his body with steel alloy; the Demon Hunter would not have the active defence mechanisms and rapid healing that Rangers possessed. Instead the scientists aimed to make it more difficult to damage him in the first place. It was after all in their interests to protect their investment from harm.

As his body was exposed to procedures that might have been considered torture had he been a prisoner - for his status had been clearly marked as volunteer no matter what he claimed - he received an education that only the richest parents could afford for their children. He was trained in the application and understanding of the major sciences, mathematics, geography and history. Since his initial function had been that of a demon hunter, one programmer had installed the complete texts on the subjects of magic, religion and demonology as he could find.

Despite their hard work and attention to detail though, the scientists had overlooked something important. They had assumed that throughout the various procedures their test subject would remain comatose, unaware of the questionable things they were doing and the abuses they were forcing him to endure to make him stronger. They were wrong, while not fully conscious he was aware of everything they had done to him. He had felt every needle they had used and although they had never heard his screams, he had lived in a world of pain.

Operation Taskforce, Vegas Facility, Research Laboratory 29, Section 18,  
Six weeks earlier

The walls of his room were bare metal, the only furnishings a cot to which he had at one point been secured. They didn't restrain him except for a single chain around the ankle. They didn't know that he was aware of his surroundings. Indeed they believed he was still comatose from the effects of the sedatives.

Somewhere along the line he had grown immune to the drugs. The injections didn't put him under anymore. They did unfortunately prevent him from moving around or voicing his objection to their continued experiments. Months of enduring such abuse was bound to have had some effect on him. Indeed, an assessment of his faculties would have shown that his sanity was questionable. It was for that reason that while another person might have felt uncomfortable in such an environment, to the test subject this was just something he had to endure.

He remembered his old life, the one they had taken away and replaced with something - less real. They had done an admirable job of replacing his body, simulating his original senses so that he felt remotely human; to be able to feel pleasure and pain was quite an accomplishment given the damage they had caused to his nervous system.

In the last week they had fed a cocktail of chemicals derived from the drugs used by a now convicted felon in Gotham City years before. Drugs which were known to further enhance the strength, size and durability. In a large concentration, the super steroid led to short term enhancements, though the project's overseers had determined that smaller doses following months of exposure to Human Growth Hormone would have a more favourable effect and possibly remain in his system for longer.

Venom was known to be addictive and potentially toxic. Even after such a short exposure he would suffer terrible side effects when they stopped using it. It was clear that the medical staff did not care; he guessed that they were hired for their skills, not to question the morality of their actions. If he survived to the point where the result could be tested, the various doctors and professors had been promised financial benefits that would see them living in luxury for the rest of their lives. And should he die, he knew they would have his replacement ready to start again.

"This is our most recent and I am pleased to say most successful tests so far," he heard one of the doctors say, speaking into a small dictation device that they all seemed to carry. "Recent muscle grafts and pore adaptation have proven successful, the micro filaments implanted into his already impressive muscle mass and combined with a continuous supply of Venom, have proven effective. There appears to be minor inflammation of some areas. I would suggest treatment for possible infection or perhaps allowing any illness to take its course."

As part of his duties, it was expected that at some point he would come into contact with environments that would be considered too dangerous for a normal human. As such it was essential to improve his body's durability. The thin mesh of metal sewn into his muscles, tendons and ligaments was just one step they had taken. In addition material had been taken from his hearts, lungs, liver, kidneys... practically all of his internal organs. The samples had been used to grow replacement organs with mechanical back ups, filters to prevent poisoning and a small low use Oxygen supply for situations where he needed to shut down his normal breathing; each organ was protected by an outer shell made from the same material used to strengthen his muscles. And then there were the metal rods running through his bones to stop them from breaking.

The doctor removed a small instrument and tapped portions of his arms and legs watching as the muscles under the skin twitched. He repeated the test while allowing a small current to flow through the instrument, watching the resistance on a metre fastened over the bed.

"Muscle density has increased to a point within the desired range and appears responsive to stimuli. Metallic injection has been a success; muscles reactions are increased when exposed to electrical stimulation. Computer override of nervous system is running within parameters; subject is able to resist or react to high voltage according to program settings. I recommend testing of cardiovascular bypass and adaptability to water environments at earliest opportunity."

Because the Demon Hunter was intended to operate in all environments, it had been clear early on that the majority of the human body at its core would not survive the conversion process without undergoing some degree of modification. Besides the muscle, ligaments, tendons, organs and skin, the bones had been fused with metal rods while microchips at the base of the brain stem allowed controllers to shut down selective muscle groups and nerve cells in response to high voltage, heat, cold, impact or assault on the senses. Flotation valves under the skin were supposed to compensate for the increased weight in water.

The doctor moved out of the way, allowing his colleague to inspect the modifications made to his senses, which had been upgraded in during the last batch of alterations. While computers and technology were capable of some amazing things, it was accepted that compared to nature they still had a lot to learn. As a result instead of replacing his ears, eyes and nose with technology, they had worked to build on what nature had provided, using electronic hearing aids and special contact lenses to extend his sight and hearing into ranges previously unavailable to him. More micro-circuitry implanted on the inside of the skull allowed him to process the excess data.

However it was a different processor installed near the front of the skull that dictated how he should act and ensured that he would harm only those he was supposed to attack. This was perhaps the most controversial element of the design, since the technology had been taken from an alien crash site; it was possibly not quite as controversial as having one of their other facilities controlled by microchips taken from the remains of craft's pilot. Countless scenarios had been programmed along with as many counter-measures as the best tactical thinkers within the Taskforce structure could calculate. Three independent uplinks allowed him to receive new instructions and situational updates. Through his connection to the database he had the tactical knowledge needed for all conceivable confrontations.

"Optical and aural implants are working within parameters and have been correctly calibrated. Computer and network systems are running correctly, data storage is at optimum level. I would recommend field testing at the earliest opportunity." He looked up at his colleague as he said this, knowing that if the other man had his way they would be making ever more improvements and never see their pay checks. "It would also be beneficial at this point to install surge protection, but I will state again that this marks an excellent stopping point."

"Very well gentlemen," a commanding voice said, "shut it down for now until the others are ready, then the testing will begin."

"If I might suggest Director," the doctor offered, remembering that this was the head of their operation, "perhaps now would be the time to start the programming of the weapon functions."

There was silence and for a moment the man feared for his life.

"The testing of the primary and secondary weapons have already been completed, you may install the operating software. Make sure that the limiter chip is implanted before activating. Then start working on the additional hardware. Rapid deployment is the key, gentlemen."

"As you wish," the doctor agreed, flipping the switch that kept the Demon Hunter online to the off position. Before doing so he leaned in close so he was inside its visual range and whispered: "You're going to make me rich, Boy, just you wait and see."

The eyes of the Demon Hunter never closed although they clearly lost focus the moment the switch was flipped. Emergency protocols were engaged, backup power supplies allowing the unit enough runtime to reach out and flick the power back on. For all their science and tests, the scientists had never understood the technology they were using. And therefore they didn't realise that it wasn't working.

Unobserved while the team leaders gave their staff directions, he reached out to the nearby keyboard and started to make his own modifications to their programming, using the fibre optic cables and various computer connections they had built for him to interface with his unprotected cranial computer.

It had been a simple oversight on the part of the research team that allowed the human side of the Demon Hunter to assert itself. They had given Garth the knowledge to reprogram his implants and the means to access them. If they had closed the access port, his human side would have been safely contained behind the fail-safes, instead the software intended to prevent him from turning on his masters, was slowly being set aside.

As it was the computer's control was gone, slaved to his will instead of the other way around. Although he was far from human with all the modifications, he was no longer the product they wanted to be. Given time their experiment would walk out of the door.

Operation Taskforce Hive Facility, Cranford

It was in the early hours of a June morning when Garth heard the sound of his cell door being opened. First the sound of a swipe card being drawn through the reader. Next he heard the beeping of the buttons for the six-digit identity code, which was changed daily. Afterwards came the sound of the outer lock, the key scratching at the worn tumblers. And finally was the screech of the heavy mechanical bolt being withdrawn. He knew those sounds; he had heard them constantly during his time in the facility to the extent that he could now tell who was entering by the time it took for the door to open.

Agent Thomas was very deliberate when opening the door. He was very strict about security and every procedure had to be followed to the letter; the agent took exactly two minutes to open the door. Doctor Finch on the other hand enjoyed his work and was determined not to miss a moment of his experiment's pain. As a result Doctor Finch would constantly open the locks whilst entering his security code so he could enter the cell in less than half a minute.

The various nurses and observers that now monitored him twenty-four hours of the day entered from a second entrance he was unable to see. Somehow it was shielded from him, but he believed that they were in the room at all times, concealed by some sort of machinery. Not that he could understand why they felt the need to hide when they supposedly deactivated him every time they exited the room.

Today he could tell it was Doctor Finch who was about to enter along with the Project Administrator. Of all those he had met, the Administrator was the worst. She didn't care what short cuts were taken providing she achieved her results.

"What is the status of this one?" she demanded.

"Testing has proven that the enhancements have been completely successful. In addition the hardware that the Director had us design was a complete success. The clothing he is wearing is adaptive, can change shape and colour according to the situation and in no way conflicts with operations."

"You referred to it as him," the Administrator pointed out. "Remember it is just a subject and you cannot allow any feelings when dealing with it."

"Yes Ma'am," Finch replied.

"I shall call Director Charming and have him arrange a visit. You should start bringing the system online and conduct a timed run in case it is needed for more than a few hours."

As Doctor Finch set about his morning checks of the test subject, he heard the now familiar sound of the Administrator's secret exit.

He slapped the unit across the face. He hated this... abomination. Why should a mere machine get all the attention when his hard work was ignored?

Once Doctor Finch left Garth knew he would not see him again that day despite the woman's instructions. Since the operation had moved to its new location, most of the work on his systems was conducted outside of the room using the base's computer mainframe. He estimated he would not be seeing anybody for two days, the length of time needed for the Director to make his way to their location. He calculated that this would be a good opportunity to make an escape.

The longer he remained there the more chance there was that Finch would accidentally discover that their computer programs were not operating properly; the cerebral implant was under his control and all their attempts to alter its code were actually sent to a buffer area to give the appearance that he was still their project. Of course their constant requests for status updates meant that he remained connected to the computer, something that allowed him to send his own requests for information.

[Search subject found] the readout said. He could see the words in his mind even though they did not exist. [Download?]

"Yes," he answered although the words were spoken through his uplink and probably emerged as a burst of electromagnetic noise.

[Subject DH17]  
[Name: Garth Nelson]  
[Date of Entry: 1974]  
[Status of Entry: List?]

He considered what he had learnt. He had a name and tiniest piece of information about his past. The rest of the knowledge despite his best efforts had been stolen from him.

"Yes," he thought in answer to the question.

[Biological Organs: Replacement Complete]  
[Sensory Enhancements: Complete]  
[Computerised Components: Online]  
[Operating System: Offline... ERASED]  
[Motor functions: Off MMP: Scheduled]

He already knew that should he escape his current cell he still had to escape the facility. As the time for the Director's visit drew nearer, the facility would have tighter security, but maybe not as many staff. It was time to get to work. There was still one thing he needed to do before he could move. He needed to flush the sedatives from his system, which in turn meant using the drugs they had prepared for that purpose. With the sedatives in his system he was weak, but once they were gone there was nothing to stop him from escaping.

They had locked him in a cell, but this cell contained more than a bed. There were guards outside, but nobody inside. They had placed all the chemicals needed for his treatments within reach.

After taking a few deep breaths, a requirement of his human side, Garth picked up the syringe and the bottle of antidote. Without bothering to measure, he injected the mixture into his arm. The effect was immediate and painful. Strangely enough he seemed to enjoy it.

It took a good six hours for the drug to make its way through his system to the point where he could lift himself into a sitting position. That allowed him to reach and remove the chain, which had not been locked, just closed together. After removing his ankle he breathed a sigh of relief. He was free.

After taking a moment to look at his cell from a standing position, he pulled on the leather vest he was supposed to wear at all times and waited as the sensors in the material made any alterations needed for a snug fit. He left it as it was, knowing that combined with the leather jeans and baldhead nobody in their right mind would approach him. He heard a key in the lock and disappeared under the bed.

~Time to go.~

The door opened and two men walked in. Both carried weapons in case they encountered an intruder although it was just as likely that the men simply enjoyed the idea that they could inflict pain on the robot.

"He's gone!" one of the men cried noticing the opened chain.

"Sound the alarm," the other one instructed. "I'll call the Director."

They had no time to do so. Garth was moving before they could close the door, catching both men off guard. His foot connected with the first one's head and he used that man's weapon against the second guard. With the two guards gone he was able to move out into the corridors.

He checked his internal database and noted the security codes necessary to use the facility's mapping system. He typed his enquiry into one of the handy computer terminals and waited for a response. Memorising the routes he needed he entered several more searches, confusing any attempts to find him based on his interaction with the computer.

Reaching the lift he bypassed the security system by removing the call button from the wall and opened the door by shorting the contacts. Setting the lift for the top floor he pulled up the carpet in the lift car and opened the access hatch underneath. As the car stopped, he dropped through the lift floor and swung to the cables behind the lift. There he remained as security noticed the hole and called an alert that he was loose somewhere in the building. He waited until most of the security detail had left to search the lower floor before climbing back into the lift and out through the doors.

Scanning the room he detected guards in their normal positions. They were watching the doors, but that was not where he was heading yet. Instead he moved to one of the workshops where the engineers had been busy working on a special power source. While he was faster and stronger than a normal human, he lacked the weapons of a Ranger; the small generator would allow him to deploy the armour that had been segmented and stored in the hollows of his bones. The suit provided him with a selection of built in weapons based on the patented designs of Anthony Stark.

Fortunately it seemed the guards were so busy looking for him that they had failed to lock the laboratory. He walked in and plucked the power converter from the table and attached it to the connectors the doctor's had thoughtful positioned outside of his body. Then he moved on to the suit of armour designed to function as a powered enhancement for his weapon systems. He placed a few commands into the suit's computers, deactivating it and removed the control unit from the chest, knowing that that would allow him to summon the armour should he need it; there was very little he could accomplish with the bulky suit at that moment and avoiding detection in a bright yellow suit of armour was unlikely.

After removing the nearby computer's hard-drive, he made his way back to the door and then out into the hall. From there he made his way back to the lower levels, knowing that the guards would have discovered his deception and would be heading up to the upper levels of the facility.

He played the same game with security for a few hours before finally deciding it was time to leave. By that time the guards had decided that he had left and had returned to their positions. The scientists had discovered his sabotage of their creation and were trying to discover what he had done.

As it turned out, sneaking out proved to be no problem until he reached the door. The guards appeared not to notice him, but they would notice a door opening and even though bullets would not kill him, they would make it easier to catch him.

"Attention all personnel, security measures have been activated. Do not attempt to leave the facility."

The warning continued to sound despite the security personnel returning to their other tasks. He knew that those so-called security measures would kill the human workers within the facility. That meant there was a good chance they would either slow him down or worse, disable him long enough for a capture team to arrive.

"All personnel should note that the fire suppression system will now be tested."

Fiends! The sudden shower of water soaked the inside of the facility and all those within its walls. Before the system cut out an electric pulse would be sent through the water in an attempt to disable his brain functions and allow them to find him. Had he not been at the front door, escape would have been impossible.

Deciding he had nothing to lose and grateful that he had decided not to use the armour, his body exploded into action, smashing through the doors and running towards freedom. What followed was a blur as he ran the gauntlet of defences intended to keep him inside. When he finally reached a road he managed to hitch a ride to the nearest town. Already he was planning where to go next.

Later

He finished reading through the reports and angrily pushed them into a drawer. The operation was a failure. Millions of dollars had been lost in the space of an afternoon and if the test subject was not recovered, the billions of dollars invested in their facility was at risk.

It would take months to begin work on a new prototype. Releasing whatever locks he had used to disable the prototype armour would require a rewrite of all its systems. More money down the drain. With Operation Lightspeed already close to going live, they could not afford this sort of disaster.

That was why he had agreed to the new contract. It wasn't the sort of thing his company specialised in. But he had a good idea of how to accomplish the task. With the right persuasion he would convince one of the facility's other guests to help him. After all making such deals was what he did best.

**End**

Disclaimer: I do not own the Power Rangers, they belong to their respective copyright owners. This fic takes place in the Conquest of Evil Universe

**Friendship beyond Death**

_Paris, France  
Less than a year earlier_

_In a deserted warehouse outside the city two figures watched as a third walked into the open._

_"Bulky, I'm bored," Skull complained from their hiding place behind some storage cans. "We've been watching this Ryan guy for hours. When are we going to go home?"_

_"Quiet Skull," Bulk hissed. "You know the boss said this guy is dangerous. Do you want to end up dead?"_

_Bulk and Skull had been in Spy Training ever since coming to France. To start with their training had been mostly physical training with a lot of paperwork. Both had benefited from the training. Skull had developed a sporting physique with good definition, built for speed and strength. Bulk on the other hand had lost most of his weight and replaced it was muscle. He now resembled a football player Angel Grove High would have killed for._

_In addition both had been taught to defend themselves and Skull's Swordsmanship training had improved on the previous lessons his uncle had given him._

_Both men had matured since being away from Angel Grove. They'd met new friends and colleagues and stopped fooling around. Both now bore a greater responsibility since they were able to carry guns._

_Unfortunately patience was one of the things neither boy had learnt yet. Both were still eager to please Inspector Klauseau, so when he had given them their first assignment they had jumped at the chance. A number of disappearances had taken place over the last few months and two names had been constant in each report: Richard Ryan and William Kincaid._

_"Hey look!" Skull said._

_Looking over towards the man they had been sent to trail they noticed a tall black man standing in front of him. From their position Bulk and Skull could see the two men were trash talking and it looked as though Ryan was winning the war of words._

_"Whoa!" Bulk exclaimed as he saw the larger man produce a cutlass and swipe at the youth known as Richard Ryan. "That's Kincaid."_

_"The other guy's got one too!" Skull added noting that Ryan had drawn a military sabre._

_A brief battle followed, neither opponent afraid to use under handed tactics to win. After what seemed like hours, Ryan drove his sword into his opponent's stomach._

_"He killed him," Bulk whispered._

_Skull didn't reply. For some reason he felt compelled to watch what was happening. Ryan was standing over his opponent sword raised over his head._

_Ryan yelled something but they could not make out the words as he brought the sword down, slicing through skin, muscle, blood vessels, bone, arteries, muscles and skin._

_Bulk and Skull were speechless having just witnessed their first murder. Sure they had seen monsters in Angel Grove and had live with a winged monkey and living skeleton for a few months, but nothing prepared them for what they had just seen._

_A strange mist seemed to float from the decapitated body and enter Ryan's body. The head and body disappeared into the smoke._

_"We need to go Bulky," Skull said urgently. Something told him what was about to occur. "Run!"_

_Bright lights filled the building. Something moved in the darkness. A bolt of stray energy hit the canisters that Bulk and Skull had been using for cover igniting the chemicals inside. As the canisters exploded, both boys scrambled to escape, Bulk's larger frame shielded his friend. Then time seemed to stop as another light engulfed them. When it lifted, Bulk was gone._

_There was a noise to his right. "Bulk?" Skull asked tentatively._

_There was no answer from his larger friend. Pulling himself to his feet he stumbled over to where the noise had originated and found his friend lying face down in the dirt. Skull checked his friend for injury. He didn't need to look very far; a piece of shrapnel was lodged in the back of Bulk's spine. A quick check and Skull knew there was no need to hurry with an ambulance. Farkus Bulkmier, known to the world as Bulk was dead._

Angel Grove  
The present

"Bulkie!"

Skull's snapped open, sweat soaking through the thin material of his T-shirt. He was shaking, trembling at the memory of his friend's death. He had believed that he was finally moving on with his life, but the dreams just hadn't stopped and since the resumption of hostilities by the Machine Empire and Rita Repulsa. But the nightmares had really started after he had seen Tommy and Goldar clash. For some reason that image had triggered his memory of Ryan and whomever he had killed that night.

"Maybe I should speak to Lita," he said. "Yeah sure, like I'm not already crazy enough, now I'm talking to myself."

Lita Kino was one of Angel Grove's psychologists. In the past she had helped the Rangers deal with the issues that could affect their ability to fight and most recently she had been assigned as part of the Student Services Team at Angel Grove High School. He guessed that if he needed to talk to somebody about Bulk, she would be his best bet.

He didn't notice as something moved outside his window, shuffling off to report to its master.

Miles above the Earth

"Count Dregon, the Maggots you ordered to watch Eugene Skullovitch have reported that the block we placed on the human is starting to fail," Nefaria reported.

That was unfortunate. During his time in Angel Grove, Skullovitch had gotten close to the Power Rangers of Earth. If the block that Dregon and his subordinates had placed on his mind failed, there was a chance the Rangers or worse, the Masked Rider, would discover what they had been up to. And if that happened, then months of research would be ruined.

"Devise a strategy to remove Skullovitch before he remembers," Dregon ordered.

He had a great deal invested in his little research project. Finding a way to deposit his forces on Earth without his nephew's knowledge had proven difficult. Still it had been necessary for him to do so if he wanted to enslave the planet. Since the facility had been put in place, his Maggots had captured as many species of animals as possible. He planned to understand them and then to find a way to mutate them into soldiers; on Edenoi he had used the native insect-type species to enhance the collection of cybernetic and mutated specimens that made up his army.

Of course Edenoi had been one of his favourite conquests. During the invasion he had captured and married King Lexian's daughter, securing himself a place within the Royal Family. He had then joined forces with Edenoi's rogue elements, warlords like Scorpius, and had launched an all out assault on the planet. He had slaughtered his brother-in-law, but a confrontation with King Lexian had left him scarred. Lexian had escaped his forces and had taken his grandson with him. If Dregon had managed to capture the infant Prince Dex, he would have been the legitimate ruler of the planet.

What Dregon had not known at the time - for even now Dregon was the first to admit that he was ignorant of the various heroes operating within his territory - was that Lexian was the holder of the Masked Rider powers. They were powers Dregon could not claim because even though he could duplicate the technology, they were bound to Lexian's lineage.

Instead Dex had been taken into hiding and he had been unable to claim the powers. He had been forced to enslave the fiercely loyal population while he searched for the fugitive king. Then the day he had feared had arrived, Prince Dex was appointed as the Masked Rider for Edenoi. Dregon had not been foolish enough to remain once Dex had motivated the King's forces. He had decided to track down the Power Rangers that had turned up to help his nephew, and in doing so had found his way to Earth.

For two years Dregon had attempted to conquer the planet, using strategies that had worked on other planets. His nephew had thwarted his plans each time. So Dregon had decided to use the creatures of Earth to create a more powerful army that he could turn against the human population.

It had been a stealth operation, carried out while Dregon had continued to send Insectivores to Leewood. He had acquired the services of the Earth's most prominent scientists to help him. While some worked in laboratories using knowledge he provided to break down the genetic coding of all forms of organic life on the planet, others worked to find ways to alter those genetic codes although they had not been told how their research would be used.

Additional special teams had been assembled, some dedicated to investigating mythical islands like Lemuria, Laputa and Animaria, while others had been given leave to search for useable genetic material from the creatures once known as dinosaurs. He had established contacts within the governments of the world, allowing him access to all manner of beasts; if single monster attacks would not work, he planned to bombard the planet with hundreds of mutant soldiers; animal or plant, living or deceased, native or alien, it wouldn't matter once those he employed unlocked the secrets to life itself.

Part of his plans had required him to collect living humans as specimens. Unfortunately when he had sent the Maggots to collect test subjects, he had not specified that they should not take anybody affiliated to Angel Grove, the Power Rangers or his nephew. It should have been an obvious thought, but then Maggots were not known for their mental prowess.

So they would not attract attention, those they had taken had been snatched away from certain death, such as one Farkus Bulkmier who had been taken after being killed during a freak lightning storm. They had not noticed his friend until after the kidnapping and had been forced to alter Skullovitch's memory of the event; kidnapping both Bulk and Skull would have drawn the interest of unwanted parties.

Since his supposed death, Bulk had been the guinea pig for some especially cruel experiments conducted by beautiful yet merciless Ms Canker. He had endured countless hours of discomfort as scientists had attempted to find ways on infusing humans with animal and plant traits before discovering that the trick was to implant plants and animals with genetic material from humans. Further work had already started on combining the properties of plants, animals and technology to form new hybrids and several papers had been produced on how the combination of technology with Org spirits could be used to create new life.

And now months later the block they had used on Skullovitch was starting to break down. Soon he would remember the real events of his friend's kidnapping, and that in turn would lead to the involvement of the Rangers. ~I should have just had the Maggots return him and erased both their memories,~ he thought. ~still, it is Angel Grove and accidents do happen...~

"I calculate a ninety-eight percent chance of exposure if subject achieves total recall, an eighty percent risk of exposure if he achieves partial memory restoration..."

"Thank you, Fact. That will be all," Dregon interrupted before the robot managed to reel off statistics for all the possible outcomes.

"Fact unit has further calculations available."

"Yes well... I get the idea. Report for recharge."

"Compliance."

With the annoying yet extremely useful machine that was a clear masterpiece of technology upgraded by Mondo's forces gone, Dregon tapped his mask a few times as if thinking, then smiled. "Nefaria, dear... pick an Insectivore, any Insectivore..."

"Oh, you've been watching the Doom Tree Saga again, haven't you?"

Dregon laughed. "I might actually choose a few Japanese artists to join my court bards after I conquer Earth," he said as he gestured to the shelves that held his monsters. These were his older specimens made from mutated Edenite DNA. Once he unlocked the key to human hybrids though he would replace this outdated collection.

Nefaria smiled seductively and walked over to the shelf. "Hmm... ah!" She grabbed one that looked like a fire ant walking on four of its legs and using the other two as arms. "I choose this one."

Dregon smiled. "Ah... Inferno. I had good results using this one that little rebellion on Theadon," he said, sending the being down to Earth. Inferno would deal with Skullovitch and the humans would be none the wiser.

_Paris Mortuary,  
Months Earlier_

_"Monsieur Skullovitch, I know this is difficult but I would ask you to look at the body in this room and tell me if it is indeed Farkus Bulkmier," the police official said._

_"Oui Monsieur," Skull replied._

_He gazed at Bulk's body noting the peaceful look on the boy's face. His heart sank, as he thought of life on his own._

_"Au revoir, Bulky," Skull said before allowing the morgue officials to show him out._

Angel Grove  
The present

He remembered that day clearly, the image of his friend lying on the table forever etched in his memory. But something wasn't right about the memory. He hadn't noticed before, there had seemed nothing unusual about the proceedings, which had played out like an old television movie.

And that was a problem. His memory of events was wrong, the morgue had been wrong. As a detective he had visited the building on occasion, and had remarked to Bulk how plain the buildings appeared, certainly not the huge gothic building he had seen on television, or in his memories.

~But why would I remember the wrong building?~ he asked himself.

That thought caused him to remember the events of that fateful night. As he played them back again, he noticed how some incidents were seemed more real than others. Too real, there was a sickly and artificial feel to them.

He didn't notice as he continued to concentrate that his body had started to glow. White and silver light surrounded him, magical energy burning through the false memories as he started to see the truth.

Skull was taken by surprised as power flared around him, locking onto the incoming threat of the Maggots as they arrived. As the light faded, Eugene Skullovitch found himself clad in a white suit with silver decorations. It was similar to the uniforms worn by the Power Rangers, although he could not recall ever seeing them wearing that particular design. It was an interesting material. While it was not solid armour, it wasn't the thin fabric that the Power Rangers were regularly seen in. Leather was the closest description he could think of although as he stared he could see the silvery sheen moving on the surface.

Instinctively, he tried a few kicks, and found that despite the obvious weight of his new uniform, it was extremely easy for him to move. His movements were swift and with a little concentration he could feel himself lifting from the ground.

"Not bad," he grinned, confused about what had just happened, but so used to strange things happening that he wasn't about to panic. "I must be some sort of hero... Let's see what I have for a weapon." Concentrating, he felt a surge of energy and as he extended his hand, the energy coalesced into a long silver sabre. It was a cavalry sabre, approximately two and a half feet long, made of purest silver. Skull had a feeling, however, that it was a lot harder than steel. He tested its weight and heft with a few practice swings and thrusts, letting out a delighted laugh. "It's perfect!" he grinned to himself. "Perfectly balanced. Makes sense, I guess."

Then he remembered where he was, just as the first Maggot lunged forward.

"My Lord, Skullovitch has transformed into an unknown warrior," Cycloptor announced, earning a glare from Nefaria, who had been enjoying the villain's attention. "He has proven highly resistant to the efforts of your Maggots."

"My research shows that humans are very sentimental," Nefaria said before Dregon could respond. "Why not send his friend to retrieve him, since it is their... friendship that is causing us problems."

"Yes, a beautiful plan Nefaria. Send in the Commandoids and instruct them to take Bulkmier with them."

For months he had been kept in a small room. He couldn't call it a cell. For one thing all the cells he had ever seen on television appeared far more comfortable. After his capture, Dreeg or whatever his name was, had subjected him to countless tests before deeming that he would be most useful as cannon fodder. As a result, Farkus Bulkmier had been recruited into Dregon's small army of human slaves.

Except something had not gone to plan. Bulk had not been brainwashed as easily as the other subjects, although certain people would argue that he lacked a brain in the first place. He had kept his independence while hiding his defiance behind a mask.

Bulk was good at wearing masks. He and Skull had worn many masks over the years, mostly to cover up their feelings of loneliness, jealousy and inadequacy. They had played the roles of the bullies, the fools and on occasion the clueless. They had searched for the identity of the Power Rangers because by doing so they had put others off of doing so. They had played bullies, but had done so in such a way that nobody was allowed to bully the other students except them, and they made sure that they were not so much feared as pitied.

Still, when he was pulled from his room and told that he was to be a part of the squad sent to capture Skull, it had taken all the acting skills he possessed not to show the concern he felt. Even as he was forced into line with other conscripts, those who were already too far gone to be saved from Dregon's programming, he was wondering what he could do to get out of the situation with his life. He was so preoccupied that he didn't notice the faint trail of golden sparks that ran the length of his body.

Skull was outnumbered, but with his new powers he managed to overpower his attackers. His sabre made short work of any Maggots foolish enough to move within the arc of his blade. As they swarmed forward though he was unable to hold back the pushing mass of foot-soldiers. A small amount of energy flowing through the tip of the blade allowed it to slice the Maggots in half.

Then a new group of warriors arrived, wearing hockey masks. He found himself surrounded by the strange foot-soldiers and for a moment considered fleeing. That was until one of the Commandoids ploughed into his comrades with a shoulder block. Skull watched, impressed as the large man slammed into the Commandoids.

Bulk knew that he had changed a great deal during his captivity. Not only had he lost weight, the regime had added muscle to his frame. As he shoved the nearest Maggot, he was pleased with the result. His body was pulsing as the same energy that had turned Skull into a superhero, transformed him into a black and gold clad warrior. An axe appeared in his hand as instinct took over and he tore into their collective opponents.

Skull didn't know the identity of the other combatant, but was grateful for the help as together they chopped and hacked their way through their opponents. He found the knowledge he needed miraculously appeared in his mind when he called for it.

"Power Kick!" he cried, ploughing into a group of foot-soldiers.

"Power Punch!" his ally yelled before shoving his way into the throng. "Look out!"

Skull dodged just as the Insectivore that had snuck up behind him hissed out a blast of flame.

"Surrender humans!" The monster's voice was full of clicks and hisses.

Inferno was cut short as both warriors put their bladed weapons aside and opted for something that offered more protection. Metal plates appeared around their upper bodies, forearms and lower legs. A helmet appeared on their respective heads. Their weapons grew bulkier and gleamed as they launched themselves into battle.

"Battle Bike!" they called.

In a lockup garage in the suburbs of Angel Grove, the duo's commands were obeyed. Before they had gone to France they had spent many an hour working on their motorcycle sidecar. And over the years it had been just as affected by the magical activity in the area as they had. So with a little prompting from the Power, the bike was teleported to its waiting masters, ready for combat.

"Wow, this thing never looked better," Skull commented as he climbed onto the bike.

The addition of its rider promptly transformed the bike, making it more streamlined and better protected. The sidecar offered even more protection to the occupant and Bulk promptly clambered inside.

"Yeah, we could never have gotten it to look this good," Bulk agreed.

He sensed the moment that his words sank in. Skull froze, looking at the other hero in disbelief. There was no way this could be happening, the chances were just too remote.

"Bulk?" Skull dared to ask. "BULKIE!"

There was a touching moment as the two friends embraced, each trying to tell the other how good it was to see them again. It was a moment that was interrupted when they discovered just how volatile their new armour could be, and further ruined when the Insectivore decided to attack.

"Hey!" Bulk complained as Skull was forced to rev the engine to avoid the incoming attack. "We're having a moment here."

"Yeah!" Skull added. "A moment... good to have you back Bulkie."

"Good to be back Numbskull," Bulk answered. "Now, let's finish this guy."

Skull directed the bike away from the Insectivore, building up a distance between them before turning back to face him. The bike lurched forward, building up speed and then stopped, launching the sidecar into the monster. The rocket propelled sidecar connected, sent Inferno rolling backwards.

" Power Sabre!"

"Power Axe!"

The Insectivore never stood a chance as two energised weapons split it down the middle. As they turned away from the explosion it suddenly occurred to them that they had been reunited... and they were super heroes.

"Oh boy," Skull remarked as the armour withdrew. "I think we need to talk to the head."

Power Chamber

It took a few hours for Bulk and Skull to get over their delight at being reunited and teleported to the Power Chamber, a task made difficult because Bulk had yet to be given a communicator. Once they had arrived though, Zordon and Alpha had worked tirelessly to confirm that it was indeed Bulk.

Once that had been established and Bulk had told his story, they had called the Rangers together. They had also summoned Prince Dex. Their presence was threefold: to continue scanning for the mysterious ship from the night before, to hear Bulk and Skull's story, and to determine how to explain away Bulk's absence.

The latter problem was solved when Skull remembered just how few people had cared about Bulk's death, or even remembered that it had happened. They decided that given Bulk's ability to get into trouble, they would just admit he had been abducted by aliens. The news had been acceptable to most although he had been forced to agree to meet with a scientist to discuss his experience. That done their attention turned to Dex.

For the veteran Masked Rider this turn of events had been unexpected. When his last apprentice, Jesse, had been destroyed during the Minion Crisis, Dex had thought that the powers of Earth's Masked Rider had died with him. Now it seemed that the Power had chosen two new warriors to help put a stop to Dregon. They were not Masked Riders, but they were not Power Rangers either.

"Thank you for the information," he said finally. "Dregon has somehow managed to avoid detection. That will stop today."

"Zordon, what are Bulk and Skull going to do now?" Kimberly asked. She had not let go of her boyfriend since he arrived.

"I will help provide the training they need," Dex offered. "Earth is too valuable a planet not to be protected. I am sure Bulk and Skull will prove invaluable in the fight against Dregon."

After a while the Rangers with the exception of Kimberly had left and Dex had returned to Leewood, allowing Bulk and Skull time to speak with Zordon. There were many things to sort out and the first step was taken later that day when Bulk teleported away to meet with his family, leaving Kimberly and Skull to head to the Juice Bar for a Smoothie.

Zordon watched them go, conflicted by the recent events. He had been pleased that Bulk was alive, even though he had never met him in person. On the other hand he was a strong believer that there had to be balance in the Universe. For the forces of good to have received such a boost for Bulk's return could only mean that there was something sinister on the horizon.

Los Angeles  
Night time

He staggered into the street, right into the path of a young woman heading home after a hard day. He stooped, unable to keep his balance, indifferent to the clatter of tins as she dropped her paper shopping bag and ran to his side.

"Are you okay?" she asked, offering him a handkerchief as he continued to cough. Spots of blood-covered cotton as his body shook in another coughing fit.

"Yes, thank you," he managed between coughs.

He looked ill, on the point of collapse if he didn't have her to hold him up. The woman looked around, hoping there was a phone or at least somebody that could call an ambulance; she didn't think for a moment that leaving the poor man alone would be a good idea.

"You're very kind," the young man told her, wiping a hand across his dark skin. "I'm sorry I have to do this."

"What?"

She tried to pull away, but his hand gripped her wrist tightly, pulling her close despite her struggles. For the first time she noticed that he was wearing a black glove with raised metal rivets.

"I have some good news and some bad news," he told her, flashing a charming smile as he did so. "The bad news is this will hurt like hell. The good news is that I won't feel a thing."

His hand moved to her throat, squeezing to stop her from catching a breath. The skin on her face grew painfully tight against her skull as her eyes bulged from the pressure. The blood pressure built in the arteries of her neck as her face was set into an agonised grimace. He watched her expression carefully and when it seemed she was on the point of passing out, he put his other hand on the top of her head.

Black energy trailed up his arm and into his chest as he fed on the bio-electrical energy in her body, draining her life into his body where he could use it to stabilise him. He grinned as she passed out and continued to drain her. He took all her energy, killing every cell as he greedily fed.

"I guess I still have that killer smile," he smirked before shimmering away.

**End of Part**

Disclaimer: I do not own the Power Rangers, they belong to their respective copyright owners. No profit is being made from this piece of fan work.

**Starting Anew**

Angel Grove

After awakening from his enforced coma, and following the assistance he had given to the Rangers against Drac'cuul, it had been decided that Nathan Oliver, an unwitting time traveller from a dark future, would remain at the Power Chamber long enough for Zordon and the other Ranger to determine the fate of his powers. At the time of his arrival the energies that had controlled his morphing ability had been uncontrollable, forcing the Rangers to take drastic steps to force him back into his human state. To help him understand the nature of the powers that had survived his experience, Zordon had devised a number of tests.

It was a controversial move that had drawn the attention of the Galactic Council's most senior members. As potentially the single most powerful Ranger in existence, assuming of course that he could still use his powers, Nathan's future had been a matter of some debate. Some councillors had gone so far as to demand that the youth's unorthodox transformation device be broken down into its component parts and that while some remained on Earth, others should be handed over to their control.

The Rangers were not taking any chances during the early stages of testing and had made a point of transporting Nathan a safe distance from the Power Chamber while positioning those observing the tests inside a reinforced bunker.

"Zordon, I can stress the concern this body feels about this experiment," somebody was saying.

"Councillor Rheina, I have assured the Council countless times that Nathan is unwilling to accept your offer, has no allegiance to the Council and as a resident of the planet Earth is outside your jurisdiction."

"Still if you ordered him, he would agree," the councillor pointed out.

"Nor Councillor is he under my command. We do not know how he acquired his powers, but there were no Morphin Masters at that time to act as his mentors."

"You've been warned Zordon," Ommtette stated, realising there was little he could say to alter the White Morphin Master's stance; on Earth the Council had no authority. "If anything goes wrong, you will be held responsible."

As the two politicians continued their discussions, the Zeo Rangers were busy positioning the last pieces of a complex metal wall in position. Built from gold, silver and other materials known to absorb the energies that Rangers wielded when morphed, it functioned as an adapted Faraday cage in case anything went wrong.

"Now that you've found your centre, try to draw the energy along your arm and into your hands, then allow it to return to your chest," Zordon instructed. In the initial stages he was using meditation and focus building exercises to direct his student.

As the Morphin Master continued to offer advice, Nathan strained to complete the exercise. He had never been taught how to use his powers; there hadn't been time to find ways to develop the channels needed to direct the flow of power. And since there was no way for him to summon the Power Pack without triggering at least a partial transformation, it was still unclear exactly how his powers would manifest. They couldn't even guarantee that some of the components still functioned.

If they could force the Power Box back into reality, Nathan seriously doubted that it would remain intact for long. Its nature made it too unstable as a breakdown in any one component had the potential to destabilise the complex energy matrix of the remaining pieces.

Drawing from his body's natural energy was surprisingly simple, almost instinctive. The success was noticeable as Nathan's skin started to glow, a clear indication that his powers were on the point of igniting once more. With an effort he managed to suppress the process, keeping it from spiralling out of control, well aware that to do so would risk the overload he had suffered the last time.

"Good. Now this time, try to force the energy into a beam of light through your fingertips and merging the light into a ball."

Nathan frowned as he concentrated harder. His powers wanted to help him, to do the work for him, but he refused to let the potent energy escape his control. With a grunt he managed to force the energy through his fingertips, but his attempt was a little too forceful as the explosive beams of light punched holes in the nearby mountainside.

The burst of energy could be seen for miles around as Nathan struggled to maintain control.

"Concentrate Nathan," Tommy urged. "If you can't contain it, shape it to do what you want, what you need."

Nathan didn't reply, his mind focussed on stopping the escalating power surge. He tried to force the Power to take a form, focussing on the Rangers he had seen in action since coming to this world. He fought to keep his thoughts in the present, desperate to quench the memories that wanted to break free at this most inappropriate of times. That didn't stop the images from drifting through his head, diverting his attention as his demons tried to assert themselves.

"That's it," Tanya encouraged. "You're almost there."

The beacon of uncontrolled energy lit up the land, causing a few random sandstorms on the other side of the world. With a new sense of urgency Nathan fought the process, bending it to his mind, his thoughts racing between the form he wanted to take and those things he remembered.

"Power Up!"

It was one of many phrases that came to mind. It didn't fit the transformation, but at that time he was too busy to worry about that. The process was still not entirely under control. He could feel himself being pulled in different directions as the different energy types fought for dominance.

"Power Down!"

He hadn't been certain if this would work until he tried it. The magical powers of the Morphin Grid obeyed his command, ceasing to flow almost immediately and leaving behind a golden bracelet containing eight coloured stones. The other energy sources were scientific in nature and could not be directed by willpower alone. Instead of deactivating, they tried to break away from his control, manifesting a few meters away.

"Nathan, the Power Box is growing unstable," Billy warned.

The Power Box had been designed to operate as a collective unit and could not process the multiple data streams that overwhelmed its controls. Realising that an exploding multi-morpher would likely prove more destructive than many of the world's nuclear weapons, he used his freshly gained powers to suppress the cascading reaction and shut the powers down manually.

The smoke took a while to clear, but when it did the Rangers could see that the experiment had been a success. Nathan stood unharmed, a gold coin clutched firmly in his hand remained.

"I believe that will be enough for one day," Zordon decided.

Off to one side another observer, a Time Lord known as the Doctor watched in amusement. He found the experiments interesting. Training Nathan was proving to be a challenge, which was great since he found it distracted him from his own problems, such as how he came to be in Angel Grove. This was not the Earth that he had known. History had been rewritten, causing a war that humans should have remained blissfully unaware of, to feature Earth as one of the higher value prizes. At first he had believed that this was an alternate reality or parallel universe as he preffered to think of it, which perhaps his time machine's strange and only recently developed habit of locking onto strange upheavals had transferred them to somewhere that they shouldn't be. However his checks had revealed that this was his universe and that the war that his people had been speaking of for hundreds of years as not far away.

Sam was all right of course and had taken their recent vacation from travelling as a chance to see America. He had however given her strict instructions not to contact her parents or travel to see them.

For now though his objective was simply to help Nathan and the other Rangers to avoid a potential disaster. It didn't matter that they were using a power source that his race would frown upon. All that mattered was that the young man had access to energy, a lot of it, potent enough to wipe out half the planet if let loose in an uncontrolled fashion; he didn't want to think how much damage a total lack of control could cause.

It was made more difficult because not only did the boy have to channel and control more energy than the human body was intended to hold, but part of that energy was magical in nature; with powers such as Zeo, one and one would usually equal two, but with magic one and one simply equalled more than you started with. Not for the first time he wondered how Nathan had been able to control such a mismatched collection of energy currents in the first place.

"Ready?"

Nathan nodded, feeling the power inside of him. He had made great progress in channelling the energy that coursed through him, a feat made easier when it had been suggested that journeying through time had altered his powers. Currently he was concentrating on the Morphin energies, which required the most care and some sort of outlet to avoid an overload.

"Power Up!"

After the previous attempt, Nathan had discovered an instinctive knowledge of his powers that all Rangers possessed on some level. That knowledge had allowed Zordon and Alpha to turn the bracelet and coin into an effective morpher, which channelled the power spike and using a template stored within, created the armour of Earth's newest Power Ranger. The suit of tight fitting material was mostly dark grey; the boots were grey, the gloves were grey, and even the helmet was grey. To offset the dark appearance, the top of his boots, the end of his gauntlet gloves, belt and shoulder pads were black, as was the trim surrounding his helmet's visor. Golden thread had been used to create a series of diamond shapes, which ran down the outside of his arms and legs. The same thread had been used to create a dinosaur foot inside a circle on his chest. A small crest rose from the front of his helmet and extended around to the back.

"Congratulations Nathan, your morph is completely stable," Zordon confirmed after Alpha had conducted a few tests.

It had taken a while to discover why the previous attempts had failed. Once it had been suggested that the problem was due to Nathan lacking any real knowledge of the Morphin Grid when constructing his powers. The coins he had used to channel the Morphin energy had been those damaged by Rito Revolto, which had been originally based upon the power of Dinosaurs, but later modified to use the power of Thunder. The resulting use of such coins had caused Nathan to drawn from both sources simultaneously.

"You were right Zordon, the powers combine the Body and Mind aspects of the power," Alpha reported.

"In battle you will yield the Brachio Staff, a weapon you have proven to possess great potency and adaptability," Zordon continued. "The staff will afford you greater protection in battle and offset the lack of a personal Zord."

While Nathan had the power to operate a Zord, his unorthodox morpher had not been configured to work with a specific machine. Since there were already plenty of Zords on Earth and more than enough Rangers to operate them, Zordon didn't intend to alter that situation.

"Hey, whaz goin' on?"

Nathan looked for the source of the voice, eventually tracking it to the morpher on his wrist. His morpher was speaking to him. In some instances this would have been weird, but after all the things he had been through, a talking wristwatch was not that strange. A memory started to push its way to the surface, bringing with it a name.

"Tweeki?" he asked.

"How's it goin' boss?" the one-time Alpha unit asked. "I can't believe we made it. No way you should ha' survived that."

Tweeki's words brought back some of the memories that had been hidden from him. He remembered his world, the loss of everything he held dear and all because of a single villain. He remembered a battle, a desperate act that had led to him landing a devastating blow to a unbelievably powerful villain; he also recalled his horror moments later when he realised that his powers were out of control.

"Hey hey hey boss, wadja do to ya pow'rs? You had Power Coins, the Zeo Crystal and a Golden Power Staff in 'ere. Where'd they go?"

As Nathan with a little help from Zordon and Alpha explained what had happened, Tweeki ran a check of his Ranger's powers. The results would take weeks to compile and would prove a cause for concern.

Sometime later

"And furthermore, it is the decision of this panel that the Ranger known as Nathan Oliver not be permitted to morph until his powers have been examined by a Morphin Master that the Council has approved. Zordon, you are to demand that he hand over his morpher immediately; should he refuse he is to be dealt with as an enemy. The powers that Oliver displays are too great for a single person to hold. Should he turn rogue there is no guarantee that your current teams could stop him."

"I will do my best Councillor Rheina," Zordon agreed. He didn't have much choice in the matter. The Council could not command the Rangers under his supervision to do anything, but they were technically his superiors.

"You had better Zordon. The Council has been very indulgent when it comes to your activities. The teams you have created are independent, but you are not. We can always request the Morphin Masters to replace you with a more cooperative representative."

The communication ended and not for the first time Zordon realised that he truly despised politics. There had been no plans to include Nathan in protecting the planet anyway. Training him to use his powers had been important to prevent any unfortunate accidents. Still this was the latest in a number of decrees made by the Council and aimed at interfering in the way Zordon and his Rangers operated. Since the Drac'cuul incident the Council had become more aware of what the Rangers of Earth could do and given the belief that Earth was a planet filled with primitives, those revelations had been alarming.

Chicago  
2300 Hrs

They were making love in the back of his stretched limousine and she was reaching her peak, dragging her fingers down the length of his bed, leaving a thin trail of marks in their wake. She was wonderful, the best hooker that he had ever found while curb crawling through the streets of Chicago. Long blond hair and legs that seemed to go on for miles, her soft Australian accent had been the thing that had encouraged her to pay her the extra; he usually got his jollies for less than ten dollars.

"Oh baby, you're the best," he panted.

She remained silent, her face fixed in an expression that showed that while she seemed to be enjoying herself, it was hardly the best experience of her life.

"Tell me you want it," he encouraged, his ego demanding some sort of response.

"Oh I want it," she told him, running her hand over his face. "I want everything you have big boy."

When had the glove appeared on her hand, he was certain it had not been there before. He could feel the cold metal studs as she drew them over his shoulder.

"I'll take it all," she told him as his body reach the height of ecstasy.

He grunted in satisfaction. She was the best prostitute he had ever had in his car. She was worth every cent he had paid for her services. She was - refusing to let go as she pulled his head into her chest.

"Relax honey," she whispered, "this won't take any longer than you did."

She purred as he started to scream. She enjoyed the sex, but it was the moment she got to take everything she wanted, that she lived for. As she drained his body's energy she started to fell more alive, it was a rush that would last for a few days before she would need to find a new victim. It was an annoyance, but the price of her continued survival.

"Say my name, Boy!" She told him, pulling back on his hair so she could look into his terrified eyes.

"Cathy!" he croaked with his dying breath.

"And don't you forget it," she told him as she tossed his limp body away, propelling it through the car door and into the street before picking herself up off the seat, reclaiming her clothes and shimmering away in a haze of pink.

**End of Part**

Disclaimer: I do not own the Power Rangers or any other show. No profit is being made from this piece of fanfiction. The next few chapters will borrow heavily from Turbo: A Power Ranger Movie.  
Author's Note: Some events in this chapter follow on from those Lerigot's Greatest Trick.

**The Price of Charity**

Klatos Seven

The tip of the arrowhead glistened in the afternoon sun as a misshapen hand drew back the bow string until it was taut, notched an arrow and realised it with practised ease. The snap of the wire was the only sound as the arrow flew through the air, driving itself into a rotten log, resulting in an explosion of light.

*Father, they found us,* Bethel cried, her panic overwhelming the mental connection among the three escapees.

Her father, Lerigot placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder before regarding the spell he had been working on. The long distance doorway he had been working to create was finished, but the arrow had prevented him from fine-tuning their destination.

*Stay here and prepare for transport,* the wizard instructed, allowing their attacker to catch a glimpse of him as he ran into the undergrowth. *I will be back when the door is fully opened.*

The furry, gnome-like creature jumped over logs, fleeing in supposed terror into the brush. The two oversized warriors pursuing him followed, one of them taking aim. The arrow crunched into a tree just inches over the fleeing wizard's head with a resounding slam.

Earth

With a resounding slam the foot connected with the red punching bag. The filtered light gave the fighter a shadowy appearance as his sweaty body moved with practised precision. As he moved, his long hair flew out of his eyes eliciting another grunt from his muscular chest. This was a workout and from the fighter's panting it was clear that he had been exerting himself for a while. As he moved, another fighter entered the fray, his fist making contact with the bag from an entirely different direction. There was a whoosh of air as the bag swung wildly to one side.

Klatos Seven

There was a distinct whooshing sound as the creature swung from a vine and dropped down in a roll on the ground. He rose quickly and continued through the forest of dense vegetation and shrouded mists. He could hear his pursuers not far behind him, but Lerigot knew they would not catch him. He was after all a powerful wizard.

He missed his human form, but away from his home planet he was resigned to wearing the coarse woven robe belted with twine that covered his silver and gold fur. He threw a small amount of powder from the worn leather pouch at his waist, hiding his trail for a moment longer.

There was a loud crash as the two warriors broke through the brush behind him. It was too late to catch him though as Lerigot vanished around the corner making frantic trills and clicking noises that he knew those waiting for him would understand. The powder worked its magic and though the arrows slashed the air around him, they were incapable of piercing his hide.

His pursuers were thrown for a moment, long enough for him to return to his wife and daughter. His luminous eyes peered into those of his terrified daughter as she stared into his lavender orbs. He stopped just long enough to ensure that the doorway between worlds was finally open before heading off in a different direction, once again buying time for his family.

High above the planet the Space Pirate, Divatox, watched her warriors. Her slender hands, which were encased in metal, wrapped around the sides of a periscope, tightening as she saw the arrows almost strike the fugitive wizard. With a growl she slammed the periscope up. Her ebony hair flailed, shifting the silver streaks that ran down her back.

Divatox was known for her beauty, but woe betides any man foolish enough to believe that beauty extended beneath the skin. She was a sinister nomad, a barbaric pirate who was not afraid to marry those whose wealth she wanted and then kill them.

"Fools!" she snarled as she slammed her fist on the control panel. "I want that fur ball wizard alive!"

Earth  
Present, 1100hrs

The three shadows lunged at the bag, one after the other. Tommy's hair whirled uncontrollably as he delivered a fierce punch before ducking aside to allow Rocky a chance to slam his forearm into the side and Adam to land a swift kick. With a cry of rage Tommy delivered a spin kick that threatened to tear the punch bag from its mountings.

Klatos Seven

They were far from the ritual site now and Lerigot continued to keep himself just outside the range of his pursuers. At the opportune moment he stumbled, slipping on the wet stones of the almost dry river bed. The hem of his robe snagged on a tree root and he let out a small cry of panic as he fell forward. He had lost valuable time and from the noise behind him it was clear that his had caught up.

"Say your prayers, Lerigot!" one of the warriors cried.

Lerigot's response was to surround himself with dust, knowing it would confuse his enemies long enough for him to make the small teleport back to the clearing where he had left his wife and child.

The warriors moved their mounts forward, backing what they believed to be Lerigot into the trunk of a tree. The warrior raised his bow, aimed and then stopped.

"What are you waiting for?" the other warrior demanded.

The shooter struggled against the unseen, hypnotic effect of the glowing dust. He finally managed to loose the arrow, just as Lerigot disappeared. The arrow embedded itself within the tree.

"He's not there!" the first exclaimed.

The other growled in agreement.

He reappeared just outside the clearing only to find it empty, the ritual site destroyed by Divatox's forces. His wife and child were gone, his deception had failed and he didn't have time to discover whether they had escaped or been taken because Divatox's forces had found him again. Resolving to trust that his loved ones were safe, and planning to return as soon as he could rebuild the doorway on the other side of the gap, he reached into the leather pouch at his waist and removed his Golden Key. Using the power of the key to grab the residual energy of the doorway, he was able to create a whirling vortex.

With a final glance at his attackers he jumped into the portal and disappeared, oblivious to the angry cries of the approaching hunters as they realised their quarry had escaped them again.

Angel Grove, Earth

The little yellow bus barrelled down the road, the words Little Angel's Haven written on its side in fading black paint. It was a sign of just how bad things had become for the shelter when they could barely keep their bus road legal. The shelter was desperately in need of funding if it was going to survive. The grant from the Wayne Foundation allowed them to cover their day-to-day costs, but the mortgage payments were behind and their bankers were on the point of foreclosing; that a major developer had been making offers to the owners of surrounding properties had made it more profitable should the bank repossess.

They had tried to keep the news from the children, not wanting them to worry about matters they could not control. Unfortunately while most had been willing to believe that everything was okay, there were a few that were just too perceptive for their own good or had too many worries of their own to join in with the singing.

Always happy to help a good cause, the teenagers known to a select few as the Power Rangers had been recruited to help in a charity drive to save the home. Rocky, Adam and Tommy had entered a competition with the promise of donating their winnings to the good cause. Tanya and Kat had volunteered to give the children a day out, which included a visit to see the boys training.

"Row, row, row your boat, gently down the stream..."

While Tanya led the group in a cheerful round of singing, Kat walked up and down the isle, ensuring their charges were okay. She stopped in the middle of the bus when she noticed twelve year old Justin Stewart was not taking part. She knew he had been expecting to leave the shelter to live with his father, and while she didn't know exactly what had happened, it was well known that Dean Stewart was not the most reliable person. With the recent loss of his wife, Justin's father had been away from home, trying to start a new life in another state. It was clear that the disappointment had had an effect on the grieving boy who currently stared sadly out of the window.

"Hey Justin," she greeted as she sat on the seat beside him. "I know you know the words."

"I just don't feel like singing," Justin replied.

"Is everything all right?" she pressed.

"Everything's fine," Justin told her, his tone giving away his slight irritation at the questioning. He shrugged apologetically. "It's no big deal. I just don't want to sing."

Kat sighed, realising that despite wanting to help those in pain, until Justin was willing to open up there was little she could do. As the boy went back to staring out the window, Kat and Tanya exchanged a helpless look before the Pink Ranger continued her way down the bus.

Angel Grove Arena  
1400hrs

They had been at it for five hours and they were growing tired. Tommy, Rocky and Adam were embroiled in a fierce training session inside a three-roped ring. They separated out as Tommy and Rocky started to spar against each other.

"No Tommy, follow it through!" Coach Jim Daniels, a commanding man instructed. Coach Daniels had taken over the duties of teaching Physical Education when Principal Caplan had been too busy to split his duties as administrator of the High School with his role as Gym teacher.

Tommy obeyed, lunging as Rocky and knocking him backwards. While Coach Daniels wasn't into Martial Arts, there was no questioning his ability to motivate his students. He knew what Tommy, Adam and Rocky could do and had resigned himself to keeping them focussed and allowing them to adjust their techniques. Fortunately he knew a bit about Boxing.

"Rocky! Get back in there!" he shouted.

Rocky nodded once and launched a kick, which Tommy deflected with his hands.

"Good, now Adam!"

Adam ran forward and joined the other two. He twisted and jumped in the air, and landed a kick that didn't meet its destination. His next kick was spot on target, but the coach was determined that they would get it right every time.

"Rocky, swing kick!" he ordered, "my hand!"

Rocky tried, but missed the Coach's hand, and landed hard.

"Man! I'm giving it all I've got!" the Blue Ranger groaned as Adam helped him up.

"Maybe we're trying too hard," Adam suggested. "This isn't a fight to the death, maybe we're taking it too seriously."

Rocky shrugged. "Or maybe I'm not trying hard enough ... Hiya!"

He jumped toward the coach's raised hand in a high, hard kick. He hit the target, but tripped over his own feet and landed on the mat.

"You okay Bro?" Tommy asked.

Rocky nodded as Tommy and Adam helped the bruised teen back to his feet.

"Only bruised my pride," he quipped.

"Let's take a break guys," the coach said. "Start again in two hours."

The teens nodded gratefully and made their way from the ring in time to meet Kat and Tanya as they led their group into the arena.

Kat and Tanya walked behind the group of kids as they moved toward the main area of the arena. Justin walked by himself, a bit removed from the others, something the two girls noticed.

"I wish there was a way to get through to Justin," Kat said. "I know he wants to be a part of things. Maybe watching the guys practice will cheer him up."

"He needs a little time to adjust," Tanya told her. "I mean one minute he's got a home and the next minute his mother has passed away and he's living in a shelter. He's a smart kid, but that's still a lot to take in. Hopefully his father will find a job soon so they can be a family again."

"I hope so, I think they really need each other right now," Kat sighed. "I just wish he would understand that it's okay for him to have fun even though he misses her."

Kat and Tanya ushered the children into the main area of the arena. They stopped when they were met by Rocky, Tommy and Adam in tow.

"Hey guys, who wants a picnic?" Tommy asked. The trip had been intended to show the kids that there were those working hard to raise the money to keep the Shelter open, but since they had decided to take a break, Tommy thought it was a good idea to move the agenda forward.

He was met by enthusiastic nods, especially from Rocky.

"Hey, it was a great kick ..." he could be heard saying to Adam. "The landing needs a little work."

There was a mix of relieved laughter as the group moved outside.

Klatos Seven

SLAP!

It was a powerful blow that carried all of Divatox's displeasure, something the two useless warriors could understand.

"What do you mean he got away?" she asked, towering over the warrior.

After observing the chase, Divatox had ordered her crew to direct her Subcraft to land in a large body of water, one that she knew would provide the energy to recharge the engines. Currently the large, battered submarine, nestled upon the lake bed, its systems set for minimal power usage.

And now the angry pirate stood in the middle of the chamber, surrounded by the bizarre mix of technological apparatuses and the trophies of past campaigns, facing the two warriors.

"He was too quick," came the fearful response. "We tried but..."

"But what?" Elgar, Divatox's turnip-brained nephew asked. "Hey Auntie Divatox, I told you those two bolt buckets weren't up to snuff!"

"Silence!" Divatox snarled, turning her anger on her nephew. "You were supposed to be in charge of those idiots Elgar!"

Long metal nails shot from her fingers as she swung for her nephew. There was a shower of sparks as she ripped Elgar's mechanical hand from his wrist socket. The hand flew across the room and into the waiting grasp of Rygog, Divatox's sinister and slightly competent second in command.

"You don't ask fools to do a mutant's job," he told her.

"I know that, Rygog!" she replied before her mood changed. "Not to worry boys, we'll get to the Island of Muiranthias if it's the last thing we do!"

"Lucky for you I'll be here to give you a hand!" Rygog told her as he slapped the hand against Elgar's chest.

Divatox shot him a glare, crossed the room and sat upon a throne of twisted shrapnel. A gelatinous eel poked its head from beneath Divatox's cloak. It made a strange squealing sound as it slithered out onto her lap. Divatox stroked the creature's head absentmindedly.

"So you got them?" she asked, her face lightening into a smile when he nodded. "Perfect! Rygog you've restored my faith in you dimwits." The smile turned into a nasty grin. "Now we can lure Lerigot to us ... If he wants his family back, he'll come. Track him!"

Africa, Earth

The shockwave caused birds to scatter as a fiery orb burst through the Earth's atmosphere, the glowing ball appearing as a small sun in the otherwise azure skyline. There was a bright flash followed by a loud bang as Lerigot ploughed into the undergrowth; the problem with emergency portals was that Lerigot never knew where he would reappear, as proven when he had materialised two miles above the jungle canopy.

The wise sage looked around, shocked by the impact, unsure of his surroundings and fearful that Divatox had his family hostage. He knew the pirate's tastes and knew that getting his wife and daughter back alive was the best he could hope for.

A peeping sound immediately grabbed his attention and as Lerigot looked down, he noticed that he was seated inside a large bird's nest near the tops of the trees. Three baby birds peered up at him, their mouths open as they squawked for food. Mistaking their begging for some sort of communication, Lerigot's eyes became huge as imitated the baby birds, all the time reaching out with his telepathy for some sign of intellect. That proved to be the wrong decision as the baby birds started to peck him. He shifted in the nest and fell out. He clung to a branch for dear life as he shook his head. Luck though was against him as the branch gave way and he fell, sliding down the trunk to the ground below.

The trill that emerged from his lips could have been considered a classic line on many worlds or a slanderous insult on others. On Earth though the closest translation was "Ow!"

Ziktor Industries, Crossworld City

"... What do you mean the banks have not foreclosed?" Karl Ziktor demanded, all but shouting at the lawyer he had assigned to acquire the rights to the land on which Little Angels Haven currently stood. "Listen to me Bateman, I want that land and you told me you could persuade them... I don't care what Mayor Carrington told them, you assured me that they would comply."

The land was essential to his plans for the redevelopment of Angel Grove. He had spent months paying officials to get the permits he needed, had used all the political power that his position as a major industrialist allowed him to restrict funding for the shelter. Mayor Carrington had prevented him from simply taking over the site, but once the banks foreclosed, there would be little she could do.

"What fund raiser?" he asked. He had made sure that local businessmen would not make any worthwhile donations toward the shelter's survival. "No, keep trying to convince the banks to call in the loans and find a way to stop that event. I don't know, bribe the Fire Department to declare the building unsafe. Yes... I expect results, Bateman."

He replaced the phone and absentmindedly stroked the back of his pet lizard. The acquisition of the building was essential and he was not about to let a group of teenagers defy him. Because unknown to the world, Karl Ziktor was in reality Grimlord, the ruler of Mivertual Real'liti, an unfortunate planet sealed within a temporal space.

"That building will be the centerpiece of my new mall development," he told the lizard. "Those children will be gone by the end of the week, one way or another."

His hand reached out to grasp the Transformation Orb, took a deep breath and spoke.

"Forces of Darkness, empower me! Take me back to Mivertual Real'liti!" Light flashed, and suddenly Karl Ziktor, wealthy businessman, was transformed into Grimlord, evil warlord into on extending his kingdom beyond his dimensionally disjointed world. Clad in strange metal armour, Grimlord did not appear human. Clawed hands and feet, thick scaly skin, and a tail growing from the small of his back gave him more the appearance of a demonic lizard. His eyes glowed with red energy as he scanned the mutants that awaited him.

"Colonel Icebot!" he growled, sending a beam of energy at one wall. A view screen formed, showing a white robot whose face seemed permanently formed into a sly grin. "What is the status of the Reality Wedge?"

During the final days of the villain Minion, the barrier that prevented Grimlord's forces from escaping their distant solar system had been weakened. Colonel Icebot had been working on a way of taking advantage of that weakness, shattering the barrier and allowing the invasion of Earth to begin - for it seemed that the answer to all of Mivertual Real'liti's problems lay in the subjugation of the only planet they could access.

"All is in readiness your Lordship!" the scientist told him. "All that is needed is the Focus Point."

The plan required the placement of a Dimensional Vibrator on the fault line. Had that location been within the boundaries of Crossworld City, where under normal circumstances the barrier was at its weakest, Ziktor would have found a way to purchase the land. Unfortunately his Skugs had determined that the Focus Point was beneath Little Angels Haven in the city of Angel Grove.

"I want that building gone," Grimlord stated. "General Ivar!"

"I await your order to begin!" Ivar responded.

"Very well, Icebot, I require one of your creations. Without an arena there will be no competition, no prize and most importantly, no shelter."

"At once Grimlord!"

Angel Grove Park

The older teenagers led their charges over to the picnic area, when they were stopped by the appearance of a group of black and gold warriors, which they recognised as Skugs. Though they soon showed the alien warriors that humans were not as weak as they might have believed.

During the battle, which continued even after the Rangers had taken down the Skugs numerous time because they did not know the correct way to dispose of them, Rocky found himself isolated from the rest of the group. He found himself pitted against an overwhelming number of mutants. Before Tommy or Adam could reach him, the Skugs had hauled him into the air and slammed him through a picnic table. Then they had moved out of the way, allowing the black robot known as General Ivar to pummel the defenceless teen.

Just weeks earlier Rocky had narrowly escaped being crippled by the forces of darkness. This time it seemed that he was not going to make it out alive.

"It's time for a Gold Rush!"

Help had arrived. The children and unmorphed Rangers watched with relief as the Power Rangers made their appearance, led by the Gold Ranger. The Skugs were tough, but no match for the combined power of the Rangers, and Ivar having determined that Rocky would not compete in any competition, decided his mission had been a success and withdrew.

"Rocky?" Adam asked, making his way over to where his friend lay. "Get an ambulance!"

He wanted to take his friend back to the Power Chamber, but there were too many civilians around and even if the Gold Ranger had offered, it would have raised too many questions.

"Kat, maybe we should get to the game," Tanya suggested, keen to get the youngsters away from the disturbing scene.

Her teammate nodded, and leaving Adam to tend Rocky, she herded the children away from the park.

Power Chamber

"Ai-yi-yi, Zordon, Rocky is hurt and we cannot help him."

"Patience Alpha," Zordon replied. "Once Rocky is allowed visitors we will send something to aid his healing. Although I am afraid that some of his injuries will require time to heal."

"Do you think he will be able to remain a Ranger this time?"

Zordon didn't answer. In the last year, Rocky had suffered a number of injuries to his back. While most had been healed there was a serious weakness that made morphing all the more dangerous; Zordon had known Rangers on other worlds retire for less. For that matter it was rare for Rangers to remain active for more than a year at a time. He had tried to give each team some respite, but he had to admit that he had been unfair to them.

~Perhaps the time is coming when we will need to find some new candidates.~

Mivertual Real'liti

"Report Ivar!"

"One of the members of the fund-raising team has been injured my Lord," the robot responded.

Grimlord pondered the possibilities. Without a team there was no way they could win the prize money and no way the shelter would remain open. By the end of the week the banks would foreclose and he would have the land. Then the Reality Wedge would open the tear and the invasion could begin.

Africa

The lion roared, no doubt wondering why the strange meal standing before it had not run away. Lerigot gazed at the lion, locking eyes with him and smiled serenely. He closed his eyes and reached out with his senses, humming softly as he waved his free hand over the lion's head. The lion cocked its head and backed away. Lerigot rose and stood with his hands stretched out before him. The male lion cautiously padded forward and sniffed Lerigot's hand. Lerigot opened the pouch at his waist, removes the key and showed it to the lion.

*Alpha?*

Angel Grove Stadium  
Late afternoon

Rocky had been taken to the hospital. There was little the Rangers could do for him until they were free to visit. Still his life was not in danger, and regardless of whether the Rangers had the opportunity to help him heal or not, he would make a full recovery. With little else to do Adam had rejoined the other Zeo Rangers to help supervise the children.

And it was quite a game, highlighted by a number of home runs from the local favourites. Currently the Angel Grove All Stars were leading the Larkdale Lions. The crowd erupted as a handsome African American man in uniform took the plate and crouched into batting position. The ball was pitched, the bat swung... CRACK!

"And the ball is heading toward the stands. It's... outta there!"

The people in the crowd jumped as a hand snatched the ball from the end. Tanya grinned as she held the ball proudly as Tommy, Adam, Kat and Ernie - for even the Juice Bar's owner had taken time out to see the game of the season - cheered; the children from the shelter were in the front row and having a great time.

"Yeah!" Tanya cried ... "Way to go, Dynamo! Here you go, Justin. Why don't you hold onto this for me?"

Justin took the ball and for the first time he smiled a little. It was a small improvement and while Kat and Tanya realised there was a long way to go, it was a start.

"That was a tough catch, Tanya!" Tommy cried enthusiastically, catching onto the sudden change in his young friend.

"Catching that smile was even tougher," Kat whispered to Tanya.

Ernie patted her on the back "Great work. This calls for a celebration ... hot dogs anyone?"

His question was met with a resounding "Yeah!"

"I'll give you a hand," Adam volunteered.

"Hey Adam... why don't you call the hospital again?" Tommy asked.

Adam nodded. "Yeah, I was going to."

Africa

Communication had been difficult, but possible between the wizard and lion. In the end though it had accomplished very little. The lion had no idea where Alpha could be found although it had decided that Lerigot would not make a good meal while he was still alive. That was not saying much though because as he stood in the middle of the jungle, it occurred to him just how hot it had become.

*Alpha?* he called, hoping that the little android would hear him. *Zordon? ... Help!*

Power Chamber

"Ah Zordon, just the person I wished to speak to."

"Councillor," Zordon greeted in reply, preparing himself for another round of mental chess.

"It has come to my attention that one of you 'Rangers' has been injured."

"I remind you Councillor that the power of Zeo has been recognised by the Morphin Masters as an approved power source. They ARE Rangers."

The image on the Viewing Screen did not appear pleased, but nodded anyway.

"Regardless, since DeSantos has been injured, you will be needing a new Blue Ranger. I have taken the liberty of interviewing candidates and will let you know the outcome later today."

So that was what this was about. Unable to strip the Zeo Rangers of their powers, the Council was trying to remove the Earthlings from the team, replacing them with those they approved of.

"Your decision is most welcome," Zordon said, "but unnecessary."

"Unnecessary? Surely you don't intend to leave the position vacant." There was a hint of concern in the Councillor's voice. Regardless of how they all looked down on Earth, the planet was too important to leave undefended.

"I meant that I have already instructed Rocky to find a successor until he can resume his role."

It was a lie, but he did intend to tell Rocky to select somebody to fill in for him. He hoped that the announcement would keep the Council at bay for a little longer.

"Now see here Zordon, DeSantos is not a Morphin Master, nor is he a recognised member of the Council. What gives him the right to decide something as important?"

"Simple Councillor," Zordon said cordially, "the fact that only Rocky can pass on his Zeonisers."

"You would be breaking the Council's Decree that there should be no new Rangers created on Earth," the other man warned.

"I would not be creating any new Rangers, Councillor," Zordon argued back. "Rocky will pass the powers on to somebody willing to hold them for a while. When he returns to full health, he will have the choice of either resuming his role as Blue Ranger or retiring from service."

"I fail to see a difference."

"But there is one," Zordon pointed out. "The Council cannot interfere in this matter."

All pretence of polite conversation was gone now as the Councillor allowed his anger to show. "You will regret this Zordon," he warned. "I will have your job for this."

"Indeed you might," Zordon said as the communication ended. "But that doesn't mean you'll be running things your way. Alpha, set the Power Chamber to Lockdown Stage One-"

"Ai-yi-yi, yes Zordon."

"-and then contact Rocky. I regret the timing, but he must be told."

Angel Grove Hospital

It was night time before the Rangers had the opportunity to visit their friend. The news from the doctors was good and he had spent the afternoon listening to his mother as she tried to decide whether to be happy that he was okay or angry that he had been foolish enough to fight monsters in the park. In the end she had settled for hugging her son and repeating how much she loved him.

When she had left, he had fallen asleep. Ranger Healing was effective, but it took a great deal of energy. That coupled with the drugs the nurses had given him had left him tired.

He didn't notice the door handle move slowly as the door opened slightly. If he had, he would have seen Justin peek into the room. He suddenly turned to look back as he heard footsteps approaching the room. Thinking quickly, Justin rushed into the room and hid under the bed as the other four Zeo Rangers entered.

Rocky opened his eyes. "Hey ... I heard we won the game."

Tommy smiled. "Yeah we did man." He sobered as he looked down at his injured friend. "You were really lucky, Rock. You scared the hell out of us."

"The doctor said you're gonna make a full recovery," Tanya told him.

"Yeah well I had a little help there. Thanks for dropping this over Adam." He passed the Green Ranger the healing device he had dropped off during the game. "I'm going to be as good as new, but not in time for the competition. You guys are gonna have to do it without me. The kids' shelter is counting on that prize money to stay open."

"We'll let Alpha and Zordon know," Kat started before looking at Tommy. There was an uncomfortable silence before he sighed.

"Look Rocky..."

Power Chamber

The computers had locked onto a disturbance. Actually they had detected the alien as soon as it arrived on the planet, but with the satellite network limited following Minion's attack, it took longer to scan the entire planet.

"Ay yi yi! ... Zordon?" He looked up at the giant tube only to find that Zordon was not inside. He tried again. "Zordon?", and was rewarded when Zordon reappeared. "Hee hee hee ... Another Power Nap?" he asked, his cheek covering his concern.

"No, Alpha. I apologise for worrying you. I had to reconfirm the information. Your suspicions were correct, the energy signature matches Lerigot."

"Great!" Alpha sighed, "The Wizard of Liaria is dropping in for a visit, it took us ten months to get the fur out of the furniture last time!"

"This is not good news," Zordon told him. "Lerigot knows the consequences to his life force by coming in such close proximity to the sun. It must be an emergency. Alert the Power Rangers!"

"Will do ... Ay-yi-yi!"

At the hospital the Rangers had filled Rocky in on the need to transfer his powers and the consequences of not doing so. Rocky had agreed and together they had tried to decide on whom his successor should be.

Justin had remained out of sight the entire time, but had heard everything said. His mind was churning as he heard another noise.

"You think Zordon can read our minds?" Adam asked. He had been about to call the White Morphin Master.

"Probably," Tommy replied before touching his communicator. "We read you, Alpha."

"Rangers, report to the Power Chamber at once."

For Justin that was confirmation of the conversation he had been listening to.

"Go for it," Rocky told the others when they looked to him for confirmation.

"We'll let you know what's up," Adam promised as the others smiled.

They teleported out and Justin took the opportunity to get away. In doing so he jerked up and bumped his head. "Ow!"

"Who's there?" Rocky demanded.

Knowing he had been caught, Justin crawled out from under the bed. He wanted to say "sorry for spying", or perhaps explain why he was under the bed. Instead he asked, "You guys are the Power Rangers?"

For once Rocky was lost for words.

**To be Continued**

Disclaimer: I do not own the Power Rangers or any other show. No profit is being made from this piece of fanfiction. The next few chapters will borrow heavily from Turbo: A Power Ranger Movie.  
Author's Note: Some events in this chapter follow on from those Lerigot's Greatest Trick.

**New Arrivals**

Power Chamber

The four Rangers arrived.

"Welcome, Rangers ... There is much to discuss," Zordon rumbled.

The four exchanged looks. This didn't sound good.

Klatos Seven

As her underlings scurried about the decks of the Subcraft, Divatox, seated upon her throne, was staring at Elgar as her imbecilic nephew continued to pollute the air with his stupidity.

"So Lerigot's slipped the noose and landed on Earth ... so, we might as well get back to pillaging and looting again ..."

Divatox's grip on her throne tightened as she leaned forward. Although she wasn't quite shouting, it was clear that Elgar had annoyed her. "I'm tired of petty thievery, Elgar! Whoever heard of a famous pirate? I want to be a queen."

She started to pace intently, causing Elgar to feel giddy as he watched her stomp up and down.

"Lerigot holds the only key to free Maligore, the great flame of destruction and ... my husband to be! If we wed, I'll be the Queen of Evil; people will bring their riches to me and beg me to take them."

"What if your fiancé isn't too hot on the idea? It's not like you've seen him in the last century. And let's face it, you ain't gettin' any younger!"

Divatox put her hand to her face and then glared at Elgar. The mutant had the good sense to try to talk his way out of things although it really only made things worse.

"Hey relax, they're doing miracles with laser surgery ..."

"Shut up fool!" Rygog warned, sensing that Elgar was about to feel his aunt's wrath. "We must assure a successful reunion with Maligore."

"We need a bridal dowry. On Earth, you Elgar, will head the capture of two humans of purity and strength."

Rygog remained silent although he was secretly wondering whether Elgar understood the meaning of purity or strength.

"Enough! Activate the barrier shields and set a course to Earth ... We're going after Lerigot!"

"Hey, Auntie Divatox... Can we stop off and raid that Catalina place on our way? Pleeeeeeease!"

She shot him another glare, he swallowed and joined the others, working to get the ship operational. Outside the craft, the sand started to billow as the engines rumbled to life, groaning as they started the ship moving off from the lake bed. The Subcraft shot from the lake in a whirling of lights and into the sky, leaving a plume of phosphorescent radiance in its wake. Its rumble echoed into the night.

Power Chamber

After learning about Lerigot, the Rangers had prepared for a rescue mission. While Tommy and Kat had retrieved two of the special Power Boxes and had placed them on their backs, Tanya was seated in front of a computer screen while Adam accessed a nearby monitor.

"Whatever this thing is, it's moving pretty fast towards Earth, Zordon. Adam and I better stay here."

" Good call," Tommy agreed.

"Yes, a wise decision, Tanya," Zordon commended.

"Maybe we should ask Trey to take a look in Pyramidas," Tommy suggested.

"I believe by that time we will know its intentions," Zordon replied.

"There you go, Kat," Alpha said. "Power Boxes are equipped with just about anything you might need in case of an emergency."

"Thank Alpha. Make sure and let Rocky know what's happening."

"Tommy, you better take this," Adam said as he walked over to Tommy and handed him a Turbo Navigator. "It's programmed to home in on Lerigot's life force."

"Send my love to Africa," Tanya told them.

Tommy and Kat moved to the center of the Chamber, took a look at the map and following a quick, "later, guys", teleported out.

Africa

For Lerigot, time was running out. While it was night time in Angel Grove, in Africa it was daytime, and he was weak from the harsh sun, but somehow managed to enter a clearing with a circle of trees that offered some protection from the sun. He trilled uncertainly and was surprised when it echoed back to him in perfect mimicry. Suddenly on guard, he looked up.

Within the tree tops, families of monkeys peered back at him curiously. A young monkey snatched a branch and threw it toward him. A bevy of monkeys leapt from the trees, but instead of reacting and possibly scaring them, Lerigot stood perfectly still, smiling at them. They surrounded him as the head monkey cautiously touched Lerigot's robe and jumped back. He chattered nervously to the others as Lerigot pulled out the Golden Key.

"Alpha?"

He didn't get the response he wanted. Instead the monkeys moved forward and started to groom him. He tried again.

"Alpha?"

The head monkey scratched his head as he looked at the key and then back to Lerigot. He took Lerigot by the hand and began to lead him away. The other monkeys followed.

Tommy and Kat walked through the dense jungle. Tommy used a machete to clear a path.

"Wow ... Reminds me of parts of Australia," Kat commented.

The Turbo Navigator beeped faintly, causing them to pause while Tommy studied it.

"The signal's coming from that direction. Let's go and find him."

The two continued their slog through the heavy foliage.

Power Chamber

An alarm sounded loudly, causing Alpha to rush over to where Tanya was working the computer. Adam moved to another monitor.

"That thing we've been tracking just passed Mars and is heading straight toward the Earth! It looks like there's some sort of shield protecting its identity," she said.

"I've got a bad feeling about this," Adam remarked. "I hope Tommy and Kat make it back soon."

Africa

Tommy and Kat trekked through the jungle. Their clothes were soaked with sweat and covered in grime. When they come upon a clearing, Kat sat on a log to tighten her laces.

"Just a sec, I'm all undone here ... This heat's pretty intense."

Tommy, ever the gallant gentleman, knelt down and pulls a cord on his Power Box. A bottle of water popped out.

"Lerigot's signal's getting stronger," he remarked.

Kat swatted at a mosquito as Tommy opened his water bottle and took a swig. He froze in mid-swallow when he saw a Boa Constrictor trailing its way down from a tree, dangling above Kat's shoulder. Tommy swallowed carefully.

"Kat, don't move. On the count of three, dive to your right. One, two, three!"

Kat dove, just as the snake struck. Tommy lunged, grabbed the snake by the back of the head, and wrestled the giant reptile. Kat stepped back as the ground gave way, pitching her down a steep hill.

"Tommy!"

Tommy grappled with the snake, which coiled around him. He turned to see Kat as she approached a steep drop off. She hit a rock, flipped in the air, and over a cliff.

"Kat!"

Kat grabbed a protruding branch and looked down at a four hundred-foot drop off over a churning river. There was a loud crack as the branch started to give way. Tommy struggled as the snake tightened its grip. He turned to where Kat was hanging on for dear life.

"Morph, Kat! ... Do it!"

Kat tried to reach her Zeoniser but to no avail. Then the branch broke, sending Kat plummeting down. In mid air, Kat managed to grab her Zeoniser.

"Zeo Ranger I - Pink!"

Power Chamber

It had been residing deep with the processing core of the Power Chamber's computer since Cyber Agent had planted it. A small batch of computer code intended to disrupt the Rangers at the opportune moment. The call from Gasket had never been received and it had remained a dormant process in the Power Chamber's operating system. Until now.

It was purely coincidental that the timeout Gasket had set expired just as Kat was calling forth her powers. The virus program came online, causing as much damage as possible before the Power Chamber's advanced protections zeroed in and erased the foreign code from its systems.

It was enough to cause a temporary close down of all systems as to prevent the virus from spreading. It meant that Kat's call for her powers was delayed, costing her vital seconds. Then with the virus destroyed, the computer retuned to normal function.

Africa

After what seemed an eternity, Kat started to morph but the transformation only reached her knees when she hit the water hard. She struggled to maintain consciousness as the impact disrupted the transformation, leaving her demorphed. The current swept her downstream.

"Kat!"

Tommy used his concern for Kat to give him an extra surge of strength, allowing him to free himself from the snake before charging downhill. He reached the edge and dived into the river. Aided by the current he swam towards Kat as she was washed down-river. Despite the strong current, Kat stayed ahead of him and he only caught glimpses of her. Still he was able to take advantage of the fact he could consciously change his position in the river, allowing him to select a place where the water was flowing at its fastest. Eventually he was able to reach Kat and pulled a cord on her Power Box, inflating the built-in life preserver.

He breathed a sigh of relief, but it was short-lived as a giant crocodile entered the water from the far bank. Tommy struggled hard and manages to get Kat to shore only to be jerked back roughly. Beneath the surface a huge pair of jaws had latched onto Tommy's Power Box. Tommy kicked out and managed to dislodge the jaws. He dove under and right into the face of the huge crocodile. Tommy grabbed the crocodile in an upside down bear hug pushing its jaw back with his feet. The crocodile's tail slashed the surface as Tommy emerged for air and manoeuvred the crocodile into a shallow part of water.

Kat regained her bearings, tried to stand and screamed as her leg gave way. Tommy seized a large branch floating nearby, and lodged it into the crocodile's jaws. The crocodile flailed angrily, giving Tommy time to swim to shore before managing to spit the branch out. It chased after Tommy.

"Look out!" Kat cried. She pushed a button on her Power Box and a small blow torch snapped out. She grabbed it and aimed at the crocodile. A flame shots out, scaring it away as Tommy rushed to her side.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"Just my leg," she winced.

"We'd better teleport back," Tommy decided.

"No!" Kat said defiantly. "We're too close ... There's a first aid kit in the Power Box, we can make a splint."

At that moment the Turbo Navigator shrieked loudly.

"Lerigot's close ... Let's take a look at that leg."

Tommy opened his Power Box and removes a first aid kit.

Space

A loud 'ping' could be heard from the speaker.

"Uh oh," Elgar said. "Auntie D, we've been spotted."

"It must be Zordon," Rygog supplied.

Divatox grimaced. "Well so much for sneaking past without him noticing. Full speed ahead boys, I haven't come this far to turn back now."

Africa

The two teens chopped their way through the jungle, following the signal on their scanner. Finally they found their way to a clearing where they saw a being that matched the description of Lerigot.

"Alpha?" Lerigot asked weakly.

Tommy walked slowly toward the Liarian. He didn't want to scare the wizard more than necessary.

"Yes ... Alpha ... we're here to take you to Alpha," he promised.

Lerigot turned to the monkeys and touched them, trilling as he hugged the lead monkey before taking Tommy's hand. Lerigot shuffled toward Kat and looked up into her eyes, assessing her with his penetrating gaze.

"Hello," Kat said nervously.

"Hello ..." Lerigot mimicked as he ran his hand over her injured leg. A glow surged from his fingertips. Lerigot let go and stepped back, allowing Kat to stand.

"He fixed my leg! Thanks Lerigot."

Lerigot smiled weakly.

"Le ... ri ... got."

"Let's get him out of here," Tommy suggested as Lerigot started to quiver. He looked up to the sun and collapsed in a faint. Tommy caught him as Kat placed her hand on Lerigot's chest, and spoke into her communicator.

"Alpha, we've got Lerigot. Standing by for teleportation."

"Just in time Rangers!" Alpha replied. The next voice they heard was Adam's.

"That ship we've been following has just entered the atmosphere and is heading for Angel Grove."

Not wasting any time, Tommy and Kat both grabbed hold of the unconscious Lerigot. They smiled faintly at the monkeys as they teleported out.

Angel Grove Beach

The small boat bobbed up and down on the water as the two party animals downed another can of beer. This was their weekly fishing trip and nothing would stop them from enjoying it. Except perhaps the large spaceship that crossed overhead, bathing the two with scalding light. They looked up, screaming in fear.

In a phenomenal display of thundering lights and jets, the Subcraft submerged into the water, creating huge waves that rocked the boat, tipping its occupants into the water where they remained unmoving until they drowned.

Power Chamber

After Lerigot had been rescued, there was little the Rangers could do until he recovered. The mysterious ship had landed somewhere, but its location was unknown. So with little else to do the Rangers had retired to their homes for the night, promising to return the next day and hopefully make sense of the matter.

Divatox's Subcraft

Chaos reigned as Divatox tried to direct the flurry of movement around her.

"Set up base camp and make sure the aqua energizer is functioning!"

Things were not going as she had foreseen. The Subcraft was old and a bit sensitive. Flying through space had caused some problems. A point that was proven as steam shot out from one of the panels where Rygog stood.

"We're losing our barrier shields due to the force of our entry!" the mutant told her.

"Don't you dare let them fall," she warned. "We can't be detected! Get those shields repaired at once. Elgar!" Elgar stepped out from behind Divatox, startling her in the process. "Don't do that! Go and find me two humans who are pure body and mind." She shuddered at the thought. "We'll need them as sacrifices."

Power Chamber

A series of strange images flashed across the computer screen. They were known vessel types, which the computer compared to the energy signature of their mystery vessel. When it finally confirmed a match, an alarm sounded, drawing Adam's attention. At the same moment Tanya's scan was completed.

"Yes! Whatever that thing is, I found it. It's at the bottom of the ocean!"

"Good work Tanya," Zordon rumbled.

"The computer has identified the vessel," Adam added.

"I will check the Galactic Registry and identify the owner," Alpha offered.

"Meanwhile we need to have a look and see what they're up to," Jason decided. With Tommy and Kat visiting Rocky, he was acting as leader.

"Perhaps I can facilitate that," Billy said. "Alpha, rollout the Aqua Power Suits!"

" Right, Billy!"

Alpha pushed a lever, causing a wall to slide away, revealing four armoured suits that split down the middle and peeled back. Adam and Tanya stepped forward and backed into their suits. Jason and Kimberly followed, stating that they were both trained as scuba divers. The suits closed, starting with the feet as metal plates snapped into place. The face shields concealed half of their faces, although Billy had installed a shield to prevent civilians from learning their identities. Each of them had a jet pack on their backs.

"Rangers, act with caution until we are able to establish of what intent this new visitor brings."

"We will Zordon," Adam promised.

In a blur of colour the four Rangers teleported away.

The four Rangers arrived on the shores of the beach and started to move toward the water. They stopped when Tanya caught their attention and pointed.

"Guys, that way!"

The Rangers ran into the water and enter. They vanished under the waves and swam through the water. Whatever was hiding there had not affected the abundance of marine life. Adam used a miniature radar screen to trace the unknown ship. He touched a button on his helmet.

"Radar shows the craft up ahead."

"We've gotta move on it!" Tanya answered.

"Jet power - activate!" Jason commanded.

The Rangers activated their jet packs and zoomed through the water. They paused briefly to observe the ship when suddenly, a large hand reached from around the reef latching onto Jason. The others turned to encounter five huge warriors. The four heroes fought valiantly against the warriors.

Divatox was less than happy when the proximity alarm sounded. She used the periscope to watch the Rangers as they struggled with her forces.

"Rygog, who are those interlopers?" she asked.

Rygog peered through the periscope, thought for a while and then answered.

"Hmm ... They must be some of those power teenagers Zordon controls."

"Ha! ... Zordon, ... what a bore! Well ... His little Power peons are in for quite a shock!" Divatox said as she pushed a button.

The hatch of the ship jolted open and a bolt of electrical energy was pushed through the water, sending the Rangers crashing back into a rock formation as the beings they were fighting pressed their attack. A warrior pulled out a stun laser and blasted Kimberly and Jason. Others closed in on Adam and Tanya, but not before he managed to lift his hand to his helmet.

"Alpha ... teleport ... now ..." Adam called.

The four Rangers started to teleport just as a second burst of energy ripped through the water, the extreme current causing the Rangers suits to explode as Alpha desperately tried to teleport them to safety.

The water boiled as the energy wave struck the Rangers as they attempted to teleport. Adam and Tanya were lucky, they managed to release their underwater suits before they overloaded, allowing Alpha to lock on and teleport them. Jason and Kimberly were just a fraction slower to react, and a little too close to the ship. The blast hit them full on, destroying their suits and preventing Alpha from retrieving them. Their communicators malfunctioned, preventing them from escaping as a wire net closed around them.

"We got two of them!" Elgar proclaimed as the warriors dragged Jason and Kimberly inside. They were stripped of the remains or their armour, which was promptly sent to the ship's scientist while Divatox appraised their prisoners. Elgar moved to join Rygog behind the throne, not liking the look on his aunt's face. A warrior moved a scanner on top of the two and it buzzed, confirming they were still alive.

"Well that made things easier, we've captured two humans of sickening purity, perfect for sacrificing to Maligore! And to think I was going to send Elgar hunting. Rygog, deposit them into the bilge!"

Rygog moved to the control panel and pulled a lever. A panel in the wall slid open and the two Rangers were sucked through a tube and vanished as the panel slid shut. The bilge was specially made for holding prisoners, especially those that happened to be Rangers. The walls were made from Cold Iron, the element known to block magic, preventing them from morphing.

"Zordon and his brats could prove a problem. We'll just need to get there ahead of them."

Power Chamber

Things were not going well for the Rangers. Not only had they failed to identify the ship, two of their number been captured by the unidentified forces.

"And I thought things were bad when we just had an injured friend, unconscious wizard and missing friends to worry about," Tanya moaned.

The four Zeo Rangers gathered around Lerigot who slept upon a table. A myriad of tubes were connected to his body, replenishing much needed body fluids, while Alpha ran a small device over him.

"Is he going to be all right?" Kat asked.

"He is severely dehydrated," Alpha replied. "The fluids will restore his life force for now."

"Guess he had a pretty close call," Tanya said.

"So did we," Adam reminded her. "We've gotta do something to get Jason and Kimberly back."

Lerigot twitched violently, his eyes rolling back.

"What's happening?" Tommy demanded as he moved to steady the wizard.

"Tommy, wait ... He is receiving a telepathic transmission!" Alpha warned

Lerigot screamed and flailed about.

"Alpha, attach the cranial transmission scanner and connect into the Viewing Screen!" Zordon ordered.

Alpha moved to obey and while Billy opened the panel on the Viewing Screen, he placed a clear dome over Lerigot's head. Working together they twisted the wires into one long cord that Alpha was able to connect to the Viewing Screen's input.

"Tuning now Zordon." Alpha twisted the dial until Divatox's appeared before them. It was clear that she had no idea who she was looking at.

"Divatox ..." Zordon said, recognising the villain. Her appearance on the Viewing Screen answered many of his questions.

"Ai-yi-yi!"

"Zordon, I know you can hear me. So, listen well. Lerigot must surrender."

Lerigot writhed on the table. The method of contact she had chosen was not a pleasant experience for the wizard. His distress increased as Divatox moved aside, allowing those watching to see Yara and Bethel, Lerigot's wife and child. Bethel was wearing a metal skull cap. Yara trilled frantically, as two rays of light burst from her eyes.

"Say hello to Lerigot's family, Yara and Bethel. Amazing what telepathic transmissions can do these days..."

Lerigot's eyes suddenly opened and he screamed incessantly.

"Make it stop, it's hurting him!"

Divatox didn't hear her. "Raven's Cove at midnight. Bring him to me and as a small token of my appreciation, I'll relinquish a couple of humans you left lying around down here!"

The image changed again as it fed the image directly from the bilge where Jason and Kimberly had been relieved of their power suits and were wearing only wetsuits.

"Kimberly ... Jason!"

The image faded as a metal skull cap was placed on Yara's head.

Divatox's Subcraft

The two former Rangers had awakened to find themselves in the Subcraft's bilge. After discovering that something was preventing them from morphing, they examined the walls, hoping they would find a way out. Already there was a half inch of water covering the floor and a glimpse through a small port hole showed filtered light through the water outside.

"Kim... we're in major trouble here."

"Kimberly didn't answer, she was distracted by the long and slimy thing that slithered toward her through the water. It was some sort of leech, and as it crawled over her foot, Kimberly screamed.

"Get it off me!"

"Hold still!" Jason ordered.

He grabbed a piece of shrapnel and plucked the leech up.

"I think we're in trouble," he decided as he saw more leeches move in their direction.

Power Chamber

The Rangers and Zordon observed as Alpha and Lerigot talked. Lerigot was waving his arms, trilling pleadingly. Alpha lay his hands on Lerigot's shoulders, shake his head and trilling back. Kat turned to Zordon.

"What is it Divatox wants from Lerigot, Zordon?"

"Many centuries ago, Lerigot exiled a profoundly vile being called Maligore upon the lost island of Muiranthias. Through the generations, Lerigot has guarded the golden key which opens the gateway to the island and to Maligore's freedom."

"Muiranthias? Across the Nemesis Triangle? Isn't that a myth?" Adam asked.

"No, Adam. Once upon the island, Divatox seeks to rejoin forces with Maligore and become his bride of evil."

"Great," Tommy groused. "And then what?"

"Divatox is a pirate, Tommy. She is considered one of the worst of her kind, surpassed only because she does not indulge in the preferred vices of her family, such as slavery and weapon selling. Nothing in the universe will be safe if she succeeds, because for Divatox there would be no limit to her greed."

"Ai-yi-yi-yi-yi!" Alpha exclaimed, causing the Rangers to turn toward him. "It's no use Rangers, I've tried convincing him, but Lerigot insists upon giving himself up."

"Why won't he listen to reason?" Kat asked.

"Love," Aisha answered. "He'd give himself up for his family. Wouldn't you?"

"This is a no win situation!" Zack complained.

"Okay, listen," Tommy said. "We get Kim and Jason outta there. And then we go after Divatox."

"I just hope they're okay," Trini said. "Time's running out guys."

Indeed it was. The meeting with Divatox was not far away and if the scans they had completed so far were accurate, then the energy field created by the cloud over the city would prevent them from going anywhere other than Raven Cove.

"She's managed to hide herself from our scanners," Adam said. "The only choice is to follow her instructions."

That had made sense and more importantly, they needed keep hold of Lerigot.

The Rangers turned to as a loud noise filled the Power Chamber. The Liarian was rocking to and fro, mournful keening sound emerging from his lips.

"The Liarian prayer of guidance," Alpha told them. "Lerigot is preparing for surrender."

Unfortunately even the most stubborn Ranger had to admit that they didn't have a choice.

Raven's Cove

The four Rangers and Lerigot teleported upon the rugged rocks that surrounded the sinister looking cove. They stared at the sea fifteen feet below. The ground began to shake thunderously and Kat held onto Lerigot protectively.

"Right on schedule," Tommy remarked as Divatox's Subcraft moved out from behind a rock formation. A hatch squealed open and an odd raft propelled by a motor was shoved out. A warrior steered the raft while Elgar sat up front. More warriors on jet skis shot out and surrounded it. Within the raft, two figures in scuba gear lay motionless.

"There they are!" Tanya cried.

The raft approached as its mechanical noises echoed throughout the cove. Elgar smiled slyly.

"There's the little worm now!" Divatox cried as her periscope zeroed in on the raft, the Rangers, and most importantly, Lerigot.

"Now we just need this little plan to work," Rygog rumbled.

"Trust me Rygog," she replied. "One thing I can guarantee about good guys: their hearts override their minds."

"You had better be right," he muttered.

The warrior cut the motor as Elgar looked up to the rocks.

"Send Lerigot down!" he ordered.

Tommy, refused. They weren't falling for that. "No, bring our friends closer first!"

Elgar gave an ugly laugh. "I'm afraid you don't have much of a choice, human! This is as close as you get! Send the wizard down!"

"I don't like it," Adam said.

The others nodded. There was too much chance that they would be double-crossed. Unfortunately it seemed that Lerigot had other ideas and when the Rangers turned back to him, the wizard was gone.

"He's gone! Lerigot's gone!" she cried, drawing the others' attention to their new problem.

Suddenly, Lerigot appeared in the raft. He gently waved at the Rangers as Elgar hauled him roughly to his knees. Kat rushed forward.

"Stop it! Don't hurt him!"

"All right! You have what you came for," Tommy called across. "Release our friends!"

"You want em ... You got em!" Elgar said as he stood and kicked the two bodies into the water where they bobbed for a moment and then began to sink. "Arive derchi turkeys! ... Hit it!"

Elgar laughed as the raft sped away, leaving the platoon of warriors on jet skies behind to watch the Rangers. The Rangers paid them no mind and dove into the water, swimming frantically toward their friends. The raft reached the Subcraft and vanished inside. The Subcraft began to submerge creating violent jets of choppy water. The Rangers struggled against the wake as Tommy dived.

Tommy grabbed hold and hoisted the smaller scuba suit upwards. Moments later Kat grabbed the other suit as Tommy emerged and together they dragged the bodies onto dry land.

"Kim?" Tommy asked.

He ripped off the face mask revealing the cold face of one of Divatox's warriors staring at him maliciously. It cried out and kicked him in the lower body. Even though he was partially morphed, the blow hurt. Before the others could grab it, it disappeared, drawing their attention back to the retreating Elgar.

"No!" Tommy cried, realising what was happening. "Stop them!"

The other Rangers caught up with Tommy and Adam grabbed him.

"They're gone, Tommy."

Tommy leaned his head back in despair but not before he heard Adam ask, "is it working?".

Divatox's Subcraft

"At last!" Divatox cried, holding up Lerigot's Golden Key and his pouch of magical powder as Lerigot, wearing a metal skull cap, was thrown into a cage. "You've cost me a great deal of time you little fur ball," she told his as she slammed the door shut in his face. "If this key would work for me, I'd have fired you out of the torpedo tubes already. Instead I'll have to keep you around." She moved so that her face was directly next to the cage door. "I need you, but your family are just excess baggage. Remember that!"

Lerigot looked back mournfully. He had hoped that things would turn out differently, but had known deep down that this was the most likely outcome.

"We'll pass through the Nemesis Triangle in less than forty-eight hours," Rygog reported, interrupting the pirate's threats. "Muiranthias lies on the other side."

Inside the bilge, Kimberly was standing on Jason's shoulders, straining to hear what was being said. They were dressed in shorts and T-shirts that Divatox had found somewhere. It made them sick to think that for a time she had considered keeping them naked for her entertainment.

"Maligore's appetite will ignite once he sees the offerings I've brought him," she heard her say. The evil laughter faded away as Kimberly jumped down.

"This is so lame," she complained. "We go to investigate an alien space craft and end up being abducted. Now we're in this floating outhouse on the way to someplace called Muiranthias."

"If we had our powers, we could break out of here," Jason said.

"Yeah, but we don't," Kimberly retorted, effectively ending the conversation. "I don't suppose we could call maid service."

Power Chamber

"Bingo!" came the slightly muffled cry as Zack watched the monitor light up. "Tracking device is working."

"Excellent work Rangers," Zordon commended. "The increased power of the transmitter will allow us to follow the Subcraft. Although we have lost Lerigot we can still prevent Divatox from freeing Maligore."

"That might not be so easy Zordon," Billy warned. "That purple cloud is creating an energy field that we cannot teleport through. Unless we ascertain a method of breaking through that barrier, we won't be able to catch up."

"I don't suppose we could use the Zords?"

"No Tommy," Zordon replied. "The Nemesis Triangle allows only the powers of Lerigot's Golden Key to work within its confines. Once inside the Zords would be rendered powerless and could be destroyed by the forces with the Triangle."

"The force of the triangle has mangled many power sources," Alpha informed them. "Your Zeo Zords are not equipped to deal with this phenomenon."

"Besides, I've been conducting an analysis of Tommy and Kat's activities in Africa and can only conclude that the Zeo powers have been compromised. It might be they are no longer reliable enough to use." As he spoke, Billy was looking at the results of yet another virus check. Although the powers came from the Zeo Crystal, they relied on the apparatus surrounding it to function properly. He looked up at Zordon for confirmation before continuing. "I have been able to establish a way to create a new generation of Zords capable of surviving within the Nemesis Triangle."

"Indeed," Zordon interrupted, "Working together Trini and Billy have, with Alpha's assistance, completed the schematics; while these new Zords may be of ordinary appearances, they possess a capability and power that will carry you through this quest."

"We'll still need to configure them," Billy said. "Only you guys can do that."

"Why us?" Tommy asked.

"Because you're the ones that will be going after her," the young genius told him. "You're the active team, we're just here to hold the fort."

"Divatox believes that she has escaped," Zordon told them. "However it will take another forty-eight hours for her Subcraft to make the journey. Once completed, your Zords will allow you to catch up."

Tommy finally nodded. "Let's get to work then."

**To be continued**

Disclaimer: I do not own the Power Rangers or any other show. No profit is being made from this piece of fanfiction. The next few chapters will borrow heavily from Turbo: A Power Ranger Movie.  
Author's Note: Some events in this chapter follow on from those Lerigot's Greatest Trick.

**The Perilous Voyage**

Divatox's Subcraft

Yara and Bethel were not doing so well. The Subcraft's journey to Earth meant that they had been exposed to the sun for longer than Lerigot who had only spent a few hours in the heat. Added to that, Lerigot had been given fluids to help his body cope with the environment; Yara and Bethel had been lucky if they had been spared any water at all. They lay within a hidden chamber breathing unevenly while Divatox on her throne focussed her attention on the cage was Lerigot was being held.

"Listen Lerigot! You cooperate with me and I will let you view your family from time to time. As you can see, they're still alive... barely."

She switched the lever on the arm of her throne and the panel slid shut.

Had he not been severely weakened, Lerigot would have fought his way to his family. In his current condition all he could do, was gaze longingly toward the spot where his family's image was position. Placing his head in his hands, he moaned as he tried to wrench the skull cap from his head. A jolt of electricity knocked him back.

Jason bent over as he honed the edges of a crude looking weapon he'd built with a piece of shrapnel. He put down his weapon and gazed about the room. His eyes fell upon Kimberly, crouched by the wall working on her own weapon.

"Move away from the wall," he told her.

She did so, revealing two rows of bolts that formed a small door. Jason knelt down and placed his hands along the panel. He rolled back on his heels and stared at the panel.

"What's up, Jason?"

"Instead of making weapons ... We need to concentrate on opening this panel."

Kimberly did not appear very confident that that was the correct course of action. "Okay, I'm no rocket scientist, but wouldn't that like... let the water in?"

Jason looked down at the large watch on his wrist. He had picked it up at the Peace Conference, and in addition to telling the time, it also featured a compass and depth gauge. At the push of a dial he discovered they were four hundred and thirty-five feet down.

"Okay listen, ... According to the depth gauge on my watch, we're travelling at four hundred and thirty-five feet below the surface ... as we approach Muiranthias the submarine will start climbing upwards. Once we reach a hundred feet we open the panel and let the water in."

"And make it up on one breath?"

"It's our only chance," Jason reasoned.

====  
Power Chamber

The monitor flickered as an amazing pattern of the five Ranger colours swirled and then vanished into a ball of light. A strange alarm sounded and then changed to a long, flat tone.

"The installation of the generators is completed Zordon," Alpha said.

"Excellent Alpha!" Zordon rumbled. "Rangers, prepare to behold the results of your hard work: the Turbo Zords!"

Morphin Rangers and Zeo Rangers alike turned as a large wall on the far side of the Power Chamber slid open. There was nothing but darkness with an occasional flash of a strobe light. A mist began to creep from the opening as Alpha decided to make the occasion extra special, by turning on the dry ice machine he had been looking to develop into a freeze ray.

Within the vast darkness, five pairs of headlights lit up. The sound of engines roaring to life filled the chamber. At that moment, the darkness transformed into a spectacular kaleidoscope of lights. The Rangers gasped in awe as the five Turbo Zords moved forward in perfect formation.

"They're ordinary cars?" Tanya asked. She sounded disappointed at the oversized but commonplace vehicles.

"No Tanya, they are extraordinary cars!" Zordon told her firmly, "Vehicles equipped with the power and velocity of Turbo technology, using all applicable data gathered from previous Zords and the technology from Nate's powers. With the power of Zeo compromised, this is the next evolution in the war against evil. When merged they will form the Turbo Megazord."

The Zords flickered, growing smaller and resembling normal sized cars.

"To allow them to move more swiftly, we have given them the ability to reduce in size until required. These Turbo Vehicles are capable of incredible speed. We have coordinated them with your Ranger powers. Adam, Desert Thunder will be yours to command. Kat, behold Wind Chaser. Tanya, Dune Star is your Turbo Zord. And Tommy, Red Lightning will serve you well."

The cars moved closer, seeming under their own command. The Rangers didn't move a muscle though and right before the vehicles hit them, four of the machines vanished. Only the Blue Turbo Zord remained, still idling.

"What about Rocky's Zord?" Adam asked.

"The Mountain Blaster will stay behind for now," Zordon told them.

Alpha chose that moment to continue the briefing. "Remember, Rangers. Once within the Nemesis Triangle, all communications with the Power Chamber will be rendered inactive."

He pushed a button and the Mountain Blaster vanished and within the dark void, five key-like devices in Ranger colours twirled in a vortex of coloured brilliance. Orbiting around them were five coloured devices that the Rangers could guess were morphers.

"The devices before you were built by Lerigot before he was forced to flee his home world," Zordon explained. "Before he left, he entrusted them to me, knowing that we could use them to stop Divatox. With Alpha's assistance they have been configured to work with the generators within the Turbo Zords. These are your new Turbo Keys and Turbo Morphers."

"Does that mean we can get going?" Tommy asked.

"Affirmative," Billy answered. "By utilising the Turbo powers you will be able to penetrate the Nemesis Triangle."

Divatox's Subcraft

"Rygog, no sign of Zordon's Power Pack?" Divatox asked as the mutant watched the radar. While waiting for an answer she lovingly cradled her eel creature in her arms.

"The radar shows nothing unusual in pursuit," Rygog replied.

Divatox squealed in delight and kissed the top of her creature's head. "Excellent. Nothing must stop this wedding! Now Elgar, did you get that lawyer to draw up the prenuptial agreement?"

"Sure thing Auntie Divatox. Everything that is yours remains yours. And everything that is his becomes yours as well."

"That sound fair to me. I feel like celebrating. Is that lawyer still here?"

"All loaded up an' ready to go," Elgar told her.

"Rygog, fire the torpedoes!" She could hear the terrified scream as the weasel-like creature she had hired to write her documents was sent hurtling into the hemisphere. "That was fun. Rygog, make a note: the first thing we do on my honeymoon is find a new lawyer."

Power Chamber

The Zeo Rangers removed their Zeonisers, moved toward the panel and stepped into the vortex. Their hair whipped back as they claimed their individual Keys and Morphers. The vortex raged into a roaring frenzy as the Rangers' forms melded into a blur of colour and light. Suddenly there was silence. The glow of light dissipated as the four Rangers turned, resplendent in their new Ranger uniforms. They moved out into the Power Chamber, leaving the Blue Turbo Key and Morpher to orbit forlornly.

"Quickly Alpha, inform Trey to prepare Pyramidas to act as a channel for the Zeo Crystal's energy. As soon as the breach has been made Tommy, you and your fellow Turbo Rangers must teleport to the Valerian Desert. We will teleport your Turbo Zords there separately. "The Valerian Desert's magnetic forces will interfere with any of Divatox's detection devices."

Alpha continued. "You must then follow the river in the Digathian Forest until you reach the Ghost Galleon."

"The old phantom ship's protective barriers, once fuelled by the power of your Turbo Keys, will set a course through the triangle and see you to Muiranthias in safety."

Red Turbo handed an envelope to his twin.

"Will you deliver this to Coach Daniels? In case we don't make it back, he needs to send in the second team."

David nodded and took the envelope.

"The safety of the Universe depends upon all of you now ..." Zordon said solemnly.

"Ai-yi-yi, I miss you already Rangers. Please be careful!"

"You guys be careful," Red Turbo told those that were staying behind. "May the Power protect us."

Divatox's Subcraft

Kimberly and Jason worked feverishly on loosening the bolts. Kimberly noticed that her fingers were bleeding profusely.

"My manicurist is going to kill me," she remarked.

Jason noticed the injury, tore a strip from his tank top and tied them for her.

"Kim, why didn't you say something?" he asked.

He had been so desperate to escape that he had failed to observe the possible dangers of their plan. He was just glad he was locked in with Kimberly and not Billy, whose claustrophobia would have made it terribly uncomfortable stuck inside the confines of the bilge.

She shrugged. "I'm no weenie."

Jason noticed the sad tone in Kimberly's voice.

"Come on, we've got three already," he urged.

"I know," she said. Something he had said had spurred her on. "We can't give up."

"Hey, we'll be there to dance in the aisles, when the guys win the competition," he promised. "You'll see."

For some reason, she believed him**.**

Somewhere

Four powerful vehicles tore through the desert as the Power Rangers made their way to the rendezvous point. The air shimmered as the four Turbo Vehicles burst through a cloud of dust. The four streaks of Ranger teleportation split, entering each individual vehicle.

"Man this is awesome!" Tommy cheered as they made a minor course correction.

The others silently agreed.

"All right, everyone demorph!"

The others obeyed, shifting back to their civilian forms. Lacking the communication provided through their helmets, and not wishing to try and operate the Turbo Zords with one hand, the Rangers strapped themselves in and opened a box on one side of the cockpit. Removing the headset and the thin microphone contained within, they put them on.

"Adam here, Desert Thunder ready to rumble!"

The Rangers placed their Turbo Keys into the ignitions. The engines seemed to grow louder as they did so.

"This is Kat, Wind Chaser ready to howl!"

A few of the Rangers adjusted their seats. They needed to be comfortable after all.

"This is Radio Ranger, I'm your host Tanya, and Dune Star's gonna shine!"

A few final adjustments and Tommy's voice could be heard again.

"Red Lighting, ready to bolt!"

"Remember, no contact with the Power Chamber," Adam warned.

"Yeah," Tanya agreed. "I'm cutting all transmission links now. We don't want Divatox intercepting our communications."

"Last link broken," Tommy told them. "We're on our own now so let's rip some velocity! Shift into Turbo!"

There was a collective jerk as the Rangers ripped into gear and the vehicles took off across the desert. The air resounded from the roar of the thundering Turbo Vehicle engines. The Vehicles moved in a blur of speed.

The Power Chamber

There was a lack of light as the Power Chamber split its resources between monitoring Angel Grove and its current task. Only the instrument panels glowed as Alpha worked feverishly, with Zordon looking on. In the center of the room, a shadowy figure stood on a pedestal.

"The Turbo Ranger powers are a force to be reckoned with, mightier than all others if used correctly. You must use it wisely and it will serve you well. Now step forward and claim your destiny."

A gloved hand extended, momentarily hesitated and then grabbed the Turbo Key and Morpher that waited before him. There was a flash of light.

"You will be teleported to your Turbo Zord," Zordon said. "Using the slipstream created by the other vehicles you will be able to catch up."

The edge of the Digathian Forest

They had been travelling for a while, their vehicles slipping between the real world and the slipstream created by their speed. It had gotten dark outside. Night had fallen. In the light of the Turbo Vehicles's headlights though, the road ahead was well lit.

"Okay guys ... we're heading into the forest ... switch over to Turbo beams," Tommy instructed.

The headlights of the four Turbo Vehicles switched over to a higher wattage as they entered the forest depths, not noticing the single pair of headlights that were rapidly catching them up.

The Subcraft's Bilge

Jason and Kimberly bent over, working on the bolts. Kimberly stopped and leaned back, stretching her muscles. They were tired and cold, but they couldn't stop working. The trap door opened and Kimberly jumped back, leaning against the panel and tried to look nonchalant. A warrior climbed down a rope ladder holding a pot.

"Dinner time," Jason said.

The warrior set the pot on the floor. Kimberly gave a little gasp and looked down at her feet where a steady stream of water flowed from the loosened bolts. She nudged Jason. The warrior turned just as Jason slid down on his butt, putting his back to the trickle of water. He smiles innocently.

"Sure am hungry."

Luckily the warrior was not the most intelligent of Divatox's crew. He simply grunted and climbed back up the ladder. The trap door slammed shut and the two eyed the pot with trepidation.

"I hope it's better than lunch was," Kimberly remarked.

Jason opens the pot and screwed his face up as he sniffed the squirming mass of wormy soup slop.

"I've got news for you ... it's exactly what lunch was."

"Gross!" Kimberly exclaimed. "I just went on a major diet."

Digathian Forest

The Turbo Vehicles moved through the forest. Tommy stopped his Turbo Vehicle and got out. The other Rangers followed suit.

"That river's gotta be around here somewhere," he said.

Suddenly, a childish laugh pierced the stillness.

"That sounded like a child," Kat decided.

The Rangers began to follow the trail of laughter. They moved through a bank of bushes and came upon the river down below.

"The river!" Adam exclaimed. Tanya however had spotted something else.

"Hey! ... Over there!"

"The Rangers turned to see a beautiful young girl of about eleven. Her skin was the colour of alabaster with long blue/black hair that trailed in front of her bare chest. She sat behind a formation of river stones, lit by the moon light.

"Just stay where you are," Adam warned.

The little girl laughed and vanished under the water.

"Hurry, she could be drowning!" Kat cried.

The Rangers began to scramble down the embankment, unaware that the headlights were getting closer. The girl emerged in another part of the river and floated lazily in the water as she gazed impishly at the Rangers.

"I've been waiting for you," she told them in a strange tone before she dove and a silvery tail flipped out of the water.

"A mermaid?" Kat couldn't believe her eyes, but then a few years earlier she would never have believed that she would be turned into a cat by a wicked witch.

The mermaid came to surface again, closer to the Rangers this time.

"My name ... Mandika! Mandika knows all; follow river to guide find ship, find guide ... Alpha say hi."

She giggled and dove back down into the water.

"What do you think she meant ... find guide?" Kat asked.

"Whatever the guide is, it's too dark to look for it now," Tommy answered.

The flickering flames of the campfire illuminate the night as the four Rangers gathered round the flames, snug inside their light weight silver sleeping bags. Time was moving faster in this place, a few hours had passed while in Angel Grove it had probably only been a matter of minutes.

"I used to be afraid of the dark," Tommy remarked as an owl hooted nearby.

"Yeah, that's when all the boogey men camped out under your bed," Tanya agreed.

"And your parents could never find them," Kat added.

Adam stared into the fire, not listening. As he continued to stare, he began to see the image of a sinister face. He blinked as the flaming face in the fire roared and snapped its mouth. Adam screamed and jumped away. Stuck in his sleeping bag, he inched and flailed like a worm.

"Adam! What is it?" Tanya demanded.

"Didn't you see it?" Adam asked, unusually panicked. "A face in the fire!"

The other Rangers looked worried.

"It was probably nothing," Tommy offered. "Look, I think we all could use some Zs."

As the Rangers lay down, Adam stared uneasily into the fire once more. He unzipped his sleeping back, picked up a flashlight and stood.

"I gotta clear my head," he explained.

"Be careful," Kat told him sleepily.

Adam turned on the flashlight and walked through a group of trees. Mandika's voice echoed in his head.

"Find guide ... Find guide ..."

An owl hooted and took to flight, startling Adam. Adam tripped and cried out as he slid down an incline and landed with the flashlight pointing up. He gave a short scream. The beam shot up upon an old skeleton in tattered rags and pirate hat, leaning against a tree with its bony arm pointing away. An old rusted anchor lay at its feet.

"The guide! It's gotta be!" he realised.

Looking up he noticed the other Rangers looking down at him. He smiled, embarrassed.

"He doesn't look so hot," he told them, "but I bet he's pointing to where the ship is."

Tommy looked thoughtful and then nodded. "Let's go!"

They returned to the Turbo Vehicles and drove them down the path, through a dense fog. They stopped the vehicles and exit, gathering to discuss their next move.

"Well, ... I hear the ocean. But I sure don't see it," Tanya said.

"I'm gonna take a look up ahead," Tommy said. He made his way slowly into the fog. As he disappeared, a loud, booming ship's bell could be heard. "I think I found it!"

The eerie mist parted to reveal an old pirate ship docking by a rickety pier lit by the moon. A large hatch opened.

"Well Zordon said it was called The Ghost Galleon," Kat reasoned.

A ramp slowly moved from the hatch onto the pier. At that moment, the loud roar of an engine sounded and the Rangers turned as the Mountain Blaster cleared the remaining mist and stopped. The headlights were cut as the Rangers move forward cautiously.

"Rocky?" Adam asked.

He knew that was impossible, Rocky's back was too badly damaged for him to show up, powered or not. That left the possibility that Zordon had selected somebody else to be the Blue Turbo Ranger, but just whom would he trust with the powers, and why had he waited until now?

The door opened and two sneakered feet jumped to the ground. Wait a minute, jumped? It was true, the pilot was definitely too short to be seen over the top of the door. The confused Rangers looked on as the door shut, revealing Justin, standing next to his Turbo Vehicle and grinning like a Cheshire cat.

"Justin!" Kat exclaimed.

Tanya was equally disbelieving. "What are you doing here?"

Justin looked a little sheepish. "Rocky couldn't make it, so they sent me."

"What are you talking about?" Adam asked. He couldn't believe this.

"No way!" Tommy said as the pieces fell into place.

"Guys, I'm the new Blue Ranger. Isn't that cool?"

The response from the others was pretty spontaneous. Of all the scenarios they had envisioned, this was not one of them. In the end it was summed up in one word. "What?"

"Man, I was afraid I wasn't gonna make it! Alpha had to give me a crash course in driving ... Good thing you don't need a license to drive a Zord. Did you guys know that?" Justin was talking a mile a minute. He was young and had just spent hours trailing the other Rangers. He was nervous that they wouldn't accept him and excited that he had the chance to be a Ranger.

He was interrupted as the ship's bell tolled ominously, causing the Rangers to look up at the ship.

"Oookaay," Tommy said, trying to gather his composure. "We're gonna have to deal with this later, right now we've got to get on that ship!"

The others nodded and climbed into their Turbo Vehicles and slowly moved them into formation. They drove onto the pier and them into the ship.

Divatox's Subcraft

She peered through her periscope, seeking any sign of pursuit, and finding none, slammed it back into the ceiling, smiling as she did so.

"No Rangers in sight ... I knew Zordon would finally get it through his thick head not to mess with me!"

Elgar however was inspecting the cage where Lerigot had been secured. The small wizard was moaning softly, eyes closed as Elgar prodded him through the bars.

"He's gonna be dead soon," he commented.

Divatox joined Elgar and looked through the cage. Her nephew was right for once, if the laboured breathing was any indication, then he was in serious pain.

"Rygog!" she bellowed, prompting the mutant to walk in. "Do something about ... that! We can't let that wretched Liarian die before he opens the gateway to Muiranthias!"

The Ghost Galleon

"Welcome to the team," Tommy finally said. They really didn't have much choice. Rocky had for some reason chosen Justin to be his replacement and Zordon had approved. It was not as if they could break communications silence to complain. Like it or not, Justin was the new Blue Ranger. "Now, why don't we check out the ship?"

The Rangers moved down a narrow deck way filled with nautical memorabilia and cob webs. A door slammed and they jumped.

"Hopefully, it's a friendly spirit." Kat muttered as they climbed to a high deck.

As the Rangers walked across the deck, a thick fog made it impossible for them to see the sea.

"Hey ... look at this!" Justin cried excitedly.

The others gathered around a jewel encrusted box resting on top of a counter next to the ship's wooden wheel. Kat opened the box to find a black lining with five key shaped impressions.

"We know what these are for," she smiled.

"Let's do it," Tommy urged enthusiastically.

One by one, the Rangers inserted their Turbo Power Keys into the velvet grooves. Tommy was the last, and as he pulled his hand back, the ship's bell began to clang. Adam noticed the compass navigator.

"The needle's moving!"

Tommy and Justin joined him as Tanya and Katherine looked around, noticing how the fog had suddenly disappeared.

"The sails ..."

Kat looked to where Tanya was pointing.

"They're rising by themselves!"

The ship's wheel steered itself as the ship lurched forward. The Rangers stood looking out to the sea as the sun rose and the ship took off across the water at incredible speed.

"I'll say it again. This is way cool!" Justin said.

The others agreed. With the sudden speed they somehow knew they could catch up with Divatox.

The Subcraft

There was a loud thud as Elgar carelessly dropped Lerigot at Yara's feet. Yara cooed lovingly as she placed Bethel on Lerigot's chest. She crawled forward and stroked his face, causing Lerigot to open his eyes.

"Yara ... Bethel ..." Lerigot said weakly.

Yara smiled as the three Liarian heartbeats merged and filled the room with their strange song. Divatox looked disgusted.

"Lucky for us, we're evil and have no need of such revolting tendencies. Love? Ew!"

An odd alarm sounded and Divatox rushed to her control panel, narrowing the radar screen until it focussed on their immediate area.

"At last! We are finally approaching the Nemesis Triangle! Begin our ascent. We must avoid the reefs!"

"We're moving up, I can feel the pressure building," Kimberly observed before grabbing her head and sitting down on the floor.

"You've gotta clear your ears ... hold your nose and blowout gently," Jason advised.

Kimberly tried to do as her leader instructed as Jason checked his watch.

"We're climbing fast, we need to get the panel started

Kimberly agreed and the two made their way over to the panel. It would have been easier if they had had their powers, but the bilge was insulated against that form of energy. Still, what they lacked in power, they made up for in ingenuity and sheer determination.

The Ghost Galleon

They had made incredible progress in a short time and had almost caught up with Divatox and her cronies. Katherine and Tanya had taken lookout duty and were currently scanning the deck below.

"Do you think Justin knows what he's facing?" Tanya asked. It was a question that been on both their minds. "He's just a kid."

"Justin, Tommy and Adam are on one of the lower decks sparring," Kat replied. "Justin had some incredible moves. To be honest, this is the happiest I've seen him."

Tanya nodded, remembering the match she had witnessed earlier. "I wonder where he learned those moves. He's incredible. But still, he's a child."

The Subcraft

The alarm sounded, drawing the attention of all hands. Rygog manned the control panel as the warriors scrambled for battle. Elgar sat on the floor holding his ears as Divatox stormed in.

"Hell's bells! What is going on?" she demanded.

Rygog turned away from the control panel just long enough to explain.

"It's impossible ... The radar has detected the presence of five humans, but no vessel!"

"What, are they swimming? We're in the middle of the blasted ocean!" she pointed out.

"Whatever they're travelling on is quite undetectable," Rygog reasoned.

"No!" Divatox growled. "Zordon's Power Pups no doubt! Why didn't the radar alert us?"

Rygog was silent, as were the warriors. Eventually all eyes turned to Elgar who looked incredibly guilty.

"Well ... uh ... I turned down the radar surge to compensate for the aqua energizer shortage.""You what!" Rygog yelled. He prided himself on the correct operation of the Subcraft, and part of that success relied on Elgar remaining ten feet from the controls at all times. "How many times have I told you to stay away from the control panel?"

"Hey!" Elgar protested, "I was just trying to help..."

"Enough! Elgar, shut up!" Divatox snarled. Her idiot of a nephew was messing up her plans. She stalked toward her nephew, who had the sense to look incredibly nervous as she approached.

"Oh no! Not the nails... Aunt Divatox not the nails!"

She ignored his pleas. "You have been a great disappointment to me, Elgar."

Elgar was backing as quickly as possible toward the door. "I... I know... I'm sorry... I'm a screw driver... please... not the nails..."

Divatox leaned in close to her nephew, purposely infringing on his personal space. She smiled at him, a nice smile that she reserved just for members of her family. Elgar was terrified.

"No Elgar, not the nails, Rygog... open the waste dumpster!"

Elgar wiped his hand across the top of his head, relieved that he would be spared her preferred torture before realising what she intended. "No, not the waste dumpster! Don't send me down there, not with the cackidoodle!"

Divatox's smile grew for a moment and then vanished. "You should feel right at home."

Rygog covered his nose and pushed a button on the control board. A panel slid open in the floor, releasing a green vapour that caused those present to gag as the fumes spilled out. Daring to remove her fingers from her nose long enough to clap her hands, Divatox signalled two warriors to haul Elgar toward the opening.

"Noooo ... please ... I'll be bad, I promise!"

The warriors held Elgar aloft over the opening but did not throw him in as Divatox pondered what to do with the idiot.

"Do you promise Elgar?" she asked. She smiled as he nodded vigorously. "Just as I thought, you don't even have the lack of decency to lie. Drop him in!"

The two warriors seemed to take a great deal of pleasure as they dropped Elgar into the filthy mess contained within. As he sank, he tried into the sludge, he tried to scream, only to get a mouthful of disgusting refuse.

"Don't just stand there you idiots, think of something! Oh, I'll do it myself. We'll just leave a little something for those Power parasites to remember me by!" Divatox declared as she rushed to her control panel and closed the hatch.

"The Putrapods?" Rygog suggested.

"Rygog, you're a genius," she said, grinning maliciously as she pushed a button.

At the rear of the Subcraft a metal door slid open, allowing the vessel to eject six odd looking pods that immediately floated toward the surface. The metal door shut and the vessel vanished into the depths of the ocean not waiting to witness the pods appeared on the surface as the Ghost Galleon floated into view.

Kimberly and Jason eased a small part of the panel open. Water gushed in causing them to stumble as they held on for dear life.

"We'll have to wait till we cross through the triangle!" Jason said, raising his voice to be heard over the rushing water.

"We'd better get in and out of it soon ..." Kimberly replied. The water was pouring in. The light through the port hole suddenly darkened, causing Kimberly to look around nervously. "What's happening?"

The Subcraft shook as the repelling forces of the Nemesis Triangle tried to force it to change direction. With a cheer of triumph Divatox rose from her throne.

"It's time!" she announced. "We are minutes away from the dimensional gateway!" She opened Lerigot's cage and fished the Key from her cleavage. She grabbed the Liarian and thrust the Key at him. "Do it wizard! Open the gateway!"

In a sudden turn of defiance, Lerigot tossed the key away. Divatox screamed angrily and slapped him.

"Little fool!" she snarled. "Open the chamber!"

Rygog flipped the lever on her throne, opening the chamber. Yara and Bethel lay inside, rocking with the motion of the craft. Rygog moved to stand over them as Divatox leaned her face close to Lerigot, nails snapping out, her eyes glowing.

"How much do you love your family, you stupid creature? Rygog!"

Rygog rips Bethel from Yara. Yara wailed as Lerigot screamed. He cried softly and nodded, letting her know that she had won. Divatox smiled, stroking his head.

"That's better," she cooed, "that's my good little Liarian."

Divatox retrieved the key and gave it to Lerigot. Closing his eyes, he trilled erratically. The key glowed, emitting a bolt of light that ricocheted and then vanished through a port hole. The Subcraft calmed and Divatox snatched the key back.

"We're in the Nemesis Triangle!" she crowed as the Subcraft rushed through an electric warp and passed into the Nemesis Triangle.

Ghost Galleon

The fog rolled over front of the wooden vessel, shimmering as the energy behind it lit up the suddenly darkened sky.

"There it is," Tommy said. "The Nemesis Triangle."

Justin nodded. "Whatever's steering this ship, sure knows where to go."

"Yeah, right into the heart of it," Adam said, flatly.

"I've never seen anything like it," Kat breathed.

"Here goes nothin'!" Tanya sighed.

Night became day as the ship sliced its way through the fog bank, enfolding the Rangers within total silence. They could hardly see in front of the ship as it glided through the fog.

"Look out!" Tanya gasped. To the left, a phantom 'ship sped toward them.

They braced for impact but the ship vanished seconds before impact. They duck for cover as an old World War II fighter jet careened down toward them, before vanishing.

"Please tell me I'm not hallucinating," Kat pleaded.

"It's the triangle," Adam explained. "They're phantom crafts."

"Hit the Deck!" Tommy yelled. Illusion or not, he did not want to risk be hit by the UFO that shot across the deck and vanished into the fog.

"Was that a Bookala craft?" Adam asked.

Tommy shrugged.

"Man ... that was a close encounter!" Justin joked. The others groaned as the ship continued its journey.

Subcraft

Inside the bilge, Kimberly and Jason, were waist-deep in water as Jason pulled on the panel.

"Anytime, Jason ... the water's rising a little too high for me!"

Jason grabbed the weapon that he been working on and jammed it down into the opening, pulling back with all his might. Time was running out.

Ghost Galleon

The ship was slowly breaking its way through the perimeter of the Nemesis Triangle. The temperature had dropped and the sea had gotten rougher. Their instincts screamed for them to alter course, but in doing so they would fall prey to the forces at work within the area.

Tommy, Adam and Tanya stood on the lower deck peering out into the fog while Katherine and Justin on a higher deck, did the same.

"Can you see anything?" Kat asked.

"Just the nose in front of my face," Adam responded. "Barely."

"Hey ... someone turned up the chill factor here!" Tommy protested, his exclamation covering the noise of the six pods clamping themselves to the ship.

"It's freezing," Tanya agreed. "What's going on?"

The ship began to pitch as the wind picked up. The ship's steering wheel spun out of control while the sails flapped violently. Lightning crackled, sending a skittering of electricity out over the water's surface as the violent surges of the Nemesis Triangle tried to claim its newest victims.

"We're getting close to the gateway!" Adam yelled over the crashing waves. "We need the keys!"

"I'll get them," Kat offered. "I'll meet you below!"

The Rangers sprinted toward a lower room as Katherine moved to the Captain's deck.

The four Rangers scrambled into a small room below deck as a large wave crashed over the side of the ship. They had to leave the hatch open for Kat, which meant a small amount of freezing water flooded the room. The storm raged above as the Rangers latched onto things to maintain their balance. Lightning flashed blindingly as Kat stumble through the hatch with the keys. They grabbed their keys as the light darkened rapidly. They were well beyond the point of no return.

"Now!" ordered.

The Rangers raised their keys together as a wave struck the ship, causing it to pitch violently. A chair slammed forward into Justin, knocking him to the ground as his key slid across the floor.

"My key! I dropped my key!" he shouted as he scrambled to find it as the darkness descended in swooping motion.

"Hurry, Justin!" Tanya urged.

A bolt of electricity started to extend from the sky through the hatch toward the Rangers. Justin searched for his key.

"Justin!" Kat cried.

Justin snatched his key at the last instant, jumps up, and joins his key with the other five. The Rangers screamed as the arm of electricity hit an invisible shield blasting back into a myriad of small sparks and out the hatch. An explosion shook the ship uncontrollably, shoving the Rangers to their knees. Suddenly there was silence. Then as the light returned, the Rangers stood.

"It's over," Tanya sighed. "We made it through the gateway."

"I hope our luggage did," Adam joked.

The Rangers laughed in relief.

"We're inside the triangle!" Justin cried excitedly. "Zordon told me all about it! Weird!"

Before he could get too excited, Tommy said, "The keys need to be back in place."

"I'll get us rolling again," Kat offered.

"Yeah, do that. Kimberly and Jason can't be that far ahead of us."

Kat collected the keys and they all headed back to their previous positions. They were surprised when they reached the deck to find a beautiful sky and calm sea.

Kat replaced the keys and the ship lurched forward again. Then she climbed down from the Captain's deck, glanced to the side and stopped short.

"Tommy!"

"What is it?" Tommy asked as he rushed toward her.

"How did they get there?" she asked, pointing to the six pods grouped together in the narrow walk below the Captain's deck. Adam, Tanya and Justin joined them.

"Talk about ugly," Justin commented. "What are they?"

"Look ... that one's breathing," Adam indicated. He knelt down to get a closer look at the pods. "Breathing ... as in alive?"

"They all are!" Kat realised.

The six pods did indeed seem to be breathing. Adam stretched his hand out to examine them, but withdrew it when he heard a strange hiss. There was a loud 'CRACK!' as the pods started to break open, emitting a purple mist from the jagged crevices.

"Holy moley!" Justin exclaimed.

"Everyone back!" Tommy ordered.

The others were quick to obey as one of the pods began to open, revealing a small, furry, purplish brown ball, encased in transparent slime. The other pods started to pop open, revealing the same contents. The Rangers moved further back into a defensive formation.

Then one of the fur balls moved, as a strange looking hand smashed out of the slime. A beat later, another hand emerged, then a foot and then another. The ball grew larger to form a body that dripped with slime. The six Putrapod monsters - a cross between a gorilla and a bear, covered with rough, matted fur and anteater-like heads, with small ugly faces and jagged teeth - erupted into full-grown status.

"Whoa ... nasty!" Tanya exclaimed.

The pod monster closest to Justin turned and in a quick move, yanked Justin onto the deck in front of the other five pods, which quickly circled him. Tommy moved like lightning, climbing one of the ship's masts where he grabbed hold of a rope and swung down.

"Justin!"

Justin turned and grabbed hold of Tommy's arm as he swooped by. They landed on an upper deck as the monsters screamed shrilly, prompting the pod monsters to move toward the other Rangers on the lower deck. Tommy and Justin jumped from the upper deck, landing an incredible kick into two of the monster's backs. That was the signal as the Rangers launched into a full force battle using whatever they could lay their hands on. Tanya heaved a barrel at a monster, sending it down for a moment as Adam picked up a plank of wood and batted a monster aside. Kat swung an old buoy over her head and let it go like a sling shot. It crashed into a monster stunning the creature for a brief moment. The Rangers held the upped hand, but were quickly tiring.

"They keep getting up again!" Kat complained.

"They're too strong!" Tanya agreed.

The monsters closed in as the Rangers fought harder. It was starting to look like a losing battle.

**To be Continued**

Disclaimer: I do not own the Power Rangers or any other show. No profit is being made from this piece of fanfiction. The next few chapters will borrow heavily from Turbo: A Power Ranger Movie.  
Author's Note: Some events in this chapter follow on from those Lerigot's Greatest Trick.

**Race to the Volcano**

Subcraft

Jason and Kimberly were treading water. Their attempts to escape so far had failed, mostly due to the water pressure that prevented them from opening the hatch fully.

"Let's try again!" Jason suggested. They were running out of air space.

Kimberly nodded, drew a deep breath and at Jason's signal, dived beneath the surface where the two managed to force the panel open.

Ghost Galleon

The Rangers were starting to tire. Justin, the least experienced was on his back, struggling to get away from two of the monsters.

"This isn't working," he complained as he scurried back.

Adam swung a high kick, sending one of the monsters flying as another jumped on his back. Tommy dodged his way toward the Captain's Room.

Subcraft

It had been a struggle, but the panel was finally opened wide enough for a body to slip through. Satisfied, Kimberly and Jason headed back up and burst through the water's surface, gasping for air.

"Wish me luck!" Kimberly said.

"Good luck," Jason answered with a slight smile.

Drawing a breath, the two Rangers dove beneath the surface. Kimberly wriggled through the opening but became stuck when her t-shirt snagged on a jagged piece of metal. She looked at Jason in horror as he frantically tried to free her.

The sudden inrush of water could not be ignored forever. With the bilge suddenly filled with water, the Subcraft lurched and jolted as the weight shifted. A red 'Tilt' sign screamed in red as Divatox and Rygog rushed to the control panel.

"We're sinking!" Rygog cried.

"Of course we're sinking. This is a submarine!" Divatox snapped.

"Water sensors show a serious leak in the Subcraft," he said, correcting his earlier statement while backing away just enough to put himself outside of her range should she turn on him.

Ghost Galleon

With an intense series of acrobatic moves, Tommy manoeuvred his way toward the Captain's deck while the other Rangers tried to keep the monsters from going after him. Just as Tommy reached the deck, a monster appeared from around the corner. Tommy greeted it with a swing kick and as the monster fell back, scrambled up and along the next deck, before he was yanked back by the pod monster, who had a fierce hold on his foot. CRASH! Another monster launched itself onto the deck and moved toward Tommy. The other Rangers noticed his plight, but were already busy battling against the remaining monsters.

"Tommy! ... Hurry!" Kat cried as she was knocked to her knees.

Adam jumped into the air, avoiding a vicious attack and allowing the monster to rush headlong into a sail frame. Justin was still on the ground, having thrown one monster aside and now trying to scramble away from the second monster, which seemed intent upon embedding its fangs into his neck. Tanya swatted at a monster as she backed into an old wooden barrel and fell backwards.

Subcraft

Divatox was furious. Her prisoners had somehow managed to make a hole in the side of her ship. How dare those pests vandalise her Subcraft? If she hadn't needed them to sacrifice to Maligore, she'd have already flayed them alive.

"It's coming from the bilge! ... Activate the emergency hatch!"

Rygog pushed a button and in the bilge, a second hatch started to slide down over the panel opening. Kimberly struggled as Jason tried to keep the second hatch from closing on her. She broke free just as the second hatch slammed shut. Jason shot up and broke the surface, his head pressed into the ceiling.

"Go for it Kim ..." he whispered as Kimberly slowly swam up to the surface, releasing a trail of air bubbles.

Ghost Galleon

Tommy flopped onto his back as he tried to dislodge the pod monster from his foot. The other monster was drooling hungrily as he approached. Tommy looked up to see Adam vault overhead. Tommy screamed, knees upwards into the monster and rolled, just as Adam landed a kick to the second monster's back. The two monsters knocked into each other and started to fight each other. Adam grabbed Tommy and hauled him up.

"Come on, buddy!"

Tommy and Adam grabbed the keys from the box, causing the ship to lurch to a stop as Tommy and Adam turned to see the monsters headed straight toward them.

Subcraft

A panel slid open to reveal a shoot covered in bars. There was a loud WHOOSH! Then the water shot out of the floodgate. Jason fells to the Bilge floor, coughing and gasping for air. The trap door flew open and Divatox glared down at him. He knew he was defeated, but he hoped Kimberly had more luck.

Something was wrong Kimberly realised as she struggled to break the water's surface. She still didn't feel the connection with the Morphin Grid. Maybe it was a result of being trapped in the Cold Iron cell or perhaps due to travelling through the Nemesis Triangle, but it seemed the Power was not within her grasp as she tried to keep her head above water. Soon despite her struggles she lapsed into unconsciousness and sank.

Ghost Galleon

Tommy and Adam lunged forward with a scream, battering into the two monsters and sending them flying down below. The two teens then jumped down onto the deck amidst the raging battle where the other Rangers were taking a beating.

"We gotta Morph, now!" Adam urged.

"You got it!" Tommy agreed. "Guys, over here!"

The Rangers converged to receive their keys. One by one, they inserted the Turbo Keys into the Turbo Morphers on their wrists.

"Shift into Turbo! ... Red Lightning Turbo Power!"

"Desert Thunder Turbo Power!"

"Wind Chaser Turbo Power!"

"Dune Star Turbo Power!"

"Mountain Blaster Turbo Power!"

Justin cried out as his body was stretched. The powers were designed to operate best with those that met certain height and weight requirements. Since Justin was smaller than the template, the powers altered his body so that it was closer to adult size. The pain was short-lived.

"Whoa! I love being big!" he exclaimed.

"Let's kick some furball butt!" Red Turbo chuckled. These powers felt different to those he had wielded in the past. He didn't feel the sudden burst of extra strength to the same degree that he normally experienced. It wasn't better or worse, just ... different.

Then the five Rangers attacked the monsters with incredible force.

Kimberly slowly sank into the depths of the oceans, totally unaware when a pale white hand grabbed and pulled her toward the surface. As the two surfaced, Kimberly coughed but did not come round. Mandika the Mermaid looked at the girl to make sure it was worth saving her, and then started to swim.

The Rangers launched into an amazing martial arts battle against the monsters, enhanced by their new powers.

"How about some Auto Blaster action?" Red Turbo asked.

The Rangers pulled out their blasters and fired. The monsters' reaction was unusual; they fell and started to shrink, rolling back into balls. Blue Turbo Rangers ran and kicked one of the balls out over the ocean.

"Yeah! I aced in Soccer!"

He turned and kicked the other ball, sending it flying. Pink Turbo Ranger rammed a wheeled cannon into a monster and sent it winging off the ship. The Rangers stopped and looked around. All the monsters were gone.

"Alright! ... We did it!" Green Turbo cheered.

"Pretty awesome stuff there!" Red Turbo Ranger said as he clapped Blue Turbo Ranger on the back.

"Just doing my job! .. My dad's been teaching me since I was a kid. I wish he coulda seen this."

Murianthus

The water bubbled as the Subcraft emerged from the sea. They had made it. Now it was a matter of time before Divatox achieved her goal.

After the battle the Rangers had demorphed and gathered on the deck.

"It should be anytime now," Tanya said.

"Alright!" Justin cried excitedly from the crow's nest. "Land ahoy ... I always wanted to say that!"

"Better come down now, Justin!" Kat called.

Justin scrambled back down to the deck and joined the others.

"There it is," Adam pointed. The Island of Muiranthias loomed in the distance. Lush foliage dotted the hills as a golden mist of clouds hovered above. "Muiranthias... There's a volcano inside a temple we have to find. That's where they'll be headed ..."

"So will we," Tommy said.

The Rangers turned and headed back into the ship.

Kimberly's face pressed into the sand. A wave washed over her and she coughed, rolling onto her back. Her eyes opened groggily then snapped open with terror. Not far away, a group of ten native warriors, scowled down at her.

They were the Malikayas, almost human creatures covered from head to toe in blue clay and red dotted lines with exotic plumage in their hair. They let loose with horrible howls. Kimberly struggles to rise but was pinned by a spear.

"Out of the frying pan into the fire," she moaned.

Divatox stood amidst the flurry of activity, watching as her underlings rushed about, preparing for their trek to the volcano.

"We must begin our trek to the Serpent's Temple before we lose any more prisoners! Today is my wedding day and I'm already tied in knots!"

Elgar lumbered forward holding a large chain attached to a robed Jason. Divatox moved closer, sniffing.

"Elgar, you still stink. Move away from me."

Rygog checked on Lerigot's condition, kneeling to look into the wizard's cage. "We must hurry. He is dying!"

Lerigot's skin was a deathly grey and his breathing was barely detectable. Divatox knocked Rygog away.

"No! He must live long enough to gain access to the temple and become an offering to Maligore!"

At that moment the radar shrieked.

"Now what?" she demanded.

Rygog moved to the control panel.

"Impossible! The radar is detecting the same five human life forms approaching the island."

"Yes, I knew they wouldn't let us down!" Jason cried, only to be jerked back when Elgar yanked the chain.

"Don't yank my chain, human."

Divatox chose to ignore him. "Blast! The Putrapods have failed me! ... Still no detection of a vessel?"

"Negative," Rygog replied.

"I've got to get rid of those power gnats! She snarled before running to the control panel where she pushed a series of buttons and levers. "I say we blow the tadpoles right out of the water! ... Launch the heat-seeking torpedoes!"

The ship shuddered as the torpedoes shot out of the hatch and began to rise. As the torpedoes surfaced, a small radar periscope jutted up from their back. They beeped steadily as they move forward.

On the far side of the island, the Rangers held their Power Boxes and watched the ramp emerge out into the sea. Tommy looked at his Turbo Navigator and realised something was wrong.

"I can't get a signal on Lerigot."

"Look, my Vehicle's positioned out first. Why don't I drive to the top of that cliff over there and see if I can locate the temple?" Adam suggested.

"Okay, keep in contact and we'll get the other vehicles rolling," Tommy agreed.

Adam exited leaving the other four to finish the preparations. His Turbo Vehicle propelled its way through the water to shore.

The four Rangers stood on the deck, watching Adam's Turbo Vehicle made its way up the rugged trail. Suddenly, the radars on the Power Boxes started to beep.

"What's going on?" Kat asked.

" I don't know," Tommy replied, checking the box.

Tanya looked at hers and punched some buttons. "Uh oh, I think our cover's blown. Something's coming toward us."

"And it's coming fast," Tommy confirmed.

"We can't be detected inside the Turbo Vehicles!" Kat pointed out.

"Come on!" Justin cried, suddenly sensing something was wrong. "We've gotta get our butts in those cars!"

The four Rangers started to run.

Adam's Turbo Vehicle stopped atop the cliff. As he climbed out, he stuffed his Turbo Key into his pocket and put on his Power Box. He gazed upwards at the hill behind him. His eyes fixed on the mysterious and foreboding temple.

"Wow ..." he said softly.

As radar started to beep, Adam adjusted his headset and walked to the cliff's edge, gazing at the radar. He scanned the sea below then took out his Power Binoculars to peruse the rocky cove and ocean.

"Guys, I can see the temple from here ... what's with the alarm?"

"We zeroed in on something headed toward us ... Can you see anything from up there?" Tommy replied.

"Checking." In the distance he could make out the two torpedo periscopes tracking their way through the water. Adam watched as they changed their heading and travel toward the Ghost Galleons. "What? Hey Guys!"

Just seconds later the torpedoes connected with their targets, turning the Ghost Galleon into matchsticks. Adam looked on in horror, unable to believe what he was seeing. They had come all that way only to be blown out of the water.

"We did it!" Elgar proclaimed as Divatox celebrated.

The sound of engines caused Adam to look down at the remains of the ship, just in time to see the Turbo Vehicle break from the wreckage and make their way to shore.

"Whoo!" he cried, not caring who would hear him before making his way up the cliff face, seeking a way to get to the temple.

On another part of the island, Divatox and company were making their way to the volcano. Rygog dragged a robed figure while some of Divatox's warriors pulled the cages containing Lerigot, Bethel and Yara. They had only trekked a short distance when they were confronted by a group of warriors carrying a bound Kimberly.

"Ah here's the other Power Brat," Divatox said as the robed figure removed his hood to reveal Jason.

Elgar was bolstered by the lack of fear in his aunt's voice and decided to pick a fight.

No! ... Wait!" Divatox ordered before the idiot could ruin everything. "These are the Malikayas, guardians of Maligore ... Bring the Wizard!"

The warriors removed Lerigot from his cage and dragged him to Divatox. She removed his skull cap and then pulled the Golden Key from her cleavage and placed it in Lerigot's hand.

"Do it wizard ... spin your magic. Open the temple gate!"

Lerigot swayed, looked back at his family, and then with a shudder, took the key. The key glowed as a spark of light ricocheted wildly, and landed by the tribe, causing a small fire. The Malikayas gasp and fall to their knees.

"What a rush! Power is such a head trip! ... Come on! We're gonna spring your evil idol man!"

Lerigot stumbled forward as Divatox and the others follow.

"Adam, are you all right?" Kat asked when the teens met up.

"Yeah, but I thought you guys were goners," Adam said. Then he grew serious. "Lerigot's dying, ... we may already be too late!"

"We gotta kick it into action!" Tommy said, using his binoculars to scan the climb to the temple. "We'll leave the Vehicles and go for a silent approach ... Let's shift into Turbo!"

The Rangers quickly morphed and headed off. One advantage of the Turbo powers was the ability to perform a quick morph without the need for a complex sequence of movements. They moved up the hill at Turbo speed.

"Up ahead," Red Turbo called as he passed through a bank of trees.

The Rangers rushed into the clearing and moved to an ornate temple door.

"Turbo key action!" he called, causing the five Rangers to join their keys together. A bolt of combined power rocketed into the lock and the door swung open.

"Now you're talking!" Blue Turbo yelled before shooting through the door.

"Justin! Be careful!" Green Turbo warned as the other Rangers swiftly followed.

Unexpectedly the door slammed, casting the Rangers into darkness.

"Justin ... where are you?" Yellow Turbo asked.

"Over here!" he replied, which was a pretty useless response since it was too dark to see him.

"Turbo Headlights - on!" Red Turbo commanded.

The Rangers switched on the headlights at the top of their helmets. Blue Turbo was standing in the middle of a large expanse with an oil slick lake covering the floor. Rats skittered across the ground as the Rangers moved forward. A loud booming noise echoed in the tunnel causing Justin to jump and almost slip.

"What's that?" he asked, a little fear evident in his voice.

"Must be an underground volcano," Green Turbo told him.

"I can feel the heat," Pink Turbo said as she pressed her glove against the wall.

"Just watch your step and stay together," Red Turbo instructed. "Things could get pretty slippery."

Together the Rangers slogged their way through the oil slick.

Divatox and her cronies had been led to a vast cavernous chamber where the small group of natives looked on in awe as they lowered Kimberly's wooden bed to the floor. Lerigot collapsed as Divatox walks to the chamber's center and looked down into the mouth of the volcano.

Within the volcano, fire and lava roiled into a twisted stew. The glimmer of a malevolent, fiery face appeared momentarily, his mouth opening to spew a stream of lava with a deafening roar. Divatox jumped back from the lava stream, laughing that her dreams were about to come true. She clapped her hands and two warriors climbed a wall and began to turn a large metal wheel that squealed with age. Two rusty chains and hooks lowered over the volcano mouth.

"Prepare the humans first! ... He can have the Liarians for dessert!"

"Come on, Divatox. Don't you know bad guys never win," Jason called.

Divatox laughed. "You wish power boy! You have no idea of what you're dealing with! Rygog! Elgar! String them up!"

The chains were attached to their bonds and then at Divatox's signal they were hauled into position over the volcano.

"Enjoying you hang time?" Divatox asked, laughing cruelly up at the captive Rangers. Jason sneaked a quick look at Kimberly, as best he could over his shoulder. She was still in the almost catatonic state she had inhabited since her recapture. She didn't speak or respond to anything anyone said, simply stared straight ahead. Jason knew how she felt. His mind was reeling with the possibilities of what was about to happen. And none of those thoughts were good.

"You won't get away with this, Divatox," he told her calmly. Despite his cliché words, the cold lack of emotion in his voice made the pirate shiver.

"Oh, and why is that?" she drawled, trying to cover the momentary surge of fear his words had given her. "Who's going to stop me? Zordon's stuck in his tube, your Power Ranger friends are dead, and you're chained to a rope, about to become lunch for my fiancé. What makes you think anyone is going to come to your aid?"

Jason smiled coldly. "I didn't say that. I don't expect to come out of this. Somehow, though, someone will stop you. It's the way it works. Even if you kill every single Power Ranger on Earth, someone will rise up against you, and in the end, you'll fall. Your kind always fall."

"Spare me the melodrama," she sighed. "We've got better things to do. Maligore! Great flame of destruction, come forth! I have sacrifices for you, strong and pure. Come forth! Feed upon their purity and twist their souls to evil!"

Jason struggled helplessly against his bonds as he began to lower, slowly, towards the pit. "Kim, snap out of it!" he cried. "Kim, come on!" There was no response. She simply hung there as they headed for the molten rock below.

Jason Scott was not a religious person, really. He had never seen much need for it, beyond a basic belief that something was out there, something inherently good that watched over the universe. He hadn't been to church in three years, except for Christmas, Easter, and Mother's Day. Now, however, he closed his eyes and began to pray in earnest, not only for himself, but for Kimberly and the rest of the world as well.

"Did we miss the party?" a familiar voice asked, snapping Jason out of his fear-induced stupor. Red Turbo stood in the middle of the floor, arms crossed lazily over his chest. Anger radiated from his entire body. Behind him, the rest of the Rangers, all morphed, were eyeing Divatox's warriors warily, although the underlings were too stunned to attack at the moment.

"Tommy!" Jason cried. "Are we ever glad to see you!" Behind him, Kim began to stir.

"Tommy?" she murmured. "No. You're dead. They said you were dead." Tears filled her eyes as she looked at him.

Red Ranger's voice was warm as he replied. "Now, Kim. You know me better than that. We drove ashore. There was no way a little torpedo would stop us."

"Tommy! You're alive!" she shouted. "Get us down from here!"

Red Turbo saluted. "Right. Let's kick some scale!"

The scene that followed was impossible to describe, but two words came close: utter chaos. Elgar and the warriors outnumbered the rangers by about four to one, but the Rangers had experience in fighting enemies much more numerous than they. The Turbo Rangers were unstoppable, their incredible speed making up for any lack of strength. Hacking and slashing, they fought their way closer to Rygog and their friends

Blue and Pink were back-to-back, sending Divatox's warriors, Piranhatrons as she had called them, flying in every direction. All around them, the battle raged as Red and Green Turbo were fighting to get through the Piranhatrons and reach the winch that held the chain. Yellow Turbo was still fighting with Rygog, holding her own. Unfortunately, she couldn't get to the chain, and it was still slowly lowering into the pit.

"Let's speed this up, shall we?" Divatox smiled. Throwing a lever that stood to one side of her, she laughed as Jason and Kim plummeted into the pit.

"No!" Red Turbo cried, throwing himself towards the edge of the pit. Suddenly a gout of flame billowed out from it, hurling him back. When the flames cleared, Jason and Kimberly were standing on the edge of the volcano.

"Kim?" Kat whispered, hardly daring to believe it. The two teens turned around, and the assembled Rangers gasped. Jason and Kimberly's eyes were now blood red, and the expressions on their faces were cold and emotionless. Raising their hands in front of their faces, they snapped the chains holding their wrists together with ease.

"Maligore's children, arise!" Divatox cried. "Destroy those who would threaten your master!"

With a pair of impressive flips, Jason and Kimberly leaped down from the side of the pit. "Kimberly," Red Turbo begged, rising slowly to his feet, "you have to fight it. Fight the evil inside you!"

"Evil is like evil does," Kimberly replied. Her voice was low and husky, different from when he'd heard it in the past. She was advancing on him, and he was backing up, unwilling to fight her. She took the decision out of his hands when she spin-kicked him, knocking him out of her way. Smiling evilly, she continued to advance on Kat.

Jason, meanwhile, didn't change course, he targeted Red Turbo. The two of them had been engaging in friendly competition for years, ever since Tommy had joined the team. Now, under the spell, Jason's only thought was to destroy the Ranger who could destroy him. He would prove who was the better man once and for all. The two of them fought back and forth, neither gaining the upper hand. For all Jason's strength, Red Turbo was quicker, and the bigger boy's powerful strikes did little good if they didn't connect. Red Turbo was tiring, though, and it was only a matter of time before he was too slow to get out of the way.

The other Turbo Rangers were still dealing with the Piranhatrons, and it looked as if they were winning. Suddenly, though, the room began to shake as another gout of flame spat out of the pit, drawing everyone's attention back to it. The fights were forgotten as the combatants watched in awe and terror as a wickedly clawed hand, made out of solid and molten rock, landed on the edge. Then, slowly and deliberately, Maligore pulled himself out of the volcano.

He was a terrifying sight, standing seven feet tall and almost three feet wide. Red eyes glowed in his eye sockets and his face resembled that of the sea monsters in old horror movies, except that there was no denying he was real. A set of incredibly sharp teeth completed the picture.

"At last, I am free!" Maligore cried, stretching.

Blue Turbo thought vaguely to himself that this was the last straw his sanity could take. He had expected the creature, if it could talk at all, to have a loud, rumbling voice, like an erupting volcano. Instead, Maligore's voice was deep and rich, almost pleasant to listen to.

"Divatox, my dear, I commend you on your efforts to free me. In return, we shall be wed as soon as possible," Maligore said. Divatox flushed and bowed. Then the molten being walked over to where Kim and Jason stood, regarding the Rangers contemptuously. "And the two of you shall have great power as well. I'm sure I can think of excellent rewards for you." He turned to Jason. "You shall command my armies in my conquest of this planet." Jason bowed, a cold smile on his face. "And you," he said, turning to Kimberly, "shall have a place of great honour by my side. Not as my wife, of course, but the post of first concubine is hardly a lowly one."

At the word "concubine," Red Turbo had stepped forward, growling under his breath. Before anyone could stop him, Red Turbo had launched himself forward, slamming into a startled Maligore with all his strength. The volcanic monster reeled back, falling back into the volcano from which it had emerged. For a long moment, all was still.

Suddenly, with a mighty roar, Maligore leaped up out of the sea of molten rock. Slamming into Red Turbo Ranger, he knocked him to the ground, shattering his helmet against the floor. "I am not so easily defeated," he sneered. "Power down, Rangers, or I gut your leader from throat to belly."

The Rangers exchanged helpless looks, then as one powered down. As the Piranhatrons circled them, weapons at the ready, they slowly raised their hands.

"Power down, Red Ranger," Maligore grinned. "Unless you'd like to see them all destroyed?"

Tommy regarded the monster coolly for a second, then returned to his normal attire. Maligore hauled him up, shoving him towards the others.

"Now, Rangers," the molten being mused, "what shall I do with you?"

The laughter that accompanied his question promised that what he had in mind would not be pleasant.

Maligore inspected the Rangers smugly, pacing back and forth in front of the small group as they all glared. "At long last, I will have my revenge on those miserable creatures that dared imprison me in that volcano centuries ago! Now I am released, and I have found the perfect vengeance on the forces of light. And I will start with those that attempted to prevent my release!"

"Better goons than you have tried to kill us," Tommy scoffed, "and we're all still here."

"Oh, but I don't intend to kill you, Rangers," Maligore chuckled. "At least, not all of you. I have far more entertaining plans in mind than that." So saying, he turned to Jason and Kimberly, who still watched their imprisoned friends with those impassive red eyes. "My children, as a reward for your faithful service, you may each choose one Ranger to do with as you wish. Jason? Which Ranger is yours?"

Jason walked up and down the line of captive Rangers for a long moment. He looked at Tommy, an evil grin lighting his features, then shook his head. "No," he rasped. "As much as I would like to destroy you, Ranger, I won't waste my reward on so fleeting a pleasure."

While Jason made his choice, Maligore turned to Kim. "And you, my dear. Which one do you choose?"

Her choice was made far more quickly than Jason's. Immediately, she crossed to where Tommy was being held. "Him. I'll take him."

Maligore chuckled. "Yes, I think I will put him into the fire. Perhaps I will make you share him, slave to one and victim for the other. I can see the results would be... entertaining." Turning away, he gestured to the Piranhatrons. "Separate the Red Ranger from the group." The fish-men did so roughly, pulling Tommy out of the line. Then Maligore strolled along the line himself.

"Most of you will join my ranks," he told them. "The pit will allow the evil in your hearts, small as it may be, to take over. Some of you, however, are not worth the effort. I'm afraid I'll just have to kill you." His eyes lingered on Adam and Tanya.

"You two are so much wasted effort. I'd be out of my mind to bother with you. You on the other hand, Pink Ranger, have much delicious darkness in your heart. You will be an excellent warrior for my cause." His voice lowered, and he grabbed her chin in one clawed hand. "And you are quite lovely, as well. Perhaps I will make use of you in a more- personal sense."

"Now, what to do with you?" Maligore mused as he studied Justin. "There's no evil in you as there is in the Red Ranger. Given time there could be, but I'm not feeling patient. I suppose I'll just have to destroy you. Perhaps I'll do it myself, or better yet, have your friends do it."

"Wait," Divatox interrupted, stepping forward. "I have a better idea. Give him to me. He's helpless without his powers, so we just take those away. I have some marvellous uses for him planned." She looked him up and down, hunger evident in her gaze. Maligore regarded her for a second, then nodded. To plan to corrupt a child, this was a truly twisted woman. He had been right to reward her.

"All right, my dear, as you will." Two more Piranhatrons grabbed Justin and Kat, hauling them over to where Tommy stood. Turning to his assorted followers, he raised his arms. "First, we bring these three Rangers over to us. Then we'll let them destroy their friends. And finally, we will unleash them on those that would have aided them, and I will finally have my revenge!"

"I don't think so, ugly," Tanya growled.

While the villain had been occupied with Tommy and Kat, Adam and Tanya had managed to retrieve a few of the emergency flares from their backpacks. Together they pitched the makeshift weapons into the fire, resulting in a blinding explosion.

Tommy, realizing the confusion that now surrounded them, called out to his friends. "Shift into Turbo!"

Morphed once more, Red Turbo immediately found himself tangling with Jason once again, while Kimberly and held off Yellow and Green Turbo, both of whom were forced to pull their punches to avoid hurting their friends. As Pink Turbo went after Divatox, Blue Turbo made short work of the Piranhatrons, while Maligore looked on.

When Rygog and Elgar joined the battle, it became clear that they were outnumbered again. Blue Turbo noticed that the rope used to lower Jason and Kim into the volcano was just dangling there. Checking to make sure that it was anchored, he leaped into the air. With a Tarzan yell, he ploughed into Rygog, knocking him into Elgar. Landing lightly on his feet, he resumed battling the Piranhatrons.

Meanwhile, Jason was beating the living daylights out of Red Turbo, mainly due to Red Turbo's desire not to hurt his best friend. The bigger boy had the Ranger backed up all the way to the edge of the volcano, but showed no desire to push him in, preferring instead to throttle him. With a cold laugh, Jason backhanded the Turbo Ranger, sending him flying across the room into a wall. He struck it hard, slid down to the floor, as Jason seemed to turn his focus toward Justin.

"Nooo!" Red Turbo yelled, charging Jason. The other was ready for this move, however, and caught the charging boy, pushing him back until they were leaning over the pit.

"Out of the frying pan, into the fire," Jason whispered. However, he still seemed to be fighting the urge to drop Red Ranger into the volcano.

~If he drops me, it'll seal him to evil for the rest of his life,~ Red Turbo thought. ~He won't be able to face himself otherwise. I can't let that happen.~

"I won't let you blame yourself for this, Jason," Tommy said in a low tone. "I won't let you force me into the fire. I choose it myself." With a mighty shove, Red Turbo hurled himself out of Jason's grip, directly back into the volcano.

"Tommy!" Jason screamed, reaching out helplessly to his falling friend. He wasn't quick enough, however, and Red Turbo fell by him. All the red left Jason's eyes as he stumbled back from the pit, not wanting to watch as the other hit the magma below.

Suddenly, a huge gout of flame spurted out of the volcano and a shockwave of pure white light seemed to fill the room. Kimberly, still embroiled in her merciless attack on the Green and Yellow Turbo Rangers, stopped, shaking her head.

"Adam, Tanya?" she asked. "Oh, my God, what have I done?"

Yellow Turbo, seeing that the red light was gone from her friend's eyes, just shook her head. "It's over now." Suddenly she looked over at Jason. "Wait a minute. Where's Tommy?"

She was never answered. Maligore suddenly threw back his head and screamed. "No! The Pit of Eternal Fire! The source of my powers! Nooooo!" As the Rangers watched, his solid rock body began to liquefy and run across the floor, hissing steam as it went. Soon Maligore, the great flame of destruction, was just a little puddle of cooling basalt.

Divatox regarded the Rangers nervously. "Rygog! Elgar! Piranhatrons!" she shouted. "Let's get out of here! I'll deal with you another time, Rangers."

"Yeah, we'll be waiting, Divatox!" Green Turbo shouted back. "All of us."

"Guys, where's Tommy?" Justin asked. In unison, everyone turned to Jason, who wore a look of utter devastation.

"He went into the volcano. He pushed himself back, so that I wasn't responsible for it. He sacrificed himself." Katherine and Kimberly went up and put her arms around him, allowing him to bury his head in their shoulders. Blue Turbo walked to the edge of the pit.

"Whoa!" Blue Turbo cried. "It's all gone cold!" It was true. All of the magma in the pit had changed to solid rock.

"But what happened to Tommy?" Kat asked.

"Someone call my name?" The Rangers whirled to see the Red Turbo Ranger standing behind them, scorched and battered, but unmistakably alive.

"Tommy!" Jason and Black Ranger cried in unison, rushing him. "You're alive!"

"I'm not so sure of that," he replied sardonically. "I feel like I just went through the heart of a star."

"What happened?" Jason asked, still holding onto his friend's shoulder. "I saw you fall. How did you get out?"

Red Turbo shrugged. "I don't know. I blacked out before I hit the magma. Next thing I know, I was back there, listening to you all talking about me."

The Subcraft

"Quickly Rygog, fire the torpedoes," Divatox ordered. "We'll trap those brats inside the volcano."

"At once Captain!" Rygog growled before hitting the button.

The sky was suddenly filled with fire, causing the Rangers to halt.

"Hey," Adam said, "what is that?"

"Trouble," Tommy decided. "We have big trouble."

Somehow instead of trapping the Rangers as she had intended, Divatox's torpedo had pierced the frozen volcano.

Maligore erupted from the frozen volcano, standing upon the renewed flames. With the help of the volcano he had grown, filling the entire chamber with his massive frame, dripping lava over the stone floor. The Turbo Rangers froze as he roared an ugly laugh.

"Aw man, we gotta stop this!" Tommy realised. "Adam, Thunder Cannon!"

Green Turbo Ranger turned his weapon on Maligore and fired, well aware that he might as well have been using a potato gun against the lava giant. Maligore roared angrily and turned to face the Rangers.

"Whoa! He's really fired up!" Yellow Turbo remarked.

"That barely fazed him, Tommy! What's the plan?" Green Turbo asked.

"Right! We gotta lure that fire bug out and call on our Zords!" Red Turbo decided.

That answer pleased Justin, who had been anxious to engage in a real Zord battle.

The Rangers jumped into formation and raced across the room, their speed carrying them just inches away from Maligore. The enraged Flame of Destruction swatted at them, managing to strike Green Turbo, the last to run by. Green Turbo Ranger fell to the ground. The other Rangers reached the far side of the cave as Maligore moved toward Green Turbo Ranger menacingly.

"Adam!" Kimberly cried. "Pink Ranger Power!"

She hefted up a native spear and raced forward, using her graceful gymnastics to avoid the monster's massive fists, she jabbed it into the back of Maligore's foot.

"How about a little acupuncture, you over grown hibachi?"

Maligore yowled and turned as Green Turbo joined the other Rangers.

"Thanks Kim."

"Maligore!" Divatox cried, her image appearing overhead. "Incinerate them!"

The Rangers turned to run. Red Turbo stopped and threw a look toward Kimberly, Jason, Lerigot and the others.

"Don't worry," Kimberly assured him, "We'll keep an eye on them. Just go!

Red Turbo took off with Maligore in pursuit. Divatox's evil laugh echoed across the island as she watched from the safety of her vessel. Part of the tunnel opening crumbled as Maligore tore his massive frame through the narrow opening. As he struggle free, the Ragers had disappeared. IN the distance though he could see a cloud of smoke and heard the roar of the Turbo Vehicles's engines.

Red Turbo Ranger punched a series of buttons, activating the programming Alpha and Billy had buried deep within the machine's processors, far beyond the reach of any viruses.

"Activating Turbo Zords!"

"Right!" the others replied, placing their Turbo Keys into a slot on the steering wheel, causing a special gear lever to appear beside them.

"Shift into Turbo!" Red Turbo called.

Collectively the Rangers grabbed the lever and pulled it, causing the five Turbo Zords begin to grow into their larger forms. Around them the car-like interiors were replaced with the sort of cockpits they expected to find inside a Megazord.

Green Turbo Ranger adjusted some of the levers in the cockpit, fine tuning his Zord. "Alright! These Zords are kickin!" He glanced down at one of the screens, now complete with the image of an angry looking Maligore.

"Let's see what kind of damage the Turbo Megazord can do!" Justin suggested as he made a few adjustments of his own.

"With you on that!" Red Turbo called.

"Let's get down to business!" Yellow Turbo urged. "Computer assisted controls are engaged."

The five Turbo Zords moved closer together as they approached Maligore at high speed. It took seconds to close the distance.

"Turbo Megazord Power! ... Now!"

The Rangers took their hands off the steering wheels of the Zords as they allowed the Turbo Megazord's computer to do its work. As an angry Divatox looked on through her periscope, the five Zords merged to form the Turbo Megazord.

"Maligore! Crush them!" Divatox pleaded, unable to pull away from the scene unfolding before her.

The two behemoths met, exchanging right hooks that caused both to stagger and spark. More punches were thrown and blocked, the Megazord gaining a crucial advantage when Maligore was knocked on his back, only to lose it seconds later when the demonic creature let loose with a burst of flame, obscuring their view.

"Where'd he go?" Red Turbo asked, scanning for any sign of their adversary.

"He can't be far away," Blue Turbo reasoned. "You can't hide something that big."

Tommy didn't think now was the right time to point out that during a battle between large robots and super-sized lava monsters, the usual limits did not apply.

"I have him," Pink Turbo informed him. "Heat sensors can pick him up no matter where he hides."

"Adam, what are the weapons like on this thing?"

"We've got the individual Zord weapons, but they're not intended for Megazord use," Green Turbo reported. "It would be like going after Elgar with a toothpick. We've got a sword and shield online, and there are a few tricks we can use."

"We don't have a clear shot for the Spinout just yet," Red Turbo sighed. "We'll have to try something else. Damage report?"

"Shields are at 85%, and we're running a little hot in the power room," replied Yellow Turbo. "Something went bang during the last shot, but since we're still standing it can wait for now."

"Right," Red Turbo responded grimly. "Anybody got any ideas?"

"I've got one," Pink Turbo shot back. "Hit him with a light show!"

The lights on the Megazord's chest lit up in sequence, blasting Maligore and temporarily blinding it. Unfortunately the lack of sight did not prevent it lunging wildly and swiping its claws across the Zord's chest.

"Tyre Shield online!" Red Turbo ordered.

The wheel shaped shield appeared in the Zord's left hand, just in time to knock another swipe aside. Then the shield started to spin, the momentum allowing it to turn the follow-up burst of flame back at Maligore.

"Hold on guys, because here he comes again!"

Shield or no shield, the Zord was rocked by the ferocity of Maligore's assault. Even though Adam responded by sending the Megazord into a low baseball slide that caused the lava creature to crash into the forest, they didn't want to take another of his devastating punches.

"Hey, I have an idea," Green Turbo said. "Follow my lead and draw him towards the cliff face. Kat, get the jets ready."

The Zord slowly backed up, allowing Maligore to think he had them on the defensive. A few swipes with the Megazord's fists ensured that they kept its attention as they drew it up toward the top of the cliff.

"We're running out of room Adam," Yellow Turbo pointed out.

"Engage Mega Turbo Jets, now!" Green Turbo instructed as the Megazord took another step back and floated in the air.

The result was as expected, Maligore stopped in his tracks, trying to work out what to do next. The Megazord was already ahead of him, leapfrogging over the monster which was finding it difficult to turn in such a narrow area.

"Turbo Power Punch!" Red Ranger called.

The Megazord charged forward, waiting until it was within a few feet of the demon before spinning around and landing a right hook that knocked Maligore off balance.

"Manoeuvre into bulldoze position!" Red Turbo ordered.

Green Turbo grinned. "Coordinates locked!"

"Position secured!" Pink Turbo added. "Let's do it!"

"This is way cool!" Justin cried, summing up the group's feelings.

The Rangers braced themselves as Turbo Megazord blasted forward into Maligore and knocked him screaming over the cliff and into the sea below.

"Operation cool down! Yes!" Yellow Turbo exclaimed.

Maligore screamed as he plunged into the water. A loud explosion occurred from below water as Divatox's Subcraft submerged quickly, barely missing being hit. The volcano shaking increased.

the cliffs and into the sea below where it exploded.

"Yahoo!" Blue Turbo yelled. "We did it!"

The others grinned. For a moment there they hadn't been sure.

Subcraft

"No ... Maligore ... all my plans the money the jewels ... the furs I want it all I deserve it all ..." She paused, glancing down at the Golden Key still in her palm. "On the other hand I've always had the worst taste in men! Calls himself a Flame of Destruction and loses to water, pathetic. I promise you, Rygog, the Power Rangers will pay for this one day! I never accept defeat!"

The volcano rumbled ominously as the Subcraft sailed away. The Malikayas ran down the mountain, seeking cover from their god's might. Kimberly, Jason and the Liariaris ran frantically as the tunnel crumbled around them.

"We have to get them out of here," Adam said, as he noticed their friends. "That butane bozo was the only thing keeping this volcano in check."

"Right!" Tommy called. "Shift out of Turbo"

The Megazord separated as the others approached. Kimberly and Jason summoned the Pink Firebird and Red Dragon Zords, and teleported themselves at the Liarians aboard before the group headed off.

Power Chamber

There was a great of celebration when the Rangers returned. The Turbo Rangers, the Morphin team, Rocky and the Liarians stood behind Alpha, listening as Tommy recanted the tales of what had occurred.

"I'm sorry we couldn't get your key back," the Red Turbo Ranger told the small wizard.

Lerigot made an odd noise that Alpha translated as meaning that he understood.

"I assure you Lerigot that we will do everything possible to ensure that it is removed from Divatox's possession," Zordon rumbled.

"Yeah that much power in her hands..." Zack shivered at the thought.

"In the meantime we will return you to your world where the atmosphere will not affect you. You will be safe there from Divatox's forces since she would never think to look for you there. And without you to wield the Golden Key, her options will be more limited."

"I'm really going to miss you, Lerigot," Kat said, reaching forward to hug the small wizard.

Justin shyly approached the Liarians shyly. Lerigot, sensing his intention, held his hand to the side of the boy's face and then nodded, pointing to Bethel.

"Can I hold her?" Justin asked.

Yara nodded and handed over the child.

"Hey, little guy. It must be great to have your whole family together again."

Lerigot smiled sympathetically and placed his hand on the boy's shoulder. The other Rangers exchanged glances, realising that after being thrown into action, Justin had not yet come to understand what it meant to be a part of the team.

"Justin, I know it's not the same, but you're part of a very special family now," Tanya told him.

"How come, I'm not a Power Ranger anymore," Justin pointed out.

The Rangers were confused. Of course he was a Ranger.

"What do you mean?" Adam asked.

"Rocky's back is fixed, doesn't he want his job back?"

"Justin, once the Turbo powers have been bestowed, they are yours and only yours. From this moment on, you are the Blue Turbo Ranger," Zordon explained. "While it was never my intention to grant them to somebody so young, you have proven yourself worthy of the position."

"Yeah that's right," Tommy told him. "Like it or not, you're a Ranger and that's something you can't just walk away from. Ask Jason and the others about it some time."

"When you're ready, we'll help you find others to hold the the Turbo powers," Adam explained. "But the choice will be yours."

"Indeed," Zordon agreed. "For now though Tommy, Adam, Tanya and Katherine will hold the Turbo powers while keeping their Zeo powers in reserve. Listen to your fellow Rangers, Justin, and they will help you to learn more about your new role."

"And it doesn't matter who you choose," Tommy assured him, "we are your family."

"You deserve this, Justin," Rocky assured him. "Besides, my back still needs time to heal and I have my Zeo powers if I need them."

"I'll make you proud Rocky. I promise." He stopped. "I'm really hungry."

"Alpha, perhaps you need to check to make sure the powers are the only thing Justin inherited from Rocky," Kim suggested.

They all laughed as Tommy glanced at the clock.

"Well guys I guess there's just one thing left to take care of. And we better rock..."

Angel Grove Arena

The crowd stood, cheering as Tommy, Adam and Jason kicked major butt in the ring. Katherine and Tanya stood with a group of children from the shelter, Justin, Kimberly and Ernie beside them. Around the stadium the other Rangers were cheering their friends on and enjoying the match.

The three guys flew into the air, swing kicking their challengers. The opposing team's coach threw in the towel and the Referee jumped in to stop the fight. The crowd went wild as the MC took the stage, missing the outraged face of Karl Ziktor as the industrialist realised that his plans had been ruined again.

"Ladies and Gentlemen! ... After seven minutes, ten seconds into the competition ... the National Championship title goes to the Angel Grove Team!"

The crowd erupted as the MC handed Tommy a trophy and a check. Fans ran into the ring as Tommy handed the check to Kat.

"Looks like the shelter's not going: to be closing anytime soon," he smiled as he held the trophy over his head and gave a cry of triumph.

**End**

Disclaimer: Even in my wildest dreams I do not own the Power Rangers. They are property of Saban. The Doctor and UNIT are owned by the BBC as are the Master and his TARDIS. Tony Stark is property of Marvel Comics. Bruce Wayne and the Bat Family are characters from DC Comics.  
This story was originally written by me before being kidnapped, raped and disfigured by David Knight. It has now been restored to its previous condition that while far from perfect, does not smell quite so bad. Originally written: April 2000.

**Entering Lightspeed **

Egypt  
Summer 1997

In a desolate desert near Egypt, a group of three men wandered around. With their trusty camel, they search for shelter amid the battering sandy winds. They were Brother Taru, Brother Haba and Brother Chiblit, members of the Cult of Amuk. Despite their very convincing appearances, they were scientists, not nomads. They had been sent there to find a tomb, a possible means of furthering the cult's aims.

They had found there way to a rough oasis, consisting of half-buried ruins that appeared to have been there for thousands of years and which the local tribes assured them, were haunted. Chiblit and Haba peered down a well, looking for water while Taru sat down and relaxed in the shade. It had been a long trek to this site, but the scrolls had promised that they held a magnificent secret.

Suddenly, the ground began to quake! Taru's weight had moved one of the crumbling columns unsealed a hidden entrance. Taru leapt up only to face a huge crack that had appeared in the ground. Gravity got the better of him and he fell in.

Chiblit and Haba called down for their comrade, and Taru replied that he was perfectly fine, and even better for the drop. He explained that he was surrounded by various items of gold as far as his eyes could see, but more importantly, he could see the tomb they had been seeking.

Taru instructed the other two to light up torches and climb down with him. They did as he told them and Taru started lighting some of the torches himself. Chiblit and Haba landed safely in the ancient tomb, via a rope.

Haba studied the sarcophagus carefully, comparing the markings to those he had been told to seek.

"This is it!" he cried excitedly as he swept the dust off the top of a sarcophagus.

The others were quick to join him, but waited for Taru to translate the carvings on the side of the stone before doing anything. The ability to translate ancient language was a skill he had acquired during his days as a grave robber.

"This is it," he told the others, running his eyes over the hieroglyphics. "The young wizards of the planet Magitopia faced one final challenge before they could claim the title of Legendary Magi, the next stage on their path to knighthood. Their mission was to vanquish a great evil, Queen Bansheera, from the planet Earth. While Queen Bansheera was elsewhere, the wizards attacked, aided by a native sorcerer and at the cost of some of their number, managed to draw Bansheera's children here and trapped them in the depths of a Shadow World. When the others left, one remained to guard the tomb and prevent its prisoners from ever breaking free."

"That must be this guy," Chiblit shrugged as he brushed his hand over a robed skeleton. He made a quick search for anything valuable and finding nothing, knocked it across the cobweb-covered floor. As the bones scattered on impact, a small golden disk slipped from the robe. Haba plucked it from the floor and handed it to Taru.

"This would be the key then," Taru guessed as he compared the groves in the disk to those cut into the stone.

He paused momentarily, thinking about the consequences of his actions. Using the key would release the demons sealed inside the tomb. If they took it with them their fellow cultists would find a way to do so safely, but the three of them would have to share the power. It took some soul searching for him to decide that he didn't want to lose such a precious prize and then place it into the correct position. With a glance at the others, he gave it a quarter turn to the left.

The disk glowed as the magical seal of the coffin broke, allowing it to move further. The act of imprisonment performed five-thousand years previously had in the space of a few seconds been removed. The disk continued to spin around as more of the ancient spells were stripped away. The loss of the suspension spells revived the dormant creatures inside the tomb, awakening them from their enforced slumber. The statues of snakes that lined the walls seemed to come alive with smoke emerging from their mouths as the magic of the wizards was replaced by the dark magic of Queen Bansheera's followers.

The sudden change in the magical fields surrounding the tomb caused the ground to shake, and Chiblit to lose whatever courage he had. He scampered back behind his comrades, hoping that they would shield him should anything dangerous happen.

"Maybe we should just leave, don't you think?" he asked.

Taru shot him a look of disgust and shoved him out of the way as he was drawn toward the coffin. Where once a small about of common sense might have prevailed, now a deep sense of greed had taken over. There was power inside that coffin. They wanted it, needed it and as the lid started to float ever so slightly, they could feel it. Even now great amounts of energy, latent magic, poured from the sarcophagus and gave them the motivation to shove aside the large stone slab.

With the lid off, they peered inside, searching for the source of the sudden illumination only to be knocked aside by the blast of energy that erupted from the coffin. Mist billowed from inside the tomb as the evil spirits contained within the coffin were unleashed upon the world.

As the strange entities floated around, Taru tried to communicate with them, to make them understand that he was responsible for their freedom and deserved a reward. The spirits stopped and regarded the cultists for a moment, before entering their bodies. After consuming the greedy humans from the inside out and placing their remains in the coffin, the demons escaped through the same entrance the humans had once used.

The seal had been broken, the demons released. At the moment that the tomb had been opened a new spell had been invoked, one that sent a message to those capable of understanding, warning them of the danger. Fortunately the humans that had been inspired by the Magitopian legends when the demons had been sealed away had left a legacy of their own. It was through that heritage that the demons would be stopped once more.

December 1993

Captain William Mitchell sat patiently waiting for his appointment. It had been a long time since he and his sister had seen each other and he wondered why she had suddenly invited him and his fifteen-year-old daughter, Dana, to Angel Grove. One thing was certain, with the chief administrator of NASADA already talking to her, it was not a pleasure trip.

"William," Laura Mitchell said politely as she stepped into the waiting room. "Dana, my how you've grown!"

"Laura," Captain Mitchell replied formally.

William Mitchell and his sister were actually closer than most brothers and sisters. The sudden formality alerted Captain Mitchell and Dana, who had been trained to detect the mild changes in tone, that something was wrong.

"Would you come in please?" Laura requested.

As he passed her, Laura touched a small pendant hanging from her neck. Suddenly William had an idea of what was going on. The pendant was a secret symbol passed down from their ancestors. ~But why would we be meeting about it with NASADA?~

"William, Dana, this is Doctor Ilsman. Doctor Ilsman is Chief Administrator of... an organisation created in the seventies to identify and deal with extraterrestrial threats. In the past their operations would include the happenings in Angel Grove, however their mandate has changed over the last decade and such matters are no longer within their control."

Captain Mitchell turned his attention to the middle-aged red head that was now studying him curiously. In her hand he could see a set of reports obviously overdue and an identity badge marking her as his superior.

"And I believe you know General Norquist of NASADA."

Captain Mitchell snapped to attention and saluted the General. He had retired from the service many years ago to take personal control of his daughter's education, but Captain Mitchell felt General Norquist was a unique officer and worthy of total respect.

"And of course you know Frank," she said, concluding the introductions.

"Thank you, Laura," General Norquist said. "I take it you both aware of reason why I asked you here?" They didn't reply. "Would it help if I told you that NASADA is involved only in an advisory capacity? Doctor Ilsman and I have both been briefed on the Sixth Covenant of Magiel."

"I see," Captain Mitchell said, all doubts about the General's intentions disappearing.

There were many myths about Merlin, many concerning his acts in the court of King Arthur. However the name appeared much earlier in history, during a time when it should have been impossible for his name to be recorded. Of course for the Mitchell family it was a story and a part of their heritage passed through the family lines. Odd really since their family had never lived in the part of the world where the stories supposedly took place.

The tale spoke of Merlin as a traveller who aided their ancestors to vanquish a demon and trap her followers for eternity. That particular version of Merlin had vanished shortly after he and a small group of magi from another world had sealed the tomb, somehow leaving the story to be passed through the Mitchell family.

The magic had ensured that there would always be those to fight the demons if they returned. In each generation of the Mitchell family there were two children born, the son to lead the fight and sire the next generation while the daughter healed the wounds and cleansed the soul.

William and Laura were the children of their generation. William had already devised the strategy for fighting the demons should they appear and had fathered his own children. Despite losing Ryan at a young age, Dana had been trained to fulfil both roles and one day, she would continue the legacy in Ryan's place.

"The situation is this," Norquist continued. "In the last few months a witch known as Rita Repulsa and a demon by the name of Lord Zedd have been attacking Angel Grove. While unfortunate and uncommon, such attacks are not unheard of; there have been many instances in the past of small time criminal and rogue nations trying to take over the world. The difference, is that Rita is currently living on the Moon. Her attacks suggest that she is a user of magic, her monsters appeared to be demonic in nature and she is not likely to leave in the foreseeable future. When Zedd took over from her, it became clear that there were more serious threats out there. Rita's return and the union between two such unsavoury forces have posed an increasing threat.

Fortunately, to combat Rita and Zedd, a group of heroes known as Power Rangers have arisen. As you can see they are very proficient and their mix of magic and technology make them a force to be reckoned with."

On the screen the recent footage of the Power Rangers fighting Rita's monsters was played. Everybody was impressed by the skill of those fighting.

"I fail to see how this is of importance," Captain Mitchell remarked.

"The point is," General Norquist replied, "That although the events in question have occurred in Angel Grove there is a small concern about other demons awakening. In addition the government had been concerned about what would happen if the Power Rangers were to turn rogue? That led them to commission Operation Lightspeed."

"General Norquist wants you to head Lightspeed," Ilsman explained. "You will be provided with NASADA trained personnel to help you monitor the situation and should anything occur we will provide you with the people to contain the situ..."

"No," Captain Mitchell said sternly. "This is a family responsibility and only the descendants of those who put those demons away can do so again."

"But that would mean using untrained civilians to do the job," Margo protested.

"The men who put them away the first time were untrained civilians and they did a good job," Laura Mitchell snapped.

"Please William, Laura, think about this. You are being given full authority to upgrade the technology your family has gathered over the centuries with the full backing of the military in return for making your services. And should this threat you've been preparing to fight ever appear, you'll have the resources to fight it. At the very least this would ensure that should the day ever arise when the demons return, you will not require Merlin to put them back."

Dana whispered something to her father. He nodded.

"Dana has suggested that perhaps we could use those - Zord things to combat the threat; some of the stories speak of the demons being incredibly tall. We don't have magic to help with building them, but I'm sure science will more than compensate."

"Why don't we just contact these Power Rangers and ask them to share their technology?" the scientist asked.

"We don't know how to contact them," General Norquist replied. "And, I believe that we will need to use something that a human can build. The Rangers' machinery looks far too complicated to use."

"Maybe we should discuss the finer details at another time," Frank Mitchell suggested. "For now why don't we get to the more important matter: do we want to turn our hard work over to a government organisation?"

There was little more to say, but General Norquist decided he would speak to Zordon. The technology sharing between the Eltare and some of Earth's governments had been going on long enough that he hoped the old sage would help them. First though he had to convince the stubborn Mitchell family that they were better off working with the government.

June 1994

They watched as Rito Revolto, one of the latest monsters from Rita and Zedd, destroyed the Thunder Megazord and the White Tiger Zord. They watched as the Zords exploded and littered the ground with their wreckage. But, most importantly they watched as the Rangers left the Zords lying on the ground.

Without thinking the blonde haired woman rushed forward and started to examine the wreckage for parts. The older red headed scientist followed not far behind, curious about the excitement of her younger companion.

"Conversion modules, anti gravity generators, energy wave suppression circuitry, this is the best find yet!" Angela Fairweather cried happily. "With this we can begin our own version of the Gestalt energy system and Megazord motivation techniques."

Margo shook her head. Angela was certainly enthusiastic. It would be a shame to see that optimism disappear when the true difficulty of their task became evident.

Lightspeed had by now grown into a vast organization with links throughout the business community and arrangements in place with the likes of Microsoft, Stark Enterprises and the Wayne Foundation. The funding and technology had helped repair what time had damaged, but a lot of the Doctor's original designs were gone and the parts he had stored were corroded.

Asking NASADA to provide the parts was out of the question, even though they were using Ranger technology to advance their own weapons. So the destruction of the Rangers' Zords although tragic, was a godsend for Lightspeed. Now at last they had the parts to transform the machines they had been building into a fighting force.

Large trucks moved into Angel Grove Park and cranes lifted the remains of the Thunder Zords into containers marked for the city dump. Lightspeed was not sure if the Rangers would mind losing their equipment, but she was not eager to find out.

In the Command Centre the Zordon and Alpha were aware of what had just occurred, but they had no objection. General Norquist had not told them why his government was aiding a group of demon fighters or why they should be allowed to take the ancient fighting machines, but Zordon trusted his friend and Alpha was programmed never to speak of the occurrence. If anybody asked it would just be considered one of those strange occurrences that were never fully explained but were fun to think about. No doubt somebody somewhere would be interested in one day writing a paper on that subject!

The Rangers were now gone to seek out Ninjor in hopes of gaining the Ninja powers. If they failed, Earth would belong to Zedd and Rita. ~That cannot happen,~ Zordon thought. ~They WILL succeed!~

As the last truck left and Lightspeed's operatives removed the last of the cloaking devices Ms Fairweather started to wonder what she could do with them.

June 1996

"Damn!" Ms Fairweather swore.

Now Lightspeed's chief scientist she was responsible for creating weapons, Zords and even powers for the future Rangers. Of course that was part of the problem, Rangers changed their powers so often it was hard to keep up with them. Even so the most recent set of Rangers to emerge albeit briefly, the Gem Coin Rangers had been less powerful than the others had. Their Zords seemed more mechanical than previous versions and for the first time she had been able to record their gestalt transformation.

The problem was that at the moment none of her Zords were even ready yet even through the design plans had been finalized. ~And we really shouldn't be working on the Zords yet until we get the morphers right!~ she thought to herself. They had been able to create a stable energy that would be used for the power source but so far the morphers that had been created wouldn't cause the desired result.

On a good note she had at last finished the basic model of the Lifebird, a gestalt weapon system based on a weapon A-bot reported to be called the Power Blaster. The weapon was capable of separating into smaller weapons, which when joined to a Ranger's basic blaster could form a new weapon. The blaster had been another success, capable of functioning as both weapon and sword. The handle formed an integral part of each Ranger's overall arsenal and allowed control of their Zords.

In another part of the now fully refitted Aquabase, Captain Mitchell was meeting with some of the people his job forced him to converse with on a regular basis. The Suits as he preferred to call them were the lawyers, accountants and public relations officers sent by Lightspeed's associate companies. So far the Suits had been insisting on having input on all decisions made during the development process. Somehow even the Armed Forces had gained insiders and were demanding control of any new weapons be turned over to 'enlightened' hands.

Today's meeting was about the candidates now confirmed to be Rangers. The first five had been easy to argue on the grounds that they were direct descendants of the original heroes. The sixth Ranger however was a problem. The sixth member of the original team had died outside of the tomb and had no family. Instead Captain Mitchell had used the existing candidates to develop a list of qualities needed and was in the process of monitoring two potential Rangers.

"With all due respect Captain Mitchell," one of the lawyers said, "You cannot seriously expect a world renowned organization such as my client to condone the employment of a child or be connected with its implementation. It would be a PR disaster."

"Firstly Mr Belmont," Captain Mitchell said, regarding the black-haired, bespectacled weasel disguised as the world's most boring man with contempt. "Your company will not be publicly linked to our Rangers, their identities will never be common knowledge and this is not a cheap advertising campaign. You know that any breakthrough in technology MAY be shared with the people you represent depending on MY opinion."

"Secondly, the candidate in question is only a few years younger than the others. She is a martial artist and we have reason to believe that she would be easy to recruit given her family situation. We will not bring in until she is old enough, but her youth is on our side because Lightspeed will not be needed unless a certain situation arises."

"Even so," Simon Turner, public relations officer hired by Microsoft said, "Our candidate Earl is equally qualified and has the advantage of being well linked in the marketplace."

~Not to mention the fact he's related to your boss's sister,~ Captain Mitchell thought.

"The decision has been made gentlemen," he finally said, ending the discussions.

The group left in various states of annoyance with one exception. He was not there as a 'suit'. He was a spy operating on the behalf of Arnimite Corporation and had been secretly downloading information from the Lightspeed mainframe to his laptop.

As he stepped outside the building, he was not surprised to find his employer's black limousine waiting for him.

"Well?" she asked as he closed the door and made himself comfortable.

"I got the data," he assured her. "However, my fee has increased."

"Maybe we should discuss it on the way to my office," she said. She poured him a drink and raised a glass. "To success!"

He raised his glass and took a sip, not realising that it might be his last.

In an underwater city near to Mariner Bay a message had been received. Undetected by the Communications Officer a message was received. It was interrogated by the central computer for details of its originator and the type of data it was carrying. A simple computerised question was repeated several times, not because the message refused to answer, but because each answer triggered the computer to query again.

As the computer continued to process the message, a second piece of coding hidden within the text executed a subroutine inside the computer core. The program switched the computer's status on the network from Test Server to Mainframe Hub, allowing it to take control of the interconnected systems. Operating codes for Zords and weapons were transferred from storage into the Aquabase's Command Centre.

Security cameras throughout the Lightspeed Aquabase shut down as the signal triggered the redesign of the partially built Zords. In record time it assembled the parts necessary to complete the construction, substituting Eltarian parts with the closest Earth materials. When it was done, the program reactivated the cameras revealing its work to those watching. Then the program ended, scheduling an update when it was time to modify the machines.

In little more than four hours the computer had transformed Lightspeed from a concept in progress into a concept awaiting its first use. As the first program closed a second briefly opened, inserting a subroutine into the computer that could not be removed, it redirected one of Lightspeed's few surveillance satellites into a position where it could monitor the recent activity in Egypt.

In another part of the Aquabase, Dana Mitchell walked into a conference room and snapped to attention. Her father's visitors expected it, so she went along with the mere formalities.

"That looks fine, but I need you to double check," she heard her father say to the man next to him. For those who knew him well enough the term double check meant that something was wrong, but believing that a happy staff made an efficient team, he preferred to give them a second chance rather than snap at them.

"Excuse me Sir," Dana said in the precise tone expected when her father had visitors, "But something has come up."

"Why don't we finish this another time?" Captain Mitchell asked the three men.

As they left, Dana made her way to her father's side. The look on his face suggested he knew what she was about to say.

"Father. They've escaped."

"Are you sure?" Captain Mitchell asked moving towards the nearest phone.

"Yes father," Dana replied.

She watched as her father lifted the receiver and called his sister. After years of waiting, it seemed that the time had come.

"Hello, Mitchell residence."

"Frank? It's Will. I need to speak to Laura now!" Captain Mitchell practically shouted down the phone line.

"Just a minute Will," Frank Mitchell said his voice sounded as dull as always.

There was a moment of silence and Captain Mitchell could imagine the conversation-taking place in his sister's home.

"Hello Will," Laura Mitchell said after a while. "How is my big brother?"

"Laura, they're out," Captain Mitchell said as calmly as possible.

"Oh no, gods no!" he heard Laura whisper.

"I need you to send me the dossiers you've been working on. We need to assemble the team now and need to start observing the backup team just in case."

"Yes Will, of course," Laura replied. "I'll get them to you immediately."

While Captain Mitchell continued to speak with his sister, Dana was opening the containment box used to hold the identities of their first selections. Picking out the first dossier she read the name Joel Rawlings and after breaking the seal she looked first at his picture and then at the place she was likely to find him.

Summer 1997

The sudden release of the demons sent a pulse of dark energy around the world, triggering alarms in several locations around the world. In New York a blond haired scientist rushed into the basement, expecting to find the containment unit stored there to explode. In Cross-World City the computerised memory of a professor summoned three of his students fearing an attacking from the Mivertual Real'liti; their participation was less than enthusiastic. In Charterville, an Elvis-like ghost who feared an attack from the local villain spooked four kids until they agreed to look into things. And in Leewood, Dex's sixth sense alerted him to danger at the same time that Herb Stewart's attack alarm sounded.

It was in Angel Grove that an android watched the Viewing Screen alongside Zordon as the computer zeroed in on the source of the problem.

"Ai-yi-yi-yi-yi, how can this be?" he asked. "You can't just create another Ley Nexus!"

"Alpha, conduct a Level Two scan of the energy source," Zordon instructed. "I believe you will find that it is not a new Nexus, just the release of an incredibly powerful force."

On the Viewing Screen a map started to form. On the base layer was a map of the Earth's geophysical makeup. Volcanoes and other natural phenomenon made up this layer. The volcanoes had been split into three colours: red for active, yellow for dormant and grey for inactive.

Next came the dimensional data provided from the Doctor's TARDIS, which had been hooked into the Power Chamber's circuits to expedite the repairs. Naturally Angel Grove showed as a red blob radiating out across the globe from when Master Vile affected time. Green dots surrounding the rest of the planet indicated where a TARDIS had appeared in the last decade. A slight yellow appeared around Crossworld City and again around Charterville suggesting a crossing between various dimensions.

The final level was made up of the Ley Line data the Power Chamber constantly monitored. The Angel Grove, Crossworld City, Gateway City, Charterville, Leewood and the barely existent North Valley Nexus all appeared normal albeit slightly erratic. Other sites around the Earth were slower to appear, including Tokyo, Stone Henge and Glastonbury, Gateway City, Sunny Dale, New York, Paris and parts of Ireland. Most were minor crossings of two or three Ley Lines. The exceptions were Paris's Ley Nexus, which barely registered and Stone Henge, which was an almost bottomless pit of magical energy.

Finally a new hot spot appeared in the United States. Glowing brighter by the moment, it corresponded with a flare of energy in the Egyptian desert. It was not a Ley Nexus, but it represented the appearance of something powerful.

"The energy flow is moving," the Doctor observed, emerging from a little alcove. "If I were to venture a guess, I'd say it was returning to its origin point rather than escaping."

"But that would mean it originated in... Mariner Bay," Alpha declared.

Zordon studied the readings more closely. "The source in the desert shows a signature similar to that of a hyperlock chamber. The site is losing power since it is no longer needed."

"This isn't good, is it?" Sam asked.

The Doctor shook his head, trying to remember how events were supposed to play out. The problem was that his memory of this era was severely lacking.

"Not good at all," he decided. "Zordon, do you know what was held in that tomb?"

"No Doctor. I had no part in sealing it."

"I've seen those markings somewhere before," the Doctor murmured absently. A bell could be heard inside the TARDIS, breaking the Doctor's concentration. While not the Cloister Bell that signalled immanent danger, the bell offered the Doctor a choice he would rather not make.

"What is that?" Sam asked. She had never heard that tone before.

"The Time Safe," the Doctor answered, walking into the TARDIS and emerging with a grey metal box. Sam and Zordon appeared curious so he explained. "At some point in the future I will decide to send myself a message, probably about what is going on here."

"A useful device," Zordon commented.

"Yes, but should I open it?"

"Come on Doctor, you must have had a reason to send it to yourself," Sam pointed out.

"Yes, but do I want to know? If I look inside, I'll find the message, but I'll be bound to act accordingly. I'll become part of cause and effect, something I prefer not to deal with."

Just because the Doctor had sent himself, a message did not mean that he was meant to read it. For all he knew his future self had already been through this scenario, decided not to open the box, but had been forced to send it back in time anyway. That was the problem with the Time Safe: regardless of the choice he made, he was now bound to at least send something.

In the end he decided that he would not have placed himself in such a predicament without good cause. He opened the box and was not surprised to find a single sheet of parchment written in his own handwriting.

"Bansheera?" Sam asked, looking over his shoulder.

"Queen Bansheera," Zordon answered, recognising the name.

The Doctor nodded, then realised that his assistant had no idea what he was talking about. "Back in the time before humans evolved on Earth, this planet was home to countless other races. Many of them became what humans now regard as demons. Bansheera was the ruler of those little empires. She even used a dimensional rift to bring her palace to Earth."

"Eventually Bansheera was drawn away from Earth and in her absence her - children, were trapped in a Shadow World. A powerful sorcerer then used a strange form of magic to keep her at the far reaches of the universe."

"And now she's been released, right?"

The Doctor shook his head, reading the letter again. The instructions were very precise, but the cost of following them could barely justify the gains.

"Somebody has awakened her children, but they are not free yet. Even so, I think we'd better take a look; they never mentioned what became of Bansheera." the Doctor said. "Maybe you should summon the Rangers."

Mariner Bay

Ace pilot Joel Rawlings was doing what he was born to do best, entertaining an audience by zooming in the air in his small plane, performing minor stunts. Soon he was back on the ground and signing autographs for the horde of fans who came to see the self-proclaimed Sky Cowboy. Winking to another fan, the gent in the cowboy hat handed another signed picture to those who worshipped him. He continued doing so, ignoring the announcer in the background telling the crowd what they could expect to see next.

Two mysterious men in black approached Joel, cutting him off from his groupies and causing him some annoyance. For a moment he thought maybe they were from the FBI, but after they failed to show him identification, he knew otherwise. He reluctantly agreed to go with them and allowed them to lead him over to a car where Dana was waiting. As Joel stepped inside the car, she closed his file and opened the file for the next candidate.

On the side of a mountain, Kelsey Winslow was enjoying yet another of her dangerous hobbies: speed climbing on the high cliffs. She wasn't afraid of heights at all as she slowly worked her way to the peak. She had climbed this mountain many times in the past and knew her route up almost instinctively.

Leaning back, she noticed the sun reflecting off something black at the top of the cliffs. She continued to climb to the summit where she found two men in black waiting for her.

"Who are you?" she asked, but instead of answering they helped her up and escorted her to a waiting car.

The two crooks ran down the street, but Junior Police Cadet Stephanie Grier was hot on their heals. Despite knowing that her captain would lecture her for not waiting for backup, she soon had them cornered.

After making the arrest, she was approached by two men in dark suits. When they asked her to accompany them, she had assumed she was talking to the FBI. When she climbed into the car though and Dana closed another file, she realised that this was something else all together.

Chad Lee was performing for a crowd at Sea World, riding a killer whale named Daisy. As yet another wet and wild show finished, Chad swam to the side of the pool and sat there to rest before leaving. Hearing footsteps behind him, Chad turned to see two men in black waiting for him.

From the car Dana watched as the two employees tried to convince Chad to accompany them. Of course they could have forced him, but her father needed his cooperation and dragging him away would not help to achieve that aim. After Chad had climbed inside the waiting car, Dana closed the blue striped file bearing Chad's name. That just left one to find and fortunately the police scanner had already located him.

Somewhere in Mariner Bay a fire was raging in an apartment building. The two men in black pushed their way past the frantically rushing Fire fighters in a desperate search to find their final candidate. Finding no trace of him they eventually approached one of the fire fighters and queried where Carter Grayson could be found.

"He's up on the ladder," the fire fighter responded, pointing to the figure being hoisted up into the blazing inferno. As they watched, the figure leapt into the top floor of the building.

Stepping out of the car, Dana watched the action from the ground. Looking in his dossier she noted his previous commendations for bravery. Even though she was trapped on the ground she strained to ensure the person who had just entered the burning building was the same man she was looking at the eight-by-ten photo she held.

Carter took a risk, pulled his mask down and called out to see if anybody could hear him in the fiery area. Hearing a faint noise, he walked over to where a girl was lying on the floor. He wrapped her in a blanket to protect from the flames now billowing into the room he told her to stay close. She coughed a reply and did as she was told.

Carter looked around for a way out and for a moment froze. In the flames that engulfed the hallway ahead of him, he thought he could make out the image of a large creature. Unable to believe his eyes, Carter stood mesmerised as the fire creature let out an evil laugh and spewed a wave of fire through the hallway.

Survival now overriding fear, Carter grabbed the girl and rushed her in the opposite direction of the flames. Scrambling for life, Carter pushed himself through a window, the girl following not far behind. Luckily the other fire fighters had assumed Carter might attempt something stupid and had prepared themselves. As the two figures emerged from the window, the fire fighters caught them safely.

Carter inspected the girl long enough to assure himself that she was okay, but was pushed aside by a woman who placed an oxygen mask over her face.

"I'm a paramedic," Dana told him. After ensuring the girl was stable she ordered the other paramedics to get her clear.

Exhausted by his actions, Carter walked over to the fire truck and after gazing up at the burning building where he had been just moments before, breathed a sigh of relief. His mind still questioned the being he had seen inside the flame, but more pressing concerns demanded his attention. The paramedic who had just pushed him aside was standing in front of him accompanied by two gorillas in black suits.

"I know this is a bad time," she said to him, "But I need you to come with me."

A ball of green fire strafed through the city, exploding as it collided with the lower levels of a building, cutting through the structural supports holding up the upper floors. Screams could be heard from inside as people died under tons of rubble. Around the burning disaster area, the citizens caught a glimpse of the multicoloured spirits floating overhead.

Not far beyond the city's boundaries, in a small hillside known to house a cave system that ran deep underground, the frozen children of Queen Bansheera remained trapped in their forced slumber. Their bodies had been freed from the Shadow World, but they had yet to fully awaken.

"The queen will not be pleased when she learns what has become of her world."

The voice echoed through the caverns as he checked on the demon children. His name was Pierre and he was the loyal retainer of the Royal Family. For generations he and his brother Jinxer had served Queen Bansheera and her demon family. Jinxer was the court sorceror, summoning creatures from the demons' home dimension, while Pierre was normally charged with looking after the Queens' children. He was the first demon to recover from his imprisonment and therefore responsible for awakening the rest of the court. Then when Loki, Diabolico, Vypra, Salamandes and the baby Impus returned, they would bring their queen to Earth and reclaim their territory from the human germs.

"The spell to reclaim them requires a concentration of fear and suffering," he pondered as he studied his brother's petrified form. He was not a sorceror, at best he was a passable wizard. Still, while summoning demons from another dimension was beyond his abilities, once the seal holding their masters in place had been broken, there was nothing to prevent him from summoning those few servants of Queen Bansheera that had been dormant on Earth. "Dauros, Hemogrin, Gilmer... emerge from your ancient prisons and destroy this human city. Prepare this site for the return of the royal family."

Three monstrous creatures of destruction formed in front of their master and kneeled, awaiting his orders. Though weaker than the ruling demons, the trio were undoubtedly powerful.

"Revenge!" Gilmer whispered, her tone causing Pierre to question her sanity as the vengeful Triad drifted away.

Marina Bay

Garth Nelson picked himself up from the wreckage of what had been his hotel suite. His bed had offered him some protection, but the other guests were buried under a ton of wreckage.

He held his hand against his right thigh and waited for the holster to recognise his touch. The sealed pocket opened, allowing him to withdraw a silver cylinder. He levelled his chosen weapon and pressed the button. A continuous blast of energy obliterated the crumbled remains of the ceiling, allowing the people to scramble to safety. Outside he caught his first glimpse of what was happening to the city.

He gave the cylinder a twist and the blaster was transformed into an energy blade. With an angry cry he charged the two beings that were raining havoc on the city's buildings.

"Wraiths, take him!" Hemogrin ordered, flames erupting from his horned head. His red skin seemed to glow as he relished the cries of the innocents around him. He was not in the mood to be bothered by a mere human.

Six shadowy forms appeared before their leaders. Totally black their own distinct features were their glowing white eyes. As each one raised their hands, Garth could make out the claws on their hands. They attacked and Garth found himself immediately on the defensive, taken aback by the speed and power behind their attack.

Had he been human, Garth would have given up and accepted the inevitable. But he was not human. He was a demon hunter, destroying these things was a part of his purpose - for in his fragile mental state following months of tortuous surgery, clinging to his mission was the only thing that had kept him remotely sane.

The computer components the scientists had installed in his head had been carefully integrated. As such the knowledge of modern fighting techniques that had been programmed into the device flowed into his mind easily and Garth fought back. Holding the Wraiths off for a short time, he then struck out with his sword. A ball of flame engulfed the first wraith his sword contacted. Two more followed and were dispatched, but a third attacker injured him with its talons.

"Arghhh!" Garth exclaimed as he stumbled forward into the next Wraith. This was not going his way.

"I don't think this is a good idea," Samantha warned. "You only just fixed it."

The release of the demons had triggered far reaching effects. Many of the Rangers were out dealing with a string of disasters that threatened Angel Grove, leaving only a few to investigate Mariner Bay. David, Billy and Trini had stayed back ready to aid the Doctor. Nathan was also present although the Council's ruling that he couldn't morph, limited his usefulness.

"Teleporting into Mariner Bay would be disastrous," the Doctor told her. "Chances are anybody who tried would be scattered across the planet."

"So you're planning to try and take them in a rickety old TARDIS?" she asked, not believing her ears. "With your luck you'd end up on Venus."

Surprisingly the Doctor was not upset with Sam's criticism. Far from it, her words meant that she was starting to develop a personality of her own, separate from the one he had given her without realising it.

"It's only a short trip," he assured her. "Come on Sam, what could go wrong?"

As he led the small group into the time machine, Sam could be heard muttering: "with our luck? Everything."

Mariner Bay

Garth was losing, badly. The grating sound from the far side of the improvised battlefield did not help. Indeed, it made him wonder whether the floor was about to give way.

"Hi-yah!" Garth heard somebody called as a ball of white struck the nearest Wraith.

Garth turned to see a white clad warrior holding as sword and fighting off another Wraith. Meanwhile an older man was beating off the gold-faced demon who had identified herself as Gilmer with an umbrella; three other warriors were exchanging blows with the the remaining Wraiths.

"Need some help?" the white warrior whom Garth now realised was a Power Ranger, asked.

"Please," Garth replied.

As Garth continued to hack at the nearest Wraith, David decided to try out a few of his powers he had rarely used. Throwing himself at the nearest Wraith, he merged with it, using the purifying power of the White Ranger to destroy the evil from within. The Wraith screamed as it dissolved into a column of white light.

With a roar Hemogrin punched the ground, shaking the heroes and injuring people as heavy objects started falling.

"Hold them off," the Doctor cried. "I have to see a man about some Rangers."

Remembering the route from fifty years earlier, the Doctor negotiated his way through the panicking civilians to the nearest train station. Once there, he looked for the unused signal shed, hoping nobody had changed the designs in the last decade or so. Opening the door, he felt around in the darkness for a hidden panel and punched in a six-digit code.

For anybody outside what had just happened would have appeared to be a faulty light flickering on and off. In truth the Doctor had just activated a short-range Transmat beam aimed directly at the ocean.

A small helicopter hovered over a submarine in the middle of the bay. Inside, the five new recruits spotted the submarine.

"That's where we're going isn't it?" Joel asked Dana. He received no answer from her and resigned himself to having to wait.

"This is so cool!" Kelsey exclaimed as the helicopter started its descent. Hardly able to contain her excitement, she started bouncing in her seat.

Soon Carter's question was answered as the climbed aboard the submarine and started a journey to the city hidden under the sea. For the first time Carter, Kelsey, Chad and Joel caught sight of the Lightspeed Aquabase. For Dana it was an everyday sight, but still impressive.

One of the main domes opened and the submarine docked inside. As the dome closed again, the water drained out to create a dry-dock. Led by Dana, the others made their way through the inner complex, still unsure why they were there.

"Authorised personnel have entered the complex within Lightspeed employees," a computerised voice reported.

"Where are we?" Chad asked as they passed by the crew who made up the huge command centre.

"I don't know, but this is sooo cool!" Kelsey replied.

Deciding to take matters into his own hands Joel walked over to the computer terminal and attempted to access the data held within. An alarm sounded even as Joel struggled to turn it off. A sharp tap on the shoulder caused him to turn around to face an annoyed Dana. Without saying a word, she deactivated the alarm and dragged Joel off to join the others in the conference room.

"Welcome to the Lightspeed Aquabase!" Captain Mitchell said as he stepped out of the shadows, but not before putting the container of fish food aside.

Before Carter could respond, he was pushed aside by Joel who after being made to wait, had decided enough was enough. "Look, I don't know who you are or what this is all about, but this is illegal. We've been kidnapped!"

"Firstly I am Captain William Mitchell, responsible for day to day operations within Lightspeed. Secondly, no one is holding you here. You are free to leave..."

Upon hearing this Joel walked towards the door only to be stopped by a security guard.

"...after you hear me out," Captain Mitchell continued. "Please, be seated."

Reluctantly Joel settled down and sat at the table with the others and waited for Captain Mitchell's explanation.

"Five thousand years ago this part of our planet was inhabited by evil spirits, demons if you will, whose only purpose was to destroy and conquer. Thankfully, a group of young magi were able to capture, conquer and entomb them although not without losing some of their team-mates in the struggle. Eventually a local sorcerer helped to seal the demons away for all eternity and the last of the young people stayed behind to stand guard."

He pressed some buttons on his table activating the monitor on the table so the recruits could see the most recent event in the tomb.

"It was always feared that the demons would one day return. That fear has increased over the last four years, ever since Rita Repulsa started to attack the Earth. Just hours ago our fears were confirmed when something opened the tomb with predictable results."

He handed around a sheet of paper filled with reports of unexplained disasters from around the world.

"Since our formation four years ago, Lightspeed has developed technology and highly sophisticated weapons that we believe can stop them. Because of your skills, you've been chosen to use these weapons to defend the city and become Lightspeed Power Rangers."

As her father spoke, Dana handed each of the recruits their files. Each dossier held details of the soon-to-be-Rangers' powers so far as Lightspeed's scientists could determine.

"Wait a minute," Kelsey said. "You've built this whole Aquabase so we can fight off a bunch of angry demons?"

"That's simplifying things a bit," Captain Mitchell replied

"But correct none-the-less," the Doctor finished, stepping into the room with typical ease and then sitting back to watch the chaos that ensued.

"Who are you?" Dana demanded looking at the guard for an explanation.

Instead of answering the Doctor produced a playing card marked with a question mark and placed it under his chin. A sudden link was established between the Doctor and Captain Mitchell.

"You!" Captain Mitchell cried as he recognised the face of a curly haired bohemian he had seen in his grandfather's photographs. A guard moved forward to grab the Doctor's arm, but Captain Mitchell signalled for him to stop. Turning back to the Rangers he said, "This - man is one of the most important advisers that those sworn to prevent the return of Bansheera have."

The Doctor said looked around the briefing room and said to Captain Mitchell: "I can see you've redecorated."

"We had some help Doctor: NASADA was more than eager to help."

"If we could get back to the subject," Captain Mitchell said. "I was about to ask what our Rangers thought. Joel?"

"I've heard you out, I think your nuts and I'm out of here!" Joel said after flashing a quick smile at Captain Mitchell.

"Wait!" Carter shouted. "This explains it! When I was saving that girl from the fire, I saw someone in the flames. It must have been one of the demons."

"Are you sure?" Captain Mitchell asked.

"He's right," the Doctor confirmed. "I've just come from a confrontation with two of the demons and their henchmen."

Before further discussion could take place, the communications link beeped. Captain Mitchell walked over to the console with the Doctor not far behind.

"Sir, you need to see this," a voice said.

"Bring up the monitor!" Captain Mitchell ordered.

The screen split into three parts. On one art of the screen they saw a building explode as a fire raged through the streets was shown on the first screen. On the middle section the activities of the demons overhead appeared. On the final screen the Doctor winced as he saw the Rangers and an unknown warrior suffering as Hemogrin and Gilmer, who was looking even more hideous, continued their assault.

Captain Mitchell looked at the Rangers standing before him and saw their faces were grim with determination. "The city needs Rangers," he said. "We need you."

"I'm in," Carter said.

"Me too," Kelsey added.

"And me," Stephanie agreed.

"I want to help," Chad said.

They looked at Joel, who had yet to answer. "We need your help Joel," Captain Mitchell said.

"What do we do first?" Joel asked, not the least bit eager to agree.

Smiling Dana produced a silver box and opened it to reveal six morphers. "These are the Lightspeed Morphers," Captain Mitchell explained. "They are based partially on our own technology and partly on some devices found by our science department."

Kelsey, Carter, Chad, Stephanie and Joel each picked up one of the devices and studied them. Following the Captain's instructions they placed the morphers on their wrists.

"What about the sixth Ranger?" the Doctor asked. He appeared thoughtful. "It should be somebody from your line."

As he finished speaking, Captain Mitchell handed the last morpher to Dana.

"I have been training Dana since she was old enough to learn the job. I think she is ready. Rangers, consider yourselves drafted to the fight against the demons. If anyone wants to leave now is the time to do so." Seeing nobody was leaving Captain Mitchell continued by gesturing for a dark-haired woman to enter. "This is Ms Fairweather, our chief scientist. She will now tell you about some of the technology developed to help you in your mission."

"Welcome to Lightspeed," Ms Fairweather said. "We've been attempting to build machines similar to those used by the Power Rangers for the last few years. Thanks to an unusual computer error we have finally succeeded. These are the first generation Lightspeed Vehicles."

As she spoke, the floor the Rangers were standing on lowered into a larger chamber. Before them, sat a fleet of vehicles.

"For now you will use this," she told them, pointing to a large yellow Humvee. "I call it the Lightspeed Rover. Civilian authorities are under strict instructions to give you priority access to all areas."

She didn't mention the other vehicles although there were some that Joel was eager to try out.

"I know this is a lot to take in, but it's time to go," Captain Mitchell said.

"But we don't know what to do," Joel protested.

"The Power will guide you," the Doctor assured the sceptical Green Ranger. "And if it doesn't I suspect Captain Mitchell will."

"Lightspeed Rescue!" Carter called. The others were less than a second behind.

For each Ranger there was a sensation of standing in a long tunnel. Then their uniforms just seemed to merge with their bodies. As the light faded they were in the spandex forms of the Lightspeed Rangers. Their chests were split into eight sections, four white and four the colour of their Ranger powers. On their hips they wore a single hand blaster. Finally their helmets were formed around their heads, each with a different shape face panel. Carter was the Red Ranger, Chad the Blue Ranger, Joel the Green Ranger, Kelsey the Yellow Ranger, Stephanie the Purple Ranger and Dana the Pink Ranger.

Sliding in behind the wheel of their new vehicle, the Rangers waited for further instructions. The Rescue Rover had a state-of-the-art engine and combined with the helmet feed to increase the driver's reaction times, was capable of incredible speed.

"Engage Roadway Exit!" Captain Mitchell ordered before moving to a control deck and attaching a set of earphones and microphone to his head. "Take it out Rangers!"

One of the laboratory's technicians activated a set of switches and the floor of the chamber sank into the ground. On the far side of the chamber a tunnel opened to the surface and with the roar of the Rescue Rover's engine, the newest team of Rangers were deployed.

Garth laid into Gilmer with his sword, forcing himself to ignore the innocent appearance she had tried to adopt. If nothing else the sword she wielded against him proved how deadly she could be.

"This should shake you up," Hemogrin boasted. So far he had proven the to be the demon with the crudest fighting technique.

He pounded his fists into the ground, causing the road to ripple beneath the Rangers' feet. High above them a building swayed violently, throwing one woman out of the window where she hung on for dear life.

"Help me!" a voice called from high above.

Garth looked up to see another woman hanging from a balcony. "I'm coming!" he called.

Running inside the unstable building Garth located the elevator, which had returned to ground level. Forcing the door open and then the roof, he studied the cables. This was the quickest way up and probably safer than the stairway. But he decided a change of clothes was in order.

"Armour deploy!" he called.

In the months since his escape he had never had cause to use his battle armour. Deploying it was time consuming and painful, but to enter the burning building without extra protection would mean he was unable to save anybody.

The suit was a part of him and the integration of its systems was near perfect. The computer scanned what he was thinking and found the device that would provide the function he desired. A small gun appeared in his hand with a metal spike and long steel cable attached. Loading the spike, he aimed for the top of the shaft, allowing the computerised targeting grid to find the best shot and fired.

The spike lodged in the top of the shaft and after attaching a motor he was hoisted to the floor he wanted. Kicking open the lift door he moved to where the woman was hanging and grabbed her, just as the building decided to shift.

In another part of the city, the monster Carter saw in the flames, Dauros, was causing more havoc. He was accompanied by a different type of foot soldiers: black demon creatures with swords, called Batlings. Unlike Wraiths, Batlings were not known for being easy to conquer.

"We've waited a long time for this," Dauros told him. "Batlings, attack! Destroy everything!"

"Oh my god!" Kelsey exclaimed as the Rescue Rover rounded the corner in time to see the Batlings attack.

"Captain Mitchell, are you getting this?" Carter asked.

"Affirmative," Captain Mitchell replied. "You'll have to defend the civilians. Try to do so with minimum force, but you are authorised to use your blasters."

"Joel, get down here and help!" Chad called into the commlink.

After arriving, Joel had found his way to the top of one of the nearby buildings.

"No can do," the former Sky Cowboy replied. "I've got people up here need helping."

"Finish up as soon as you can Joel," Captain Mitchell interrupted.

"Okay, I'm clear," Joel said after a few minutes. "The area is cleared, let's finish this."

"Lightspeed Rangers!" the others called and all six saluted, an action that seemed somehow natural for the situation.

"Weapons, up!" Red Lightspeed ordered.

The Rangers charged into combat, kicking and punching the nearest Batlings and picking off the more distant targets with their Lightspeed Blasters. Green Lightspeed found himself out numbered, but with a quick movement, he sent his blaster sailing skyward, causing the Batling to look up. That had been the distraction he wanted and after knocking the Batlings off of him, he jumped into the air, grabbed his blaster and fired.

Blue Lightspeed was more traditional about fighting. As he started to feel the Power flowing, he began to throw Batlings left and right before emptying his blaster into them.

Purple Lightspeed kicked the legs out from one Batling and fired at the next. She then kicked that opponent and fired at the next. She continued to alternate between firing and kicking until the Batlings regrouped.

"Kelsey, look out!" he called over the helmet's commlink.

Behind the Yellow Ranger a Battling was attempting to sneak up. Calmly she leapt into the air and landed behind the demon before blasting it. Jumping back into the air she straddled the shoulders of another Battling and drove it into the ground. Dana was likewise fighting in her own way. Jumping upwards she converted her blaster to sword mode and sliced a Battling in two before turning to the other now retreating Batlings.

"You're going to be burnt toast when I'm finished with you!" the demon told Carter.

A blast of flame fired at the Red Ranger, but he rolled aside just as the rest of the team joined him. From his position on the ground Carter realised he was open to his attack. Firing a blast he caught the monster off guard allowing Red Lightspeed to join the others.

"Combine firepower!" Red Lightspeed ordered.

The others did as he told them and their combined blasts ripped into the deformed monster. For a moment he swayed before finally exploding.

Sensing their comrade had failed and having no intention of doing likewise, Hemogrin and Gilmer combined their assault. Their coordinated assault repeatedly blasted the Rangers, using the innocent bystanders as a shield against their powers. Still, against the combined power of six Rangers, albeit new Rangers, the demons were soon faced with their own destruction.

"Triad return, before you fall,  
your scars to heal and strength restore,  
So the enemy you might face once more!"

Pierre poured his strength into the spell, using his limited power as an anchor that drew Gilmer, Hemogrin and Dauros back to the cavern where they could recover and attack again. The fear they had generated had been encouraging. The next time they would succeed and the Court of Queen Bansheera would be restored.

Garth had never liked heights. During the training he had received, heights had always caused a glitch in his programming. Even now he was terrified, but the computer stopped him from freezing. Grabbing the woman by the waist, he looked for the quickest escape, deciding after a while to scale down from the window.

As he landed, he was greeted by one of the scientists that had turned him into a weapon. It was clear that the man was there to collect him.

"We've been waiting for you to show up, DH17. Sooner or later you had to use that armour. And once you did it was simple to get the right people to the right place. Doctor Rohtt is anxious to resume her experiments, so the fun's over. You're coming with me." He pulled out a remote control device he had acquired.

Garth ignored the command and instead focussed his attention on his anger towards the people who had turned him into a weapon for their own ends.

"Weapon!" A cannon appeared in his hand and he locked onto the scientist, designating him as the target. "Your choice, leave or be destroyed."

The man ignored the outburst and started fiddling with the device. It should have been able to switch Garth off like a light, but all it succeeded in doing was making him fire. The man exploded as the shots connected, revealing that it had not been a human, but rather a cyborg. Seeing an opportunity to leave, Garth did so. By the time the Rangers got there all they found was an empty sidewalk.

While the new Rangers had been busy, the older team had been dealing with the army of foot soldiers that had been sent through the streets of Mariner Bay. Working together they managed to conquer the overwhelming odds, and by the time the other Morphin Rangers joined them, victory was within their grasp.

"Rangers, the invasion is over," Zordon rumbled. "Join the other Rangers and prepare to lend support should they need it."

Remarkably they found that such an offer of aid was unnecessary.

Lightspeed Aquabase,

Captain Mitchell sat back and watched. In the last few hours he had learnt a lot about the Rangers and their power. They were now in an agreement with the Rangers of Angel Grove to help when needed.

"We'll be back later to do some wiring for the Transmats," the Doctor said, referring to the offer of Power Mountain's resources. "I'll also have Alpha finish up the alterations to his new Zords, I think they'll suit you."

Billy and Alpha had been reworking some of the damaged Defender and Techno Zords into a new fleet of Zords. Originally they had been intended to work with the Turbo Rangers, but now they seemed more suited to the Lightspeed Rangers.

"People," Captain Mitchell said at last. "You've had a good first battle, but the war is not over yet. These demons will renew their efforts to destroy the city and you can believe they may even extend his horizons. You will need to be on alert from now on."

That said he retired to his office whilst new Rangers and new friends got to know each other. Things had certainly come a long way since that morning meeting almost five years before. He hoped they were up to the task.

**End**

Disclaimer: I do not own the Power Rangers. I do not own Doctor Who, the TARDIS or K-9. I do not even own the Externals, which are based on a combination of races from the Star Trek Universe. They all belong to their respective copyright owners.  
Authors' note: This story is set in multiple time zones however for COE purposes it follows on from the events in Entering Lightspeed. Parts of this story also take place from the Doctor's point of view.

**Times of Change**

The events surrounding the emergence of the Power Rangers were well known. Despite rumours that they had appeared during the Wild West and a few years before the release of Rita Repulsa, recorded history did not lie. A mission to the Earth's second moon had ended in disaster with the opening of a space dumpster containing the wicked witch. The Power Rangers had then emerged and defeated her. They had been around ever since.

The date was well known. The circumstances were a matter of public record and television history. Events were absolutely set in stone. Which was why when history changed, the results had been devastating.

One change, a single event out of sequence, in the wrong place or perhaps a minute too late was enough to have an impact on the timeline. Many changes all within a short period causing a massive acceleration of known events? Well that was enough to cause a disaster. And when an enemy previously unseen was released, there was a good chance that the future would never come to pass.

The day the Earth died had been one of those days. As the planet burned it was sad to note that those who might have saved it, had yet to appear.

A shockwave tore through time and space. Events had been changed and the universe was forced to compensate. With the transformed into a lifeless hunk, the ground burnt and cursed, events unravelled. It took time for the changes to filter their way into the present though and for almost a decade the universe carried on as if nothing had happened.

The Web of Time was sustained by the history of several planets. The Earth physically rested in the centre of the web, a focal point of probability within the multiverse. Gallifrey, home of the Time Lords, hung from a separate strand, an anchor point that helped the web remain ordered. The remaining planets were places of great power known to affect the cosmos around them.

When the Earth had been for all intents and purposes destroyed, the Web of Time had been damaged, its centre ripped away, causing the remaining threads to collapse. If it ad been a natural or planned occurrence, the damage would not have been so severe. Given the circumstances, the multiverse would be lucky to survive more than a century.

But first the universe had to come to terms with the knowledge the Earth no longer existed.

Earth  
5 September 1997

"We'll be seeing you soon," Trini promised as the six Morphin Rangers and Nate teleported back to Angel Grove.

Since the Lightspeed Power Ranger's first outing, the Morphin Rangers of Angel Grove group had been helping to train their counterparts. So far it had been agreed that while the Rangers of Angel Grove would continue to fight off the threats posed by Rita, Zedd and Mondo, the Lightspeed Rangers would fight to contain the forces of Queen Bansheera and provide emergency cover should the other teams need it.

Since it was summer, the Rangers' parents had not noticed their teleporting across the country and back several times a day. And the Turbo Rangers under Tommy's direction were easily containing the monsters thrown at them; the Turbo powers while physically weaker than those of Zeo, offered the Rangers an increase in speed that more than compensated.

As the Rangers left, the Doctor and Samantha, his companion, bid farewell to Captain Mitchell and his team. Lightspeed was hardly lacking in technology and knowledge. What the Lightspeed Rangers lacked in experience, the Doctor was certain they would learn after a few encounters.

As he entered his TARDIS, the Doctor realised perhaps this was the time to leave Earth and resume his travels. He had not wanted to stay around as long as he had, but until recently his TARDIS had refused to allow him to move away from the planet. Only when it had been necessary to travel to Mariner Bay had the machine functioned properly.

Something had been worrying him since his most recent arrival on Earth. The planet had changed, history was not as he remembered it. The existence of Power Rangers was something he had not expected and pointed to a more serious problem.

At first he had believed that the TARDIS had somehow crossed between universes, but he had eventually dismissed that idea; receiving a message from himself telling him of the need to travel to Mariner Bay, had convinced him that this was his native universe.

That didn't mean that things were right though and for the Doctor, it was that things were right. Something had happened to change history and he was not certain whether he had a right to correct that change. It wasn't as if the changes had made things worse for the population. In some ways Earth was benefiting by the changes.

"Coordinates are set," the Doctor mumbled as he moved around the hexagonal column. "Nothing too complicated this time, just a transfer from here to Angel Grove."

He turned a dial on one panel to fine tune their destination. In the past the TARDIS had not been very reliable during short trips, but after a certain amount of practice, its accuracy had improved.

The grind of the mighty engines powering up could be heard as the TARDIS moved out of the mainstream universe and into the Time Vortex. There it briefly hovered as it locked in on the landing position and prepared to return to the real world. A small light on the console flashed, and the Doctor breathed a sigh of relief that they had not drifted into the past. He would have to investigate the problem further before deciding on a course of action.

It was Samantha who noticed that the trip was taking longer than usual and voiced her concerns when she noticed the look on the Doctor's face.

"What's wrong?"

He never had the chance to answer as the walls of the TARDIS seemed to implode and darkness claimed them.

Teleportation transformed the Rangers at the starting point from matter to energy. On arrival at the destination, the process was reversed, turning them back into physical beings. However as the six balls of Ranger-coloured energy arrived at the Power Chamber, a wave of energy was in the process of sweeping across the planet, obliterating everything in its path. As the beams of energy through which the Rangers travelled while teleporting, collided with the destructive energy wave, they were repelled, preventing them from reverting to their true forms.

As history shifted around them, the Rangers should have been destroyed. However, the balls of energy were thrown into the Time Vortex where they collided with another object.

The destination lock had failed, making the proposed landing impossible. At the moment that single point in time and space vanished, the ship that had been heading toward that position was unceremoniously dumped back into the Vortex. Not programmed for such an occurrence, the ship's systems searched for a solution, drawing on more and more resources to correct the perceived malfunction. Finally with no perceived outcome, the automated systems of the TARDIS shut down, shunting the ship into an uncontrolled temporal free fall.

Unprotected by its stabilisers and lacking the drive from its might engines, not to mention a sense of direction from its pilot, the TARDIS was completely at the mercy of the violent and unpredictable forces surrounding it as it was swept along. Tossed and turned by the competing currents, it changed direction countless times as the storm outside tried to rip it apart.

The crew station was unmanned, the ship's passengers having been knocked unconscious by the telepathic feedback as the TARDIS struggled to comprehend what was happening; the shock of such a painful removal from time and space had caused the TARDIS to lash out at the nearest intelligent life.

The main doors had opened at some stage, allowing seven bursts of energy to strike the interior of the vessel and dissipate, reverting into seven unconscious teenagers. The white walls of the console room were scorched and the centre column had a large crack running down its centre as further discharges ravaged the interior of the Console Room.

The ship started to vibrate, torn in multiple directions as it flew too close to gravitational fields it normally would have avoided. The cloister bell started to ring, a warning for all crewmen to wake up, but its dire tone went mostly unheard.

Survival became a priority. The ship's Banshee Circuits, the key systems dedicated to the continued existence of the vessel, activated. While appearing to be a mass of machinery and technology, the TARDIS was very much a living thing and had over time discovered how to communicate with its passengers. Unable to prompt them to awaken, it searched for a solution in its databanks. Failing to find a solution, it then used the environmental controls, which made the inside of the box habitable to most forms of life and had only recently been replaced, to judge the status of its passengers.

That was when it found a possible solution inside the mind of its pilot. By melting a part of the ship's architecture, the Banshee Circuits created an agent capable of saving the prone vessel. A combination of various robotic life-forms the Doctor had encountered, it took the form of the Doctor's robotic dog, K-9.

"Master!"

The first thought that occurred to K-9 as his systems were activated was that he was falling; the ship had chosen that moment to roll as it was hit by a fresh wave of temporal energy. The next thought was to correct his predicament by activating all of its motors to improve traction.

Realising that the humans were in danger unless he acted quickly, he opened a small panel in his left leg.

"Master, you must wake up," he urged as he moved over to the man in the green frock coat. By extending the sensor probe on his nose he was able to prod the Doctor. "Action is essential Master. You must awaken."

The man known groaned and tried to swat the probe away. As the dog continued to poke him, he eventually revived. He glanced around in confusion and then staggered to the battered eight-sided column in the centre of the room. He pulled the large red lever, closing the doors securely and then flicked a few more switches before pressing the 'engage' button. The column at the centre of the console started to rise and fall, and the tolling bell was drowned by the grinding of the machine's engines.

There was a violent jerk and a loud bang from under the floor as a recently refurbished part was pushed beyond its limits. Several other panels within the room were blown off as the TARDIS tried to reverse its momentum. Then everything was still, the ship having found a safe place to stop inside the turbulent vortex.

The Doctor frowned as he examined first himself and then his transport. It seemed that whatever force had thrown the ship off course, had also repositioned them away from the most dangerous section of the ship. It had not been very particular about where they were placed though, so long as they were safe.

"One of the Auxiliary Console Rooms," he guessed, studying the architecture. "Probably saved our lives."

While all the Console Rooms were capable of allowing the occupants to exit the TARDIS, their physical position added a degree of added protection. It was probably the only reason why the Doctor and his companions were in better condition than their surroundings. The main Console Room was probably a wreck.

"Thank you K-9," he said, absently patting the robot on the back. "You're a good dog."

"Affirmative Master," K-9 replied.

The Doctor quickly checked on his travelling companions and was relieved to find that they were alive if slightly battered. He was relieved to see that Samantha, his regular travelling companion was present. The other humans were part of a group he had met during his most recent visit to the planet. Nate Oliver, Zack Taylor, Jason Lee Scott, Billy Cranston, Kimberly Hart, Trini Kwan and David Trueheart were all members of the costumed super-heroes known as the Power Rangers. How they had gotten into the TARDIS was unknown.

Outside the violent storm still raged, but the TARDIS was still, floating within the opposing currents and waiting for a new course. The problem was where to go? It was clear that something had happened. Either the Earth no longer existed or had been changed to such an extent that the TARDIS deemed it unsafe to land. Since he could still detect a mass where the planet was supposed to be, he assumed the latter. The temptation was to travel back along the timeline and discover what had caused the problem. That required him to break the Laws of Time, something he was reluctant to do.

"Incoming signal detected," K-9 advised. "Transmission is below acceptable human hearing."

"Turn the volume up," the Doctor instructed.

K-9 trundled to comply, his continued existence a sign that the TARDIS was not out of danger yet.

"That's odd," the Doctor murmured when they managed to triangulate the signal. "The TARDIS must have picked up the transmission while it was trying to land. But that's impossible. That part of the solar system shouldn't be colonised for centuries yet."

Deciding that knowing more about the present would help him decide what to do next, he set the TARDIS to follow the transmission back to its origin.

"K-9, could you help me move them to the bedrooms?" he asked, pointing to the still sleeping humans.

"Affirmative Master," the dog replied. He extended the probe from his nose again, this time inserting it into a point on the central column. "Reconfiguration of architecture confirmed."

As he spoke, the walls of the TARDIS seemed to shift, removing the Rangers from view and placing them inside their own rooms, which were then linked directly to the control room.

As the robotic dog bustled back and forth, overseeing key systems in order to assist the operator, the Time Lord was already thinking of a thousand different scenarios that would have led to their current situation. Unfortunately to be thrown back into the Vortex could only mean that there was nothing for the machine to land on.

The Earth had come very close to destruction in recent times. The Sword of Ragnarok had brought the entire Universe to the brink of destruction. Was it possible that the weaknesses caused by such an event or was there something else at play?

The ship was diverted as its way was blocked by an unknown barrier. Unable to reach the source of the transmission directly, the Doctor was forced to settle for a roundabout trip.

The forces of evil had won. The Earth was a dark place without life or hope. The planet the Rangers had known was gone, consumed by the toxic smog that had covered the surface and deep into its core. In the panic that had followed, the world had been destroyed by fire, water and wind as the environment had broken down. It was a perfect home for the many demons that had arrived to share in the bounty of magical objects that had been uncovered. On the highest mountain of dark rock, the conqueror had placed his castle.

From there his influence had spread beyond the Earth, to the Moon, where he had recruited and later destroyed the witch known as Rita Repulsa. There in the caverns running through the solar satellite, more aliens and demons flocked. Evil had triumphed and the Universe was no longer a safe place.

When Daizayten had been released, his rescuers had believed that he would serve them. They had quickly learnt the folly of opening the villain's prison. He had destroyed them first before turning his attention to Zordon. He had enjoyed ripping the old fool from the protection of his time warp. He wasn't sure what had happened to the wizard, but he hoped it had been a painful death.

In a matter of hours he had enslaved the city of Angel Grove, the closest city to Zordon's Command Center, and used the corrupted humans, those he had not destroyed, to aid his forces. Within weeks his forces had spread to the four corners of the Earth, destroying all in their path.

As he had done many times before, Daizayten spread his evil around the globe, polluting the planet and killing all life it encountered. The waters of the world once polluted were transformed into lakes of black sludge. At Daizayten's command the waters rose and flooded the the land, washing away cities in a tidal wave of destruction.

It took longer for the last of the humans to die. Some birds and insects held out longer, but once the planet was encased in the burning, toxic smog, nothing could escape. The atmosphere was destroyed, the smog receded and Daizayten stood along, the master of his world.

It was strange that he had started to wonder more and more recently what had happened to Zordon. Perhaps it was some sort of sixth sense, but Daizayten felt that now would be a good time to seek out his old adversary and ensure he was indeed dead.

The TARDIS rolled as something prevented it from landing. Somebody had erected a forcefield around the complex, forcing the Doctor to set the ship down in the only habitable area on the surface.

"Doctor, what's going on?" Samantha asked as she made her way into the Console Room, followed by most of the Rangers.

"I'm not entirely sure," the Doctor admitted. "I think whoever lives here is a little paranoid about visitors."

"Where are we anyway?" Jason asked.

"Ganymede, one of Jupiter's moons," the Doctor answered absently.

He was studying the view on the TARDIS's video monitor. It seemed they had landed in some sort of dockyard outside of a large underground bunker, which had been cut into the rocks. From the large cranes and spare parts lying around on the surfaced, the Doctor guessed that at some stage this had been a supply yard. Strange really since he had never noticed it before.

Samantha noticed that when the Doctor had mentioned that they were on Ganymede, there had been a small flicker of emotion on Nate's face. He covered it quickly, but she suspected that he knew something the others didn't. Perhaps he knew a secret that he wasn't supposed to have discovered. She resolved to speak to him later, but would not interrupt the Doctor while he was explaining what was going on.

"There's an underground bunker behind the large door over there," he told the Rangers, pointing to the side of the rock. "We'll probably find a service shaft of some sort nearby."

"You want us to get inside," Zack guessed.

The Doctor nodded. Somebody had not wanted him here, had gone to great lengths to threaten him. That sort of desperation usually meant that he was on to something. Whatever was hidden within the bunker probably held the answers he wanted.

He looked the Rangers over carefully. They were out-of-phase with their timeline, but sooner or later their bodies would realise that they no longer existed and they would fade. Samantha at least was safe, isolated from the changes since she had been in the TARDIS. And Nate of course would be immune to changes in the timeline due to his nature. As far as the other Rangers were concerned though it was a matter of days, perhaps hours.

The fact the Rangers had been teleporting at the time history had been altered had probably saved them from immediate obliteration. But they were anomalies and as such they would eventually fade. Their exposure to the mystical energies of the Morphin Grid helped slow the effects. Given the short period that David had been a part of the team though it would not buy too much time. He just hoped it would be enough time to put things right.

"Find a way into the bunker," he told Jason, "but be careful. I don't know what is in there."

He had a very bad feeling that there was something distinctly unpleasant waiting for them.

"When you've found your way through, open the bunker doors. Billy and Trini had better stay with me. I have something that requires their assistance."

"I'll go with the others," Samantha offered.

The Doctor looked like he was going to protest, but David cut him off. "Why don't we have a look around outside, just in case the Doctor missed something?"

That seemed to satisfy Sam's need to do something and the Doctor's desire to keep his assistant safe. With the tasks decided, Nate volunteered to accompany Jason, Zack and Kimberly. Sam looked at him suspiciously, but chose not to ask, yet.

"Hey, I just thought," Zack commented as the Doctor readied to open the door. "Can we morph?"

It was almost amusing to see the others start at the possibility they had lost their powers. Technically they had never received them.

"I wouldn't recommend it," the Doctor answered thoughtfully. He didn't really understand the mechanics of the Morphin Grid.

"I concur," Billy added. "Using our powers might aggravate the instability and risk our temporal existence."

"In other words if we morph, we go poof," Kimberly muttered.

"Just don't use your powers unless it's an emergency," Trini suggested. That was probably the best advice they were going to get.

The Doctor pulled the red lever and the heavy inner doors of the TARDIS slid open.

"We've got company!" Zack warned as the cause of the shaking floor marched into view. "Does this count as an emergency?"

After exiting the TARDIS the Rangers had been quick to find the access panel and had easily descended the ladder beneath it. They had made their way through a series of twisting corridors before emerging in a room behind the large doors they had seen outside. In all they had spent less than four hours crawling through the shafts.

Jason had moved to the controls and had managed to start the doors moving, allowing Samantha and David to slip through, but when the alarm had sounded, the door had closed again and the Rangers found themselves trapped.

"Alpha?" Zack asked as the giant robots stalked into view.

They certainly resembled the little machine that had maintained the Command Center. However there was no way that Alpha had ever been that tall or that heavily armoured. A quick count revealed that there were over a dozen of them stalking in their direction.

"Intruder alert, intruder alert!" one of the units could be heard saying. His voice was deep and robotic. It was a far cry from the familiar tones of Alpha Five. "Intruders must be destroyed."

"Alpha, it's us!" Kimberly cried, trying to reason with the armed robots.

Her words were ignored as the robots lifted their arms, their hands disappearing to be replaced by an energy weapon.

"Intruders must be destroyed!"

They were surrounded now, their attempts to avoid violence in vain as the Alpha Units closed in. With few options remaining, they had to morph and defend themselves.

"It's Morphin Time!" Jason cried. "Red Ranger Power!"

"Black Ranger Power!"

"White Ranger Power!"

"Pin … argh!" Kimberly dived for cover as the robots grew tired of waiting. Unable to morph safely, she scrambled for safety as Zack, Jason and David tried to cover her.

"Blade Blasters!" Jason ordered.

The three Rangers focussed on the head of the lead machine and were relieved when its cranium exploded, taking one of its neighbouring machines with it. They continued firing at the others, striking wherever they thought they could cause damage; the barrel of their weapons, the joint of the knee and under the arm were just a few areas that allowed them to down their attackers.

"Laser Arrows!" White Ranger cried, his Dragon Sword glowing with energy. "Fire!"

The arrows flew towards one of the robots, but stopped before they could connect with the machines. Jason and Zack looked around to question their friend, in time to see David stumble forward and vanish.

"David!" Kimberly cried. "What happened to him?"

Jason and Zack were too busy to answer. With the White Ranger's assault halted, the automatons were advancing again.

"Cosmic Cannon!" Zack cried, blasting two more robots before they could get too close.

"Kimberly, get the door open!" Red Ranger ordered.

Kimberly nodded and moved to the controls.

"Wh-what is that noise?"

His voice was rough, a sign of how long it had been since he had last used it and an indication of his weakening state. The machines kept him alive, but even they could only slow the deterioration of his body. Technology was a wonderful thing, but old age could not be overcome with a computer.

"There are intruders inside the refuge," the monitoring droid responded.

"Show me."

The droid complied, just as it had been programmed to do. It lacked the ability to perform more than a few basic operations and was not much of a conversationalist, but it was obedient. The television monitor hummed as the feed from the cameras was patched through to his bedside.

"Rangers," he whispered, recognising the costumes.

But why would Rangers be breaking into the bunker? Unless of course they had turned rogue. He watched in confusion as the White Ranger seemed to double over and fade from sight. Was it a new method of teleportation? He didn't think so, not if the pain he had felt through the Morphin Grid was an indication.

"Stop!" he barked harshly, coughing up blood from the exertion. "Focus on the female in pink. Closer… yes, it's Her. Bring them here, alive!"

"They are intruders," the droid argued.

"They are friends," came the reply. "Now bring them here."

"As you wish."

The machines stopped so suddenly that Zack and Jason had managed to down another two before they realised the threat had passed. Kimberly had managed to open the door and Billy, Trini and the Doctor had joined them.

"So David was the first," the Doctor said after they had explained what had happened. "History has been changed, so technically you don't exist anymore. Sam was protected by the TARDIS, but the rest of you should have been erased. Because you were teleporting at the time, history has had difficulty catching up with you, probably because of your powers."

"David has not possessed a connection to the Morphin Grid as long as the rest of us," Billy realised.

"So when his protection disappeared, so did he," Trini said.

"Is he dead?" Kimberly asked.

The Doctor smiled at her reassuringly.

"Only if we can't put things right," he assured her. "Which means we need to get moving."

A movement caught his eye and he twisted in time to see the giant robotic guards were moving again.

"Intruders will proceed to service lift immediately," one of the machines stated, its enormous cannon pointed in their direction.

With few options, the humans and their Time Lord companion made their way over to where the robot had directed. A large area of the wall slid open revealing a hidden lift. As soon as they stepped inside the doors snapped shut and the lift descended.

"Whoa!"

It was uncertain which Ranger cried out first as the lift continued to accelerate, however once one started, the others joined in. It reminded them of some twisted fairground ride except they were not certain it would stop safely when it reached the bottom.

Then there was a loud ping as the lift stopped abruptly. The doors opened and the Rangers tumbled out, followed by Sam. The Doctor calmly strolled from the doorway as they picked themselves off.

"Where are we?" Kimberly asked.

"Some sort of medical facility although I am unfamiliar with the apparatus," Billy answered.

In the centre of the room they could make out a large bed, surrounded by monitoring equipment. They could hear the telltale signs of a respirator as it helped the occupant to breathe.

"Stay where you are!"

The voice was the same as those of the security robots upstairs, but as it shuffled into view, the Rangers saw that it looked nothing like them.

"Stand down Mint," a voice ordered as the figure on the bed tried to sit up.

"I am programmed to protect you," the robot, Mint, replied.

There was a sigh, but t was difficult to tell whether it was out of irritation or exhaustion.

"I do not need to be protected from them. Please Mint, we don't have time for this."

That seemed to do the trick because the robot's weapon retreated back into its chest.

"Zordon?"

It was Trini who had recognised the Morphin Master, her position allowing her to catch a glimpse of his face as he moved.

"Yes, I was once known as Zordon," he agreed. "I cannot say that I know you, although I saw that you were Rangers." He turned to Kimberly. "You though I remember, Kimberly."

It had been a long time ago, back in the days when he had overseen the building of the first Command Center on Earth. Kimberly had arrived from the future and helped a group of local citizens become Power Rangers. Since that day, Zordon had known that Rita would escape and that the Rangers would come to fight her. But something had gone wrong.

"What happened to you?" Kimberly asked as they moved forward.

"After you returned to your time, I waited for the day Rita escaped, knowing that I would summon you, but while I was awaiting Rita, a group of humans calling themselves the Cult of Amuk discovered and released a dangerous being named Daizayten."

"The Cult of Amuk?" Zack asked. "Hey those were the guys that tried to release Nyghtmayr."

"It would seem that they are willing to give their loyalty to whichever villain they can convince to work with them," Billy decided.

The Cult of Amuk was dangerous it seemed, not because they were powerful, but because they were willing to make a deal with anybody in return for a little power.

"When the cult released Daizayten, I tried to assemble a Ranger team, but was unable to do so. Daizayten's agents attacked the Command Center, disabled Alpha Five and destroyed my time warp. He then turned his powers loose on the planet, destroying the Earth in less than a year. By that time it was too late to call in outside help."

He paused, eyes closed in remembrance of those who had lost their lives. Millions of innocents killed in the space of such a short time. They had suffered. He was under no illusion that it was a pleasant way to die.

"When Daizayten pulled me from my time warp, he chose not to destroy me. While I was unable to defeat him, Alpha sacrificed the remainder of his runtime to help me escape. I was lucky, but without the time warp I started to age rapidly."

The stress was evident. Zordon's body was suffering from thousands of years of atrophy and old age. Had he used any more magic he would have ceased to exist.

"So, where are we?" Zack asked.

"This is my first Command Center in this part of the Galaxy," Zordon explained. "When I first came here, I had this place built as a storage sight for the weapons I prepared in case evil should show an interest in the Earth. Later I decided it would be better to have a lookout on the planet."

"So when the Earth fell, you were brought here," the Doctor surmised.

"Yes. This was the nearest safe house where I could recuperate. Unfortunately without my time warp there was little Mint could do to help me." He looked at the Doctor questioningly. "Do I know you?"

"It's been a while old friend," the Doctor told him. "I fought alongside Eltare's greatest soldiers in the last war. One of them was a young Ranger named Zordon."

"Doctor," Zordon whispered. There was a touch of awe and a great deal of fondness in his voice.

"Hello, old friend."

"It is good to see you again, Doctor. Perhaps if you had been here, things would have turned out better."

Silence followed. There was very little to say. The situation was difficult to understand, not least because they knew how events should have played out.

"I remember the stories of the Cult of Amuk," the Doctor told them. "It's an old organisation filled with crackpots and those that believed they understood what they were doing. They were famous for wiping out the majority of their membership every time they attempted one of these rituals. They were not supposed to active again for another decade or so."

"So something changed," Trini guessed. "Something that allowed them to make an earlier attempt."

The Doctor nodded. It was probably a small change, but it meant the difference between death and success. "Or just convinced them that freeing Daizayten was a better alternative."

Meanwhile, Billy had accessed the Command Center's computer, which was fortunately a less sophisticated version of the computer he had used during his early days as a Ranger. Despite Mint's threats, he searched through the logs of what had happened and when. He was shocked to discover that Daizayten had been freed only a few hours before the space flight that had supposedly freed Rita Repulsa from her Dumpster had launched.

"You mean there could have been Rangers, like we could have saved the Earth?"

"Affirmative. If Zordon had had time to summon us Earth could have had a team of Power Rangers to fight Daizayten."

"Well there's no doubt that this was an unnatural change," the Doctor decided. "Something or somebody decided to play around with history, and this is the result. Daizayten's free and the Earth is a dead world. So… how about we find out what changed and why? Then we'll see about setting things right."

~Or as right as they can be,~ he thought.

Although it was possible to restore the timeline to how it should have been, there was no guarantee that it would ever be perfect. When a large stone was thrown a pond, it created ripples throughout the pond. And even when the ripples had ceased and the stone had been removed, there would still be changes because it had been there. The same was true for time travel, just by being there in a time zone, history would be changed. The question was how could they stop the destruction of the Earth without changing it too much?

"Can't we just stop this Cult of Amuk from releasing him?" Zack asked.

"No," the Doctor replied. "It's very difficult to change history one way or the other. History says the Earth died a few months after you were supposed to become Rangers and the cult shouldn't have even been active at this time. If we stop them, the Earth could still be destroyed, just at the hands of a different demon."

The Doctor stared down at Zordon for a long time, communicating with the ancient Morphin Master telepathically before reaching another decision.

"This can be prevented though. If Zordon had had the chance to create his Rangers, the Cult of Amuk would have been destroyed and there would have been somebody to fight Daizayten."

He didn't mention that they needed to not only defeat Daizayten, but to do so quickly if events were to resume their normal pattern.

"It wouldn't work," Zordon warned wearily. "The powers of the Morphin Grid could stop Daizayten, but a team of Rangers would not have the time to learn to use them. The brute force of the dinosaurs just wouldn't help against Daizayten."

"Don't worry about that old friend," the Doctor assured him. "I have something in mind."

~And if this works,~ he thought, ~The Time Lords will either give me an award for Temporal Reengineering, or sentence me to death. Knowing the way the High Council works… probably both.~

He looked at Zordon, noticing again how ill the Eltarian appeared. This Zordon did not have long left. He made a vow there and then that if they ever made it back to their timeline, that he would do everything possible to not only release Zordon, but to counter the effects of long term imprisonment.

"We need to know exactly when Daizayten was released so we can find a moment to interfere. We only have one shot at this, so we have to get it right."

"That's it," Billy declared after about four hours of research.

He held up a chart, showing the locations of the first five Rangers on the day that Daizayten had been released. That information would be needed to ensure that Zordon summoned them.

"Somebody will need to warn the Zordon of that time what is happening," the Doctor stated.

"I still don't see why we can't fight this guy," Kimberly said.

The Doctor had considered that possibility, but it was far from a solution. For one thing the Rangers were temporally unstable and liable to disappear at any time. More importantly though the Earth needed to deal with its problems as they arose and not rely on time travellers to put things right. The Rangers of that era needed to deal with Daizayten. Or if not those Rangers, a different team.

"There's a good chance that preventing Daizayten from killing the planet will not destroy him," Billy explained. "If that happens we need a team of Rangers who can stay and fight him."

"I'll talk to Zordon," Samantha volunteered. Until now she had been forgotten. "I'm the only one not capable of fighting."

That was true. Zordon had once conducted tests on Samantha to see whether she was capable of using a power coin. While the result had not been the explosive backlash of somebody totally unsuited to the Power, the readings had indicated that she did not possess a link to the Morphin Grid in any of the known combinations. Power Neutral was how Alpha described her, almost completely isolated from the Power with only a small potential that they had yet to identify.

"Yes, that should work," the Doctor agreed, pleased that his travelling companion would be out of the line of fire. "The rest of you will need to hold Daizayten at bay until your past-selves are ready."

It was a highly questionable move and they would only have one chance to do so; technically such a journey could only be considered legal because they were so certain that history had been altered. If they failed to prevent the change then this new history would become official. By asking the Rangers to fight in place of their earlier selves, he risked causing a rip in the universe.

Before he could give them further instructions, the room shook, a cloud of dust showering down upon them. The lights dimmed briefly and a loud bang could be heard from somewhere.

"Intruder Alert! Intruder Alert!" Mint sounded. "Outer perimeter has been breached. Alien forces are attempting entry to lower levels."

"Is that him?" Trini asked as the viewing device showed the intruders.

"They are servants of Daizayten," Zordon confirmed.

"He must have decided to finish what he started," Jason guessed.

"You must leave here Doctor," Zordon rasped. "If they have breached the outer wall then the Sentinels will not hold them."

"But we need time to finish," Kimberly protested.

"Alien intruders have breached inner door," Mint interrupted.

"How long?" the Doctor asked.

"Masking Field will fail in ten minutes," came the reply.

"We need more time," Trini realised.

Finding the information would take minutes, but they also needed to get back to the TARDIS and that was not going to be easy.

"If we succeed, everything goes back to how it was, right?" Nate asked. "The Earth will be back… David?"

"That is correct young man," Zordon said.

Of the Rangers present he only recognised Kimberly, although Billy bore a close resemblance to the man Kimberly had recruited to be the first Blue Ranger. ~Maybe he was his ancestor.~ The others were strangers to him and one in particular was … strange.

"And nobody will remember what happened here?" he pressed.

The Doctor shook his head, catching on to what Nate was really asking. "Only those who were part of the original timeline will remember. Zordon might have some idea of what happened, but the Galactic Council won't know a thing."

A smile crossed Nate's face. Finally he had a chance to test himself without the risks that he would usually face. The others were needed for the difficult task again. He was certain that he was not one of them.

"I'll hold them off," he volunteered, making his way to the lift as the others hurried to finish their tasks. As they did so they couldn't help wondering how the cultists had discovered Daizayten's resting place to begin with.

"Doctor if we don't exist, why does Zordon remember Kimberly?" Trini asked.

They had finished their fact finding and were waiting for the elevator to make their escape. It seemed Nate had been successful so far in keeping the intruders at bay.

The Doctor shrugged. "Time is a complex thing. A conversation you have with your future self today would not happen for him for years. Zordon met Kimberly when she travelled back in time because he was supposed to meet her and later recruit her as a part of his Ranger team. At some point after that Zordon knew an event would come when Kimberly would be transported back in time to meet with him."

"So if I never travelled back then Zordon shouldn't know me," Kimberly decided.

"But he does remember a girl named Kimberly Hart who travelled back in time," the Doctor explained. "So long as you exist, Zordon will remember that. If you were not here though… Let's not get into that paradox."

While he had been talking, the Doctor had been using what medical knowledge he had gleaned over the last nine-hundred years to try and assess his friend's health. What he found, saddened him deeply. Zordon was dying, but it seemed that the Morphin Grid and the temporal shift were interfering. He had no doubt his old friend was in considerable pain, being so close to death and yet still alive.

"Well there's no point moping around here arguing about temporal anomalies," he declared suddenly. "Time to put things back to normal, or at least somewhat normal. Now, Zordon, do you have the location of the Daizayten's prison?"

"Of course Doctor."

"Then our first step should be to get there before he's released. With a little luck we might even be able to talk the cult into changing their ways and prevent them from summoning anything to replace him."

Of course he was also hoping that arriving before hand would allow him to discover what was really going on. The Cult of Amuk were usually focussed on summoning demons. Releasing Daizayten should have been too simple for them to attempt.

He was starting to suspect that it was one of his people that had interfered. Given the events before his arrival on Earth, not to mention the discoveries he had made, he had a fair idea who could be behind such a scheme. And if he was correct then it was more likely that all it had taken was a few softly spoken words. He didn't believe that mastermind was a part of the Cult of Amuk.

"How are we going to change the past?" Zack asked.

"Simple," the Doctor told him. "We're not. The Power Rangers were meant to appear the day Rita Repulsa was released. Instead they will appear the same day to fight Daizayten. We're not changing history, hopefully when the books are written this little incident will be forgotten. You've heard the rumours that there were Power Rangers before you assumed the roles? This is the chance to prove it."

Nate had never had the opportunity to test his powers in battle. After he had managed to gain control of the hybrid powers, he had been forbidden to morph by the Galactic Council. He was seen as a threat, too powerful for the Council to control and so they had tried to sideline him from the action instead.

This was one instance when he could use his powers though without getting Zordon into trouble. He had to admit that he was looking forward to the opportunity.

The surface had indeed been invaded by all manner of strange creatures. The foot soldiers were obvious. The identical grey bipeds were distinguishable by their bland appearance and cyclops-like heads. Accompanying them was an army of monstrous beings, each as ugly as the next, all composed of the same strange matter.

"Why don't I believe you guys have an invitation?" he asked after moving around the outside of the room to conceal the location of the lift just a little longer.

"%%data[^£!"

He didn't know what the alien said, but he imagined it translated as: "Get him!"

"Well if that's the way you want it," he told them amicably before summoning his morphers. "I guess we do this the fun way… Dino Thunder, Power Up!"

The powers obeyed his command. A suit of tight fitting material formed around him. It was mostly dark grey; the boots were grey, the gloves were grey, and even the helmet was grey. To offset the dark appearance, the top of his boots, the end of his gauntlet gloves, belt and shoulder pads were black, as was the trim surrounding his helmet's visor. Golden thread had been used to create a series of diamond shapes, which ran down the outside of his arms and legs. The same thread had been used to create a dinosaur foot inside a circle on his chest. A small crest rose from the front of his helmet and extended around to the back.

"Brachio Ranger!" he cried, completing the transformation.

Grinning beneath his helmet, a little of the infamous Oliver traits surfacing, he charged into battle. His powers were not as strong as they had been when he first constructed them. Refining the mixture of powers to just those of the Morphin Grid had weakened him, but had the bonus of making his transformation stable.

It was a magnificent feeling as he punched, kicked, twisted and dodged his way through the opposing forces. Those that fell didn't stay down for long, but it soon became clear to them that charging their foe would not be enough.

"Brachio Staff!" he called, drawing the weapon from his left hip.

It didn't matter that they outnumbered him as he cut them down one at a time. His Brachio staff was an effective weapon and he was succeeding in his plan to draw the attackers away from the TARDIS. He noticed the elevator open as he unleashed an orb of energy at his opponents. The Doctor stopped just short of the machine, gesturing for Nate to join them. Unfortunately he was seen and Nate was forced to throw himself into the throng of attackers to stop them from reaching the Time Lord.

"GO!" he shouted.

The Doctor nodded, understanding that this was their chance to escape. As he ran inside the TARDIS, the sound of its engines distracted the invaders momentarily. It was all the distraction that Nate needed.

"Maxima Blast!" he called, pointing the Brachio Staff at the dome surrounding the surface.

The dome shattered under the force of the blast, having never been intended to withstand such destructive forces from the inside, sucking all those that remained on the surface into the coldness of space, but failing to harm the small smog creature that made its way into the Command Center.

Earth,  
Years before

He was the High Priest, leader of the Cult of Amuk. His followers worshipped him for the power he had promised them. He had taken those on the brink of despair and given them hope. In return they gave him their complete obedience.

But he had a problem. In all the years he had been acting as the High Priest, he had failed to deliver on his promises, and his followers were growing impatient. That was why he had taken the advice of one of this disciples, a new man whose name he couldn't quite remember, to seek out the powerful creature referred to in a few primitive drawings as Daizayten.

Today promised to be the day that he would secure their loyalty once more. He would free Daizayten and in return ask only for the demon's obedience and a share of his power. Hunting down the site of his prison had taken longer and far more expenditure than he had been led to believe. The funds he had raised over the last decade had been spent, along with a good portion of the money he had siphoned into his own accounts. Today that risk would pay off. The seal had finally been broken and the ancient apparatus had been dragged to the surface. All that remained was to open it.

He raised his hands and the chanting started. This was unnecessary, but it gave his followers a sense of involvement in what was going on. As the chanting grew louder, he nodded to one of his crewmen to start drilling the thick stone. It never occurred to him that the demon might decide to do away with the humans once their purpose had been fulfilled.

As the TARDIS arrived, the Doctor knew that the situation would not be resolved by talking. The extraction had already started and was gaining momentum as the mob of disciples chanted excitedly. A part of him wanted to tell the Rangers to attack, but he knew that would not work. They would never attack unless the situation called for it, and besides which, if they damaged the prison, then Daizayten would be freed anyway.

Realising that time was running out, Samantha had been dispatched to warn Zordon. If this was going to work then the Morphin Master would have to act quickly. Meanwhile the Rangers would infiltrate the disciples, ready to confront Daizayten when he was released. And the Doctor? He was already searching for the mastermind behind this little scheme, hoping that he could prevent further tragedies by stopping him.

"You won't able to stop them."

The Doctor turned, unsurprised to find that his quarry had tracked him down instead. Before him a young boy stood, absently playing with a yo-yo. But the Doctor was not fooled, this boy was at least a century old and was up to something far more sinister than playing with a child's toy.

"You're behind this?" he asked, knowing the answer.

This person was a sign of how dangerous things had become, not the instigator. Like a moth drawn to a flame, so he had been attracted to the possible paradox. Even so it was likely that he would act to keep the Doctor from interfering.

"You know our business, Doctor," came the reply. "Any temporal anomaly, any chance of a paradox and we shall be there. And since you chose to travel back in time…"

"After history had already been changed."

"…after events had been set in stone, the opportunity was too good to miss."

"Are you going to stop me?"

There was an edge in the Doctor's voice. He had dealt with this sort of person and the faction he represented before. He had seen the horrors they were willing to allow to further their goals. And though he liked to think of himself as merciful, he had no patience for those who benefited from the pain of others.

"Of course not." The child laughed at him. It was not a pleasant feeling to have a child laughing at you. "You offer the best chance of this problem cascading. I wouldn't stop you even if I'd been ordered to."

"Then leave me alone."

The boy was gone, the Doctor never saw him leave. That was unnerving for the Doctor, the fact that such people could move faster than he could. He knew that at least part of that speed came from their ability to slide through the higher dimensions, seemingly slipping in and out of sight. For all he knew the boy was still there, laughing at him.

The prison had been opened. He could hear Jason urging his fellow Rangers into battle. He just hoped that Samantha was having some success convincing Zordon to recruit humans just as he had against Rita in the original timeline. In his mind he was already calculating how long it would take for the teens to receive their powers and return to Earth. Assuming of course that Zordon had found them, convinced them of the need to cooperate and had been able to send them where they needed to go.

Behind him the battle had escalated and the Rangers had brought out the heavier artillery. He hoped their past selves hurried to receive the training they needed. Without it the Rangers he had brought with him would be forced to defeat the villain, and all would be lost. Filling in for their past selves was one thing, but the Rangers could never replace them.

"There you are," he muttered, finally spotting the person he had been seeking. His natural affinity with time told him that this person was not meant to be there and had recently shifted through time.

"So you did come," the man - he was certain the person he was facing was male even though the strange costume was fairly androgynous. "I wondered if you would make an appearance, Doctor."

Now that he was closer the Doctor could see that the man was indeed wearing some sort of armour. Not the energised uniform of a Power Ranger, more likely an exo-suit of some description, capable of absorbing the radiation within the time vortex.

"Do I know you?" the Doctor asked.

"We've never met," the man admitted. "Your contributions to this planet were carefully recorded. Thanks to the telemetry data provided by Zordon's archives, humanity mastered the technology needed to travel through the Time Vortex. And when they did, they immediately forbade its use except in the most extreme circumstances. Where I come from your name is known to temporal engineers around the world."

"So humans finally learnt how to travel in time properly," the Doctor mused. "Couldn't have happened to a better race. But if they limited the use of time travel, why are you here?"

The helmet opened, revealing the slightly scarred face inside.

"Humans?" he laughed. "By my time the human race has long since died out, wiped from existence by war. I am a part of the world that came after and that world is far from perfect," he confided. "The mistakes of the past have pushed the world to the brink of disaster. Pollution, unethical experiments and unnatural evolution, all consequences of the war."

"What war?" the Doctor asked.

"Why the war between the Time Lords and their greatest enemies, a war that stretched from the dawn of time to the end of days several times over. A war that started before you even realised that it was going on. Didn't you wonder how you ended up in a universe filled with magic? The war ended and the universe was changed. There were voids to be filled and magic helped to fill those gaps. You knew from the moment you set foot in Angel Grove that something was wrong. Now you know what it is."

The Doctor was stunned at the thought that history was capable of changing to such an extent. For it to change before the war had really started though meant that the outcome would be terrible.

"You travelled back in time. To what end?"

"To prevent the inevitable chaos," came the reply. "History needs guidance to avoid descending into darkness. I intend to provide that guidance. Daizayten's release will cause a worldwide catastrophe. Governments will crumble and anarchy will prevail. The people will cry out for somebody to lead them back from the brink of destruction and I will be that person, a hero in the dark times ahead."

"You really believe that this is the way to solve the problems of your time?" the Doctor asked.

"It's for the best," the time traveller replied. "In my time the world is on the brink of disaster. The politicians pretend they are working for the better yet they accomplish little. World peace? Worthless when their governments lack the strength to enforce the law. And end of poverty and famine? Without control the world could starve. When Daizayten decimates the human race, I will bring the order they need…"

"To prevent a disaster that has yet to happen."

"Oh it will happen. The signs are there. One day the Earth will die."

The problem was that the rogue genuinely believed that. Even though the changes he had made would cost the lives of billions over the next thousand years or so, he still thought that his world would be better because of his changes.

"All things die," the Doctor confided. "The moment you try to control life and death you set yourself up as a god. And when you do that, you're more likely to destroy everything you're working towards. How do you know this won't just destroy the planet. Is a dead world really that much better?"

The time traveller didn't reply. He was watching the battle behind them. Daizayten had made one of his creations grow and had turned it loose. The Rangers had responded by calling in their original Megazord.

"Do you think for a moment that Daizayten will win this fight?" he asked. "Where's your overwhelming faith in the humans?"

Daizayten's monster seemed to explode, covering the Megazord with sludge. It appeared they had won, but the next moment their Zords were falling apart as the toxic substance ate its way through their machines. The Rangers wisely chose to return the machines to their hiding places where they could be repaired.

"Those new Rangers had better hurry up," he said, clearly amused at the Doctor's confusion. When he had been offered the opportunity to make a fool out of the famous Doctor, he had taken it.

"You planned this?"

He had been set up, it seemed. This man and whomever was calling the shots - for he refused to believe this human, whatever time he claimed to be from, capable of such a scheme - had manipulated him. And they had done so perfectly, presenting him with a situation he had to involve himself in. And then when he had travelled back to fix things, he unwittingly caused the changes they had been seeking.

"Imagine it Doctor, a world where the Power Rangers started out with the power of Ninjetti. How do you think events will play out now that the heroes of this world are no longer tied to Zordon and his manipulations, the spiritual strength of the Animal Spirits instead of the raw power of the Dinosaurs?"

This didn't make sense. The man's motives seemed to change from one moment to the next, and the Doctor suspected he had yet to hear the truth.

"You don't believe that," he accused. "This has nothing to do with saving the Earth from a disaster that may or may not start. Why do you really want to change history? What do _you_ want to happen?" Hs eyes narrowed. "What are you about to lose?"

Before he could get an answer, the Doctor heard the Rangers, his Rangers, cry out as their time finally ran out. If the rogue was correct then they had been erased from history and he had been the cause. Of course if his theory was correct then they had simple been returned to their original destination as if nothing had interrupted their journey from Mariner Bay to Angel Grove.

"Interesting thing about time is you never know how it will react when changed," the Doctor said conversationally. "And you obviously know very little about Earth. Any other planet, well almost any, and your plan might have worked. But this is Earth, the centre of time and probability, the focal point of a countless number of possibilities. And the Earth is very very stubborn when it comes to its history. The universe changed around this planet and the Earth retained the majority of its history, just a few changes so it could fit in. But I bet you, right now, that all you've managed is to spawn an alternate timeline."

He crossed his fingers, hoping he was right, that the change in recorded history would spawn a new timeline where the Rangers became Ninjetti instead of overwriting the established history. Of course for that to happen he needed the five warriors Zordon had sent to Phaedos to make an appearance.

"I am invincible!" he heard Daizayten cry.

In six columns of light, the new protectors of the planet Earth had arrived. Six? Maybe Zordon had found another human somewhere.

"Ninjetti Dino Rangers!"

"You haven't won yet," the man pointed out. "You can't be certain that they'll win."

The boy had appeared and disappeared once more, the Doctor was not surprised. He didn't think those the boy represented were involved, they had been drawn out of curiosity and no doubt a desire to change things to their own desires, but they were not the masterminds of the endeavour.

The Doctor did believe the Rangers would win. In his mind he was staking his life and that of every other person on the planet that they would win. If they failed then Earth was doomed to suffer in Daizayten's evil shadow.

"… Tricerazord, Power Up!"

The battle had escalated again, but this time it seemed that the Rangers were winning. He watched as the six beasts emerged from the heavens, trying to determine their shape. He cheered as the Triceratops avoided a stream of fire, Daizayten would find these Zords were superior to the old relics Zordon had kept around. They were extensions of the Rangers' powers, given form as large animals. And from the look of it, not metallic.

~They look more like the current Zords,~ he thought, remembering what he had seen when he had watched the Rangers go into battle.

He watched as the Beasts worked together. The inexperience of their pilots - for the Rangers had somehow managed to find their way inside - was clear as they missed several attempts to take Daizayten down. And Daizayten was putting up a remarkable fight, it was amazing how powerful the primordial villain was.

~Imagine how powerful he would have been given the chance to pollute the planet.~

Eventually the Rangers gained the advantage and were able to pin the villain in place long enough to deliver the final blow. At that point Daizayten had clearly had enough and decided to retreat, leaving behind a small puddle of water.

"Earth is safe," he announced. "It won't be the same, but I suspect a little change will do it good. Either way, I'm willing to bet that your time is the same as when you left it."

"This isn't over, yet," the rogue told him, using his right hand to program a small controller on his left arm. "I can just go elsewhere, further back if I need to."

The Doctor could sense the rift in time forming nearby, but was not about to let him get away. He took aim with his sonic screwdriver and sent out a pulse wave, hoping that it would cause a few navigational issues. In reality he had just forced the device to lock onto one of its previous destinations, hoping that doing so would lock the circuits. If it worked then the rogue would need to repair the device, a procedure that could take decades, before he was able to travel again.

"You didn't win Doctor," the boy declared after the rogue had vanished. "All you have managed is a draw."

"The Earth survived, that's a victory. That's… enough."

"Yes, for you it is," the boy conceded. "I wonder though, how much of a victory will it be when you learn the cost? You were correct by the way, when you leave this time zone and return to your own, this world will continue. You will not be able to return here, do not try. One day you will learn what your draw has cost this planet. Don't wait too long, Doctor."

With that the boy vanished for the final time and the Doctor sighed in relief. He was still not ready to fight the rogue faction, especially since they had expressed an interest in him. That was why he had been happy to remain on Earth while the TARDIS had been repairing itself. He had been trying to hide. Now though it appeared that they had found him again. Perhaps once he made sure the Rangers were safely back in their own timeline, it would be time to resume his journeys. Yes, the victory had certainly cost him the opportunity to settle for a quieter life.

"You want to stay, don't you?"

He couldn't believe it. In the past he had known instinctively when his companions were about to leave him. Sam had given no such clues. It was clear though that she had found a place that needed her… Exactly what had occurred while she had been with Zordon was unclear, but he could sense the determination that had caused her to save his life the day they met, the same resolve that had led to her accompanying him on his journeys.

"They need me here, Doctor," she replied.

She didn't add 'and you don't', but the thought was clearly on her mind. When he had met her he had needed companionship and she had been the perfect person to accompany him. Throughout their travels, she had continuously demonstrated her intelligence and just a little reliance on him. She had been exactly what he had desired, even leaving him when he felt they were growing too close.

And it was just like Sam to give up travelling with him to help others who needed her. That was the sort of person he wanted to travel with. It bothered him sometimes that she was so perfect a choice. Perhaps that was why she had been unable to hold the Ranger powers when she had been tested: events had conspired to prevent her developing any bonds to keep her in own universe.

"Will you be all right?" she asked. "I could…"

He held out his hand to stop her. "You've found your place, I could never ask you to give that up."

"You could stay," she offered.

"No," he replied. "This is your place, not mine. You must go forward in your beliefs, and prove to me that I am not mistaken in mine." He looked over at the six Ninjetti. They had a difficult journey ahead of them, one he could not foresee. "Take care of them."

They shared a brief hug, which he broke. This was why he didn't grow attached to those that travelled with him: it hurt too much when they left. But he would not show his weakness, never. He had been running for so long he had forgotten how to stop. Running from his emotions was no different.

It was with a heavy heart that he returned to his TARDIS and left. There was little he could do except follow the Rangers back home. As the TARDIS doors closed and he dematerialised, he wondered why he cared. And as the TARDIS entered the vortex, his concentration was focussed upon other things.

Daizayten had been bested, but he had survived to fight another day. And the Cult of Amuk had suffered a severe setback. Yet another attempt to gain power had failed, although this time it was hardly a fault with the ceremony.

For the new High Priest of Amuk, this was a sign. They had failed, but with failure came wisdom for now they knew how the ceremony was to be performed. One day when their organisation had the membership it needed, they would try again. Then they would succeed.

~Perhaps a different demon is the key. Nyghtmayr perhaps…~

From the shadows somebody watched as the priest debated his next move. The Doctor had won the battle and lost a far greater battle. He had started this new timeline, but would the Time Lord have the courage to face up to the consequences of his actions when they arose?

The Rangers appeared in the Power Chamber, slightly exhausted. For some reason the trip back from Mariner Bay had seemed especially long. But they were alive and safe. In the end that was all that mattered. Their arrival was followed moments later by the TARDIS. Everything seemed to be how it should be, but as always where time travel was involved, you could never be sure.

**End**

Disclaimer: The Power Rangers are the property of Saban Entertainment and I lay no claim to them. Jeffrey Kincaid, Lord Crucible, and all other characters relating to them belong to John Chubb. This story continues the sage of the COE Night Rangers and its events occur after Thrill of the Night.

**Lost in the Night**

They had been successful. Once again the Night Rangers had brought down another evil that threatened the innocent. Once again they had fought the terrors that lurked in the night and had emerged to fight again. This time it had been a lust driven gang of rapists on Ceti Omega II that had been both the culprits and victims; the young maidens they had targeted had been the only real innocents.

The Night Rangers were celebrating their victory. But one of their number did not seem to be enjoying himself. Mark Kinega, the Red Ranger and one of the senior members of the team if only by a matter of months, was unusually quiet.

"Hey Mark, are you all right?" Anna asked.

"Why am I doing this?" Mark asked. "We go out and help people day in and day out, and what do we get out of it? More cries for help. More people needing us. Does it ever quit? Aren't we entitled to lives too? Where are our lives? Or are they all just gobbled up in service to the universe?"

"Mark what are you saying?" Jeff asked. This was not the same Mark who had recruited him months earlier. This was not the Mark Kinega who had taken him to become a Ranger and had then helped him through the ordeal with the Mirror of Night. This was not the man that had overseen the recruitment of the remaining Night Rangers. Something had changed and Jeff's instincts were screaming at him to find out what.

Surprisingly it had not taken long to find the last members of the team. Mark had chosen most of his team before having to search for a Blue Ranger. Indeed Kincaid had been the most difficult person to find.

For the Yellow Night Ranger he had chosen Anna Hawker, an unfortunate child who had been forced to turn tricks in a brothel at sixteen after her father had sold her. Kincaid had been outraged when he had first heard her story, but that had given way to shock when she had told him it was an expected tradition of her planet.

For Pink, Mark had selected a beautiful light haired girl named Ishalla Nab'ri. Ishalla was a telepath who came from the war torn planet of Polynices. She had joined them as a way of escaping the pressure to to enhance her gifts and use them to further the destruction of her world.

Black Night Ranger was Krolos of KO-35, a planet that was on the brink of collapse following recent attacks. Krolos was motivated by revenge and as such he was the Ranger the others had been told to watch.

"Meaning I'm tired of being the good guy that walks in shadows and losing myself in the process," Mark answered. "Jeff, you should understand this. I know you feel the same way that I do. Aren't you tired of that damn alarm going off always calling you away to save some distant planet while your own life goes down the tubes. AREN'T YOU TIRED OF LOSING YOURSELF? AREN'T YOU TIRED OF ALWAYS GETTING SHAFTED WHEN IT COMES TO LIFE?"

Jeff did understand, but didn't know what to do about it. Neither did other Night Rangers. Mark had been involved in the fight against the demons that lurked in the darkness much longer than the others. He had finished his training decades earlier, but had been forced to wait before claiming the powers of the Red Night Ranger. But once in the field it seemed Mark had not been prepared for the toll such a role would take.

"Every day it's the same old thing. Help this person, help that person, and in the end it's always the same. They need help, we go to help them and what do we get? More people wanting help, at the cost of our own lives! I'm sick of this I want something better!"

Mark powered down and threw down his morpher and communicator. He stalked out of the Night Ranger base. Ishalla tried to go after him but Jeff held her back.

"He needs time to cool off," he whispered. "Give him time."

He knew that this was the anniversary of Leslie's break up with Mark. Jeff had gone through an emotional break up as well, and it was taking all he had to keep from falling into depression.

Little did they realize that it was the beginning of the end of the Night Rangers.

**End**


	8. Dark World

Disclaimer: I do not own the Power Rangers, they belong to the Mouse. This is a not for profit fan series. The first few scenes of this story belong to Ellen Brand.  
Author's note: This story takes place in the Conquest of Evil Multiverse and shares its alternate time line. The alternate reality in this story is based in a universe similar to the one used in Power Rangers the Movie. In case anybody is wondering, the basis of this story was written by Ellen Brand as part of a series called Fallen Heroes, which was later picked up and abandoned by Hellfire.

**Dark World**

Earth,  
Another Reality

Imagine a universe where the war between Good and Evil ended abruptly with the destruction of the dark forces. When Zordon of Eltare had destroyed the wicked Rita Repulsa, his allies had purged the Universe of evil forever. Zordon himself had vanished soon after the victory, unable to accept that he had killed Rita instead of imprisoning her as he had originally intended. The universe was finally safe. Or so they thought.

But evil was more than just a group of villains and their forces of darkness. Evil was a living concept based around emotion and intent. Evil took many forms and with its old army obliterated by the light, it chose a new guise and did nothing. Over time the light became weaker for not having to fight constantly while the darkness grew stronger as it fed on the corruption that had started to become a part of everyday life. Even those dedicated to the light were less vigilant and therefore more susceptible to the dark influence. And when the balance had shifted, evil once again showed itself.

There were many factions, most of them small and unimportant, but all that was needed was a force capable of uniting the factions into an army. And many many light years from the planet Earth, where Rita Repulsa had met her end, that force had arisen. Over time a small band of marauders known as the Zanyacks had been transformed into a military force until the command of Emperor Akuma. He had given them direction and goals, and with a few nudges in the right direction, he had been pleased with the results.

The Zanyack Empire had grown into an impressive force, which had swept across the universe, conquering all in its path. However, when they finally reached the unassuming planet known as Earth, they were in for a surprise. They had not foreseen the possibility that the Earth would have a guardian, or that that guardian would lead the opposition to the Zanyack forces. Emperor Akuma had not realised that alliances with other worlds would form purely to fight the threat posed by the Empire. The Zanyack were unused to being opposed since they had built their empire targeting worlds they deemed incapable of fighting back, and had been taken by surprise. The Emperor had been outraged when his forces had been fought off during their first attempt and had given the planet his personal attention. The two sides clashed and the humans won, but despite the Earthlings' victory that first day, the war had only just started.

In the end there were only so many times that the humans could deny Akuma his victory. Even with the emergence of the warriors known as the Power Rangrs, the humans were seriously outmatched. The Emperor had an almost unlimited fleet to call upon. And after he called in the fourth wave of his forces, the Earth had had no chance. At that point Akuma had introduce a new warrior named Weirdan to destroy the Power Rangers. When Akuma had the inspiration to start sending specialist troops to the surface, the Rangers been overwhelmed. That had been a good four years after the first battle, by which time the constant fighting had forced them to change their powers and teammates numerous times.

They had adapted, finding new allies and different power sources, but the Zanyack's superior numbers always seemed to find a way to deny them any sort of advantage or hope of levelling the playing field. And with the rest of the Zanyack fleet targeting the Earth's allies, they no longer had the support to stop him.

It was after one of Akuma's scientists found a way to disrupt the powers of the Zeo Rangers that the end had come. Despite building new powers that drew energy from an untested power source, the Rangers had been severely weakened and their already low numbers had been substantially cut. Akuma had ordered an all-out attack on the Earth defenders and the planet's defenders had fallen. Only Justin Stewart, the newest member of the team who had recently obtained the Blue Turbo Ranger powers, had survived that day. Akuma had pronounced himself ruler of the planet despite resistance from the planet's military. He left the small matter of decimating the rest of the human resistance in the hands of his lieutenant, Weirdan.

Justin Stewart had survived the battle that had killed his fellow Rangers. But while he was alive, he was no longer capable of fighting. His powers had saved his life, but doing so had placed him in a state of near paralysis. His body had been shattered following a fall. He should have died from his injuries, but fate had decided to punish him for a while longer. He had never learnt the identity of the person that pulled him from the brink of death and spent the next two years watching over him. During that time medics had done their best to save him. His broken bones had been set and reconstructed using metal plates, screws and supports to hold them together. At the time it had been hoped that he would recover enough to one day walk with a brace. That was not to be though and a year later Justin Stewart died of an infection caused by his injuries.

At that time the humans had shifted their hope for survival away from Justin, choosing instead to find a new hero. During the few months he had been lucid enough to talk, Justin had provided his saviours with the history of the Power Rangers and the identity of all the Rangers he had known either personally or by reputation.

That information had allowed humanity's brightest mind to develop a plan. Gambling that the Power Rangers had been chosen because they were somehow suited to the task, they began a search for relatives of the former Rangers. One particular trail led them to Marcus Oliver. Marcus was a distant relation of Tommy Oliver, a Power Ranger from Angel Grove. Since Marcus was alive and in theory possessed some genetic traits with Tommy, he was the best candidate for their plan. They never realised that Marcus Oliver was in fact a clone of Tommy Oliver that had been created to infiltrate the Power Rangers, but had ultimately been freed from his master's control.

After Marcus had been located, genetic material had been extracted. That material had been merged with genetic material taken from the relatives of some of the former female Rangers. Of the many samples they tried, only one survived long enough to develop into a new life. The combination of Oliver and Hilliard DNA gave them their hero, a weapon they named Nate Oliver.

In the years that followed they watched the child grow, shaping him from an early age into the hero that Earth needed. Sometimes they would throw the child into the simulator for days on end, pushing him until he collapsed. Had Zordon known that in the future his moment of weakness would lead to an innocent child being turned into a weapon, he might have stopped himself from landing that fatal blow. No child deserved that sort of life. When Nate was old enough to survive in the world outside of the facility, he was placed in the sewers under Angel Grove with strict instructions of what to do next.

From the sewers he moved to a small township just a few kilometres from Los Angeles. There he would put into practice all the things he had learnt in order to stay alive. As the years passed Nate grew from a scrawny child into a young man ready to make his next move.

Faking an identity had been difficult for Nate. It was relatively easy to cook up a new set of papers, but finding a way to get them placed in the records of the few reliable data sources proved problematic. The resistance movement was geographically based, each area relying on a local database. If you weren't on the database progressing into the resistance cell's inner circle was next to impossible.

He had been aided by the mass computer failure that had followed the invasion. The Internet had remained although much of its data had been lost. Using skills one of the kids in Los Angeles had taught him, he had managed to create a new identity on a national level and then inserted fractured details onto the local networks. It had worked and he had been able to claim that most of his details had been wiped. He was never fully trusted, but he had access to the information he needed

He kept the name Nate Oliver although he didn't understand its importance. He moved around the country, aiding the various resistance movements as he made his way back to the ruined city of Angel Grove where he came into contact with the Underground. They had taken him in and given him shelter. In return for a few jobs that he did for them, he was mostly left alone. He laid low, biding his time while he tried to find a way to address a problem that those that created him had never managed to resolve: how to repair a damaged morpher.

The Turbo Keys had been recovered from Justin's body; other morphers had been retrieved from a number of sources including a former Blue Ranger's sock draw. An expedition into the mountains outside of Angel Grove had located the damaged Zeo Crystal and they had recovered the individual items needed to access the power of the Morphin Grid. Nate had never asked how his benefactors were aware of all those things and they had never seen fit to enlighten him.

The fact remained that in his hands Nate Oliver held the powers used by all of Earth's former protectors. He was for all intents and purposes the most powerful Ranger in history. Yet for all the power sources at his disposal, he was powerless because he lacked the technology to use them.

The solution when he had finally discovered it was not at all pleasant. It had been a chance discovery that had led him to retrieve the battered remains of an Alpha Unit in the sewers under Angel Grove; at the time he hadn't known what it was called. Somehow when the fabled Power Chamber had been breached to retrieve the Zeo Crystal, some of the lower storage chambers had been washed into the city's sewerage system. Over the years humans had passed the wreckage, but none had realised its importance.

Alpha Eight was the machine's official designation, but Nate called him Tweeki. It had limited functionality, but then it was little more than a processor, sound board and a scavenged security camera. It had been able to explain to him about the Power Rangers and for the first time he had somebody that could guide him.

"You have enough powers here to conquer the planet single-handedly," Tweeki told him. "You have a Zeo Crystal, Power Coins and a set of Turbo Keys. That's enough to make a whole team of Rangers."

"But who do I ask?" Nate pondered.

"Not so fast there," Tweeki cautioned. "First you have to get some of these thinga-me-jiggies working."

With Tweeki to help him the work had started to turn the broken pieces of the past into working morphers. It was difficult since he had never seen a working model and there had been the additional problem that the parts that had been damaged differed from one morpher type to the other and the components were not easily found. In the end he had been forced to split the transformation devices into groups and then cannibalise the individual units to make one or two working models. When that failed he was forced to combine the different technologies to create one device that could be deemed functional even if it was a positive health hazard.

"If you use that thing you risk blowing a hole in the planet," Tweeki had warned.

The android had been occupied with other tasks and had not had the opportunity to oversee Nate's activities. When he did, every warning sensor in his body had been triggered. The crystalline receivers used to channel energy into the Turbo Keys had been combined to provide a single output for the multitude of devices Nate had somehow wired together. It appeared that the young man had broken just about every safety regulation regarding morphing technology, overloading a subspace pocket in order to disguise the immensity of his project. In the end all but one component had been assembled and it was this one that had kept Nate from attempting to use the completed apparatus.

"You cannot morph, Nate," Tweeki had insisted. "Without fitting an energy regulator this monstrosity could explode and kill all those you're trying to save. And if you fit the ones you have, you still won't have a complete shut off; the powers consume you."

"So if I choose to become a Ranger?"

"You would cease to be human. Your body would be permanently changed into that of a Ranger."

"Okay, so that's out of the question. We need another plan Tweeki," Nate declared, looking at the robot speculatively.

"You're not asking much, are ya?" Tweeki's speech processor was unreliable, constantly changing dialects and languages, sometimes so bad that even Tweeki couldn't understand the words emerging from his speaker. It was not according to the machine an uncommon fault. An earlier model had featured an accent and speech patterns that had a tendency to slip from Brooklyn, to an almost feminine tone, to a very robotic sounding voice. Then he noticed the way Nate was looking at him. "Bidi-bidi-bidi. Oh no you don't buddy, hands off the metal."

A short time later Alpha wished that he had been left in the sewer.

The work continued as the months and years passed. Occasionally they would check some part of the morpher, but never allowed it to fully activate. Nate's body had been reinforced during his early years with materials intended to protect his bones and strengthen his muscles. The result was that he was partially inorganic. He had suggested that his altered body he could survive the abusive energies they were attempting to use. Tweeki had replied that it was more likely that his organic parts that would be stripped away, leaving only the inorganic parts.

Nate had been given DNA grafts from the family members of the fallen Rangers. The idea was that all the positive attributes of those Rangers would combine to make him a better warrior. One of his donors had been Lord Trey of Triforia although how the scientists gained that sample was unclear. That DNA would prove to be the answer to Nate's problem, although not in the way he had expected.

While Weirdan had been methodical in the way he had set out to dominate the world for his master, there were places he had not bothered to monitor. In one such place a new team of Rangers had somehow appeared. They had been destroyed quickly, but it was that development that had caused Akuma to tighten his grip on any world he thought could provide aid to the Earthlings, especially those under his control.

One of the planets he had chosen was the devastated planet Triforia, where the siblings of the former Gold Ranger had undertaken a perilous mission to recover the Golden Power Staff and ensure that it was placed in the hands of a successor. With the Golden Power Staff, a symbol of the Gold Ranger powers, in their possession, they had made a desperate journey to Earth. But before they had been able to pass the Golden Power Staff on, the Furies, a team of semi-human warriors who had been created to serve Akuma's army, had intercepted them. The battle had been brutal as the deadly warriors had seemingly enjoyed the suffering they caused the Triforians. The siblings had been forced to split up.

The Furies had pursued the siblings around the Earth. They had concentrated on finding Trion, not realising that it was Trianna who carried the Golden Power Staff. By doing so they allowed Trianna and Nate to meet.

Trianna had been dying when Nate had found her, and it seemed that nothing he had attempted could stem the flow of blood. Before he finally left her, believing that she was dead, she had given him Golden Power Staff, somehow sensing that within his genetic makeup was sufficient DNA to prevent the side effects that previous Earthlings had endured. It had been enough to give Earth a second chance.

Meanwhile the Furies had taken to have a little fun hunting down the human resistance. They served as Weirdan's trouble-shooters while secretly keeping an eye on the him for Akuma.

It was just weeks later that Nate was forced to test his new powers. Tweeki had found a way to phase the energy flowing through the morpher, meaning that when used at its minimum setting, he could force a shutdown. It was not a real solution and should he ever need more than the minimum of power, he would still find himself in a dangerous situation. It had started with a morning briefing with the Underground's leader.

"Captain Oliver, reporting for duty, Ma'am," Nate saluted as he walked into the briefing area. Major Carrington nodded.

"Where's the rest of your team, Captain?" she asked curiously.

"Here we are, Ma'am," replied Matt Corbett, rushing in at the head of the group. "We got a little held up. Adelle was having some problems with the kids, and he asked for our help."

Major Carrington nodded. "Understandable. Now that all six of you are here, I have your newest assignment. A shipment of food and medicine will be headed into one of the clinics in town by Route 35. I need the five of you to raid it. Here's the list of necessary food and medicine. Remember, this is a raid. In and out, don't stop. I know you all have grudges against the Empire, but this is not the time to indulge them. Understood?"

The five younger soldiers nodded. "Yes Ma'am. We understand," Nate replied for all of them.

"Dismissed, then." With salutes, the six left the briefing room.

"So how are we going to attack this, fearless leader?" Anna Diamond asked. Anna had lived in Reefside when the first attacks had started. She and a few of her school friends had been helped into hiding in the woods surrounding the city by the Red Ranger shortly before he had been killed. Those who had stayed there had eventually managed to get into the networked shelter provided by Underground, the largest resistance cell in the area.

"I'm not sure yet. Tasha, what's the area like?"

The woman known as Tasha shrugged. "It's on the outskirts of town, and the road passes through a narrow canyon. I figure we can probably hit them when they pass through the narrowest point. Their weapons will be useless, and with the way our stunner bolts ricochet, we'll be able to hit them even if we aren't aiming at them."

"I have something new to try," Kat Manx offered. She was a blockade runner who along with a small team had managed to reach Earth when her own planet had fallen. Now she served as a technician and data interpreter. She was older than the rest of the team by more than fifty years and in addition to training the humans to fight back, had helped deal with some of the personality conflicts that had arisen during the early years. She pulled out a set of round metal balls. "Short wave disruptors. It should help you get close."

Franklin Park, another Angel Grove survivor nodded. "It's worth a try."

"Sam?"

"We should probably attack from all sides, at once. They'll never know what hit them and we can be gone before they wake up."

Sam Collins was from North Valley and an accomplished hacker. He had been there when his school had been destroyed. He and his family had fled, but months later they had been found and his parents had been struck down. Sam and a few of his friends had taken refuge in an underground cellar. They had remained there until everyone had left and had missed the rescue parties that had swept through just days later. It had taken weeks before they had found somebody willing to help them after that. As young as they had been at the time, it was a wonder that they had survived.

"All right," Nate decided, pulling the team into a huddle. He was the youngest member of the team by at least twelve years, yet they listened to his instructions. "Here's what we do..."

"See it?" Franklin whispered, hours later. Nate nodded.

"Yeah. Let's go. Nice and easy." The raid went exactly as planned. The guards were disabled almost immediately, and the five began to unload the supplies they needed from the transports. Nate looked around grimly. "This is almost too easy."

"Don't say that!" Anna cried as six columns of light marked the arrival of the enemy. "You'll jinx us!"

"Too late," Nate gulped as he laid eyes on Weirdan. "Scatter! Get that stuff back to the Underground!"

"What are you going to do?" Franklin cried back.

"I'll try and keep him busy," returned Nate, turning to face the newcomer.

"Your friends are gone, little man," Weirdan said as he watched them vanish.

"Good, that means I won't have to explain things," Nate said coldly. "Let's rock!" The two began to circle each other.

"You're a fool to stand against me," Weirdan sneered, watching Nate warily. "What do you hope to accomplish?"

"I already did it," Nate chuckled. "My friends got away while you were concentrating on me."

"So noble, just like the Power Rangers. Oh, I forgot... they're dead. My master destroyed them."

"Not as dead as you think," Nate shot back, still looking for an escape route.

"Your end is near, human," Weirdan laughed, slowly advancing on the youth who for some reason seemed unafraid. "Perhaps you should start begging now?"

"I'm not going to beg, the Rangers never begged..." Nate told him defiantly.

Mentally Nate was berating himself for being so stupid. He wasn't ready to face this villain now; he needed more time to complete the repairs.

"How would you know kid, you weren't even there when my master destroyed them?"

"Power Rangers never give up!" Nate told him. It was something Tweeki had told him and he had come to believe it.

"No, they don't. But being brave didn't help them stay alive now did it? Being smart and running, never looking back... that would have allowed them to last a little longer... perhaps." He chuckled. "If you ask nicely, I'll make sure you don't suffer the way they did."

"That's not going to happen," Nate snarled. "The Rangers of the past are gone, now you have to face something new."

"Really, I don't see any Rangers coming out of the woodwork, just a child that doesn't know when to run. You are nothing," Weirdan warned.

Nate didn't move, staring down his opposition. The challenge had been made and he wasn't going to back down.

Weirdan chuckled. When he had been turned loose upon the world he had expected the humans to fall before him and beg for mercy. That had not happened. They had fought him and in doing so their suffering had only been prolonged. It was a game that he had enjoyed playing since it had made him stronger.

Still he had been surprised at how the humans continued to resist despite the inevitable fate that awaited them. In some cases he had been forced to destroy entire islands when the population came too close to finding a weapon to use against him.

But now the game was coming to an end. He had heard rumours that some of the cells that had managed to hold out against his hordes were planning to launch a strike against him, believing that it was still the capital of his master's empire. While he welcomed the bloodshed such an attack would cause, it meant they were getting braver.

So it was time to end the little contest by destroying all opposition. He would use whatever force they sent against him and turn it back on its creators. The resulting fires would burn the world and he would dedicated the sacrifice to his master.

While Weirdan was gloating, Nate had been studying his foe. The villain was different to how he had imagined him to be. ~Perhaps this is not his true form.~ His helmeted face showed a few scrapes from various attempts to stop him, his confidence showed that he believed that he was in full control of the situation, that he alone rule this world.

Nate had visited several of the concentration camps in recent years and knew that if anything Weirdan's army used methods of enforcement that were harsher than any medieval regime. Torture and public executions were frequent, strict work quotas were brutally enforced as sectors not meeting his constantly increasing demands were ransacked.

Since the fall of the planet, Weirdan had picked a new town every six months and had obliterated it as a show of power. Even now he maintained that tradition. Usually he chose his target at random, but this time he had decided to prove that nowhere was safe from his justice.

"Tell me before I kill you, what is your name?"

"Nate Oliver."

"How very fitting. The would-be Power Ranger shares a surname with one of those that failed to protect this planet. Ah yes, I remember now, you're the anomaly that appeared a while ago. My forces searched the entire Underground to learn your identity. They should have guessed that you were using false documents. Even when they hacked into the Underground's computer network they couldn't find a trace of your identity."

Nate just smirked back. If he was going to die here, today, then he would do so knowing that in the end he had managed to keep something from the villains that had destroyed his world.

"Maybe the Underground doesn't record all members," he offered.

Weirdan laughed. "Impossible, it's an important part of the initiation that all members have their names checked. Nobody can escape the name search, that's why I had them make it part of the initiation." He waited, allowing Nate to grasp what he was suggesting. He could sense the moment the boy understood as his head snapped up. "That's right, this whole game that has been played out for the last decade has been directed by my master. Think about it, who else would have dared to organise a resistance against him? He founded the resistance so I could track down the troublemakers, the Underground started as his idea, but has always been my plaything; I've found it to be an amusing game."

"You shouldn't worry about who I am," Nate told him. "You should worry about what I can do."

"And what can you do, fire a gun?" he asked. Was that hope in his voice? Was Weirdan really that bored? "No, that couldn't be it, you're too confident for that. Maybe... no, impossible... those powers were destroyed years ago."

"Not destroyed, just damaged," Nate explained.

"And now you plan to use them? Don't waste your time human, the Rangers of old relied on those powers and the last one could barely hold his uniform together. They offered no protection when he needed them the most, they failed."

"Well, they weren't perfect," Nate admitted. "I tried to fix them and failed. So I improvised."

"So you're smarter than you look," Weirdan said. "Let's see if you have what it takes, shall we? Take him my minions!"

It was a good way to gauge Nate's skill before he finished him. He observed the youth as he fought. The boy- no, Nate was a man and demonstrated a great deal of confidence. He was impressed that while Nate fought hard against his soldiers, he also used them to keep the stronger warriors at bay.

"Jump Starter!"

Nate concentrated on summoning his transformation devices. In the end he had combined the technology of the Turbo Keys and the Golden Power Staff along with the devices. Individually the morphers had been too badly damaged, but he had been able to cannibalise them to create a single working unit.

On his back he had strapped what Tweeki had designated a Power Box, which he had gutted and turned into a container for the Turbo Keys, an old morpher, a Power Coin, and the sawn off shaft of the Golden Power Staff. His attempts to use the Triforian power source had failed. A thick cable led from the Power Box down the left arm to where he had placed one half of a Zeoniser he had gotten somewhere. A similar cable ran down the right arm to the other part of the Zeoniser and drew power from the Zeo Crystal he had stored in subspace. Silently he brought the two parts together, activating the complicated circuit and transforming himself into his new form.

Weirdan's eyes narrowed. The boy had access to Ranger technology and had clearly combined the damaged morphers to make a single working model, which meant that this child was indeed the last Ranger. He observed that this costume was a dark shade of red with a grid of thin green lines for contrast. It was also armour as opposed to simple fabric. The design was reminiscent of a warrior that had called himself the Phantom Ranger during the war between Rita and Zordon, with a shoulder shield that was a combination of a Green Morphin Ranger's outfit combined with the uniform of Triforia's Gold Ranger. In his left hand he held a long rectangular shield and in his right hand he carried a blaster.

Nate charged at the grunts, his modified blaster unleashing bolts of frozen air, shattering their armour while leaving them mostly unharmed as he shifted from one position to the next. His shield made an effective battering ram when he tilted it to act like a wedge, forcing the various soldiers out of his way. Lacking in raw strength, Nate had concentrated using his knowledge to his advantage.

On the downside, he had been unable to duplicate the reactive protection that he believed was an intrinsic part of the previous powers. That meant that he was vulnerable should one of his opponents land a hard blow, but having some armour was better than nothing in his opinion. Besides, the shield did help to make up for the rest of his suit's shortcomings.

He was a blur in motion, the five sets of Turbo Keys having contributed to his capabilities and his Triforia enhanced senses gave him the ability to anticipate his opponents' moves. His handheld weapon came with a handy extendable club, an effective means of dealing with opponents. He easily avoided the augmented aliens' attacks, using his side arm to take out multiple foes.

"Impressive," Weirdan commended as Nate rendered the last trooper unconscious. "But there are always more."

A large explosion signalled the arrival of a second squadron, all prepared for action. Nate used the safety catch on his pistol to switch its ammunition to an alternative type. When he fired it, the weapon unleashed a widespread burst of high frequency sonic waves. The troops placed their hands to their helmeted heads as Nate took advantage of a flaw he had uncovered in their design; it seemed that while their armour was immune to sonic weapons, the correct frequency could cause feedback in their helmet's audio circuitry. It was an easily fixed problem, but it took time for them to counter the effects.

Weirdan watched all of this, his face schooled to not let his enjoyment show. His master had declared the Power Rangers of Earth were gone. This proved that the mighty Emperor Akuma was not infallible after all. Nate was showing through his fighting that he was a worthy challenge, perhaps the distraction he needed from the tedium of ruling the Earth. He would have to defeat him, there was no question of that; it would not do to give the Underground a sense of hope. Perhaps he could leave him alive and then have the fun of hunting him down over a few months before finishing him off.

Or perhaps there was another way to get some enjoyment out of the occasion. He concentrated on his right arm, forcing one of his many toys to appear. This was a weapon capable of decimating armies fuelled by his hatred.

"Do you know what this is Boy?" he asked, pointing the blood stained iron club towards his enemy.

Nate shook his head. He guessed it was a metal club, but his enemy obviously thought it was something more.

Weirdan smiled cruelly, this was the weapon that had taken out hundreds of humans with a single blow. Iif Nate was not careful then history would repeat itself with him.

"Time to join your predecessors in death," the villain said. He launched a ball of black fire from the club.

Nate moved and the ball shot past him. When Weirdan fired a second time, Nate moved again, this time making a point of returning to his previous location once the blast had passed him. The villain unleashed a third shot and a fourth. A whole volley of blasts that tore up the surrounding area but failed to connect with the Ranger.

Finally Weirdan let out a roar of triumph as one of his shots caught Nate's shield, which promptly disappeared, allowing another shot to strike him in the chest. It was all over, Nate had proven an inventive opponent, Weirdan would not tire.

Nate remained standing, his uniform crackling as the disruptive energy tried to short out his powers. He had stopped moving and as Weirdan looked closer, he could see that the younger man was laughing.

"What is so funny?" he asked. Then his aura seemed to darken as he realised that Nate was still transformed. "So you managed to survive one ball of flames." he mused before firing again. "You won't be so lucky this time."

The fire hit Nate head on and accomplished nothing. The Ranger remained standing, showing no acknowledgement of the impact. It seemed the weapon no longer worked.

"You underestimated me," Nate told his foe. "I didn't just repair these powers, I unified them. I made sure I knew how the Rangers had fallen, I asked the witnesses you left behind, and I made sure I had a way to avoid it. The Power Rangers of old aren't gone; they'll never be forgotten. These powers are the link to the past, the legacy that won't die; you can call me Ranger." Under his helmet Nate smiled, he enjoyed the look of confusion as Weirdan tried to decide whether that revelation mattered. "Tweeki, are you done with the programming?"

Despite his best attempts to find substitutes, there had been some components he had been forced to use from the old morphers, components that placed restrictions on his abilities. He had hoped that when he had installed Tweeki's motherboard in his helmet, that the android would be able to rewrite the programming. So far he had had little success and they were now behind schedule.

"Don't get ya knickers in a knot Nate," Tweeki replied, his accent mostly restored after several attempts to find a new speech processor. "There ya go, safety protocols are off."

With the safety systems offline, Nate was no longer protected from his collisions. On the plus side nor were his opponents.

"You can't harm me," the dark warrior boasted, "I defeated all the Rangers, I know how Rangers fight."

"You know how the Power Rangers fought," Nate reminded him, speeding forward.

As he moved, he could sense the friction around him increasing, burning him as his armour glowed from the heat he was generating. At his speed he would normally have activated a shield to protect himself and those around. But against Weirdan, Nate planned to use those side effects to his advantage.

"Full speed!" he cried, extending his fist as he ploughed forward.

He watched with some satisfaction, as Weirdan seemed to realise something was wrong. When the Ranger's fist connected, all the built up energy was unleashed, allowing Nate to drive his fist into the villain's chest. The evil construct staggered back, a huge hole visible on both the front and back of his armour. His inhuman eyes widened as he looked at Nate in disbelief. How had a mere human managed to harm him?

"You've still lost," he told him. "The freedom cells around the planet have lost hope. They remain only because I allow them. When I am done with you I will cleanse this world in the name of my master."

"I don't think so," Nate answered. "This encounter has been transmitted without sound since the moment I transformed. By now every cell in every nation knows that there is hope. And sometimes hope is all that is needed to breathe a little life back into a rebellion. They won't give up if there's a chance to reclaim their world. Not when the Power Rangers have returned, and certainly not when the creature responsible for so many deaths, is about to be destroyed."

"You've won a single battle, not the war!" Weirdan told him, gesturing to the open wound, which even now was oozing something. "This can be fixed. Next time we meet..."

"There won't be a next time," Nate told him. "This ends here, today! With you gone, the rest of the world will know that they can fight back. Your master won't be able to stop them." He looked at his smoking hands. "This world isn't for invaders or the phantoms from the past. It's time to give the people of the universe a reason to keep fighting and the people of Earth the knowledge that they can fight back."

He charged again, this time with his hand clenched drawing on the power inside of it, reaching out to those who had come before him, the spirits of the past Rangers. He could almost feel their presence as they lent him their strength. This was an abuse of the Power and would surely destroy years of work. In the end though he had no choice; for the Earth to be restored to peace, Weirdan had to be vanquished. Only then could the fight begin against the Emperor and his forces.

"Full power!" he cried, as he circled the villain, creating a vortex of energy that rippled through the fabric of the universe. Purple lightning flashed around the destructive funnel as he continued to build up speed. At some point the lightning started to strike him, sending his powers into overload.

He didn't stop, the vortex reached critical mass and Weirdan was growing ever more desperate, but Nate maintained his efforts. And then when his body was on the point of collapse, he stopped running in circles and threw a punch directly at his opponent.

Weirdan's helmet was ripped apart as the villain was flung far away, but Nate did not have the time to comprehend his victory for his actions had had unexpected consequences.

When Minion had almost destroyed reality, he had unwittingly created a dimensional weakness. Small whirlpools of folded time and space were scattered around the focal point of the instability: Earth. And although for the most part these invisible doorways only transported people across space, there were a few that reached beyond the boundaries of time and even reality. For the most part they were accessible only from their origin point.

Nate Oliver's unexpected use of his full powers had managed to access one such doorway, wrenching it open from the far side as the overload pushed him onward. Like a magnet the swirling vortex attracted his uncontrollable powers and pulled him towards it. Unable to stop as he was thrown forcibly through the exit point, which had reacted violently to being opened from the wrong side, he had torn through the streets of a very different Angel Grove, leaving a trail of destruction in his wake. That had been the point at which he had encountered the Power Rangers he had heard about for so many years.

For a long time there was silence. Then the screaming started as large black hands ripped Weirdan from the ground. The human had hurt him, badly but it would take more than that defeat one of Akuma's underlings.

"The Power Rangers are history!" he snarled as he heard the explanation again, thoughtlessly killing two minions who crossed his path. "Justin Stewart died in that chasm. Whatever this mysterious thing was that attacked you, it was not a Ranger." He paused. "Why has this so-called Ranger not been brought to me, he should have been in no condition to run after fighting you?"

"We can't find him," one of the Furies admitted. "When the Ranger- er thing attacked, he disappeared. He is beyond our dominion."

"Nobody is beyond my reach," he answered fiercely, fixing Weirdan with a cold glare. "Find him, wherever he went. He has given the people hope. When we show them his head on a spike, they will once again be hopeless. In the meantime perhaps we should give the humans a respite. No, that would only allow them to plan for the next uprising. Continue as planned until they have all been wiped out!"

Deep in the slums of New Tech City, a new resistance movement had started. Prompted by the reappearance of a Ranger, others had been inspired to take the war to the invaders. Aided by Kat Manx and her associates, along with a more recent visitor, the resistance movement had gained the means to fight back.

Weirdan had the advantage that Akuma would never allow one of his servants to be defeated, and freedom was still not a certainty. But they would fight and they would continue to win back their world little by little. Because they were Rangers and Rangers never give up! As the planet awoke each day they could hear the words of defiance on the lips of its new heroes.

"SPD Emergency!"

The Power Rangers had returned.

**End?**

Disclaimer: I do not own the Power Rangers, they belong to the Mouse. This is a not for profit fan series. The first few scenes of this story belong to Ellen Brand.  
Author's note: This story takes place in the Conquest of Evil Multiverse and shares its alternate time line. The alternate reality in this story is based in a universe similar to the one used in Power Rangers the Movie. In case anybody is wondering, the basis of this story was written by Ellen Brand as part of a series called Fallen Heroes, which was later picked up and abandoned by Hellfire.

**Dark World - Aftermath**

Earth

One event, a singular occurrence and an empire that had taken years to build, had been on the brink of collapse. Daizayten's forces led by Weirdan had been on the verge of totally dominating the Earth, when his humiliating defeat by Nate Oliver had inspired others to make a stand. Equipped with new morphing technology, the resistance had started to fight back. Where there had been one Ranger, now there were hundreds and their numbers had steadily increased. Sure their powers had been limited, but their strikes had been precisely aimed at bringing down the freshly established infrastructure of his government.

Now just a few years later and the liberation of the planet did not seem any closer than it had been the day Weirdan had been defeated. True the humans had reclaimed parts of their world, but those gains had been driven by hope and belief that there was a chance of victory as opposed to any real skill on their part. For a time there had been rumours of a galactic task force being assembled to help the humans, but as far as observers could tell, that force never appeared. Sadly while Nate Oliver had given them hope, he had disappeared, leaving the humans to pick up the pieces as they attempted to turn a resistance movement into an army. Courage aside, the humans had been outmatched and Daizayten's forces had reasserted themselves.

All in all it had proved that even with Nate's sacrifice, there was no such thing as an easy win.

"My Lord?"

He turned towards the newcomer, hiding his displeasure at the interruption. Weirdan and his servants had once been considered the greatest warriors in Daizayten's army. But Weirdan had never regained the level of approval he had enjoyed before his encounter with Nate Oliver. His defeat had given the humans hope, had undone years of systematically breaking them down. While he retained a position of power with the dark forces, he was no longer the favourite.

No, that position fell to the Furies, seven powerful female warriors who had not failed him yet. Of course Daizayten had been pleased to discover that they had a very interesting relationship to the planet's former heroes.

Jamie Lee-Scott, a half-Zarakin with no knowledge of her heritage, led the Furies. Jamie had escaped the initial strike against the Earth along with several friends. In desperation, realising that Earth needed warriors capable of battling the threat of Daizayten, they had been offered the chance to receive new powers, not realising that the transformation would turn them into servants of darkness.

Lillian Dubois, Katarina Petrianos and Christina Sweeting, had all attended school with the original Power Rangers. They were also victims of dark magic that stripped away their good intentions and left behind a group of callous hunters. Their skills were now honed in the service of Daizayten, Christina's psychic abilities helping them to find those that defied their master.

"Speak," he responded.

"We caught one," Jamie told him, sounding pleased with herself.

~And so she might,~ he thought as he looked at the prisoner kneeling before him, the fibrous whip belonging to Katarina wrapped tightly around his neck. ~Capturing a Ranger is never an easy task. Destroying them takes less effort.~

"Have you interrogated him?" he asked, already knowing that they would not have done so without his permission; Christina's method of extracting the information she needed could be described as violent mind rape.

"Not yet," Christina answered.

"Do so."

There were few pleasures in Daizayten's existence. Watching his underlings perform their duties, especially those occasions when they truly enjoyed what they were doing, was one of those limited treats. So it was with abject glee that he watched the sadistic grin on Christina's face as she mentally tore her way through their captive's mind, not bothering to search delicately through the surface thoughts before delving deeper. She knew what she needed to find and threw all other concerns aside, tearing into his thoughts like a dagger.

Satisfied that he did not possess the information they needed, she withdrew from her victim's thoughts, basking in the pain she had inflicted and the feeling of intense power she had held for a moment. Had she wanted to she could have stopped his breathing or forced him to claw his own eyes out. It was a feeling of absolute control and she loved it.

"Well?"

He was impatient to learn what she had discovered.

"This one knows nothing about Nate Oliver. However, he confirmed you suspicions: the humans have been trying to deceive you into thinking they have grown weaker. In reality they have been building an army ready to make a decisive push. They have received outside help from the Sirian Empire. Commander Cruger is already on Earth."

That news did not worry him. That other worlds had decided the situation on Earth warranted their intervention was all a part of the game. He had arranged the devastation of Triforia and several other planets to discourage outside interference, so it was only natural that some would see him as a threat. Besides, it meant that he had a legitimate reason for attacking those worlds once he was finished with Earth. If nothing else at least they had eliminated any potential competition when they had wiped out the villains he had sent after them.

He was more powerful than any army they could raise against him, the humans had the advantage in terms of numbers. They couldn't harm him, but they were relentless. And the longer he held the advantage the more hopeless their cause would become and the greater the chances that they would lose. The thought that perhaps they would defeat him never entered his head.

"There is one other thing," Christina continued, waiting to see if he permitted her to continue. He nodded and she did so. "The scientist that gave them their powers - Manx I think - has deduced that the energy distortion at Oliver's last known location was caused by a rift in time and space."

"He used a time travel device?" he asked. "No, if he had intended time travel he would not have been sent on any mission where he would encounter my forces. It must have been an accident then, he somehow created a rip when he overloaded his powers. This is good news," he decided after a long silence. He had been contemplating where he would go once he had crushed the Rebellion and reduced the universe to a lifeless void. It seemed that Oliver had spared him the need to choose a destiny and had even provided him with a crack between realities to exploit. "Learn as much as you can about his destination and we will seek him out once this universe has been purged. And Christina... get rid of that filth."

The months passed and with the aid of SPD, the Sirian Planetary Defenders, the humans continued to build their army. They had engineered a few uprisings to distract him from their real activity. Daizayten had played along a little too well, allowing them to had regain control of large areas their planet, knowing that doing so would place a strain on their resources. The humans were organised, wielding weapons and powers capable of harming his forces. It was a time of great change and a moment that Daizayten had anticipated. Bolstered by their recent victories and believing that he was deceived about their real strength, the humans and their allies had prepared to make a final push against him, bringing all of their forces to one place.

"The rebels have broken through the outer perimeter," one of the Furies reported from outside the door.

It was happening sooner than he had hoped, but the uprising was expected.

"Then the time has come for this little game to end," he announced. "All Furies report here immediately. We shall meet this army and crush them."

Outside the fighting was growing louder. It was clear that the rebels would soon break into his throne room and he welcomed the chance to finish them once and for all.

"Get into position," he instructed.

The heavy doors exploded as SPD pushed their way inside, the A-Squad and B-Squad secured the perimeter while C-Squad and D-Squad concentrated on their prime objective.

"By order of the people of this world and the universe at large, you are under arrest for crimes against the people of Earth," one Ranger called out; they could not arrest him for invading the planet since that was not a criminal matter.

"And so comes the end of the Underground," he responded. "Welcome humans, to the final battle."

"A-Squad, B-Squad, flanking positions," Anubis Ranger ordered. "C-Squad, take him down."

"Yes Sir!" the Rangers responded.

The fight was on as Daizayten faced not one, but twenty Rangers as the five heavily armed C-Squad Rangers stormed his position. Armed with heavy duty weapons it was clear that it they had the opportunity, they could cause him further damage. While they distracted him, a member of B-Squad, the team that lacked addition armour besides their Ranger uniforms, tried to attack from behind.

"Manners, look out!" Anubis Ranger called.

Jack Manners, Red SPD C-Squad Ranger, was a moment too slow and was caught as opened fire. His sister Z Manners was quick to come to his aid, opening fire on the villain. Sky Blake, Sydney Cole and Bridge Russell were at her side, Bridge using the covering fire to drag his team's leader out of the way.

"A-Squad, move in. C-Squad, get Manners out of here," Cat Ranger ordered.

Vic, Regis and Taylor quickly obeyed, throwing a series of flash bangs to disorientate their target while Ray and Mandi hit him from behind. While Taylor was one of the strongest Yellow Rangers on Earth, the process to turn Mandi back into a human had left her with the enhanced limbs of one of Daizayten's minions.

Meanwhile C-Squad had managed to get their injured teammate out of range and had taken up firing positions ready to attack again. When they saw Daizayten recover, they opened fire, praying that their allies would take the hint and move out of the way. By that time it was too late for Mandi and Vic, both of whom had been blasted by the same weapon Daizayten had used against Jack. Regis managed to roll clear and Ray moved behind the villain. Taylor was too slow as Daizayten grabbed her and used the Yellow Ranger's body as a shield.

That was the cue for the remaining Rangers to attack, any pretence of wanting to capture their enemy forgotten. No punches were pulled, no quarter given as the punched, blasted and stabbed at the villain, their blows lacking the results that the last Ranger to attack him had generated.

"Sword of Anubis!" Anubis Ranger cried, energising the bladed weapon.

And that was when the final battle began...

**End**


	9. Summer Days

Disclaimer: I do not own the Power Rangers. I do not own Doctor Who, the TARDIS or K-9. I do not even own the Externals, which are based on a combination of races from the Star Trek Universe. They all belong to their respective copyright owners.  
Authors' note: This story does not really feature the Power Rangers. It is set after Times of Change and will be the last appearance of the Doctor for a while.

**Return to Solitude**

He made his way around the console, checking and then rechecking the settings. For the traveller known as the Doctor it was time to leave, he had been in Angel Grove for too long.

As he continued to check the TARDIS for anything he had failed to repair, he reflected on the people had had come to know and how the current rash of alien invasions reflected on the history he had studied as a child. He knew that the future could change from one moment to the next. So long as events were not set in stone, it didn't really matter; history had a number of events set in place that acted to compensate for minor deviations. The Great Cataclysm of the Twenty-fifth Century was one such example.

"I'm going to miss this place," he decided.

If he allowed himself to think about it he realised that he was also missing his companion Samantha. Without her there he felt his age, and he was very old. ~Not as old as Zordon, physically at least.~ he mused.

Zordon. There was another sore point. A part of him wanted to help the Morphin Master to beak free of his prison. Another part warned that it was not the right time and that sooner rather than later Zordon would find the freedom he deserved. The comments he had made in front of Lerigot and the determination he had seen in the little wizard's eyes confirmed that he was probably correct in that assumption.

With a sigh he set the last coordinate and pulled the lever to open the door. It was time to say goodbye.

Far away from the Doctor, a distance of both time and space, events had been set into motion. On a forgotten world the thousands of frozen cells keep for breeding thawed. Automated systems returned as an ancient enemy awoke from its slumber, ready to pick up again from where the war had ended.

Beyond the sight of the Rangers, the Morphin Masters, Zordon and the wonderful Doctor, evil was on the rise. In the dark spaces the armies gathered ready to declare war of the kind most races would not understand. It was a war that would grant the winning side supreme power over not only time, but also space.

And the outcome of that war would depend on the efforts of a single hero, an alien who sought to make everything right. A man known only as The Doctor.

**End of Part**

Disclaimer: I do not own the Power Rangers. I do not own Doctor Who, the TARDIS or K-9. I do not even own the Externals, which are based on a combination of races from the Star Trek Universe. They all belong to their respective copyright owners.  
Authors' note: This story is set after Times of Change however it could happen simultaneously, before or after Return to Solitude.

**The Greatest Foe A Ranger Could Face**

It was a terrifying time for the Lightspeed Rangers, Earth's newest defenders. Sure the older Rangers had warned them that encountering such vermin was a part of their jobs, and Joel even seemed to enjoy doing so, but after they walked away, they knew they'd need a shower.

"Just remember, be honest and don't show any fear," Captain Mitchell advised. "The slightest hesitation and they'll eat you alive."

Unlike the Rangers of Angel Grove, the Lightspeed Rangers' identities were not a complete secret although that information had been limited to certain higher ranking military personnel. It was only because they were not officially part of the military that they were not paraded around and used for morale boosting operations. Somehow the news they would face their foes morphed did little to comfort them.

"Ladies and gentlemen of the Press," Captain Mitchell said as he walked out before the hungry eyes of the reporters. "I would like to introduce you to the Lightspeed Power Rangers and declare this press conference open!"

**End of Part**

Disclaimer: I do not own the Power Rangers. I do not own Doctor Who, the TARDIS or K-9. I do not even own the Externals, which are based on a combination of races from the Star Trek Universe. They all belong to their respective copyright owners.  
Authors' note: This story is set in multiple time zones however for COE purposes it follows on from the events in Entering Lightspeed. Parts of this story also take place from the Doctor's point of view.

**To Protect Those That Serve**

"Councillors," Zordon greeted.

He had been expecting to hear from them for a while. His informants had warned him of the legislation that had been recently passed, granting the Council a right to send representatives to oversee the day-to-day operation of Ranger teams on Council affiliated planets. Now it seemed they were going to use their legal positioning against him.

"Zordon, a pleasure as always. We are here to discuss the appointment of our representative. Since you have not objected..." He paused expecting Zordon to offer some sort of challenge. They knew Zordon was knowledgeable about the laws that applied to the Morphin Masters. This time they had the advantage since he didn't know about their new law.

Zordon studied the councillors. He knew they were expected him to question the basis of their decision, so he didn't. He didn't need to, not really. He only needed to remind them of something they continued to overlook.

"I have not protested because the legislation does not apply," he rumbled. "Earth is not a Council affiliated world. You have no authority over the Rangers."

"But we do over you," one of the councillors pointed out, smugly. "We could have you removed from Earth and install a replacement if we wanted to. You are there only because we allow it."

If Zordon had not researched the subject he would have been concerned. Since he had approached the subject with his students, he felt he was in the stronger position.

"You could," he allowed, waiting for the look of triumph. "However the Rangers of this world have a right to decide who they will listen to. They are not obliged to work with your representative, nor would I order them to. They have been made aware of their rights. Any attempt to force a new mentor upon them could be mistaken for an act of aggression. You are aware of how the Rangers deal with their enemies."

He watched the look of horror at the possibility that the Rangers of Earth would refuse any sort of mentorship. It left the Council with the unfortunate choice: either they allowed Zordon to retain his place and in doing so lose the only leverage they held over the Morphin Master, or they could call his bluff and hope that the Earthlings would be reasonable. The thought of so many powerful Rangers without guidance forced them to be cautious. Zordon knew at that moment that he had won the battle.

"You will regret this Zordon. You can only hide behind the humans for so long. Sooner or later this body will have its way and you will answer for your actions."

"If that is all councillors, I have work to do," Zordon said before nodding to Alpha to end the transmission. "Quickly Alpha, program the construction drones to rebuild the upper section of the Command Center. Transfer and data stored there to the archive and lock the Power Chamber against outside teleportation. The Council will not wait long before trying this again and I fear the threat of uncontrolled humans will not stop them next time."

Zordon had been preparing for this scenario for a while. Fortunately even if the Council got its way, it could only force him to allow access to the original Citadel. The remainder of Power Mountain, including the areas that had the Zord Bays, the Zeo Crystal and the Turbo Rangers' equipment was outside that area.

"Ai-yi-yi, lockdown in place Zordon!"

"Very well Alpha, transport one of your spare bodies to the Command Center and then contact Lerigot. I believe the time has come to take him up on his offer."

Yes the Council would want to interfere, questions would be asked. But that didn't matter so long as his Rangers were protected. And Zordon would do anything to make sure that they remained safe.

For a long time he had served his political masters, those that kept him secured in a bunker for his own protection. He had designed them suits of unimaginable power, which they had used to keep their country, their planet, safe. But that had changed when he had discovered how they had treated those that wore the suits once their tour of duty ended.

Had he known when he had started that the one year shutdown protocol he had installed in each of his creations would lead to the deaths of the innocents that wore them, he would have shortened the time. To him the brutal murder of their own troops only proved the need to limit their access to his creations; such a corrupt power could never be allowed more than six working models at a time out of fear that they'd use them against their own population.

Still the discovery of just how barbaric the generals could be, the thought that they had pretended to cease their policy of destroying the test subjects only to carry out the executions from a distance, had finally forced his hand. He had stopped producing the Power Suits the day he had learnt the truth and nothing the men had done since had convinced him to change his mind.

Oh they had asked, bribed and threatened him in an attempt to make him cooperate. They had used techniques reserved for interrogation of spies to discover his secrets. They had caused him pain and had even threatened to kill him. And through it all he had refused to comply.

Then just recently one of his captors had made a mistake. He had stated quite clearly that they had found a machine capable of decoding the mysteries of the Power Suits. That could not be allowed. He would take whatever steps were necessary to prevent, even if it meant destroying those he had so wanted to help.

**End of Part**

Disclaimer: I do not own the Power Rangers. I do not own Doctor Who, the TARDIS or K-9. I do not even own the Externals, which are based on a combination of races from the Star Trek Universe. They all belong to their respective copyright owners.  
Authors' note: This story is set after Times of Change.

**Dastardly Preparations**

She stood above them on a rocky bluff, their queen awaiting their worshipful cries. As the clouds parted, allowing the planet's sun to illuminate both the green sky and the hot red sand of the surface, she enjoyed their cheers. Behind her stood her faithful crew and the rest of the Dianthe Pirate Clan.

"Yes! Worship me, ye-es, yes; I_ am _worth _every_ moment of this. This is exactly what I deserve." She indulged her followers for a little longer until it was clear that if she left it up to them, the cheering would never end. Despite knowing that neverending adulation was exactly what she deserved, she was angered that they did not sense her wish for them to stop. "Silence!"

Instant silence met her command, just as she expected. She was the Queen of the Dianthe Pirates Clan and she expected to be obeyed.

"Piranhatrons, Chromites, Swabbies, faithful servants of the Dianthe... bounty seekers of all kinds, the time has come." More cheers erupted from the crowd. It had been a good idea to assemble the entire clan for this speech. It showed that she was still in charge and showed her that her followers knew it. She listened to the applause, watching the sea as it rolled in. "We know why we are here. The ruination of my plan to dominate the universe must be avenged!"

Elgar turned to his neighbour, a short, obese character in a white and orange suit whose face was enclosed by a transparent glass plate. His suit was lined with other portholes and linked with breathing hoses.

"Hey Porto!" The alien didn't appear to hear him, prompting Elgar to hit him with his sword. "I haven't seen her -this- mad since, ah well..." He scratched his head, trying to remember. "I don't -know- since when!"

"Quiet Elgar," Porto hissed nervously. " I don't want _you_ getting _me_ in trouble.". The word 'again' hung in the air.

"Yes! The Power Rangers _will_ pay dearly for what they did! Their beloved Earth _will _be miiine! And once we have the planet and its treasures, the Universe will be ours to plunder! Are you with me?"

Divatox raised her fist to the sky. Elgar followed her example, raising his sword aloft. The other leaders of the Dianthe Clan did likewise as Divatox watched the lower orders pledge their allegiance by touching their hands across their chests. She laughed humourlessly before an angry growl emanated from her throat. The cheers were deafening.

"Quiet!" Divatox ordered and was instantly obeyed. "For the journey to Earth I will need a...crew. I will take only the best to serve as my warriors!"

That appeared to be Elgar's cue to start clamouring for attention. "Oh! Oh! Me-me-me! Aunty Divatox, pick me!"

Years of practice allowed Divatox to easily ignore her idiot of a nephew. "Rygog!"

Rygog stepped forward and bowed. "Yes my lieeeegge?"

"You will be second in command. You will navigate the oceans of Earth as well as the skies!"

"Whatever you need, Divatox; I'm _always_ at your disposal."

"Of course you are," she muttered. "You will select those who will accompany us and those who will follow later." She looked over at the crew of the SS Mutiny. She had not forgotten that their captain had been the one to allow Lerigot to escape in the first place. That was why he would be spending the next few months waiting for her to give him further instructions.

"As you wish."

Divatox turned away from him before he could finish. She was too important to be polite. "Porto."

"I am here," he replied dutifully.

"You will be my technical adviser. All things scientific will be your responsibility."

"It will be my distinct pleasure to place my knowledge and expertise at your command," he answered with a slight bow.

"Of course it will."

By now Elgar was growing desperate. "Hey, what about me? Aunty Divatox, what about meeee?"

"As if I'd leave you behind," she answered sweetly. Too sweetly. Even Elgar was able to pick up on the sudden danger. "I don't want to leave you out of my sight. Who knows what damage you'd cause!"

She shoved her annoying nephew out of the way, causing some to snicker while others looked on disapprovingly that this was the son of one of their greatest captains.

"Piranhatrons, I will call you as I need you. But for now... fuel the Subcraft; we're heading to Earth!"

Another cheer was heard before they scurried off to begin their assigned tasks.

"To the rest of you I make this offer. Destroy the Power Rangers for me and you will be rewarded beyond your wildest dreams."

She laughed at the cheer that sounded from the crowd. Why should she waste time destroying the Power Rangers when there were others to do it for her? She could concentrate on more important things like stealing some of those treasures she had heard so much about.

"Keep them moving boys," Divatox encouraged as her new crew were shown to their quarters on board the Subcraft. "If people I was bad before they destroyed Maligore, just wait 'til they get a load of me now."

Her marriage plans were over, at least for now. But Earth had proven to be an interesting world filled with treasures that the humans didn't know about. While Porto and Rygog had been hiring a new crew, she had already worked out the profit she could make from the besieged world. Between the treasures she could find there and the slaves she could sell to other worlds, Earth promised to be a very profitable target.

The last gear slotted into place, just as it had been designed to. Machine perfection had taken on new meaning as King Wingnut, elder of the Machine Empire, oversaw the completion of the Royal House of Gadgetry's latest foundry. The old machine had once spearheaded the expansion of the machines across the universe, but old age and a shortage of replacement parts had forced him to hand power to his son Mondo.

He had seen the reports concerning Mondo, Gasket and even Grommet's failures, something he would never have tolerated. But his loyalty had been hardwired to the survival of the Machine Empire and its monarch. He would never act against Mondo. The foundries were his responsibility, a plan that involved construction efforts at several sites across the Universe as well as further modifications to their homeworld. Now the Machine Empire had not only completed the reconstruction of its home, which had been ravaged by war during Mondo's absence, they had almost finished the building of a weapon that would smash all resistance. The enhanced factory promised a new assault of superior machine warriors that would crush all opposition and finally put the Earth in the hands of its rightful conquerors.

While Wingnut was overseeing his task on behalf of Mondo, Gasket and Archerina were looking to finish construction of their first factory on the planet Horath. From there Gasket would strike the decisive blow to bring the Rangers to their knees. Or failing that, he'd just wait for his father to finish them and then destroy the old boiler instead. Either way he planned to be king, very very soon.

**The End**

Disclaimer: I do not own the Power Rangers, they belong to the legal copyright owner. This is a non-profit story made without the consent of the show's creators and is a part of the Conquest of Evil storyline. Some parts of this story, especially Zedd's appearance belong to Jeremy Ray Logsdon.

**Cloak and Dagger**

The middle of summer and aside from spoiling Divatox's wedding ceremony, aiding a new team of Rangers in Mariner Bay and travelling to an alternate world where the Earth had been devastated before they became Rangers, nothing much had happened. Months before the Earth had been under attack from Rita Repulsa and Lord Zedd, King Mondo, Queen Machina and Prince Sprocket, not to mention Prince Gasket and his wife Archerina. And that was without mentioning their many underlings who contributed to the attacks.

With Mondo concentrating his efforts elsewhere, Gasket distracted and Zedd incapacitated, only Rita remained as a noticeable threat to the Earth. Divatox had been strangely quiet after the loss of her intended. Zordon suspected that she would resurface at some point, seeking revenge. Count Dregon had been revealed as a possible problem if his experiments were allowed to continue. But Rita was for the moment his only concern.

When he considered her behaviour, Zordon had to admit that Rita was not that great a threat. Although she had increased her attacks, relying on the idea that if she attacked often enough, the Rangers would eventually succumb to her might, an overwhelming number of Rangers meant her plan was doomed to fail as the Rangers fought off one recycled plan after another. If anything they were growing bored, not tired.

It was no doubt, an annoyance for the old witch that her range of monsters was mostly limited to those that Finster could reproduce from clay. Those she had once been able to summon from her book were no longer available since they required the abilities Lokar had given her. And with Zedd weakened, Zordon had told the Rangers that Rita's abilities had also been restricted.

She could still use her magic to mutate living organisms. That was an ability she had demonstrated after the loss of Lokar's services. Lord Zedd had demonstrated a similar skill for a short time before turning his attention to inanimate objects as well. Rita had picked up the skills during her marriage to Zedd and now she was accomplished at creating monsters from animals, plants and to a lesser extent nonferrous objects without the use of long-winded spells. At present, such petty transfiguration was the current scope of her abilities if Zordon was correct.

Her latest effort was currently attacking the Rangers. It was a monster named Cloak, created from a ragged piece of clothing that she had obtained somewhere.

~Rita's making up for lost time.~ Red Turbo thought as he faced the green garbed fiend and was thrown, once again, away from the monster.

Right now he wished that he had the power of Red Zeo at his disposal. The Turbo powers granted the Rangers extra speed, but lacked some of the protection the Zeo powers provided. Indeed after a discussion between himself, Kat, Tanya and Adam, it had become clear that the only person not having problems, despite their initial success with the newly developed powers, was Justin.

~It must be psychological,~ Tommy decided. ~Lita would have a field day with this.~

The powers were if Justin was an indication, more than capable of functioning just as well as Zeo. They weren't better or worse than the previous technology. They just had a different emphasis, placing speed and agility over raw strength and power. Still, it was accepted that the Zeo technology had been compromised and that it was time to move on.

~Perhaps,~ Tommy thought as he picked himself up, ~it's time to change more than just the powers.~

At first it had been difficult to tell exactly what this monster was capable of doing. He had attacked them with a variety of bladed weapons made from shards of light. His tall, lean body allowed him to move with sufficiently agility to avoid the Rangers' physical attacks; energy attacks had proven a failure since they vanished as soon as he touched the darkness beneath his cloak. He had no such problem with blasting them with energy bolts or striking them with stupendously strong punches and kicks.

Most annoying of all, it seemed Cloak was connected to his own personal dimension that functioned like weird space. He could pull himself inside at will. This meant that in a matter of seconds he could cover the distance from one end of the street to the other, forcing the Rangers to follow him on a desperate chase around Angel Grove busier areas. The trick had caught the team by surprise on several occasions, resulting in Red Turbo finding himself on the receiving end of Yellow Turbo's stun batons.

"If you think that was something, wait until you get a load of this!" he told them, opening his cloak to reveal the inner darkness.

Tendrils of darkness burst from the void he revealed, grabbing Kat and dragging her back into the folds of his cloak. She found herself in a dark space unable to see and frozen by the sudden drop in temperature that could be felt even through her uniform. Cloak waited long enough for the Rangers to discover they could not force him to release their friend, before opening his cloak again. Pink Turbo shot back into the crowd of Rangers, confusing them long enough for him to snatch their weapons.

"Zeo Pi - Auto Blasters!" Red Turbo ordered, forgetting for a moment that they had switched weapons. They moved into position, ready to cover their fallen teammate. The superheroes were ready to fire before the monster could react. Their energy blasts were more accurate this time and actually caught the outside of his cloak, knocking him to the ground.

Cloak made a show of picking himself up and dusting himself off, stressing to the Rangers how little he thought of efforts.

"It's time for a Gold Rush!"

That had his attention. While he had been busy beating down the Turbo Rangers, he had overlooked the possibility that the Gold Ranger had accompanied them. As Gold Ranger activated his attack, Cloak seemed to stiffen, waiting until the energy attack had ceased before resuming his attack. He threw open the cloak again, revealing the energy the Gold Ranger had expended and sent it straight back to the Rangers.

"And now, I'll take your powers."

Dark tendrils reached out, snatched the Rangers and somehow distorted the energy flow of their powers. Before they could morph again, their Turbo Keys were pulled away. Cloak laughed at the suddenly powerless Rangers before turning his attention to Gold Ranger. "It's over Rangers," he announced as the Lord of Triforia was suddenly disarmed and a flock of Tengas teleported to the battleground.

"Not yet it isn't," Tommy replied, stepping to the front with Adam, Tanya and Kat close behind. Trey and Justin stood back a little, the Triforian Ranger acting as a shield for the youngest member of their team.

"Thinking of running?" Cloak asked. "I think not!" More tendrils grabbed the communicators off their wrists. "You've nowhere to go, Rangers, except the depths of oblivion."

He moved forward, hoping to bypass the older Rangers and get at their newest teammate. Fortunately while they couldn't see him clearly when he moved so fast, they could at least follow the general direction of his movements and while they couldn't outpace him, they could surround their friend long enough to block his attempts.

"If I can't have him, I'll take her," Cloak announced, grabbing Kat, who was the closest to him. He dragged her into his dimension once more. This time Kat did not have her full costume to protect her. The cold air burnt her lungs. "My mistress will reward me for bringing her a Ranger," he told them.

His boast was cut short by the arrival of the Green Ranger, Dragon Blade in hand. He turned aside only to find White Ranger waiting for him. And Tommy's brother for once allowed his temper to show. Cloak however was not stupid enough to stand still when confronted by two fully powered Rangers. He fought back, concentrating on the two Rangers, not noticing what Tommy was doing until it was too late, as the youth threw himself into the cloak and disappeared into its depths.

"My reward is guaranteed," he boasted. "Now not only have I captured one Ranger, I caught two. And my dimension will drain them of more than their powers."

"Oh no," Tanya protested.

"Oh yes," Cloak replied. "The pink one was doomed from the moment I caught her. Your precious leader was so upset he practically gave himself to me willingly. Not too bright is he?"

"He's braver than you'll ever be," Tanya told him. "Smarter too. You don't think he got to be leader without learning a few things did you?"

Any reply that Cloak intended to make was cut off as a fountain of red sparks erupted from beneath the cloak. His hands wrapped around his mid-section and for a moment he looked as if he was going to be ill.

Throwing himself into Cloak's pocket dimension had not been the wisest choice that Tommy could make. It was certainly a brave decision. When he had attacked, Tommy had been banking on everything thrown into the pocket ending up in the same space. Unlike Kat who had already endured a period inside the pocket and had been unprepared for the monster to snatch her again, Tommy had had a short time to prepare himself. Even so the extreme cold threatened to send him into shock as he drifted through the darkness.

As he struggled to stay conscious, he caught sight of his Turbo Key. Reaching out, his hand grasped the morpher and he was rapidly transformed, the energy release somehow managing to nullify the extreme cold as it did so. Once morphed, it was relatively simple to retrieve the other morphers and rescue Kat. That just left the relatively simple task of breaking out. And with the aid of his Auto Blaster, that was simplicity itself.

Cloak howled and cursed, holding himself in a vain attempt to keep the contents of his dimension beneath his cloak. There was a second burst and nothing could stop the cloak from opening, spitting out Tommy, a near unconscious Kat, the Rangers' weapons and their morphers. Tommy didn't stop firing his Auto Blaster until he was safely among the other Rangers.

Cloak was groaning in pain after the blast and staggered around weakly. When Rita had created him using an old cloak as the raw material, she had made it so he could draw strength from the dimension beneath his cloak. That power source was now gone, somehow ruptured by the Red Turbo Ranger.

"It is time to finish this," Trey announced, taking over from a wobbly Tommy. "It's Morphin Time - Gold Ranger Power!"

"Shift into Turbo!" Tanya, Adam and Justin added.

The four Rangers lined up, with Justin taking up a position to Trey's left. "I've had enough of this guy."

"Turbo Dash Attack!"

"It's time for a Gold Rush!"

Accelerated by the power of the Gold Ranger, the three Turbo Rangers sped forward, their Turbo Blades extended. When their weapons made contact with Cloak, the sharp edged blades sliced through him. Cloak could not escape this time, nor was he concentrating enough to avoid their attempts.

Moments later the Gold Ranger propelled by the power of the Gold Rush tore passed, using his Gold Power Staff to bludgeon Cloak, knocking him away.

"Laser Arrows!" White Ranger called.

"Dragon Fire!" Green Ranger cried.

Together their combined assault collided with the monster. Cloak panicked and tried to escape; his actions were in vain and moments later, he was gone leaving behind a slightly torn cloak.

"Let's get outta here," Green Turbo said as the monster vanished. The Tengas had taken flight long gone. There was nothing else to be done except collect their communicators, which had been scattered around and teleport away.

**End of Part**

Disclaimer: I do not own the Power Rangers, they belong to the legal copyright owner. This is a non-profit story made without the consent of the show's creators and is a part of the Conquest of Evil storyline. Some parts of this story, especially Zedd's appearance belong to Jeremy Ray Logsdon.

**The Emperor's New Rage**

The Moon

Another day, another defeat. At least that was how it seemed.

"Those pesky Rangers have all the luck," Rita complained as she watched the teens celebrating another victory. "Well I'll soon show them."

"Leave it Rita," Zedd told her before she could throw her wand. "It never works anyway."

He was right of course, but in the old days before the loss of his body, at least he had been willing to try.

"At least I'm doing something, Zeddy. Unlike you, just floating there."

"Yeah Ed, what have you done lately?" Rito asked.

"It's Ed not... never mind, I don't have time for this. As soon as Finster is finished, I will show those Rangers what real power is all about."

For the first time in the last three days, Rita remembered that she had a monster maker around. He had been in his workshop the entire time and now that she thought about it she had seen plenty of Putties carrying clay up and down the stairs.

"What are you up to Zeddy?" she demanded. She already had an idea of what her husband could want with Finster, but she also realised that Zedd had to know better.

Instead of answering, Zedd floated his way down the corridors, leading his wife and followers to the room where Finster had been quietly working.

"Take a look," he challenged, moving to grant her an unobstructed view.

Rita groaned. It seemed Zedd either didn't know any better or was simply too desperate to care. The clay body Finster had been working on was near completion and did to Finster's credit show a strong resemblance to the original.

"I'm almost done Lord Zedd," Finster said as he continued to work on the left leg.

It was unusual for Finster to build a full sized monster, but this would not be his usual construct. Instead of placing the clay through his machinery, Finster knew that Zedd intended to possess the new body himself. It would not be as powerful as his old body, but he expected it was better than floating around all day. He definitely didn't believe Zedd's assertion that it would make him stronger than ever.

"This won't work Zedd," Rita told him.

"Hah!"

Zedd had been without a body for too long. After researching the possibilities of reclaiming Larry Zedden and finding that they were remarkably low, he had decided that one of Finster's creations would have to do.

"It only requires your touch Lord Zedd," Finster told him with a slight bow.

As Zedd floated forward, he missed the monster maker distancing himself from the area. As the Emperor of the Dark Galaxy placed a spectral hand on the waiting body, Rita decided the underling had the right idea and ducked behind the doorway.

"It's working Rita!" Zedd proclaimed as he shifting his essence into the waiting clay, which promptly started to change as directed by his magic. Before long, the rough model of Lord Zedd was starting to resemble the real thing.

The colour shifted, the muscle tone resembling that of his true body. The chrome exoskeleton gleamed as his power surged through his new form.

"Lord Zedd is back!" he boasted before stamping down on the dark energies of the Morphin Grid as his body started to pulse in time with his magic. Red sparks flowed the length of his body as he tried to control the rampant energies.

"Brilliant my lord!" Goldar cried.

With a thunderous explosion his new body disintegrated, spraying chunks of molten clay at the spectators. "I warned you this would happen!" Rita shrieked as a large clump of clay knocked her on the side of the head.

Zedd however was too busy tearing himself free from the crumbling construct, determined that he would find a way to be whole again. No matter the cost.

Things had changed, things always seemed to be changing. It was an inescapable fact of life that things happened. But that did not mean that Lord Zedd, once the proud Emperor of the Dark Galaxy, now reduced to a mere spirit. A single defeat had cost him dearly, robbing him of his body, his power, his position and his property, namely his ex-wife and daughter. He had been all but exiled from the Lunar Palace, his current wife wanting nothing to do with a ghost of a husband.

Yes, Rita, this was all Rita's fault. Had it not been for Rita and her ridiculous love potion, he would never have succumbed to the power of the Zeo Crystal. It had been Rita who had created that small chink is his armour that had allowed his host's feelings for his daughter to distract him. Yes, it was all Rita's fault, not his fault at all.

With that decided he could concentrate on the important issues, such as reclaiming a physical form and crushing all those that had dared to oppose him. The Rangers would be the first, but if Mondo, Gasket or even Rita got in his way he would deal with them too. And as for Larry Zedden, his wife and his interfering daughter... Zedd planned to make them his.

The question was how could he reclaim his host? Larry Zedden was safe on Earth, in the presence of a loving family and no doubt watched over by Zordon. The human had probably learnt enough about warding spells to keep the darkness at bay. Rita would have already attacked if that were not the case,~ he thought bitterly.

"I have a plan Rita, one that will give me a new body and rob the Rangers of their newest friend." For the first time in months Zedd's voice didn't sound dull and tired. Some of the old anger was there once more. The failed attempt to create a new body from clay had given him hope. "Goldar, send a message to Houan, there's an old friend there I need to assist me."

"Houan?" Rita asked sceptically. "What could you want on a planet full of... Zedd you can't mean... him?"

"Yes Rita, Houan, where even now the high priest Shango resides. With his skills, Lord Zedd shall rise again!"

"At once Lord Zedd," the mighty warrior - in his own mind - said, bowing to both Zedd and nodding to Rita before hurrying away.

"Shango, as if that old fool will be able to help you," Rita grumbled.

"You stupid witch, think for a moment," Zedd argued.

Sometimes he swore Rita lacked the intelligence of some of their more moronic servants. She certainly lacked the imagination needed to defeat the Power Rangers.

"Shango commands an army of undead warriors and expands his army using the fallen of whatever world he resides upon. Imagine how many warriors have been killed on Earth since the planet first formed and what he would be willing to pay me for such a harvest."

"He's a freak!" Rita insisted.

And she was right. Shango had once been humanoid, but the rituals he had undertaken had changed all that. Each time he gained something, he had to lose a part of himself in return. While still mortal, by the time he had finished he didn't look it.

And then there were the other changes. It was not unusual for villains to need to augment their bodies with other materials. Sometimes it was necessary to replace lost limbs or rotting flesh with some sort of graft. Shango was the only magic user who chose to willingly replace his weakened and damaged flesh with Iron. Nobody knew exactly how much of his original body remained under his armour, or for that matter if it was armour or his skin. Some said he was trying to imitate Lord Zedd, but others just claimed he was insane.

By rights the Cold Iron should have caused him serious problems. Iron was notorious for being resistant to magic and given the number of rituals he had undertaken, should have led to him rejecting his additional parts. Instead he had made the augmentations a part of him, mutating the properties of the Iron so they didn't affect him. Were it not for the general distrust he inspired with his 'creations' he would have been a powerful member of the UAE's ruling council.

"He might be a freak," Zedd replied, "but he possesses exactly what I need to create a new body and when he defeats the Power Rangers for us, the Earth will be ours!"

"I'm afraid Lord Zedd that Shango is otherwise... occupied. Perhaps I can be of assistance."

Where the intruder had come from was unclear. He had not teleported into the Lunar Palace. There were spells to detect that sort of thing. Nor had he used any other form of magical transportation, which would have alerted Rita before he arrived. He had simply appeared, without even the slight pop of displaced air that usually accompanied such arrivals.

"Who are you?" Rita demanded, raising her wand.

"Oh and you must be the lovely Rita Repulsa. I assure you that I mean no harm, dear Rita," he answered flashed her a cheerful yet disturbing smile. There was something about his posture, the way he moved and his apparent disregard for personal space - not to mention the fact he seemed to be sniffing her - that made Rita nervous. Perhaps it was the fact that despite wearing a crimson cloak to disguise his features. She was certain he could see everything around him.

She relaxed slightly when Goldar and Rito had lumbered into the room, swords at the ready. For some reason she didn't think there was much the two warriors could do, but they would buy her time to escape. She paused, wondering when her unease had turned to fear.

"There is no need for violence," he said as he lowered his hood. His voice was soothing, but Rita couldn't help notice the way he positioned himself so that neither henchman could attack without having to duck around her. "I have good news for you."

Then as she looked at him the feeling of unease was gone. The man before her did not appear at all imposing. He was short, not at all bulky, and looked perfectly human. His blonde curly hair and pearly white smile seemed almost angelic. And since Goldar and Rito had appeared, he had assumed a very non-aggressive posture.

"I am here to help," he continued, ignoring the armed warriors and he gazed lazily around, his eye lingering on Zedd's throne and Rita's enchanted telescope.

"My wife asked you a question," Zedd interrupted, speaking for the first time since the intruder had arrived. "Who are you?"

"Many call me Xing," he answered.

Zedd leaned forward, suddenly very interested. Rita wondered if her husband had noticed that Xing had only claimed that that was what many called him, not that Xing was his name.

"Prove it!" Zedd challenged.

It seemed that Xing had been awaiting such an invitation. He clapped his hands once and a second - thing was the best way that Zedd could describe it - appeared.

"You will have to excuse my companion's appearance," Xing told them. "He is a work in progress. Purging him of light is taking longer than expected," he confided. "I was going to keep him until he surrendered, but perhaps this is a better plan. Yes, why not... prepare yourself."

He thrust his right hand out towards Zedd and started chanting. There was a sudden flare from Zedd's spiritual form as he was sucked into Xing's closing fist. Goldar and Rito tried to move forward, but found themselves pinned in place by an unknown force. Rita however made no movement at all. She was mesmerised by the magical energy Xing seemed to possess.

"Do not fear, dear Rita," he told her. "I promised that this would be good news."

His left palm reached out and tapped his companion's chest, causing the glowing ball that was Zedd's evil essence to flow through his right arm, into his body and out the left arm into his companion's body.

"And now, great Lord Zedd, you shall live again. Soul Infusion!"

Just like the body he had had built for him during the summer, he made the offered form his own. As he did so, his magic started to reshape its new vessel according to his mental image. This was a new Zedd, no longer inhibited by the morals of a Zarakin prince. His current host did not seem to have a mind of its own and therefore could not subconsciously fight him.

In a burst of silver energy, Zedd's staff appeared, crackling with power which flowed up and down Zedd's arms. Zedd threw his head back and laughed triumphantly, an evil, wicked laugh that echoed through the palace and out across the surface of the Moon.

Hidden by the glow of his staff, Zedd was experiencing a frighteningly awesome transformation. His muscles grew even larger than they had been in his last host, his shoulders became even wider, and he began to slowly increase in height. Zedd's silver exoskeleton became a shiny, unblemished gold. His red muscles became a dark maroon, lined with numerous black striations in the musculature. The red energy behind his visor darkened until it was the blackest of blacks, reflecting no light. His exoskeleton continued changing, becoming sharper, more deadly, and more angular. The Z that curved over his brain lengthened and became a truly dangerous appendage, just as the greyish-pink matter of his brain turned an even eerier black. The golden caps at the ends of his fingers turned into sharp talon-like claws.

The transformation ended as a lone, tiny speck of golden light travelled down his Z staff that was now as gold as the rest of the metal in his body. He stepped back as Xing removed his hand and nodded to himself as he examined his new body.

"The news I had was better than I thought. I never expected an overcharge," Xing admitted as he regarded Zedd calmly.

Zedd stood up straight, reaching a good eight feet tall. The Z on his staff was more ornate and sharp now, and continual streams of black energy danced from point to point on the Z. It had always been more than a decoration, but now it was truly a weapon.

"Yes," he growled in a voice an octave deeper than his previous. He realised now that this was the power he should have held all those years he had possessed Larry Zedden. If he had taken the time to purge the good from his previous host, he would have been more powerful and less likely to have succumbed to Zedden's daughter's begging. "Lord Zedd is back."

Zedden Residence, Angel Grove

"Larry!"

Larry Zedden, formerly Lord Zedd and keeper of the Sword of Fire had collapsed, holding his hands to his head and biting his tongue to stop himself from crying out. The pain he felt was incredible. He couldn't even acknowledge the desperate pleas of his wife and child.

"Something has happened..." he rasped before passing out, a small amount of blood dripping from his nose.

Jamie checked the man's pulse, as she had been instructed do as part of her dad's training. He was alive, but unconscious. She moved him into the recovery position before contacting Zordon for help.

The Moon

"The Earth will be mine!" Zedd stated dreamily as he looked down on the tiny world. For a moment his gaze fixed on Angel Grove before he moved on to Mariner Bay. "There will be no competition, no stupid machines or half-witted pirates, and no bungling in-laws or glory seekers. Lord Zedd will hold this planet. Starting now!"

In a burst of black flame he teleported away.

Xing watched the Emperor of the Dark Zones leave. This was turning out better than expected. At this rate he had no doubt he would be able to achieve his goal.

Mariner Bay,  
One hour earlier

Pierre was growing frustrated. His hopes of freeing the Royal Court had been dash time and time again. The Lightspeed Power Rangers were growing more skilful with each encounter as they learnt more about themselves and their comrades. They did not have the teamwork he had observed from other Ranger teams, but they could work together when necessary. And whatever support team they had behind them had obviously picked up on Dauros, Hemogrin and Gilmer's weaknesses.

"Do not fear, Spell Master Pierre," Xing said, inclining his head as he used the wizard's full title. "I bring good news. Your masters will soon be released."

Pierre was naturally pleased to hear the news, even though it did nothing to ease his suspicions about the mysterious man before him. There was nothing the man could ask in return for aiding the Royal Court, nothing that the more important demons could be expected to honour anyway. Yet he knew that such an offer would not be made unless there was something to be gained.

"I bring you a gift," Xing continued, holding out a card to the wizard. "A very rare and powerful card."

Pierre took the card greedily. His brother had many cards like this in his possession, but Pierre was unable to use them. This card was especially rare, possessing the ability to unite four warriors into one. With only three demons available though it left him with a dilemma. He could use the card, placing himself as the fourth warrior, or he could keep the card until a candidate came along, delaying the completion of his task.

"I will give you a second gift," Xing said, flashing Pierre a sinister smile. "I will take away your burden by making the choice for you."

He touched the card with his finger, activating the spells recorded on its surface. Pierre, Dauros, Hemogrin and Gilmer burst into flames, which were then drawn together. As the flames died down again, the four demons were replaced by a single warrior. Dark, leather skinned with three tiny horns protruding from its head, the result was not terribly impressive, but it would do. As the demon unfolded a pair of wings and took off toward the city, Xing's eyes flashed green.

"A fine gift indeed," he whispered before lifting his hood. As he departed, the magical bonds that Pierre had been trying to break, shattered, starting the process that would free the petrified members of Queen Bansheera's court. Now it was time to deliver a gift to Lord Zedd.

"Hey Teddy, what're you watching?" Tommy asked as he walked into the Oliver family's lounge.

"Power Squadron," his brother replied. "With the second Turbo Heroes movie: Hyperstrike, out last week the network decided to try their new show. They couldn't find the Rangers or enough news footage, so they made their own."

Tommy nodded. It was no surprise for him to see that Power Rangers had been used as the idea for a television show. Publishers had already released short story books featuring Angel Grove's favourite heroes and at least one toy manufacturer had tried to corner the market with their Power Ranger toys. They never got it one hundred percent right, but then how could they when the Rangers were so secretive?

"Solar Force?" Tommy asked finally as he heard the song finish.

Teddy shrugged. "I guess they decided just calling it Power Squadron would be risking a lawsuit, so they added Solar Force to the title."

"And they intended that to help how?" Tommy inquired. Teddy shrugged.

Both boys were quiet as they watched the show and Tommy was forced to admit it was interesting. ~I wonder if Zedd and Rita know how the producers have come to view villains,~ he thought with a grin. Amusingly they had created cameos using rubber-costumed actors to play the role of Goldar and Rito. Master Vile even featured using limited footage they had when Master Vile was on Earth. The fight scenes were obviously dreamt up to entertain and the Zords were unusual.

As the show continued, Tommy found himself laughing at the unlikely students who had been thrown into the role of protectors of their world. He could imagine that Jason and the others knew how they felt.

"Do you think they came to Angel Grove to cast these roles?" Teddy asked, grinning as his eyes twinkled with mischief. "Because if they did, I bet they cast Rocky as Red Ranger."

Tommy laughed at that. But while Rocky was a good guy, innocent and with a great sense of fun, the characters portrayed on the show seemed over the top. It was very clear that while some personality aspects showed through, these were unique characters created for the show.

"Did they really film this in Black Rock Beach?" Tommy asked when the end credits appeared.

Teddy rolled his eyes in response. "Yes it was filmed there. Haven't you seen the protests on the news?" he asked. "The film company closed off the beach while they were filming."

"They need to watch out or they'll move filming elsewhere," Tommy mused, "like New Zealand."

Teddy shrugged. "They're making a new season now so I suppose they sorted their problems."

The show ended and they sat waiting for a new episode of Turbo Heroes to come on.

Tommy sighed when his communicator toned. "Yes Zordon?"

"Tommy, report to the Power Chamber immediately. Larry Zedden has just suffered some sort of seizure and Zedd's involvement is suspected."

"You've got it, Zordon," Tommy replied. "Sorry Teddy, guess I'll have to watch it another time." In a flash of red light, he was teleported away.

Mariner Bay

It was a rare occasion when the Lightspeed Rangers were forced to use their battle mecha. Most battles with the demonic trio ended before it could escalate. That was probably a good thing since Lightspeed's team of technicians had yet to finish the Rescue Zords, limiting the five Rangers to a single machine they had dubbed the Lightspeed Racer. Donated by the Rangers of Angel Grove, the Lightspeed Racer was shaped like a police car, with the ability to change its form to that of a Megazord; the scientists referred to it as High Stance mode.

Today a new demon had appeared to terrorise Mariner Bay, and just when the Rangers had cornered it, it had chosen to grow. The six Rangers had naturally called in the Lightspeed Racer and activated High Stance mode. After assuming their positions within the Zord - Blue, Purple, Pink and Green Rangers in the chest compartment while Yellow and Red Ranger sat in the main cockpit inside the head - they directed the machine to fight back.

They had performed this sort of mission many times in the simulator over the last few weeks. Their ability to function as a team and follow the Red Ranger's instructions, not to mention the Red Ranger's ability to give the correct orders, were still in need of improvement, but they had managed well so far.

"Racer Cannon... fire!"

A gun appeared on the Rescue Racer's right arm and launched a fireball in the demon's direction.

"It's not working!" Purple Ranger cried.

"Keep calm Stephanie," Captain Mitchell warned sternly. "Remember your training."

Since the group had been recruited, Stephanie had been prone to panic. If somebody didn't remind her, she would sometime lose her focus, causing herself or on a few occasions, her teammates, harm.

"Containment Cuffs, go!" Green Lightspeed shouted, pushing a series of buttons.

A pair of large shackles launched from the Zord and attached themselves to the demon's body. As it tried to escape, the cuffs activated, using opposing energy waves to overcome the growth spell. The moment the demon started shrinking and the Rangers were able to resume battle at normal size again, they had the numbers advantage.

The battle resumed on the ground, the Rangers taking their opportunities to attack wherever they saw an opening. There was no real strategy to their attacks, but it was clearly frustrating their opponent.

"Dark Wave!"

Everything stopped. A blast knocked the Rangers and their opponents off their feet. They looked up to see the monstrous visage of Lord Zedd stalking towards them. Although they did not recognise him, they knew they were in trouble.

Zedd marched towards his quarry, pausing a moment to blast the Rangers a second time for good measure before stalking up to the fallen demon. There was a moment as the two sized each other up, and then Zedd's staff descended, slicing the demon in half.

"This planet belongs to Lord Zedd, and I will not tolerate competition."

"That's Zedd?" Stephanie asked. She sounded terrified and she was not the only one. The thing before them was much more frightening than the creatures they had been fighting. Zedd, it seemed, could hurt them.

The Rangers struggled to their feet, their eyes never leaving the villain before them. They had heard the stories, seen the battle he had fought on the news. This was not the same as facing the Triad. There was nothing comical about Zedd's appearance.

He waited for them to stand before attacking. This battle would announce his return to the entire world and he wanted it to be memorable. He had already proven his superiority by taking down the demon in a single blow. He wondered briefly where it had come from. At the last count there were only three demons actively fighting the Rangers in Mariner Bay.

As he saw that the Rangers had indeed regained their footing, he raised his staff. There was nothing insulting about their stances, but just by standing there it was clear they intended to defy him.

"Prepare yourselves," he warned. Then he charged forward.

Power Chamber

"Zordon we've got to help them," Tommy said.

The Red Turbo Ranger had fought Zedd countless times and knew just how dangerous the villain could be. How the Emperor of the Dark Zones had regained a physical form was unknown, but it was clear that without Larry Zedden's humanity to offset the demon, this Zedd was unbelievably evil.

"He's right," Larry agreed. After being brought to the Power Chamber, the Zarakin had been revived. "That - thing, has more power than I ever held. He'll kill them."

"This isn't going to be easy," Trini said.

"Yeah, last time we were lucky enough to distract him," Zack added.

They watched as Zedd fought his way through the six Rangers, fighting with a fury they had not seen from him before. The Lightspeed Rangers were trying, but each blow they landed caused them more damage than it did Zedd. When Zedd slammed his staff into the sidewalk, sending a shockwave through the nearby office blocks and lifting cars high into the air, it was clear the Lightspeed Rangers were outmatched.

"Come on guys, we need to get down there," Jason decided. "It's Morphin Time!"

Tommy nodded. "Shift into Turbo!"

"Carter!" Stephanie screamed.

One moment the Red Lightspeed Ranger had been at her side and the next he had been swept away by one of Zedd's blasts. She looked around and could just make out the battered Red Ranger peeling himself out of the collapsed foyer of the Mariner Bay Grand Hotel.

"Stephanie, stay focussed!" Mitchell ordered over the communicator.

"It's no good, he's too strong," she whimpered.

Joel and Chad had moved in front of her as Zedd, sensing her weakness had decided that she would be his next target. The two Rangers met him bravely, but were unable to harm him. Forced to battle him close up to defend the Purple Ranger, they left themselves open to his staff.

"No, please," Stephanie begged, backing up as her fellow Rangers took another hit.

"Stephanie, remember your training. Use your Rescue Baton. Steph!"

Stephanie had frozen, unable to think as she watched Zedd work his way through Green and the Blue Lightspeed. Yellow Lightspeed tried to stop him, descending on a zip line to deliver a kick to his head. Zedd had batted her away easily, blowing her through the side of a delivery truck.

"Steph, snap out of it," Dana urged as she placed herself in front of the villain. She used every trick her father had taught her to keep her teammate safe. And for her effort, Zedd just laughed.

Zedd fired off another blast, this time aiming for the top of a nearby building. The top corner of the office block exploded, raining debris down on the street below. Dana was briefly distracted, allowing Zedd to move inside her guard. He let her live, the deep cut running across her stomach a reminder of why Rangers everywhere should fear him. And then his attention returned to Lightspeed Purple.

"Stephanie! If you can't fight, run," Mitchell urged. "Get out of there now!"

Feebly, Steph raised her Rescue Blaster, holding it shakily in Zedd's direction. The villain laughed as he advanced on here, causing her to back up.

"Stay back," She warned, fumbling with the settings.

Zedd shifted his staff, a move that caused Stephanie to panic and open fire. The blast was reflected away from Zedd, back towards where a mother and her two children were hiding.

"No!"

Faster than she thought possible, Stephanie had moved in front of the innocents. Struck by her own blaster fire her suit sparked, but did not fail. However Zedd had taken the opportunity to attack her while she was distracted, and was pleased to see that the shock was enough to make her mount some sort of defence.

Her Rescue Baton, a weapon developed for close combat, clashed with his staff a few times as he showed her that she had been right to think that they didn't stand a chance against him. The Z on the end of his staff struck her on the left arm, exactly where her morpher was located. Her eyes widened as the morpher struggled to maintain her morph. Suddenly exposed, she was unable to defend herself as she was impaled on the sharpened point of the shaft.

"Steph!" Red Lightspeed cried, trying to free himself from the rubble, but unable to rush to her aid.

Stephanie cried out, her body going limp. She clutched pitifully at the long rod, trying to use it to support himself. His legs dangled uselessly, her powers fluctuating as they struggled to repair the damage. Try as she might, she couldn't stand up. And then, just when she thought the pain she felt couldn't get any worse, Zedd lifted the staff, raising her off the ground.

"Let her go!" Kelsey yelled, Rescue Blaster drawn. But she couldn't fire without hitting her teammate, who would probably not survive being shot with her powers in such an unreliable state.

Stephanie's mouth worked frantically to try and form words, or even just to scream, but nothing came out. Her muscles collapsed as the staff drained her life force, and her skin became thinner and drier. Her uniform flickered one last time and then vanished as her morpher slid from her wrist onto the ground below.

"See you in hell, Purple Ranger," Zedd whispered as he looked at the empty husk that had once been Steph. "Tell them Lord Zedd sends his regards."

With a sharp twist he yanked his Z-staff back, and the corpse fell to the pavement, literally turning into dust upon impact. There was nothing left of the Purple Ranger, not even a body for them to bury.

"And now for the others..."

Lightspeed Aquabase

"Oh no," a technician whispered.

The words summed up the sudden numbness that had descended over the room. One of their Rangers had died, as they had sat back unable to do anything to help. The camera feeds had shown the entire battle in graphic detail. Panicked murmurs started as the events of the last few minutes became clear.

"QUIET!" Captain Mitchell was just as shocked and horrified as the rest of those watching. He had known how dangerous the fight would be, but had never expected one of his Rangers to die in such a terrifying way. "We have five more Rangers out there that need us. We can grieve for Steph later. Right now, we have work to do."

His words spurred the technicians into action as they realised that staring blankly at the screen could cost them six Rangers instead of just one.

"Send a message to Angel Grove. Tell them we need help."

"Already done, Sir!"

"Bringing up a map of Mariner Bay..."

"Situation Report from each Ranger in two minutes..."

"Sir, we have camera feed from location..."

He smiled sadly. He had trained the best and now they were showing the professionalism he had come to expect from all Lightspeed personnel.

"Sir, the Purple Ranger powers are still online, should I send Lockdown Code?"

It seemed that whatever Zedd had done had truly erased Steph. Even the DNA code that had been used to bond her morpher had been erased. Either that or the morpher was so badly damaged that its shutdown protocols were no longer active.

"Hold that thought," he replied. There was a chance no matter how slim that ordering the morpher to shutdown would cause the device to overload. "We'll retrieve it later."

"Sir, reply from Angel Grove. Rangers have been trying to send help since the battle started. They have encountered problems with teleportation and have been forced to take a detour."

"Be sure to advise Angel Grove that we are one Ranger down," Mitchell replied.

It seemed the villain had isolated them, although Captain Mitchell was not entirely sure that it was a conscious act.

More reports were shouted in as technicians and operators tried to learn more about the situation. One team had been assigned to pulling as much information as possible about Lord Zedd from the database.

"Sir?"

Mitchell looked up. He had not heard the report, having been distracted by the fighting taking place. He nodded to the soldier who interpreted it as an invitation to repeat himself.

"Just reminding the Captain that Rescue Racer is inside the battle zone and operational, Sir."

The Rescue Racer. In all the fighting and loss of life, Captain Mitchell had forgotten that they still had the Zord in the area.

"Is the remote hookup online?" he asked. The solder shook his head. "Assign a team to restore communications with the Zord. Then program it to lock firing coordinates on Zedd."

They were not supposed to use the Zords except in extreme situations. Mitchell was willing to testify that this was an extreme circumstance.

"Sir, contact with all surviving Rangers has been established. All report that they are alive... none report as unharmed."

That was not surprising. Zedd had returned to the attack and the only reason he had not killed again was because the Rangers were acting as a team for once, covering each other against harm. He watched in horror as Zedd turned his attention to Dana. There was nothing he could do, he didn't dare contact his daughter in case he distracted her from the task at hand.

"No," he whispered as the tip of the staff started to glow. "Please not her."

Pink Lightspeed's life flashed before her eyes. After Steph had been... after she had fallen, Zedd had returned to the attack. And the Rangers had hardly been in a position to fight back. Scattered through the streets of Mariner Bay, they were bruised and disorientated. Some of them had not seen the Purple Ranger fall from their positions, but the visual feed had made it all too clear.

The Lightspeed Rangers had fought back, helping each other to keep Zedd from killing again. But they were hurt and tired, so it was no surprise when Zedd managed to force his way through their line. She looked up after being pummelled by the villains staff, just in time to see the glowing tip descend.

The staff connected with something, inches from her head. She looked up to find the Demon Hunter standing before her, his sword blocking Zedd's killing blow. There was the sound of metal sliding against metal as the two enemies separated their weapons, Demon Hunter quickly switched his gun into firing position and unloaded at close range. Zedd hardly moved, but Dana breathed a sigh of relief when it became clear that the villain was no longer targeting her.

Captain Mitchell relaxed slightly. His daughter had been saved albeit briefly. The Demon Hunter while not a Ranger seemed to have great endurance and an impressive arsenal at his disposal. It was clear though that Zedd was the superior combatant, as he flicked the Demon Hunter out of his path and blasted him with a bolt of lightning.

Garth leapt above the lightning strike, his systems reporting that there was a good chance that a single hit would have caused system failure. He adjusted his weapon systems to their maximum setting and opened fire. His shots were on target, but unable to penetrate the shield Zedd conjured. His computers ran through a thousand scenarios searching for a new target before suggesting retreat. With a sigh Garth closed the tactical display and threw himself into battle, calling on all the weapons at his disposal.

Power Chamber

"What are we looking for?" Jamie asked.

After the Rangers had departed, her father had led her into another part of the Power Chamber. They had arrived in a small library, which from the dust, she assumed was rarely used.

"This is Zordon's private library," Larry told her. "Every Morphin Master has his own personal store of knowledge, mostly what he gathers himself, but also texts donated by other Masters. Zordon was left the collections of many respected Morphin Masters, not all of them considered good guys. With luck there might be something here that can help."

Larry had spent a great deal of time perusing the many tomes in Zordon's private collection. As Lord Zedd he had had access to some of the darker writings, which he had been surprised to find in the White Morphin Master's possession. Therefore he knew that the information he required was something amongst the scrolls, tomes and ancient ledgers.

"You really think the secret of defeating Zedd would be in a library?" Jamie asked, raising an eyebrow at her father's choice of texts.

"It's not how to defeat him I need to research," Larry told her in reply. "We already know how to stop him. I need a way to make sure he stays stopped."

He pulled out an old parchment, scanned the contents and shook his head before moving on.

"Most of these things aren't even in English," Jamie protested. She wanted to help, but short of fetching and carrying, there seemed to be little she could do.

"Have a look through the master list, over there on the left... no the other left. I'm looking for anything on reversed possession."

He had already started reading a short paper on the application of mind magic. The method described was sound, but would take far too long to complete. He had hours, maybe less to learn the necessary skills.

"Dad, I found one!" Jamie shouted.

Larry searched for his daughter, eventually locating a small amount of red hair. She was struggling to carry a large green volume. With a small grunt he took it from her and returned to the table. Yes, this was exactly what he needed to know. He just hoped the Rangers could hold Zedd long enough to put the knowledge to use.

The centre of Mariner Bay was officially a disaster area. Despite the Lightspeed Rangers' attempts to contain the fighting to one area, Zedd had been set on moving to the most populated business area, a place where he knew he could cause more damage. With every life he took he seemed to grow stronger. And for the Rangers the battleground was just as dangerous as their opponent. Crumbling buildings and collapsing sidewalks meant they had to watch their step. Zedd's energy blasts had already ruptured a gas main, which Lightspeed had been quick to close down. Mariner Bay was without power and heating to prevent cataclysmic fires.

The Demon Hunter had fallen, his arsenal proving inadequate the villain's power. He would survive, that was what he had been built to do, but he was out of the fight. If it had not been for the dead Ranger's morpher, which he had managed to locate after crawling through the ruined street, he would have been facing a longer repair period.

Whether he had been designed to receive upgrades, or whether the Lightspeed technology shared some similarities with his own armour, or whether it was just because of whatever changes the scientist who had turned him into the Demon Hunter had made, he was able to integrate the device into himself, using the repair programs to bolster his own systems as the power cell helped him recover. Even so his participation would be limited until he figured out which of his weapons were safe to use.

There were four Rangers remaining, Chad having been the most badly injured, had been given the task of getting the civilians out of the area; Captain Mitchell had reminded them that while defeating Zedd was important and avenging Stephanie was desirable, the preservation of life came first. It had not taken long for them to reach the conclusion that Zedd was playing with them and growing stronger the longer he fought.

"Rescue Bird!" Carter called. "Unilaser formation, now!"

The Rangers had been training to use the multipurpose weapon. Normally it was called just in time to see Gilmer and friends retreat.

"Ready!" Joel said as he tightened his grip.

"Aim!" Kelsey and Dana called together, bracing themselves ready for the recoil.

"Fire!" Carter ordered as he pulled the trigger.

The energy beam shot towards their foe, who took a step back and swung his staff. The beam was bounced back at them, blowing them out of formation and leaving them vulnerable.

"The game ends now," he told them as he stalked forwards, gold energy lashing out at the upturned cars and broken lampposts.

"... a Goldrush!"

The ray of golden light struck Zedd in the back, causing him to arch out of the way. He turned to see the Gold Ranger walking down the ramp of Pyramidas. The other Rangers were close behind. They had used the massive Zord to journey to Mariner Bay after learning that Zedd's latent magic was disrupting teleportation.

"At last," Zedd crowed, turning to face his attackers. It was time for a rematch and this time he had the power.

"Ai-yi-yi, this doesn't make sense."

Having found the information he required, Larry and Jamie had returned to the Power Chamber to find a very agitated Alpha. Instead of asking what was wrong, long experience told Larry that Alpha would tell them soon enough.

"The computer says that Zedd is growing more powerful, but the Morphin Grid shows he is growing weaker. What does it mean?"

"That one of the readings is false?" Jamie asked, setting a book down on the console.

"Or that the magic he's using is not his own," Larry said. Then he shrugged. "We have an answer, if the Rangers can knock him down then we can make sure he doesn't get up again."

"What you are proposing is highly dangerous," Zordon warned. "If you cannot complete the spell correctly, it could reverse the results."

"Dad?"

Larry shook his head. He knew the risks, but there was too much at stake. Zedd could not be allowed to run loose. He needed to be contained and the knowledge Larry had uncovered promised them a way to seal him away.

"Once he's contained, you can find an alternative," he growled. "For now this is our only hope. Or would you rather see your Rangers die?"

Zordon wanted to protest, but knew that Larry was correct. They needed a way to not only stop Zedd, but to make sure he could never return. Larry's plan would require a great sacrifice on his part, and if they could find an alternative it could lead to death.

"Very well, I will try to contact the Rangers."

A quick look at the Viewing Screen made them doubt that anybody would be in a position to answer.

Zedd was strong, stronger than the Rangers remembered. His altered body meant that just hitting him risked injury. And his magical attacks were devastatingly accurate. So far despite their superior numbers, it was clear that the villain had the advantage.

"Zeo III Power Punch!"

It was a sign of how desperate the situation had become. Rocky had been removed from active duty since the breaking his back in battle with Grimlord's goons. Alongside the Morphin Rangers, Turbo Rangers and Gold Ranger, the lone Zeo Ranger tried to pin Zedd down long enough to use the Zeo Crystal. Of course the villain was well aware of his weakness to the purifying properties of the crystal and was doing everything in his power not to let them call on it.

"Monsters of the past, arise!"

Answering his call, Pirantishead, Primator, Saliguana, Robogoat, Octophantom, Stag Beetle, Invenusable Flytrap, Guitardo and Turbanshell appeared.

"Great," Tommy growled.

"Any ideas?" Jason asked.

"We'll deal with Zedd, you guys keep the rest of them at bay," Tommy suggested.

"Deal with me?" Zedd repeated. "You have to reach me first, Tommy. Putty Patrol, attack!"

The five Turbo Rangers broke off from the main group, heading towards Zedd, while the Morphin Rangers, Gold Ranger and Blue Zeo Ranger were left to battle his conjured monsters. The Putty Patrollers blocked their path, but the still battered Lightspeed Rangers had finally rejoined the battle. Demon Hunter's sword made short work of his share of the foot-soldiers. At some point Bulk and Skull had arrived, destroying the enemy in their own unique way.

Using their speed, the Turbo Rangers were able to keep Zedd off balance, never staying in one place long enough for him to blast them. They never stopped moving, which meant their accuracy was less-than-perfect, but gave them a temporary advantage. Temporary was the right word because the moment Zedd stopped trying to hit them individually and lashed out wildly with his magic, the five Rangers went down, hard.

Around them a series of battles were taking place, the Morphin Rangers and their allies proving just how far they had come since the time when monsters like Pirantishead had first appeared. Using the strategies they had devised years before, the weapons created for such monsters and their experience, the Rangers were able to pick them off one by one. Once they had destroyed Turbanshell, the Rangers turned the Power Cannon and Zeo Blaster on Zedd. The Lightspeed Rangers assembled the Unilaser while the Turbo Rangers called on their weapons. Trey readied his Golden Power Staff as Demon Hunter shifted his weapon to its hand cannon form, and Bulk and Skull had been given the Power Blaster to fire since the Morphin Rangers' efforts were concentrated on the Power Cannon and their own weapons were not capable of long range attacks.

"Fire!"

It was a truly spectacular show of power and there was no way that Zedd could shield himself from the massive burst of weapon fire. He did try though and for a moment it appeared that his impressive new body could withstand the assault. But gradually the Rangers gained the upper hand, which culminated in Zedd being thrown through the already shattered remains of a camera store.

Knowing that he was down, but probably not out, the Rangers moved forward, ready to use the Zeo Crystal to strip his evil from whatever he had managed to possess.

"We call on the power of the Zeo Crystal... deliver this soul from darkness!"

"Zeddy!" Rita cried.

Her husband was in trouble. The key to her control over the universe was in peril of being destroyed. She was about to call for Goldar, to send him to Earth to retrieve her foolish spouse, when Xing reappeared.

"Fear not, dearest Rita... I bring you good news." He extended his hand to the Earth, where the Rangers had already started their attempt to purge Zedd's evil essence. "The Zeo Crystal cannot stop Lord Zedd from possessing an evil body. Your husband is too powerful."

He sensed Rita relax and sighed in contentment. It would not do for Rita to panic and interfere, not when he had invested so much time in making Zedd so powerful. The battle was proceeding as he had foreseen it, well with the exception of the Ranger that Zedd had killed. Great things were on the horizon for those who had the foresight and knew how to take advantage of every situation.

Zedd was broken, but not defeated. The multiple weapons had torn large holes in his body, but his magic was already pulling him back together again. The new shiny metal had dulled slightly, but it appeared that all the Rangers had managed to do was make him angry. He poked the end of his staff in the Rangers direction and laughed as they were engulfed by an uncontrolled burst of his dark power.

The Rangers and their allies were thrown back, most of them demorphing, some unable to escape injury caused by poor landings. Now subjected to the emergency timeout, the Rangers were helpless against his power.

"I should have done this long ago," Zedd told them as he aimed his staff to deliver another blast.

"Zordon, we have to help them," Jamie cried as she watched Zedd torturing her friends. The Sword of Lightning had appeared in her hand, as if sensing her agitation.

"We can't Jamie," Larry had also summoned the Sword of Fire, but was aware that rushing into battle would cost them the element of surprise. "I need a little more time to prepare."

"Larry is correct Jamie. We cannot risk your lives at this time. Both of you are needed to defeat Lord Zedd."

"And by the time we get there they could be dead," Jamie argued. "If we can't go, find someone who can. Find some more Zeo Rangers or something."

Zordon had already started looking. Not for Zeo Rangers of course, he was certain that the current holders of those powers were best suited to that role. No, he had been looking for replacement Turbo Rangers to allow Tommy, Adam, Kat and Tanya to resume their former roles. Unfortunately while he had found some likely candidates they were too young; Justin had been an exception to the rule.

"I can do it." Jamie and Zedd turned as Zordon looked up. They had not heard Nathan enter, but they realised that his words were true. His involvement was undesirable given the political climate, but it was the lesser evil when compared to leaving the Rangers to Zedd's mercy or risking Larry and Jamie before the Zarakin had a chance to finish preparing.

Zordon closed his eyes and reached into the Power, seeking guidance. He had been blessed with the gift of prophecy, which he tried to use to foresee the problems Nathan's involvement would cause. He saw two paths before him. One the one hand he could send Nathan into battle and risk the wrath of the Council. On the other hand he could refuse the Brachio Ranger permission, in which case Earth would likely lose all its defenders in a single battle.

"Very well Nathan," he said at last. "You will need to contain Lord Zedd until Larry and Jamie are ready, or the Rangers are in a position to take over. Your Brachio Staff is a powerful weapon. Be careful how you use it and may the Power protect you."

Nathan nodded. "I'll be careful Zordon... Dino Thunder, Power Up!"

The powers obeyed his command. A suit of tight fitting material formed around him. It was mostly dark grey; the boots were grey, the gloves were grey, and even the helmet was grey. To offset the dark appearance, the top of his boots, the end of his gauntlet gloves, belt and shoulder pads were black, as was the trim surrounding his helmet's visor. Golden thread had been used to create a series of diamond shapes, which ran down the outside of his arms and legs. The same thread had been used to create a dinosaur foot inside a circle on his chest. A small crest rose from the front of his helmet and extended around to the back.

"Brachio Ranger!" he cried, completing the transformation. He teleported as close to Mariner Bay as possible before switching to an alternative means of transportation. The four wheeled vehicle had been built to provide high speed over high terrain. Rather than designing it to fit a particular Ranger, it had been developed to adapt to suit whichever Ranger activated it. In Nathan's case it altered its appearance to match the Brachio Ranger's uniform. "Brachio ATV, let's ride!"

A massive ball of golden energy, crackling with black bolts of lightning, had formed at the tip of Zedd's staff. It was clear to the Rangers as they slowly recovered from his most recent assault that he was aiming to finish them all with a single shot.

"Soon this world will be mine for the taking," Zedd boasted.

The energy ball was not the size of a small hot air balloon and hovered a meter above the tip of his staff. As her moved the long metal shaft, so the ball followed, stretching away from the end of the staff as it did so until it was directly over the Rangers.

"Goodbye Rangers."

An engine revved behind the Rangers. Zedd looked up in time to see the Brachio Ranger heading in their direction. He was about to offer a challenge when the ATV took to the air, using some rubble as a makeshift ramp.

Nathan channelled the powers of his Brachio Staff through the ATV, causing laser beams to shoot from the front of the vehicle. While the first two shots hit the ground surrounding Zedd, they were only intended to keep the villain from paying attention to where the ATV was heading. As the vehicle reached its maximum height, the Brachio Ranger leapt off, allowing it to continue on its collision course with Zedd.

"Brachio Staff, Head Crash!" he called, swinging the staff so that the head of the staff made contact with Zedd's energy ball. With the villain's attention focussed on the incoming ATV, he lost control of the explosive sphere, which given momentum by Brachio Ranger's staff, had started to descend towards its point of origin.

When the unstable energy ball collided with Zedd, it exploded, sending a shockwave across the city. Fortunately those citizens not caught in the early part of the attack had by now gotten to the monster shelters, but the damage caused was incredible.

"Brachio Staff, Tail Strike!" Brachio Ranger called as he followed up, driving the tail end of the staff into his opponent. That Zedd had survived the explosion was a testament to his newly found power.

Zedd was ready for the attack and parried the blow. However, the Brachio Ranger was a hybrid of different power sources. His armour was more resistant to damage caused by contact with Zedd's body than the others, or perhaps it was the extra-dimensional nature of his powers, either way he was able to fight the villain up close, using the various settings of his Brachio Staff to keep the villain on the defensive.

"Is this the best you can do?" Zedd asked after a while.

At first it had seemed that Nathan was having an affect, but as the fighting continued, Zedd slowly recovered his strength. His staff was longer, allowing him to strike the Rangers from beyond the Ranger's reach.

Under his helmet, Nathan smiled. "I don't have to give you my best, Zedd. I just have to hold you here until the others are ready."

"What?"

Zedd's voice was suddenly quiet. For the first time he realised that he had been concentrating on a single Ranger. He hadn't noticed the others morphing, or taking up position. He hadn't seen the Green Morphin Ranger transfer his shield to Red Lightspeed, or Red Turbo hand over his sword; he was ignorant that Green Lightspeed had been passed the Golden Power Staff and Blue Lightspeed had received the Red Morphin Ranger's Power Sword. Yellow Lightspeed held the Drago Sword.

United by their desire to save the world and avenge their fallen comrade, the Lightspeed Rangers had been given the honour of ending the battle. Nathan used Zedd's surprise to his advantage, kicked him in the side of the head, before jumping back to his friends. There he handed his Brachio Staff to Pink Lightspeed.

"Go!" Red Lightspeed ordered.

The five Rangers moved forward, wielding the weapons of the more experienced Rangers against an enemy who had so far managed to stand up to everything they had thrown at him. The Dragon Shield activated as Carter led the attack, protecting the Rangers as Zedd attempted to destroy them. He spun in a circle as he passed the villain, slicing him with the sword. Blue Lightspeed was next, impaling Zedd with the Power Sword. Green Lightspeed unleashed the power of the Gold Rush as Yellow Lightspeed launched a flurry of Laser Arrows.

And finally came Pink Lightspeed, carrying the weapon of the Brachio Ranger, the first weapon to cause Zedd real harm. The staff seemed to tell her what to do as she leapt in close to the villain.

"Brachio Staff, Storm Strike!"

She drove the staff into the ground, unleashing a burst of fire and water at Zedd, causing the ground to explode around him. Zedd's new body erupted, sparks flying in all directions as his magic tried to keep him intact.

"Sword of Lightning..." Jamie Zedden cried from behind the Rangers.

"Sword of Fire..." Larry called, causing Zedd to panic.

"Strike!" they cried together.

Purple lightning surrounded Zedd, pinning him in place. A ball of flames hit him in the chest. The combined powers of the two Elemental Swords prevented him from recovering as the Rangers continued to batter him time and again. He raised his staff to fight back, in time for the waiting Morphin Rangers to unleash a blast from the Power Cannon, disintegrating his hand.

With a supreme effort Zedd was able to regain his focus. He looked up to find himself surrounded by Tommy, Rocky, Adam, Tanya and Kat, who held the Zeo Crystal at the ready. Beyond that circle stood the eight Morphin Rangers. He could sense the magic, feel the power of Zeo and the Morphin Grid directed towards him.

"This time it is over," Larry told him, Sword of Fire levelled at his chest. "This is..."

"We call on the power of all ours combined..." Jason started.

"Zeo Crystal, purge this evil..." Tommy called at the same time.

"... the end!"

Larry drove the sword forward, piercing Zedd as the Zeo Crystal weakened the demon and the combined power of the Morphin Rangers overwhelmed his body. The flames ignited by the Sword of Fire burnt the demon, forcing him to abandon his new body. With only one option he chose to leave one host and reclaim his previous victim. The empty shell he left behind collapsed.

This was not the first time that Zedd had been inside the mind of the Zarakin prince. For many thousands of years he had possessed Larry Zedden, causing the man to commit unspeakable acts. In hindsight though he realised that as bad as his actions had seemed, he had always been held back by Larry's true nature. His new body though had reminded him of what it felt like to be truly evil and he was determined that Larry would not pollute his evil with love again.

It should have been an easy victory, just a case of finding his way back to the conscious part of Larry's mind and from there assuming complete control. But as he walked through the corridors of Larry's mind, he came to realise that the landscape he remembered was gone, replaced by a maze. He could hear singing in the background although the words were unclear as he rushed through the corridors.

Too late he realised that he had taken a wrong turn, that the entire maze had been a distraction to lure him deeper and deeper into the mind he had once possessed. The singing was not a real song, but the mental chanting of whatever spell Larry had used to alter his mindscape while constructing a prison in the deepest corner of his mind.

Zedd tried to draw back, but found his way blocked, the walls forcing him to follow his original path away from the conscious world. He reached out, trying to grab onto memories, feelings, anything that would gain him some purchase on Larry Zedden's mind. But the spell had been prepared in advance and Zedd had been so disorientated by the pain that he had failed to notice until it too late.

"No!" His voice was barely audible. When he tried shouting a second time, he found that he was mute.

"Welcome to your new home." The mental image of Larry Zedden had appeared and was already at work locked Zedd into place, imprisoning him where he could do no harm.

Now Zedd recognised the spell. It was the very spell that Zedd would have used, had he gained the upper hand, one intended to lock the host away in the recesses of the mind where he could not interfere. He was now a prisoner, trapped until Larry Zedden died. He wondered briefly if Rita would be upset at losing him, or pleased that he was out of the way.

"It worked," Larry whispered as he stood back up. "Lord Zedd is contained."

As he spoke the magical effects of the recent battle were already reversing themselves. The buildings damaged by Zedd's power were repaired. Sadly the damage caused by some of the Rangers' attacks, not to mention the many deaths that Zedd had caused, would remain.

Nobody felt like celebrating as the heroes gathered together to mourn their fallen comrade. The battle was over, but the suffering was not.

"Zeddy? Those miserable brats killed my Zeddy." She turned on Xing, who seemed to be taking his failure very calmly.

"Lord Zedd is defeated? How disappointing, things were just getting - interesting." His eyes glinted mischievously.

"Of course he's defeated, you ninny!" Rita snapped. "Even Rito knows Zedd didn't stand a chance."

She lifted her wand, ready to forcibly remove the annoying interloper from her palace.

"No need for violence, dear Rita," he told her in the same annoyingly cheerful tone. "Lord Zedd will return, stronger than ever. And when he does so, his enemies will help him break free."

"Who are you?" Rita asked. She didn't understand this thing. He spoke of events he couldn't possibly foresee and didn't stand a chance of engineering.

"I have many names, Rita Repulsa," Xing told her, the playful tone disappearing. "For now I am Xing."

The smile returned moments later, his personality returning to that over the overly friendly man he had been when she had first met him.

"Everything that has happened has done so according to my vision, dear Rita. Even Lord Zedd's defeat was bound to happen."

That didn't mean he had to like it. For a moment he had almost hoped that Zedd would triumph. The future was so much more enjoyable when he couldn't predict it.

"Why?"

"Because Lord Zedd needed to grow stronger. You need to become stronger. Without Lord Zedd, you will become stronger."

~And,~ he added silently, ~useful.~

"I bid you farewell, Rita Repulsa. We will meet again."

Before Rita could ask any more questions, he was gone.

Mariner Bay,  
Earlier

The wasted body of Lord Zedd lay motionless, awaiting the cleanup crew. It didn't react to the sudden surge in dark energy as Xing emerged from where he had been hiding, watching the battle.

"Such a powerful body," he said, running his hand over the husk, "and yet... such a weak spirit. Still, that can be corrected." His hand curled into a glowing fist, reanimating the corpse. "Soul Renewal!"

The body started to shrink, growing smaller with each passing second. Before it had hosted Zedd, the body had belonged to a simple-minded demon that Xing had made 'disappear' from the mortal realm. It had been an empty shell, purged of the demon's traits and lacked a mind of its own. Then it had been inhabited by Zedd and had absorbed a little bit of him into itself. With Xing's magic that little piece left behind by Zedd started to grow.

Eventually the body had shrunk to the size of a small child. It was an ugly creature, retaining some of Zedd's appearance and a few of its original characteristics. It was in effect Lord Zedd's offspring, spawned by him at the moment of his imprisonment. Infused with a small dose of Rita's magic - for the witch's magic, in the form of a certain love potion, had remained within Zedd even after he had lost his physical form - he would one day claim to be her son.

"But not today," Xing told the infant. "One day you will be a great asset to those who wish to crush the heroes, but for now..." he raised the child over his head. "Be gone!"

Mariner Bay,  
One week later.

The funerals of those who had died during Zedd's rampage had been held. Thankfully aside from the Purple Lightspeed Ranger, there had been very few fatalities. The seriously injured had received treatment, the Rangers having stepped in to help some of the most critically ill. Building work was already underway; Lightspeed had agreed to fund the reconstruction in return for being allowed to make a few changes to the infrastructure. Nobody could be sure what that entailed although Mariner Bay's transit system had been given a radical shake up.

The last funeral had been for Stephanie. There had not been the need for a basket, since her body had turned to dust, but she was still given a funeral with full military honours. A replica of the Purple Lightspeed Ranger's morpher, completely lacking any inner workings, had been placed inside by her former comrades. It had been a wake up call for the five remaining Rangers. Their job had always been dangerous, but recent events had shown just how deadly it could be.

There would be an investigation. The unofficial report had already determined that Stephanie's death had in part been caused by her own panic. It had also highlighted a number of flaws within the Lightspeed Rangers. Officially they were all heroes and Stephanie had died protecting her world. Stories would be created, lies and denials issued and eye witnesses silenced. Deals would take place but in the end, the story they desired would be the one that was told. This was one occasion when all those involved agreed that it was for the best.

Press statements had been issued, stating that the Purple Lightspeed powers had been decommission. The morpher had been lost during the fight with Zedd and upon checking, they had discovered that the Demon Hunter had retrieved it. Captain Mitchell had concluded that it was better to claim that the components had been carefully extracted and the control chip had been wiped and then destroyed. There would of course never be another Purple Lightspeed Ranger. Lightspeed's share value would not withstand the public outcry if they tried to create one.

The other Rangers had been given time off. Gilmer and his fellow demons had not been spotted since the last attack. Some reports had suggested that the demon the Rangers had fought prior to Zedd's appearance had been a combination of three other demons. Either way, they needed time to recover and then to train. Captain Mitchell was determined that in the future they would work as a team. Fortunately all five Lightspeed Rangers were young enough to be taught, and had the desire to learn. He just hoped it would be enough.

Elsewhere

Although he considered himself a skilled manipulator and unmatched puppeteer, Savrod was well aware that the man in his presence was his enemy and more than capable of ending his existence. And despite his carefully chosen words, Savrod's guest just didn't seem convinced.

"What makes you think for a moment I have any interest in what you have to say? Don't forget what I am and what I could do to you. I would have no regrets about doing so.""

Savrod shook his head. How could he forget when the Ranger's armour appeared and disappeared with his mood? While Xing's choice was a fine leader, Savrod was recruiting a commander.

"We could make you powerful," he reminded him. "True power, unhindered by considerations such as good and evil. At this time Rangers receive nothing for their efforts except the thanks of those they protect. You don't even get that. Your team is reviled by those who know about them."

He could see his talk was paying off. The doubts were starting to surface. He only needed to push things in the right direction. It wouldn't take long, perhaps just a confession of how he had already had a role in the man's career, how he had ensured that he was in the position to understand just how undervalued he was, but eventually the man before him would cross the line, a line that was already blurred by past experiences.

"I'm not interested," the other man finally told him. "Your offer was tempting, but no."

"How... disappointing. Very well, tell me you aren't tired of living for others. Tell me you don't want people to conform to your expectations for a change instead of you conforming to theirs; tell me you aren't tired of being rejected by those you are obligated to serve. Just say the word and I will leave you never to return." Savrod knew how to close a deal. "Tell me you don't want your own life on your own terms and I will walk away. All you have to do is tell me and believe it."

"I - I cannot," the man admitted after a pause.

"There are those who need your services, your strength. Your current allies used you and then threw you aside. If they don't appreciate you, why not choose some who will?"

"If I wanted to serve somebody we wouldn't be having this conversation."

"Ah, forgive me. I meant that they were looking for your services as a leader not a follower. _They _are willing to follow _you_. We desire a free thinker; somebody with the drive and the will to bring about the changes needed. I offer you the chance to make to make that happen as you wish for it to happen, to have your will and vision drive that great change onward. After all, you do deserve it, don't you?" As he finished, Savrod knew that the man before him was convinced. He would struggle for a while before he found a way to rationalise his decision, but after that he would be theirs. "Imagine it, all the power and resource you need to make the changes you desire."

"What's the catch?"

"No catch," Savrod told him, offering him an innocent smile, followed by a sly look. This was the most dangerous part. "But you do know that the Power Rangers will try to stop you. They will be your enemies."

"Yes, if I do this I will be a considered a traitor by many."

"Ah, but the greatest revolutionaries on your world were once considered traitors. The question is not whether you could face such harsh judgement, but if you're prepared to do what must be done, even against those you consider friends?"

It was a defining moment, a moment that many creatures had experienced. When offered a choice between good and evil it was often a simple matter of morals versus power. But for this candidate the issue of morals was always more difficult. He didn't walk the line between good and evil, he walked with one foot in the darkness. It was a journey that would always lead to the darker side of the Morphin Grid, so long as somebody was there to give a push at the right time. Savrod was that person and the time was now.

**End of Part**

Disclaimer: I do not own the Power Rangers. The very first sentence in this fic belongs to Jeremy Ray Logsdon.

**Breakthrough**

Every universe has one source of pure, unadulterated evil. Sometimes though it takes a while before the the that source can be identified. Evil is not an easy force to define, its very nature is deceptive. Misdirection and falsehoods are part of the illusion that gives villains a their power. Sometimes even the villains themselves can be mistaken.

Geeiliecthiz - Philosopher of Ranxborne Seven

Sidnea, a small planet far from the planet that would one day become known as Earth. Circled by two moons in a cosmic dance around a single blue star. It was a planet with a history, one that had left portions of the surface incapable of supporting life. Not even weeds could survive the harsh environment where evil had tainted the soil, water and air. It had been this way for as long as anyone could remember, at least as long as the planet's second moon had been turned from a life rich environment into a cold rock barely a third of its original size.

There had been attempts to colonise the unpopulated parts of the planet and turn them into useful resources. Such plans never succeeded, the environment was too harsh for the machinery needed to turn such a barren landscape into an acceptable climate. Over time it had simply been accepted that the planet did not want those areas to be anything other than festering wounds.

The history of Sidnea was lacking at best. Official records had disappeared during a mass purge of the neighbouring star systems that had made up the dominion of the young monarchs, Gea'gar and Mae'gra. Some of the remaining documents suggested that a war had been fought between the two villains and an army of good, just as similar wars had been fought on many other worlds. The evidence had always suggested that the war on Sidnea had been won at tremendous cost; the planet had never recovered. There had been no survivors to confirm the events surrounding the planet's condition because the population had vanished overnight.

Appearances were often deceptive though and in the case of Sidnea; the failure to look beyond outward appearances and explain the area of dead ground allowed a secret to fester for too long. Sidnea had indeed been the location of a great battle. It had been a war that had shaken the planet and its moons to the brink of destruction and had robbed the planet of all its inhabitants. But the people hadn't died.

There had never been a clear winner, but then the battle had been shrouded in deception and betrayal. The forces of darkness had clashed among themselves as the various factions tried to proclaim themselves the dominant power. Many such battles had taken place as a young upstart had systematically disposed of his opposition; in the days before the Treaty of Warlords, Aggressors and Tyrants, this was how such disputes were settled.

Unfortunately for his opponents, the younger villain had manipulated the forces of light to do his bidding, goading them into attacking his enemies. The warriors representing light and justice had sacrificed themselves to secure the victory, banding together they had transformed themselves into pure energy in order to imprison the opposing army. An ancient and extremely primitive form of magic had been used, sacrificing the lives of the righteous to create a mystic wall that sealed the wicked beyond the physical plane. The pure of heart had physically died that day while the evil they had sought to contain had survived. It was a wasteful practice, but sadly one that was still used.

Such was the backlash of the spell used that vast areas of the planet were soaked with the tainted blood of war. The ground was poisoned and the air polluted. The first moon had shattered, creating a cloud of debris that bombarded the second moon. Both lunar satellites had shifted in their orbits making them cold and lifeless.

Behind the barrier the army of darkness had settled. The wall of magic made it impossible for their young leader to lead them away from the planet and until they could find a way to break through the barrier, they would remain in their state of perpetual torture. In this place they were neither alive nor capable of escaping through death. They just existed!

Gea'gar still tried repeatedly to break their prison's walls. His prowess in battle had been incredible before they had been sealed away, but his understanding of magic was sorely lacking. Back then he had lived in the service of three more powerful demons. Such servitude had made him and all those that followed his banner incredibly powerful. The bond had been broken by the barrier, or perhaps his masters had been defeated after his imprisonment.

Still Gea'gar remained as leader, his own powers exceeding those of his subordinates and the memories of things he had done during the first years of their imprisonment fresh in the survivors' minds. He was truly feared and that fear kept him safe from his followers' instinct to kill him.

He sat on a throne made from the bones of those who had trapped him. Every last person he thought responsible had been resurrected and tortured for information of how to escape. He had performed acts that were too sick for many to watch and had personally slain his victims when their usefulness and entertainment value had diminished.

Some had had the skin stripped from their body by magic, some had witnessed their organs removed by the blade he kept strapped on his back after using his finger nails to peel away their flesh, and in a few cases he had gone so far as to tear his victims apart with his bare hands before burning out their eyes. All had been conscious when he had done so and remained aware for hours afterwards. Those who were allowed to bleed almost always drowned in their own fluids. Those that were unfortunate enough to have a spell delaying the physical signs of their injuries screamed when it was lifted and the full effects were felt.

He had killed his last few victims by draining every drop of magical, psychic and cosmic energy from their bodies. With each death he had grown ever stronger - for he and his wife had learnt how to absorb most sources of energy to enhance their powers, assimilating any unusual abilities while absorbing their energy. But even the combined power of all those he had drained wasn't enough to create the vast amount of dark power needed to break the barrier.

Over time some of his followers dwindled. The barrier somehow prevented death from natural causes, but could not stop him from killing those that failed him. Of the many he had commanded during his freedom, only forty or so survived.

All they desired was freedom. But despite the reluctance they felt the question had to be asked: would Gea'gar ever manage to destroy the barrier? The last of the light wizards had spoken briefly of the spell they had used, claiming that it was intended to restrain Gea'gar, no matter how powerful he became. Only with his death, a near impossibility, would the wall lose its strength. Still, Gea'gar had thrown everything in his arsenal at the wall only to have it repelled. All he needed was enough power to crack the wall, but so far he had not managed to create such a power.

For a long time, perhaps too long, he had followed the belief that when forced to contain more power than it could hold, the body had two choices: adapt and change into a shape that could hold the new power, a solution that made the body larger bringing practical advantages to the individual from both a magical and physical standpoint; or breakdown from the magical overload.

Gea'gar had exceeded his body's natural capacities. In his youth he had been a powerful man and a skilled warrior who relied on his body first and foremost. But he had grown to love the use of dark magic and had been corrupted by its power. Over centuries he had preserved his life until the battle that had sealed him away from the Universe he sought to dominate. Since then he had continued to increase his magical limits, using the energies of the recently departed as a quick way of building up power.

During his imprisonment his will had remained strong and his determination could never be questioned. His forces believed in the traditional principles that the most powerful should lead. Any loss of standing could effectively rob him of his right to rule.

Unfortunately for Gea'gar, his powers never equalled that of all the light wizards who had conspired to create the barrier. He was close, but to break through would in his opinion require more energy than he could ever hope to hold.

Mae'gra watched her beloved carefully. He was as magnificent now as he had been the day they had been imprisoned and her love for him, or at least the twisted emotion that passed for love, had remained constant. She too had extended her powers beyond her potential by feeding on the fear and depression of those around her as well as siphoning off some of Gea'gar's magic whenever he tried to increase his power.

Gea'gar might have failed to break the walls of his prison, but Mae'gra remained confident that he was as strong as ever. She didn't fear her husband even though he was more powerful than she could hope to become. She needed him and he needed her, whether he knew it or not. Only together could they overcome those who tried to deny them their rightful place.

They made a magnificent team, as demonstrated by the way they had discovered a means to breach the barrier sufficiently for their forces to break through. The wall had weakened over time and while there were other spells to keep them in, that magic had eroded as time had passed and the planet had fallen beyond his reach; and even though they didn't know what had occurred, both had sensed the sudden shift in the balance of power. Now it just required a massive release of dark energy to turn that weakness into a hole through which they could escape.

~I'm going to miss this place,~ she thought as she played with the dagger she had magically summoned. A small smile crossed her face, revealing her true ugliness as she thought of all the things they had planned to do once they escaped. ~But not that much.~

Today she had accompanied her husband to the edge of the barrier, the place where he had made all of his previous attempts. It had taken a lot of arguing on her part before he had agreed to give the wall one more try. She watched patiently as he built his magical strength to its maximum, until she could practically touch the energy that crackled around him. She encouraged him as he aimed at the same spot he always picked. This time they knew it would be different.

"Now my love, break down this wall and lead us back to victory," she whispered, kissing his cheek.

Her husband did not reply since he was already fighting against the power that sought to overwhelm him, abandoning control as he allowed his rage to surface. This was the dark power that was so feared by their enemies, it was raw pain mixed with greed and hatred. She watched as he unleashed a wave of dark energy toward the barrier, waiting until he had fully exerted himself before unleashing her own power, the twisted love that she felt for her husband.

"Everybody down!" she commanded as she sensed the moment when it would be impossible to stop their spell.

As their followers hurried to obey, Gea'gar was consumed by the dark energies, transcending the gap between living being and magic. Without his mind to control the energy he was unleashing, it started to run wild. And when his wife joined him, embracing the dark powers, an irresistible force was unleashed against the barrier. The whole area shook violently and for the first time it looked as if the power of the light wizards had been countered.

"Attack!" Mae'gra ordered.

The shocked generals did not question her orders. They had just seen their leaders pour their evil hearts into breaking down their prison. And it appeared that they had succeeded. She was their superior and they would obey her. They attacked, each more powerful than the last and all equally useless.

"Move," she hissed when the last of them had tried and failed.

She walked up to the wall, sensing the flow of energy within the barrier. She smiled happily as she saw in her mind's eye the damage that had been caused. It was not obvious, but she could sense the rupture with the structural spells. She reached out a delicate finger and pressed her painted nails against the wall.

"Crumble," she said.

It was barely whispered but all her followers heard the command. At first nothing happened and then the barrier exploded outwards and the folded space was torn open. Mae'gra waited until the barrier had completely vanished before she relaxed her finger. That was how you made an impression.

"You can get up now, my love," she said as she peered down at her husband. He was tired, but with the wall gone his strength would rapidly return.

As the shocked generals, those who had questioned their leader's ability to release them, watched, Gea'gar was returned to health, smiling as he felt the familiar embrace of his demons. They were free once more and the power had returned to them.

"Look my love!" she exclaimed, pointing to the bracelet on her lover's wrist.

For the first time since their imprisonment the bracelet, a remnant of the days before he had turned to evil, had started to pulse. Dark energy erupted from the ancient and tainted artefact. He knew at once that it was a sign, not only had he survived, so had his three masters. And once he found them they would show him the way to ultimate power. And then they would demonstrate what true evil was all about.

"Long live Gea'gar!" one of the unseen generals cried.

Shouts of: "Gea'gar, Gea'gar, Gea'gar," were intermixed with cries of: "Mae'gra, Mae'gra, Mae'gra, Mae'gra!"

The chant was deafening as the planet came alive with energy, a show of their renewed power. They would show the Universe how true villains should behave as they conquered it one galaxy at a time. The future was coming and from their viewpoint, it held only darkness and despair. What a wondrous future it would be.

She scowled angrily as she took in the changes around them, but restrained herself. Gea'gar showed no such inhibition and made his displeasure clear for all to see. The thought that the universe had moved on without them was infuriating. That others had dared to usurp the place of Gea'gar and Mae'gra was unthinkable. That would change though, the universe would once again tremble at their names and they would reclaim heir rightful places.

Many felt the sudden surge of evil energy, but nobody really understood its meaning. Gea'gar and his army were forgotten figures, ancient history reduced to the stuff of myth and legend. Neither Zordon nor the other Morphin Masters knew of the secret deals that had taken place among the founders of the Negative Empire; schemes that had intended to keep powerful and influential villains from regaining the power they had once held.

Mae'gra and Gea'gar were but the first of many villains to be released from their enforced detainment and the threat they posed unclear - for while he had not been directly responsible for their imprisonment, the defeat of Lord Zedd had created a void that the universe now tried to fill in any way possible. For despite the power they had once held, they had been imprisoned for a long long time and evil had come a long way. Only time would tell if the universe would withstand the new threats that were sure to arise.

**End**

Disclaimer: I do not own the Power Rangers, they belong to the legal copyright owner. This is a non-profit story made without the consent of the show's creators and is a part of the Conquest of Evil storyline. Some parts of this story, especially Zedd's appearance belong to Jeremy Ray Logsdon.

**Getting Better**

New precautions had been taken following Cloak's defeat. After Alpha had scanned each and every item the Rangers had recovered, and he was certain that their communicators were not going to attack them in their sleep, Zordon had sent the majority of the team away. He had insisted that they return the next day for training. It was clear that there was a limit to the Turbo powers he had not expected. It was he suspected caused by the older teens' inability to fully adapt. This time it had almost caused them to lose.

As the days passed, Tommy and the others trained hard. They were determined to make the best of their transition from Zeo to Turbo. Their battle with Malligore earlier in the summer had proven that they could work as a team. It was now a matter of technique. Justin was gradually becoming a vital part of the team, although he had proven himself on occasion to act before thinking. Surprisingly as they developed their skills as Rangers, they found that their fighting skills in civilian life were also improving. Then came the day when the training would be put to the test.

It wasn't much of a car, a two-year-old Pontiac with an overheating engine which had been rebuilt more times than was advisable. However for Tommy it was the perfect car to practice in while his uncle worked on the team's real car. He didn't believe for a moment that he would ever be allowed to drive the more expensive vehicle. Still on the test track the Pontiac was just one of the many cars proving it still had the right stuff to make it round the demanding course.

As he entered a tight right-hand bend, Tommy wondered if there was a chance he could convince Jason and Zack to help him improve the car a little. It would make an interesting project, something for the three teens to do in their free time besides fighting the force of evil that sought to invade their world.

The engine spluttered, another sign that the cylinder seals were leaking. Then it roared back to life as whatever had caused its momentary lapse corrected itself. The tachometer lifted past eight thousand and then dropped down to four as he shifted gear. A moment later his foot came off the clutch and reapplied the gas.

There were twenty-eight cars on the track, each trying to get the most laps within the time limit for later when they could brag to their friends. With thirty laps to his name, Tommy had given the track his full attention. He kept the gears as long as he could before changing, waiting until the tachometer needle was nearly out of the red zone. At the end of the straight, it took all  
the prayers he could remember as he ignored his uncle's advice and slammed the brakes hard. Even with forty-six inches of rubber on the road, the car still continued on.

"Whoa!" he remarked as the tail of the car slid sideways.

He twitched the wheel, nearly overcorrecting in the process. The engine reached a banshee wail as he accelerated at full throttle, pulling up nearly two car lengths before he had to back off again as the car continued into the S-bends, the breaking synchromesh crashing every time he changed gears, the stench of burning rubber and racing oil filled the cabin, making it unpleasant to breathe, despite the wind that buffeted through the latticed side windows.

Setting his sights on passing the car in front as he moved beyond the bends and down the back straight, he gained a few more yards off the other car. He pushed hard on the brakes, lining up the corner at the top of the main straight as he did so, while letting the car slew slightly in a controlled drift as he slid back into third gear. The tachometer shot through the red and out the other side as the scream of the engine peaked. The gap between the two cars narrowed, one foot at a time, closer and closer, until Tommy was almost touching the lead car's bumper.

He used the car in front to provide a slipstream and held off braking for longer than he should have done. If there was one thing on the car that worked, it was the brakes. His wheel grazed the rail as he entered the bend before the car bounced away. Tommy corrected, not too much, just enough to save himself while losing only a little momentum, his foot all the way to the floor.

The engine bellowed as he pulled closer to the leading car, he slammed through the gears, searching for a gap. As he finished the turn and started down the short straight, he closed the gap again. Somehow the old car was performing better than it had a right to. With a quick shift he passed the car as they reached the corner. Through the bends he picked up speed, knowing that if nothing else he had mastered overtaking difficult drivers.

Tommy was so absorbed in his driving that it took a little longer than normal to hear the beep of his communicator. With a sigh he pulled into the pit, knowing that for today at least, his race was over.

Once again it was Rita who had sent down the monster. Today Rita's effort was aptly named Dizzy. Shaped like an oversized egg with red hands and feet, Dizzy looked every piece the evil Humpty Dumpty. Aside from carrying explosive yolks, the rotten egg was capable of projecting an energy wave, which caused its victim to lose all sense of balance and direction. People were sprawled all over the pavement, making the battle even worse for the Rangers. Things looked bleak until Red Turbo had the idea of calling in assistance to remove the people from the area. While the Turbo Rangers managed to keep Dizzy's attention, the Morphin Rangers were able to remove almost everyone to a safer location. Then the battle began in earnest.

"Let's scramble this egghead!" Yellow Turbo had cried, leading the others into battle.

Dizzy unleashed another attack at the Rangers, filling the air with the stench of rotten eggs. Most of the team managed to get out of the way, but Blue Turbo was not so lucky. He was hit square on, collapsing to the ground as the noxious vapour distorted the fluid in his middle ear. Green Turbo was hit by the edge of the wave, which while not causing such extreme damage, rendered him dizzy and disoriented.

"Spread out!" Red Turbo called. The four remaining Rangers encircled Dizzy as best they could and began to cautiously advance. They had the speed advantage and used it to great effect, striking and running so the poor egg didn't know which way to turn. With a wicked laugh, Dizzy launched himself at the Yellow and Pink Rangers, its hands and feet vanishing as it tried to knock them flying. He missed as they ducked out of the way.

Then the others attacked. Red Turbo managed to get in a few good hits with his sword, but they were deflected by Dizzy's hard-boiled shell. He was knocked sprawling, just in time to see Yellow Turbo blasted with yet another blast of his disorientating attack.

"This will be over easy, Ranger!" Dizzy sneered. "I'll make coleslaw out of you!" He suddenly launched several of his exploding yolks at her and the others could only watch as they hurtled towards Tanya. Fortunately the increased speed of the Turbo powers allowed Tanya to move aside before the yolks reached her. He tried again "What! What happened?" Dizzy exclaimed when his attack rebounded. "I didn't egg-spect this!"

"I happened," replied Red Turbo, levering himself to his feet with the help of his sword. "Tire Shield, power down!"

Now that he looked closely, Dizzy could see the dome of red energy surrounding the Yellow Ranger. The Tire Shield reduced major damage by half and was capable of reflecting less powerful attacks entirely.

"Let's crack this egg!" Red Turbo called. "Turbo Dash Attack!"

Five Rangers moved forward, breaking formation to attack from different directions. Their swords connected with the shell and at first they seemed to have no effect. But gradually the energised edges of their swords created a small crack and from there, it exploded, spraying molten egg all over their uniforms and knocking them all to the ground.

Slowly, the Rangers picked themselves up, the effects of the disorientating wave having dissipated with Dizzy's destruction.

"Aw man. I don't want to see another scrambled egg for a long time." Red Turbo sighed. "Come on. Let's go back to the Power Chamber, and then home." In five showers of sparks of colour, the Rangers teleported out.

**End of Part**

Disclaimer: I do not own the Power Rangers, they belong to the legal copyright owner. This is a non-profit story made without the consent of the show's creators and is a part of the Conquest of Evil storyline. Some parts of this story, especially Zedd's appearance belong to Jeremy Ray Logsdon.

**The New Generation**

There were good days and bad days to be a Ranger. If asked at that moment, Justin Stewart would have probably declared that this had been his worst day.

"Guys, hold on... this isn't funny," Justin protested as the Zeo Rangers advanced on him.

He drew his Auto Blaster and pointed it at his former teammates, not wanting to fire. In some ways he had been relieved that when Tommy, Adam, Kat and Tanya had morphed, they had used their Zeo powers. It meant that he had a speed advantage over them, even if it meant that they could pound him to a pulp once they managed to catch him.

"Don't do this guys," he begged, backing up. "I don't want to hurt you."

That apparently was the worst thing he could have said. Red Zeo, taking his words as a challenge, leapt towards him. The others were close behind. He narrowly avoided the Gold Ranger, only to run into Nathan Oliver. As the Brachio Ranger moved to strike him, Justin was teleported away, leaving the others under the monster's control.

"Got him Zordon."

"Excellent Alpha. Now lock down the teleportation system to prevent the others from following and then disable the Zords."

The day had been bad enough without having the mesmerised Rangers rampaging in giant battle machines. It had started with a single monster, one Zordon had eventually identified as a member of Divatox's crew. A long range scan had quickly followed and had only just managed to detect the pirate battle fleet that was slowly heading towards Earth.

The Rangers had been sent to combat the threat and had succeeded, finishing off the unfortunate brute with the Turbo Megazord. Normally that would have been the end of it, but Divatox seemed determined to pester the Rangers, distracting them from the armada that was closing on their planet. She had sent two of the warriors who wanted to collect the bounty she had placed upon the Ranger while Porto had been spotted observing the fight from a distance. It was then they had realised she was up to something.

So when the third monster had appeared, the Rangers had been prepared for all manner of surprises. They had fought and defeated him with surprising ease, but had started to think that maybe Divatox was trying to exhaust them. When the other Rangers, those who had left Angel Grove to continue their education elsewhere, had reported similar monster attacks, they had pondered if this was the start of an all out assault, or an attempt to wear them down before the fleet arrived.

And then Divatox's reasoning had become clear. Her monsters had not been attacking randomly. Their attacks had been a part of a plan to plant detonators. The extent of the scheme had been revealed when the bomber had had sent the Rangers a challenge: find the bombs before they detonated. He hadn't mentioned that the detonators would be guarded by more of those seeking to collect the bounty. The Rangers had approached the detonators, splitting up to reach the multiple sites at the same time, at which time they had been ambushed.

The traps placed around the world had triggered simultaneously. Jason, Billy, Kimberly, David, Aisha, Samoht, Trini and Zack had been sidelined following their battles with Divatox's forces. Bulk and Skull had been trapped in the crust of a giant pizza. But that did not compare to the trap the Rangers still in Angel Grove had faced.

Divatox had been especially devious in Angel Grove. Her detonators had been set to explode if approached by a morphed Ranger. That meant that at the moment they disarmed the devices, they were vulnerable to attack. And at that moment with the Rangers in close proximity to speakers she had placed close to the detonators, the mastermind behind her current plot, a bounty seeker named Bratty Piper, had attacked.

The hypnotic energy waves had enthralled the older Rangers, but had not had the desired effect on Justin. Realising this, Bratty Piper had ordered the other Rangers to attack their teammate. Tommy, Adam, Kat, Tanya, Rocky, Trey and Nathan had been caught by the monster's power. They had at his command morphed and attacked Justin. But Divatox had not realised that some of the Rangers held both the Turbo Powers and their Zeonisers in reserve. With Rocky present they had instinctively reacted as a team and used their Zeo powers.

"Done it Zordon."

As Alpha spoke, four sets of Turbo Keys appeared near one of the computer terminals, summoned from the subspace pocket where they normally waited for the Rangers to call on them. Justin reappeared moments later, still shielding himself from Nathan's attack. It took him a moment to realise that he was safely back within the confines of the Power Chamber.

"Zordon, what happened? The others..."

"It is good to see that you are safe Justin," Zordon replied calmly. "Alpha managed to teleport you back to the Power Chamber before the others could harm you."

"But why did they attack me?"

"Because Divatox ordered them to," came the reply. "Behold the Viewing Screen. This is Bratty Piper, a musician that is able to control all those within hearing range. Even Rangers."

"He's taken control of the other Rangers and will soon take control of Angel Grove," Alpha complained.

"But why wasn't I affected?" Justin asked, confused.

That was a good question. Justin had not been morphed when Bratty Piper had shown up, but even if he had there were no protections built into his suit to block this sort of attack. And if their had been, then morphing should have released the others from his control.

"Alpha, conduct a scan of Justin's body and compare it to the other Rangers."

Alpha did as he was told, using the Power Chamber's impressive array of energy scanning equipment to conduct a thorough scan of Justin and by extension his powers in search of an answer. While the initial results failed to show anything special, a more detailed investigation revealed the truth.

"Ai-yi-yi, it is a side effect of the Turbo Powers."

Zordon studied the many readouts before reaching the same conclusion. When the Turbo Rangers were morphed, they benefited from greater speed. In order to handle the increased momentum, their senses and reaction times were also increased. All five senses normally found in a human were enhanced and filtered through their helmets, which successfully blocked incoming signals from Bratty Piper. Because Justin had never held a power before becoming a Turbo Ranger, his body chemistry had been altered the first time he morphed.

"Zordon if we can find the frequency Bratty Piper used, can we block it?" Justin asked.

"Yes Justin. However I believe that doing so will only stop the other Rangers from obeying his commands. They will not be released until Bratty Piper is defeated." At least if the plan worked though they could stop the other Rangers from acting against them. "Alpha, prepare a transmission to all the Rangers."

"Yes Zordon."

With Alpha and the Power Chamber's computer working together, the signal was rapidly prepared and broadcast. They were rewarded when they noticed the hypnotised Rangers had stopped moving. The bad news was that Bratty Piper had already enslaved other humans who even now were working to construct huge machines to further Divatox's goal of world domination.

"What are those things anyway?" Justin wondered.

They were clearly vehicles, but for some reason they were being sculpted to resemble animals.

"Whatever their purpose it would be safe to assume their shape is a part of Divatox's plan."

The question was how to proceed? With Tommy and the others under the effects of Bratty Piper's transmission, only Justin was left to battle the monster. And it would clearly take more than one Ranger to defeat Bratty Piper. In the end there was only one choice, as much as he disliked being forced into such a position; the Council would be furious when they heard.

"Alpha, perform a scan of Angel Grove and search for anybody not affected by Bratty Piper's control."

Alpha did so and made a startling discovery. It appeared that while older teenagers and adults had fallen under the hypnotic sound, the younger members of the population were free of its effects.

"Zordon these scans say the control signal effects certain hormones and chemicals in the brain," Justin pointed out.

Indeed, those under a certain age were unaffected by the signal due to their different body chemistry. In order to extend his range, Bratty Piper had been forced to reduce the influence of his broadcast. And that left Zordon with an opportunity.

"Alpha, begin a search of Angel Grove for suitable replacements for the Turbo Rangers."

"Zordon you can't take away their powers for this..." Justin protested.

"Justin I do not intend to punish Tommy and the others for something that is not their fault," Zordon said. "However you will be unable to free them without help. Since Alpha has retrieved the unused Turbo Keys, we can recruit some new Turbo Rangers to assist. I assure you Justin that Alpha will compare those candidates against a list Tommy and the others had been considering as possible replacements. Although this is much sooner than we had discussed, you will not be disappointed."

That did not make Justin feel any better. It was one thing to ask Tommy and the others who they would one day like to approach to take over as Power Rangers. It was another thing to use those suggestions to recruit a team behind their backs. But as the faces appeared on the screen, Justin realised that his friends might have had an ulterior motive when suggesting this group. Perhaps they had chosen them because next to the Rangers, these four were the closest people Justin Stewart had to a family.

"Alpha, teleport them here immediately," he heard Zordon say.

From that point Justin's main worry was not how Tommy would feel, but how his new teammates would react when they found out that he had been a Power Ranger and had never told them.

"So, what do you think guys?" Justin asked twenty minutes later.

It had been a lot to take in for the four teenagers. When Justin had asked them to turn around, they had not expected to find themselves in the presence of a floating head. And when the afore mentioned head had told them that they had been chosen to become Power Rangers based in part upon their friendship with Justin, they had been understandably shell-shocked.

"This is real?" Tasha Young asked. "Because it this is some sort of joke Justin..."

She left the rest unsaid, but there was a clear promise of pain in the young man's future.

"I assure you Tasha, this is not a joke," Zordon rumbled. "Under normal circumstances I would not have asked you to take on this role until after you had been trained. However, at this time you are all suitable candidates."

"Gee, nice to be wanted," Tasha muttered.

"Adam's a Ranger," Franklin repeated for the third time, trying to make sense of the words. Discovering his brother was a superhero had been a shock. It had at least taken his mind off the fact that his parents and brother were practically zombies along with most of Angel Grove's adult population.

"Adam I can believe, but Rocky?" Although Rosa DeSantos loved her brother, the idea that he could be a Ranger seemed impossible.

"The Earth needs you my young friends," Zordon told them. "Justin has already proven himself a valuable member of the Power Rangers and I believe that Tommy and the others have chosen wisely. While young, I sense that you will grow into your new roles and will meet the many challenges to come."

"Guys, I'm already in," Justin told them, making a show of holding his Turbo Key in his left hand and offering the other four keys in his right hand. "I'm going whether or not you say yes."

The others turned to look at Fred, who had a thoughtful look on his face. "Can you feel it?" he said slowly. "This feels right. It is our destiny, we are meant to do this. If we walk away now, we're turning our backs on a chance to make a difference. Justin is our friend; Tommy and the others chose us because of that and Zordon said that we are the only ones who can do this. If we don't, then we're saying that it's okay with us if evil wins. We can't let that happen."

"Fred, we're not heroes," Franklin pointed out. "Okay, maybe Justin is. But the rest of us, we're just - kids."

"Heroes are defined by their actions, not their ages," Fred replied. "Your brother told me that once. We have a choice here. Either we walk away, and always wonder what we could have been... or we accept the risk, the danger, and make a difference. I know what I'm going to choose." Reaching out, he took one of the keys Justin offered, which immediately began to shine with red light.

"I'm in too," Rosa said, making a face as the key she selected glowed pink under her touch.

There was a long silence after that. Then Frank sighed. "Aw, hell, who wants to grow up anyway?" Reaching out a hand, he took one of the two remaining keys, which began to shine with an emerald light, the same colour as his T-shirt.

Tasha watched them incredulously. Shaking her head, she looked at each of her friends in turn. "Well, if you're all so hot to get yourselves killed, I might as well come along for the ride." Snatching the offered key from Justin, sticking her tongue out as she did so, she saw it glow yellow.

"Very well Rangers, let the Power of Turbo be transferred."

As Zordon spoke, a current of energy ripped through the four Turbo Keys. After a moment Justin's Turbo Key also energised in resonance with the other. Their heads snapped back and their eyes widened. They felt as if more energy than was contained in a thousand suns had been poured into them, then it dissipated and was gone.

"Whoa," Rosa managed, picking herself up off the Power Chamber's floor. "What a rush. Everybody okay?"

"So what do we do now?" Frank asked, looking around.

"Now you undertake your first mission as Power Rangers," Zordon told him. "I am sorry there has not been time for you to adjust to your new roles, however the more time that passes the more opportunity Bratty Piper will have to harm your friends and family."

"So what do we do?" Rosa asked.

"Bratty Piper's control comes from his magical flute," Zordon told them. "When the flute is destroyed his ability to disable others will disappear."

"But why would he only control the adults?"

"Hormones," Justin replied. "His music reacts with chemicals present in older teens and adults."

"That would be a likely reason," Zordon agreed. "However, I believe that Bratty Piper's control is limited the more people he tries to control. Given the choice, Divatox has ordered him to leave those she deems less capable of fighting back. As with many villains, she has not yet accepted the value of this planet's youth."

"So we destroy his flute, the other Rangers wake up, we defeat Bratty Piper and Divatox takes a hike?" Tasha asked.

Naturally they all looked to Fred for the next move. Justin was the experienced Ranger by a matter of weeks, but Fred had always been the group's leader. The young teen frowned, adjusted his baseball hat and then nodded.

"Let's do this..."

"Shift in Turbo," Justin supplied helpfully.

"Right, Shift into Turbo!"

Power flowed through the five morphing devices and into their wielders. For Justin there was the familiar sensation as his body was altered to assume the role of the Blue Turbo Ranger. For the other four the experience was slightly different. The program within the Turbo Keys scanned their bodies before calculating the best way to complete the transformations. Just like Justin they found themselves growing, although to their amusement it would later be discovered that Fred was still the shortest member of their little group.

"Alpha, teleport the Rangers to Bratty Piper's location," Zordon instructed.

Alpha hurried to obey and the Earth's newest heroes were on their way to save the world.

There was a saying that the most dangerous thing a villain could do was threaten a Ranger's family. In Divatox's case she had managed to threaten the brother and sister of two of Earth's Rangers, a boy who thought of Tommy as an older brother and another who had come to love the Rangers as his replacement family. And since the five Turbo Rangers were as close to siblings as they could get without being related, the fifth member of their little team felt the hurt that the others felt. Righteous anger flowed through them, amplified by their feelings for each other and their friends.

So when they appeared in the streets of Angel Grove, inexperienced compared to other Rangers, with only a few minutes to adjust to the thought that they were now a team, Bratty Piper never stood a chance. Five Turbo Rangers attacking from different directions without the drawback of having used different powers in the past. They moved as one, striking and then moving away ready to attack again. Franklin thought up the strategy and Fred gave the instructions. The other three quickly fell into roles similar to those they held in their civilian lives. With Tasha there to keep him from doing anything too rash, Justin was able to think of a way to release the others.

"Turbo Ram, Rev Up!" Red Turbo commanded.

After combining their five Turbo Power Weapons, which they had somehow known about, the Rangers formed the Turbo Ram, a wheeled cannon. Using the weapon, the blasted Bratty Piper, destroying his pipe in the process.

Far from Earth, Divatox was not impressed. Her fleet would not be in position for a while longer, and it was clear that the Rangers would soon be free of Bratty Piper's control. Luckily she had allowed for such an occurrence. The humans under Bratty Piper's control had been building the weapons others could use against the Rangers. Five giant vehicles of destructive power, one shaped to resemble a pig, another a scorpion, a third resembling a bull, the fourth a cat and lastly an elephant. They would keep the Rangers busy until se could unleash her barrage.

"Rygog, begin the attack!"

The Rangers, all the Rangers, had returned to the Power Chamber following Bratty Piper's defeat. Once Tommy and the others were released from the mind control, Divatox's other traps had seemingly vanished. But despite their relief, there was no time to relax, although they did exchange a few words of welcome with the new Turbo Rangers. The alarm sounded minutes after their arrival, highlighting a new threat.

"I am sorry to interrupt you reunion Rangers," Zordon said solemnly, "but I'm afraid there is an urgent problem that must be attended to."

On the Viewing Screen, the Rangers could see a small fleet of dark, animal-shaped vehicles out near the mountains, heading towards the Power Chamber. As the view narrowed, they noticed that one was being driven by Elgar. Or at least it appeared to be Elgar at first glance. A closer look highlighted the difference in the shape and size of his head, the whitened teeth and eyes, along with the leering expression that caused him to radiate an evil depravity. And it appeared that the cause of this transformation was the strange substance he was eating.

"Ai-yi-yi, the computer says it is Elgar!" Alpha moaned.

"He's heading this way," Tanya observed. "Before he changes his mind and heads towards Angel Grove."

"We'd better head him off in the Zords," Adam decided.

"Unfortunately this attack is only a part of the problem," Zordon told them as the image zoomed in on one of the other vehicles. "While Rygog's vehicle fleet is heading toward the Power Chamber, Divatox is taking the opportunity to move her armada closer to its attack position."

"We need to stop Divatox and those cars," Trini surmised.

"That is correct Trini." Zordon was silent, pondering what to do next. "When you first became Rangers, I instructed you never to escalate a battle unless force to do so. I believe that in this case you must take the attack to Divatox, and destroy her fleet before it can reach Earth."

"How are we supposed to reach them?" Kimberly asked. "They're in space."

"I believe the Zords will prove capable of enduring in space for a short time," Billy told them. "Alpha and I can reprogram the Zeo and Super Zeo Zords to accept alternative operators for the duration."

"So how will we do this?" Tommy asked as Billy, Alpha and Trini gathered around a terminal, where Tasha and Justin rapidly joined them.

"Trey will travel in Pyramidas with Bulk and Skull; Tommy, Adam, Rocky, Kat and Tanya should utilise the Zeo Megazord" Billy suggested. "Jason, Zack, Samoht, Trini and myself can pilot the Super Zeo Zords; David can pilot the Falcon Zord, Kimberly the Firebird and Aisha the Hawk. The Turbo Rangers should remain here to deal with Rygog. Nathan can direct the Warrior Wheel as a last resort."

It was not going to be an easy battle. The Rangers would be operating outside of their comfort zone with the most of the Turbo Rangers having never piloted a Zord before. But there was no time for a crash course, they would just have to try their best and hope that they would emerge victorious.

"Very well Rangers, good luck and may the Power protect you!"

Jason and Tommy exchanged a glance, nodded and started the process. "It's Morphin Time!"

Fred give his friends a smile and followed suit. "Shift into Turbo!"

"Okay, guys," Red Turbo said as they appeared outside of the Power Chamber. He stared up at the massive Zord before teleporting inside. "Let's do this."

As if reacting to the change in the team, the interiors of the Zords had altered slightly. Although it was possible, Justin realised as he took his seat, that the Zords were different because the Rangers had accessed them in their enlarged forms. The cockpit seemed smaller, less fancy, and the pilot's seat had been replaced by a go-cart. This was a Zord intended for working, not fitting in with the other cars in Angel Grove. Since the Turbo Rangers were too young to drive, that made sense.

"Okay, guys," Red Turbo said again, touching his chest before making a fist as his nervousness gave way to determination, "Let's stop them!"

The five-strong dark fleet advanced with Elgar taking the lead.

"You can't stop me, you fools! I'm Elgar!" he shouted as he noticed the Zords heading his way.

"Oh yeah?" Yellow Turbo called back, "we've stopped better than you!"

"Um Tash?" Sensing he had the Yellow Turbo Ranger's attention, Justin's survival instincts kicked in and he decided not to mention that she had only ever faced Bratty Piper. "Nevermind."

Red Lightning's indicator light blinked, causing Mountain Blaster to respond in kind, flashing its lights as it overtook the other Zord.

"Looking good Justin," Red Turbo called as Mountain Blaster passed him. "Now, let's show -our- stuff!"

Before he could put his words into action, Red Turbo realised that one of the dark vehicles, a dangerous looking machine with bull horns, had managed to sneak behind Red Lightning. The Zord's lights began to flash as a giant claw opened up and latched onto the back of the Zord.

"Whoa!" Red Turbo exclaimed as he was jolted by the impact.

The Zord swerved from side to side, trying to escape from the pursuing bull vehicle as sparks sprayed from its metal plating.

"Ah, guys?" Fred called.

"Hold on Fred! I'm on my way!" Blue Turbo called as he observed his leader's predicament from Mountain Blaster.

He swerved Mountain Blaster around ready to go on the offensive. He pressed down on the accelerator and smashed Mountain Blaster into the bull vehicle, freeing Red Lightning. Red Lightning zoomed away.

"Uh-oh," Pink Turbo muttered as she turned her head to discover one of the dark vehicles, shaped like an elephant, giving chase. She turned back and realised she was in real trouble as she was confronted by another member of the evil fleet, this one bearing a pig snout and curly tail. "Ah! Ah! I gotta think fast!"

Suddenly she felt the powers telling her what she needed to do. "Whoa!" she said as she found she knew how the Zord worked. "Wind Chaser, Split Mode!"

One of Wind Chaser's lights flashed as the Zord split in half and passed by on either side of the pig vehicle. The elephant vehicle smashed into the pig vehicle and they both exploded. At the push of another button, the Zord returned to normal, turned and drove off.

Inside Mountain Blaster, Justin was having fun. He had not had many Zord battles during his time as a Ranger, but he found them exhilarating.

"All right, a jump!" he cried excitedly as he spotted an incline in the desert road. "Here goes!"

Mountain Blaster performed the jump, shifting around the dark vehicles with ease. It was clear that he was playing with them.

"Oh, man, that was so cool!"

"Cool it Justin," Rosa warned. "We have work to do. Begin Docking Sequence!"

Justin sulked for a moment before pushing a button to start the gestalt formation.

Wind Chaser split again, completing its transformation into two arms, and joined onto the sides of Mountain Blaster. The docking was rough, setting off an air bag inside Wind Chaser's cockpit, due to the inexperience of the two Rangers.

"Whoa! That was a rough one," Rosa said as her go-cart moved backwards. "Here goes!"

"Me, too!" Blue Turbo said as he disconnected himself from his Zord's controls.

Moments later they arrived, sans go-carts, in the otherwise empty cockpit of the Turbo Megazord.

"Wow," Pink Turbo said. She was impressed even if it was a little cramped. "Isn't this great?"

"Heads up guys," they heard Green Turbo say, "cause here we come!"

Dune Star and Desert Thunder approached the joined form of Wind Chaser and Mountain Blaster from the front, Desert Thunder to its right and Dune Star to its left. Green Turbo turned his steering wheel hard to the right and the Yellow Turbo turned hers hard to the left.

Desert Thunder and Dune Star turned back the way they came, now on the opposite side of the formation. Pink and Blue Turbo watched them go past through the front screen of the cockpit.

"See you soon, guys!" Blue Turbo chuckled.

"That geek is having too much fun," Yellow Turbo complained.

Green Turbo just laughed, hearing the fondness in her voice. He turned his steering wheel to the right.

Their lights flashing, Desert Thunder pushed against the side of Dune Star, but the two Zords refused to dock together. Yellow Turbo growled as she was jolted by the impact. Desert Thunder fell away as Green Turbo prepared for another attempt.

Inside the Turbo Megazord cockpit, the Pink and Blue Rangers had resumed their seats and strapped themselves in for the bumpy ride.

"It sure is a tough way to dock!" Rosa commented. "Hope we'll get better at it."

Blue Turbo laughed. "We have to. We can't get much -worse-!"

"Let's try again Frank," Yellow Turbo said, "and this time don't step on my toes."

Franklin laughed again, remembering the time Rosa and Tasha had tried to teach them to dance. "Okay, you ready?"

"Yeah, ready as I'll ever be," Tasha replied. "Let's do it!"

Sensing the time was right, Green Turbo nodded. "Now!"

Green Turbo wrenched his steering wheel to the right and the two Zords finally docked together side-by-side. Yellow Turbo hit the brake and turned her steering wheel to the left. Dune Star and Desert Thunder spun around, their front sections aligned with the front section of Mountain Blaster.

"All right, they did it!" Blue Turbo cheered. "I'm right behind you, guys."

Blue Turbo activated something, causing Mountain Blaster's bumper bar to split and fold up above the Zord's bonnet. As the four Zords drew close, another of the dark vehicles, in the form of a scorpion, started blasting at them. But the Rangers were undaunted as Dune Star and Desert Thunder joined onto the front of Mountain Blaster. Yellow and Green Turbo appeared in the cockpit alongside the Pink and Blue Turbo, and strapped themselves in.

"Yeah! Good work, guys," Pink Turbo cheered.

"Yeah, we finally got it," Yellow Turbo agreed.

Green Turbo pointed at the dark vehicles. "Now, let's go get some bad guys!"

The laser-firing scorpion promptly turned to retreat but couldn't get out of the way fast enough and the four-fifths completed Megazord slammed into it with the back-ends of Desert Thunder and Dune Star. There was a small explosion as the fourth member of the evil fleet was taken out of the running.

Space

The Zord fleet moved forward at maximum speed, using Pyramidas to carry the smaller Zords. When they reached the pirate armada, they gave no quarter, using the Zords to smash and cripple the vessels before they could attack the Earth. Those that fired upon them were destroyed, others were left to either crash into a nearby planet or to limp back to dock for repair. If Divatox had been hoping for a swift victory, she like so many before her, would be very disappointed.

And when it was clear that the pirates would not cause further problems, the Rangers returned to Earth, allowing the survivors to escape.

"All right, good one. Now, it's my turn!" Red Turbo cried as he turned his Zord around and accelerated.

Unfortunately he found his route blocked by the last dark vehicle, driven by a laughing Elgar, who had picked Rygog up from one of the other vehicles.

"Going somewhere?" Elgar demanded.

Elgar swerved back and forth in front of Red Lightning, preventing it from reaching the others. The two machines had reached one of the rocky hills and scaled the slope as if it were a cliff-side road.

"As a matter of fact," Red Turbo responded as he slammed down the accelerator and pulled ahead of Elgar. "Yes!"

"I don't think so, Ranger!" Elgar growled as he side-swiped Red Lightning, causing the Zord to drop back.

"Wha! Whoa!" Red Turbo complained as his Zord was jolted by the impact.

He quickly regains control, though, and before long they were racing neck and neck.

"Back for more, huh?" Elgar asked as Rygog urged him drive more carefully.

Elgar forced his vehicle against Red Lightning and started to bash into the Zord. Sparks flew as Red Lightning's left side was ground against the cliff-face.

"Oh, man!" Red Turbo exclaimed.

"Elgar!" came an equally anxious complaint from Rygog.

Elgar was enjoying himself too much to do anything besides laugh as he forced Red Lightning against the cliff.

~Desperate times call for desperate measures.~ Fred thought as he pulled out the Zord technical manual before discarding it when he realised that it was more Justin's thing. But he did manage to learn enough to push one of the buttons, partially transforming his Zord.

Red Lightning's rear section pulled back to reveal the head of the Turbo Megazord. The head turned to the right and its eyes lit up yellow. The strange sight caused Elgar to lose his concentration.

"Watch where you're going!" Rygog warned as the vehicle smashed into a large rock, causing an explosion.

Red Lightning slipped by unscathed, keeping pace with the four conjoined Zords now below. With a twist of the wheel, Red Turbo forced his Zord to drive off the edge of the cliff.

"Initiating Final Docking Sequence!"

Red Lightning dropped down and docked successfully into the back of Mountain Blaster. The Red Ranger appeared in the cockpit, in the middle front seat as the others applauded.

"All right!" Red Turbo cheered. "Let's do it!"

The five conjoined Zords zoomed along the desert floor. Inside the cockpit, each Ranger brandished his or her Turbo Key.

"Initiate Turbo Megazord!"

They inserted their Keys into ignitions on the upper right of their respective control panels.

"Turbo Up!" Red Turbo called to which the others responded.

He grabbed hold of a steering wheel at the base of his control panel and at the turn of the key, the top and bottom sections of the wheel retracted into the side grips, leaving him holding two curved handles. He slammed on the brake, causing the brake lights on Desert Thunder and Dune Star to come on and the wheels to lock.

The sudden braking caused the Turbo Megazord to flip up into the air, sparks and dust flying in the process. Red Lightning split again, its front section becoming the Megazord's upper body and the rest folding down to form its head and back.

As the Megazord continued rising into an upright position, the five headlights from Mountain Blaster's roof raised up to chest level. The Megazord's eyes glowed, its headlight chestplate shone brightly, and with a few flashes of lightning the transformation was complete.

This proved too much for Rygog and after wrestling control away from Elgar, he retreated, leaving the other vehicles to fight against the Megazord. The remaining vehicles were swiftly defeated as the Turbo Rangers cheered.

Power Chamber,  
Later

It was a sacred ceremony, the passing of the torch from one generation of Earth's protectors to the new generation. Deep within the caverns under the Power Chamber, upon the Rock of Ages, a magical stone that Zordon believed was tied directly to the Morphin Grid, the old Turbo Rangers formally handed over their powers. Magic filled the air as the powers shifted, adjusting to the new status-quo. Morphin, Zeo and Turbo powers mixed and merged, altering and strengthening their connection to the Rangers. It was an awesome sight.

And as he watched, Zordon had to admit that he was satisfied with the outcome of the recent battle. The new Turbo Rangers had proven themselves capable in battle and had solved the problem of what to do when Tommy and his friends needed to move on with their lives. Fred, Tasha, Justin, Franklin and Rosa would be receiving training from many of the veteran Rangers, hopefully making their transition easier.

Unfortunately the political fallout had been exactly as he had expected. The Council had been livid, outraged that the Rangers had attacked an enemy before it attacked them. Zordon had dismissed the matter by pointing out that Divatox had attacked first. However the anti-Earth factions were using the latest events to make it appear that Earth was a danger. And since the number of Rangers had once again increased, they were now arguing that some of the Rangers should be forced to hand over their powers.

Where this would lead Zordon did not know. The Council was growing unpredictable and their were too many enemies for him to foresee all of the outcomes. However he was certain that he had made the right choice. But then only time would tell.

**End of Part**

Disclaimer: I do not own the Power Rangers, they belong to the legal copyright owner. This is a non-profit story made without the consent of the show's creators and is a part of the Conquest of Evil storyline. Some parts of this story, especially Zedd's appearance belong to Jeremy Ray Logsdon.

**Graduation Day**

Angel Grove

"So this is it then?" Skull said, summing up the feelings of the gathered heroes.

They were supposed to have graduated the end of the previous semester, but time lost due to recent monster attacks, especially the disaster in Mariner Bay, extra time had been added to the school year. Now there was no escaping what had been put off several times. It was time for the Rangers to grow up and take the next steps n their lives.

"What are you going to do?" Ernie asked. He had watched the Rangers grow in both number and maturity. In his mind they had come a long way since the day Rita Repulsa had first emerged.

"Well, Jason, David, Rocky, Billy, and I are all staying here," Tommy grinned. "Billy, David, Jason and Rocky are going to AGBI, I think Billy is going to spend half the week learning what he needs to run a business and the other half at Angel Grove University. David, Jason and Rocky are going to learn what they need to start a dojo together. Billy... he hasn't said what he has in mind yet, but know him it'll be impressive. As for me, my uncle offered me a job for a few months racing."

He didn't say it out loud, but he suspected his new powers had something to do with his sudden interest in motor sports. Well that and Lillian's fixation on motorbikes.

"I'll bet you'll succeed," the older man grinned. "I've never known anything stop you guys for long. What about the others?"

"Well, Zack and Aisha are going to Columbia, in New York City and Trini's off to Notre Dame. Trini and Zack have a few small projects to complete before they can concentrate on their studies. Adam's going to Northwestern, which is out in Illinois, and Kat's off to UCLA. Tanya's off to Pitt, Skull and Kim are going to France, and Bulk has a tryouts for the Angel Grove Cowboys. Jamie's going to Angel Grove University. Lillian's going to Crossworld City University, Christina and Katarina have scholarships at a Dance Academy in London. Trey's not going to college, of course. He's just going to stay around here, especially since Chelsea's gotten into Stanford. He might move there with her."

"What about...?"

"Well Justin and the Turbos will be here and we're all only a communicator call away, so whoever is nearest can help him out. It's not ideal, they're still too young, but it'll do."

There had been much discussion about how to handle their responsibilities. The Rangers had been willing to stay in Angel Grove, something that Zordon had refused to consider. In the end they had agreed that Fred, Tasha, Franklin, Rosa and Justin would continue to function as Turbo Rangers, while the other Rangers would provide support as needed. It was a decision that had made the Rangers feel some sense of relief while the Council had been angered that Zordon had once again ignored their ruling.

That was once thing that did worry the Rangers. Zordon's problems with his superiors were growing. The Galactic Council did not like Earth and hated the idea that Zordon continued to hand out powers to such a barbaric race. So far the only thing that had prevented them from taking action was Zordon's assertion that he had not given the powers to either the Zeo Rangers or the Turbo Rangers. He had been quick to point out that the Morphin Team fell under the jurisdiction of Ninjor, Saurian and Thalian, and the Turbo Rangers owed their powers to Lerigot.

Still it would not be long before the Council decided to make a power play of some kind. Zordon had mentioned that he had prepared to lock the majority of Power Mountain away from unauthorised persons, allowing the Rangers to use the headquarters without worrying about whatever forces the Council might decide to place there.

A tap on his shoulder brought him back to reality. He gratefully accepted the drink Lillian offered him as he watched Zack playing to the crowd. The party was a success, and as the entire team gathered on the patio at Ernie's to watch the fireworks, Tommy felt a flash of triumph. Things were always changing in their lives, but somehow, they always came around to the same place again. Yes things were far from perfect, and the forces of darkness were still out there, but in the here and now everything seemed fine.

**End of Part**

**Disclaimer:** The Power Rangers aren't mine, they belong to Saban. The Real Ghostbusters belong to somebody else as well, but I can't quite remember who at this point. The descriptions of the characters's physical attributes are based on the Real Ghostbusters, the cartoon based on the movie. For those readers who have never seen the cartoon show, 1. you're deprived, and 2. you may be a little confused at the character descriptions. They don't look exactly like they do in the movies. Thanks to all those Ghostbusters sites out there on the net for information used in this story. You know who you are. This story is not mine either. It was originally written by Ellen Brand for her Personality Conflicts series, and has been modified to fit into the COE universe. I would like to thank Ellen once again for allowing me to do this sort of thing.

Who You Gonna Call?

It had not been a good day for Dr Peter Venkman. The psychologist-turned-paranormal exterminator had started the day on a six AM bust, chasing down a pair of poltergeists that had a love of pitching ectoplasm. As usual, Peter had received the brunt of the slime, while the other Ghostbusters had escaped unscathed. Then, upon returning to headquarters, Peter had been slimed again, this time by the firehouse's resident ghost, Slimer. After finally removing the last of the ectoplasm from his person, he had come to the gym to work out and shoot a few hoops. That's when he had run into his latest problem.

Four very big, very mean-looking guys, each of whom could break me in half without a problem, Peter thought wryly, running a hand through his dark hair. "Look, guys, last I checked this was an open court. You can't hog it all day."

"We do what we want, mister," one of the gorillas said, eyeing him. "If you've got a problem with that, we'd be happy to discuss it."

"How old are you guys? You can't be more than seventeen. Come on, let the kids play. It wasn't that long ago you were that age yourself." Over on the sidelines, several children, all approximately twelve to fourteen years old, watched the by-play with interest.

"Nobody tells us what to do," growled another of the boys. "Least of all some old shrimp like you."

"Old?" Peter echoed, offended. "I'm only thirty-nine! Listen, I'll make you boys a bet. A little basketball, me against you. If I win, you clear off the court. If you win, I'm gone, no problem. Unless you're afraid to play an old guy like me."

The bullies laughed. "Four of us against you? You've got to be kidding! Four against one?"

"Four against two," a voice said behind Peter. The psychologist turned to see a young man, about the same age as his opponents. His hair and eyes were black, and his skin was almost the same colour. Also, he wore a black T-shirt which showcased a rather impressive, if lean, musculature.

"You goons against me and him," the newcomer continued, moving onto the court. "What do you say?"

The bullies regarded each other for a long moment. "I'd say you're on!"

"Thanks for the back-up," Peter said quietly, while the four boys began to warm up. "I'm Peter Venkman, by the way."

The young man took Peter's offered hand and shook it firmly. "Zack Taylor. Nice to meet you, Mr Venkman."

"Dr Venkman, actually, but please, call me Peter. Everybody does- well, almost everybody," he amended, thinking of the Ghostbusters' secretary, Janine.

"Okay, Peter. You good at basketball?"

"Sort of," Peter grimaced. "I used to coach, a while ago. You?"

"Played a lot back home. The important part will be working as a team."

The two men stretched out, then headed out to the centre of the court for the face off. The jump ball was thrown, and the game began. It was rather one-sided, of course. Between Zack's quickness and Peter's experience, the four muscle-bound gorillas never stood a chance. The pair quickly outdid their opponents, making it to ten points before the others could blink.

"Thank you, gentlemen," Peter grinned. "The door is that way." Knowing they were beaten, the goons left, their eyes on the ground. "Come on in, kids," Peter called, tossing the ball towards the watching children. "The court's all yours."

As the children ran onto the court, Peter and Zack moved off to the sidelines, sitting on one of the benches the gym provided. "So, what brings you to the gym?" Peter asked casually, sipping from his water bottle.

"I signed up to play in the charity game at the Boys' and Girls' Club, and I wanted to get a little practicing in before I met the team," Zack replied. "You?"

"Same, actually. I haven't really played a lot recently, and I thought I ought to get back into shape. You said you played a lot back home. Where is that?"

Zack chuckled. "Angel Grove, California. A long ways away."

"Here for college?"

"Yeah, I'm a freshman, majoring in Communications at Columbia University."

Peter smiled. "I used to work at Columbia, before I went into the private sector. That was a long time ago, though."

Zack looked at him for a moment. "Dr Peter Venkman. Hey, you're a Ghostbuster, right? I've seen you on the news all the time."

"Ah, fame. It's nice, but it can get a little annoying."

"You won't get an argument out of me," Zack replied, a secretive smile on his face. After all, he thought, I've had to dodge reporters for a large part of the last four years. I know what a hassle fame can be. Looking down at his watch, his eyes widened. "Oh, man! I'd better get back to the college before I'm late! Bye, Peter! See you at the first group practice!" Leaping to his feet, Zack ran out of the gym. Peter watched him go, then headed for the showers.

As he walked out of the gym building, a voice behind him caught his attention. "Peter! Over here!" He turned to see his three best friends in the world waving at him from where their car was parked by the curb.

"Hey, guys, what's up?" Peter asked, crossing towards them.

"Well, we thought we'd come and get you, and we could all go out to dinner, maybe that little Chinese place you like," Ray explained earnestly. "Earnest" was the best word in existence to describe Ray Stantz. Although the occultist was only a year younger than Peter, he still seemed like an eternal child. Ray could dredge up enthusiasm for a bust at two in the morning, in the pouring rain. His auburn hair was constantly slightly disordered, his brown eyes were usually wide, and he habitually had a huge smile on his face. Today was no exception.

"So what took you so long, Pete?" Winston Zeddemore asked. The oldest of the Ghostbusting team, Winston was now almost fifty, grey beginning to show in his black hair, but still in great shape. The older man was the sensible, practical one of the group, usually hauling the other three back when they got too into their work. "Usually you're out by now. We had to wait almost twenty minutes. Ray wanted to go in and look for you."

"Oh, I ran into a little trouble on the basketball court," Peter replied dismissively. "Luckily, I got a little help from a new freshman friend of mine. You'll never guess where he's going. Columbia!"

"Columbia?" echoed Egon Spengler, the fourth member of the group, blue eyes twinkling. "Did you tell him about how you got the three of us thrown out of that hallowed institution of higher learning?" The tall, lanky, blond physicist had a dry, deadpan sense of humour that contrasted well with Ray's enthusiasm and Peter's constant joking. Usually he was the straight man for the three, who had known each other since their days as college students.

"Egon, you wound me," Peter replied easily, heading for the car. "Come on, let's go eat. If I have to spend another night protecting my dinner from Slimer, I'm going to blast the Spud myself." Laughing, the four men climbed into the car and drove off.

Back in his dorm room after his latest class, lying on his bed, Zack thought about his day, grinning to himself. "A Ghostbuster, huh? Boy, I've sure met a lot of interesting people since I came here," he remarked to no one in particular. He liked Columbia, and New York City, a great deal. He hadn't been bored since he started, although he was careful to spend a reasonable amount of time studying. Still, he had made a lot of new friends, and was truly enjoying the experience.

Sighing, he turned on his side. New York was great, but it wasn't Angel Grove. Truth be told, sometimes he missed his friends awfully. They all kept in touch, via letter as well as communicator, but it wasn't the same as seeing them every day. We're scattered to the four winds, he thought sadly. I wonder if we'll ever be together again.

His friends weren't the only things he missed, if he wanted to be honest with himself. He also missed the thrill of being a superhero. No aliens threatened New York, and the Turbo Rangers were doing an excellent job of defending Angel Grove. Still, he couldn't help but wish he was back in the action, fighting along side his friends.

He had felt this longing before, while he was attending the Peace Conference in Switzerland. At first, he had been all for it, barely even missing his Ranger powers as he made a difference, little by little, in the world at large. He had enjoyed the mild fame that came with being a delegate, enjoyed travelling, seeing new things, and meeting new people. The thrill had palled after a while, however. Jason had felt it first, of course. Zack had been sceptical of Jason's joining the conference in the first place. His long-time friend had always been a man of action, a fighter, not a talker. Not that Jason wasn't in favour of peace. In all the time Zack had known him, Jason had never started a fight, and never gone into one without first doing everything in his power to avoid it. Still, he wasn't happy in an atmosphere where everything was talk, no action. Zack had not been at all surprised when Jason left the conference.

He had been a little more startled when he had begun feeling the same longing in himself. He had always thought of himself as the happy-go-lucky one, the Rangers' comedy relief. It had always been his job to break the tension when it rose too high. Eventually, he realized that his problem was that he felt useless at the conference. After seeing monsters destroyed, watching the people as they realized they'd been saved, and knowing that he'd succeeded in his mission, he wasn't able to be satisfied with talking about a peace that never seemed to get anywhere, and no one seemed to appreciate.

Towards the end, right before they had left to return to Angel Grove, Zack had sighted the first stages of the feeling in Trini as well. She had always been so patient, but it was becoming obvious that their work at the conference had proceeded as far as it could. Trini had been the one to make him see the conference's real value, though. She had told him that if young adults, the best and the brightest from all over the world, could learn to put aside their differences and work together, then when these best and the brightest were controlling the countries of the world, there might be less misunderstanding and conflict. Zack understood, he thought, but even Trini had to admit that their presence was no longer making a difference to the assembly. If Minion had not caused them to do so, they probably would have been returning home soon anyway.

Sighing, Zack looked at the pictures beside his bed. He'd only been able to take three pictures with him to college, due to space restrictions, so he'd been very careful on his choices. One was of course of his girlfriend, Angela. He didn't know if their relationship would survive their separation, but he still cared about her very much, and they wrote to each other often.

The second picture was of him and seven other teens. Zack sighed again. The eight of them were the Morphin Rangers of Earth, fully empowered by the various aspects of the Morphin Grid to act as Earth's last line of defence against the evil aliens who threatened it. Five of them had been together since the day Zordon had recruited them to serve as Power Rangers. The three later, yet equally welcome additions had come along when they had been asked to protect the Earth again. These people had become almost an extended family to him, closer than anything he'd ever known. He missed them incredibly.

The final picture was a group shot, taken just before they'd all left for college. They were all there, all the people who were part of or had in some way become a part of their little group, all crammed together and grinning at the enormous panoramic camera. The group was loosely arranged with Justin and the other Turbo Rangers at the very front. Everybody looked rather uncomfortable at the crowding, but happy. Most of them were goofing off for the camera, and Zack was powerfully reminded of how much he missed them all.

Rolling onto his back once more, he stared at the ceiling. Only 'til Thanksgiving, he thought to himself. When break comes, I'll see them again.

"Taylor! Downcourt to Sanders!" The coach cried, clapping her hands together. "Come on, guys, let's see some hustle!" Zack's team for the charity basketball game, the Lions, had been practicing together for while now, and Zack was quickly emerging as the star of the team. Not only could he shoot, dribble, and guard like a pro, but he was extremely good at getting the ball to the other members of his team.

Peter was also one of the team's better players. Although a bit older than most of the other players on the court, he was in excellent shape, mainly from lugging around a heavy proton pack for hours at a time. Also, he had developed an unusual agility from dodging slime, which came in handy against younger players.

"All right, guys, great game," Coach Matthews congratulated them. "I'll see you all back here same time Friday, right?" She was greeted with a chorus of somewhat weary affirmations. "Great! Hit the showers." The players went off to the various locker rooms to clean up and change. As Zack was heading out of the building, Peter caught up with him.

"Hey, where you headed?" Peter asked, falling into step with the younger man.

"The museum. I've got a job there doing grunt work in the archaeology department. I file stuff, type stuff, make coffee, that sort of thing. Money's useful when you're a college student."

Peter nodded. "Ah, yes. I remember the condition. Mind if I walk with you? I've got to catch a bus in that direction anyway."

Shrugging, Zack replied, "Sure, why not?" The two men walked in silence for a little while, then Peter broke it.

"You were pretty impressive out there on the court today. You seem to know exactly how to work with a team."

Zack chuckled, seemingly at some private joke. "I played basketball with my friends a lot," he replied. Although that's not where my teamwork skills come from.

Peter seemed about to reply when a siren startled them both. They turned to see Ecto-1, the Ghostbusters' reply vehicle, actually a hearse painted like a police car, pulling up next to them. Sticking his head out of the passenger's side window, Ray beckoned frantically.

"Peter, come on! We've got a call at the museum, and they want us there pronto!"

Peter groaned. "Ray, I just took a shower. I have been playing basketball for three straight hours. I'm tired, I'm sore, I'm hungry, and the last thing I want to do is tangle with some purple gooper that thinks I'm its lunch!"

"It's not a gooper, Peter. The museum's come up with some artefact, and it's driving the archaeology department nuts. It's some sort of crystal, and every time someone comes near it, it flashes in these colours. They have no idea what it is, so they called us."

Peter, interested despite himself, looked back at Zack. "Want a ride? You'll be crammed in between Egon and me, but there should be room."

Zack shrugged. "Why not? We're headed in the same direction, after all."

Once in the car, Peter attempted to slip into his jumpsuit and boots without elbowing Zack more than absolutely necessary. "So, Ray, what exactly is this crystal you're talking about?" Peter asked with a long-suffering air.

"They're not sure. The doctor described it as a regular octahedron, shaped like two four-sided pyramids placed base to base. It's clear quartz, but there seem to be coins of some golden-bronze metal embedded in each side. It's supported by four posts on a square base of the same metal."

"Anything on the coins? Sorry, Zack." Peter removed his elbow from the younger man's eye and zipped up the suit.

"Yeah, animal symbols," Ray replied. "The doctor can't identify them, though."

"And there's nothing in Tobin's Spirit Guide, or any of the other material we have on hand," Egon interrupted, speaking for the first time since Zack had gotten in the car.

"Any theories, you boy geniuses?" Despite the teasing tone of Peter's words, it was obvious that he had a lot of confidence in Ray and Egon's abilities. It reminded Zack of the way Tommy and Jason sometimes talked to Billy. Occasionally they teased him, but they always knew he'd be there for them in an emergency. It was rarely acknowledged, but it was always there.

"Sure, Peter, we've got theories," Ray responded. "It could be cursed, or maybe just some sort of psychic amplifier. Who knows, maybe it's some sort of beacon for sending out a signal into the unknown."

"Or maybe it's just a paranormal nightlight," Peter responded, his jade eyes sparkling with mischief. He knew it would get a rise out of Ray, and perhaps Egon, and he enjoyed needling them both occasionally. However, before either of them could rise to the bait, Winston interrupted them.

"We're here," he chuckled, throwing the car into park. The four men strapped on their packs and headed into the building, Zack following behind. Soon, the five of them reached the archaeology department, where most of the staff was clustered in one corner of the room, regarding the crystal at the other end with deep suspicion.

"Dr Markov?" Zack called. "I'm here to help with the filing."

An attractive woman in her mid-thirties, blond hair pulled back in a sensible bun, crossed towards him. "Thank you, Zack, but I'm afraid that we won't have much for you to do. Since this thing started acting up, the whole department's shut down."

"Dr Elsa Markov?" Egon asked, moving to the front of the group. "I'm Egon Spengler. I read your latest dissertation on Babylonian shrines, and I found it most interesting."

"Thank you, Doctor Spengler," she replied, shaking his hand. "I only hope you can help us with our current problem."

"We'll do our best," Ray informed her. "Now, we need to ask you a few questions." As the Ghostbusters talked to Dr Markov, Zack tuned them out, wandering over to examine the crystal. As he approached, it flared an impressive black, causing him to furrow his brow.

"Hey, watch it!" Peter cried, hauling Zack back. "You have no idea what that thing is capable of!"

"If it was going to toast people for looking at it, it would have done it by now," Zack retorted, shaking off the older man's hand. He returned to examining the crystal, which still glowed black. Careful not to touch it, he looked at the designs on the coins, and barely stifled a groan. The eight coins bore eight symbols, six of which were extremely familiar to Zack. "Tyrannosaurus, Sabre-Toothed Tiger, Triceratops, Pterodactyl, and Mastodon," he mumbled to himself, identifying each animal in turn. The sixth was the fleur-de-lis which symbolized the Dragon. "These two must be Drago and Stegasaurus."

"That's what they look like to me," Dr Markov agreed, startling him. "The crystal doesn't seem to react to my approach, so I was able to get a good look at them while we waited for you."

Zack shook his head in wonder. He came all the way across the country for college, and he ran into a crystal that was obviously related in some way to the Morphin power. That's why it had flashed black at his approach, but he couldn't understand why it would flash at the proximity of civilians.

"Hmm," Egon mused. Adjusting his PKE meter, he stepped closer to the crystal, and was startled as it flashed with a bright blue light. "Interesting. The PKE spiked just as I approached. Ray, would you come over here, please?" When Ray stepped toward the crystal, it flashed again, this time with a white light. The experiment was repeated with the other two Ghostbusters, and both times the crystal flashed a different colour. Peter's approach drew a green light from the stone, while Winston evoked a pink flash.

"Pink?" the older man asked, his tone a mixture of astonishment and distaste. "Pink?" For his part, Zack could barely keep from laughing. He had finally figured out what the colours in the crystal meant. They weren't an indicator of the power an individual held, but rather the type of personality, where they would fit on the grid. Peter had talked about the other Ghostbusters enough that Zack felt he could analyse them slightly. Egon, cool and scientific, was definitely a Blue. Ray was more intuitive, mystical, a perfect White. Winston, practical, down-to-earth, and somewhat protective, was a Pink, even though the colour was usually associated with females. As for Peter, well, Zack had been around Tommy and Samoht for that matter long enough to recognize that the psychologist's cocky, self-assured behaviour was a front for a man who was a bit of a loner, someone who had been through a good deal of pain. In short, Peter was a Green, through and through. Excusing himself, Zack left the museum quickly. He wasn't going to get any work done that evening, and he most assuredly needed to contact Zordon about this.

Back at the firehouse, Winston was making dinner and trying to shoo Slimer away from the food, while Egon and Ray debated their findings on the crystal, and Peter relaxed on the couch, listening to them. "Interestingly enough, I found that when the crystal flashed, the PKE spiked, but with a strange resonance pattern," the physicist said. "These resonance patterns were always the same for any certain colour and only that colour."

"Like light," Peter mused from the couch. "Every colour has a different wavelength." He looked up to see the other two regarding him in astonishment. "Hey, I paid attention in high school physics," he said defensively. "It was Government where I sat behind Mary Lou Mason." Ray and Egon just sighed.

"So what do you think the different colours represent?" Ray asked, looking over the notes. "The same person always produced the same colour, and there only seemed to be eight colours. They didn't even go with the spectrum, because the crystal produced black, white, and pink, but no orange or indigo."

"How do you tell indigo from blue or purple anyway?" Peter demanded. The two men sitting at the table ignored him.

"I have no idea what the colours might represent," admitted Egon. "However, the people that it reacted to were surrounded with higher-than-usual levels of PKE. Perhaps that has something to do with it."

"You all can discuss this later," Winston broke in, bringing a bowl out of the kitchen. "Dinner is served."

"So what is that thing, Zordon?" Zack asked. He was alone in his dorm room once again, as his roommate was more interested in partying as much as possible. That was just fine with him, especially now, when he needed the privacy to talk into his communicator.

"It is a Detection Crystal, one of three used by Morphin Masters to identify those with the potential to wield the Power. The Dinosaur Crystal, which it would appear has shown up at the museum, to detect those strong enough to handle the powers and provide them with limited access to the Morphin Grid. The one crystal in and of itself is harmless, however when used alongside the Thunder and Ninja Crystals, it could provide those holding it with power equal to or perhaps greater than tat of a Power Ranger. Prolonged exposure could lead the holder to become incredibly powerful. If just the one Crystal has been found, there is no danger. However, if the other two Crystals should turn up, you must be prepared to guard them, and perhaps bring them back here, or even destroy them if necessary."

"Right, Zordon. Zack out." Zack cut off the communication, falling back on the bed. "Well," he sighed aloud, "I missed the action of being a Ranger. Reminds me of the old saying. 'Be careful what you wish for.'"

A few days passed without major problems. Egon and Ray spent a great deal of time in the museum's archaeology department, but other than their constant presence, things slowly returned to normal. Then, while Zack was doing some filing, Dr Markov received a call. "Yes? You have?" she asked, sitting up very straight. "Exactly like the one we have? Well, what symbols are on the coins? Really. That's interesting. No, send it over, please. We'll have the Ghostbusters take a look at it. Thanks. Goodbye." Hanging up the phone, she turned to Zack, who was currently the only other person in the office.

"It's incredible, Zack! An estate sale just turned up a Crystal like the one we have, except the symbols on the coins are different! Apparently, one's a tiger, and there seems to be a unicorn on one of the others. A courier is bringing it over immediately. I'm going to call the Ghostbusters, so I suppose you're done for the evening. Why don't you pack it in, and you'll be paid for the full time, of course."

"Thanks, Dr Markov," he replied. As she turned back towards the phone, he grimaced. The new Crystal had to be the Thunder Crystal. It was an awfully big coincidence, the second Crystal showing up now, and so close to the first. Zack didn't like coincidences. They usually resulted in his nearly getting killed.

"I don't like coincidences, Egon," Peter complained as Ecto-1 pulled up to the museum once again. "They usually mean bad things for us, remember? Remember those haunted girders? Every time we think we've got a coincidence, something very bad happens."

"You worry too much, Pete," Winston grinned.

"Yeah," seconded Ray. "What's the worst that can happen?" The four men walked into the room where the Crystals were being displayed and stopped, speechless. Finally, Ray managed to sum up the reactions of all four of them. "Wow," the occultist breathed. The two crystals, side by side, were flickering and pulsating, energy jumping between them.

"Maybe putting these things together wasn't such a good idea," Peter gulped, for once completely serious. None of the others contradicted him. Egon quickly pulled a PKE meter out of one pocket and began scanning the Crystals intently.

"Fascinating," the physicist mused. "The PKE readings have gone up exponentially, by a power of eight. I still can't get a lock on exactly what they're doing, though."

Voices coming down the hall caused all four men to look up. "Dr Markov, please listen to me!" Zack cried, following the doctor into the room. In her hands she carried a packing box and she was not looking at the young man behind her. "I live in Angel Grove, where monster attacks are a daily thing. I know weird when I see it, and those Crystals are WEIRD! I think putting that one in with the other two would be a very bad thing."

"Nonsense," the doctor replied, setting the box down. "These Crystals are obviously a set. They belong together."

"But Dr Markov!" Zack shot back desperately. "Don't you think there's a reason they were broken up?"

"I must agree with Zack, Dr Markov," Egon broke in, stepping forward. "I believe placing these three Crystals together, when we have no idea what they were designed for, would be disastrous." However, he was too late. Dr Markov had already removed the third Crystal from its packing case and set it near the other three. Quicker than thought, green light began to flash among the three crystals, building until it shot out, striking Peter and knocking him into the wall.

In an eyeblink, the three other Ghostbusters were at the side of their fallen friend. While Egon dispassionately checked Peter's pulse and pupillary response, Ray and Winston attempted to bring him back to consciousness. "Peter, wake up," Ray pleaded.

"Come on, buddy, wake up. You took a nasty shot, but you're gonna be okay," continued Winston.

Egon, finished with his examination, turned to his two friends with a shrug. "He should be fine. His pulse is regular, and I can detect no trace of a concussion. Peter's customary hardheadedness has saved him once again."

"Egon, you are so mean," Peter said weakly, his eyes fluttering open. Almost immediately, his friends helped him to sit up. "Oh, man, what hit me? I feel like I took a sledgehammer between the ribs."

While the Ghostbusters had been tending to Peter, and Dr Markov had been staring at the Crystals in shock, Zack's attention had been taken by something different. All around him, he noticed the shadows in the room growing deeper, darker. A hideously familiar chittering sound had reached his ears. "No," he whispered, almost to himself. "Nyghtmayr's dead. We destroyed him." Despite his denials, however, he could not convince himself that what he was hearing was not the noise of the Horrors, Nyghtmayr's hench-creatures. Picking up the Ninja Crystal, he quickly brought it over to the Ghostbusters. "Hold onto this," he told Peter seriously. "Don't let anything take it, although I think they'll be concentrating on me."

"What are you talking about?" Peter asked, taking the Crystal gingerly. "What's happening?"

"Please, don't ask questions," Zack shot back. "I don't have time to answer them. Just protect this Crystal at all costs." The chittering grew louder, and Zack turned back to the shadows, which had begun to swirl together, forming an impossible pool of darkness at one end of the room. Slowly, a form pulled itself out of the hole, a dragon-shaped creature, approximately the size of a Saint Bernard, made completely of darkness. Along with it came thousands upon thousands of smaller versions, chittering and snickering to themselves.

**At last, I am free! Free to avenge my master's destruction, and destroy all those who opposed him! Go, my pets, bring me the Crystals!** the creature chuckled evilly.

Swallowing hard, Zack stepped forward. In a voice that was surprisingly steady, he called out, "Haven't you forgotten something, demon? I'm still here. It's Morphin Time! Black Ranger Power!" In a flash of black light, Zack was transformed into the Black Morphin Ranger, startling the Ghostbusters immensely. Dr Markov, however, had passed out when the demon had entered the room, and so missed Zack's transformation.

The large black creature regarded Zack with interest. **Sssooo, we meet at last,** the creature hissed. **You are one of those responsible for the destruction of my master, Nyghtmayr, and of my brothers! I am Angyr, and I will destroy you.**

"Yeah?" Zack replied, raising one eyebrow. "Give it your best shot." Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the smaller creatures grabbing the two crystals on the table. "Oh no you don't!" He lunged for them, but was thrown back by a blast from the demon's talon.

**If you would stand against me, Zack Taylor, we will fight. But not here, not now. Retrieve the third Crystal!**

"I don't think so," Egon interrupted, unholstering his proton thrower. Ray and Winston quickly did the same, while Peter stood behind them, clutching the Crystal to his chest.

**Fools! Do you think your puny weapons will stop me?**

"Why don't we find out?" responded Winston, his thrower still aimed directly at the demon.

"I don't know what you are, but I'm willing to bet that a shot of protons will at least fry your little buddies," Peter chuckled. "Care to try?"

Angyr regarded him for a long moment, then began making an awful, cacophonous hissing sound. It took all five humans a moment to realize the creature was laughing. **I like you, human. You have- spirit. We will meet again, of course, young Ranger**, it said to Zack. Then it disappeared, with the Thunder and Dinosaur Crystals, back into the darkness it had come from.

Sighing, Zack powered down and turned back to the Ghostbusters. "I guess I have some explaining to do, huh?" he grimaced.

"I would say," nodded Peter. "Maybe we should do it back at the firehouse, though. It's a little better defended against supernatural occurrences."

Zack nodded, morphing back to his normal self. "We can probably leave Dr Markov here, though. The Crystals didn't react to her, so Angyr shouldn't have much interest in her. When she wakes up, she'll probably think she hallucinated the whole thing." The five men walked out the door, leaving the unconscious scientist behind.

"So you're a superhero?" Egon asked, very sceptical. Zack just nodded.

"Wow," Ray breathed. "That must be interesting. What was that thing at the museum tonight, and why was he after the Crystals?"

Zack took a deep breath. "His name is Angyr, and he's a Horror: a minor demon in the service of the demon Nyghtmayr. The other Rangers and I destroyed Nyghtmayr a while back, and took some of his Horror out at the same time. Apparently, Angyr escaped and by the looks of him, evolved. I don't know if there are any more out there, but I doubt it. Nyghtmayr's servants are based on the emotions that sustain evil, and I don't think there's any more than fear, despair, bitterness, hatred, doubt, and anger. I could be wrong, though.

"Anyway, Angyr wants the Crystals because they provide a way for it to tap into the Morphin Grid. Our Power Morphers could do the same, but he'd have to get them off us first. These Crystals each tap into one of the three different levels of the Grid, which is the source of the energy humans call magic. It's also known as PKE, although it has a different flavour than the type you're used to reading."

"That's why the PKE meters registered a spike every time the Crystal flashed," Winston realized.

"Exactly. The first Crystal you examined was the Dinosaur Crystal. It's the power of the Body. That level is the energy that bulls through a problem. It lacks finesse, but it has great strength and power. The second Crystal was the Thunder Crystal. It harnessed the power of the Mind. Mind level attacks a problem from all sides, backing off and attacking again. It's understated than Body, but sometimes misses the subtle nuances of a problem. Finally, there's this Crystal, the Ninja Crystal. It controls the level of Spirit. Spirit examines a problem, letting the problem come to it, and understanding it. Only then does it strike. Spirit can gain a lot of information, but it lacks raw power. The best teams contain a balance of these three levels. My friends and I were granted access to all three levels although my personality is best suited to using the Mind level."

"So what will this demon do with these crystals?" Peter inquired, leaning forward. He had almost completely recovered from slamming into the wall.

"He'll try to get the third one. With all three, he can command the power of the Morphin Grid, and turn it against the world. Trust me, the results won't be pretty."

"But he only has two," Ray noted.

"That'll give him enough power to turn against anyone who opposes him," Zack sighed. "I'm going to have to call the other Morphin Rangers in on this. The Turbo Rangers will be next to useless against this sort of pure magic of the grid thing and I doubt Zeo would manage any better." Tapping on his communicator, he put out the call. Within moments, the other Morphin Rangers were standing in the kitchen of the Ghostbusters' firehouse, looking around themselves in astonishment.

"Okay, Zack," Skull yawned. "Who are these people, and what is so important that you called us here in the middle of the night?"

Zack smiled. Bulk and Skull while not strictly Morphin Rangers used similar powers. In fact nobody had been able to determine exactly how their powers worked. The closest explanation was that they were Hybrid powers like those Nathan used.

"Guys, these are the Ghostbusters. Egon Spengler, Ray Stantz, Peter Venkman, and Winston Zeddemore. Ghostbusters, these are the other Morphin Ranger. Jason Scott, Trini Kwan, Billy Cranston, Kimberly Hart, Aisha Campbell, David Trueheat and Samoht Revilo, just call him Sam. Over there is Eugene Skullovitch, commonly called Skull, and Farkus Bulkmier, who would prefer it if you called him Bulk." After the introductions, Zack had to explain to the rest of the Rangers why he had revealed their secret to the Ghostbusters. All five of his friends paled considerably at the mention of Angyr.

"Not to interrupt," Egon interrupted, "but if we're going to help out, which I strongly suggest we should, I would like to understand a few more things. Number one, what did the colours in the Crystal, or of your animals, signify?"

Zack looked at Billy. "You want to take this one, genius?"

Billy smiled. "Certainly. The Morphin Power, besides being divided into three levels, is also stratified into eight colours. Some believe there is a ninth colour, but opinion is divided. These colours are Red, Yellow, Blue, Pink, Black, Green, White, and Purple. Bulk and Skull use a different type of power that ties into the Morphin Grid in some form."

"It's not exactly normal, but with these two that's not surprising," Zack commented.

"Hey!" Skull scowled before grinning. It was true that when he and Bulk did something the results were usually spectacular and just a little strange.

"At any rate," Billy continued, taking up the thread of his lecture once again, "the colours represent different types of personality. Each colour has three different animal spirits, one for each level of the power. Reds are leaders, hot-headed and courageous, while Blues are scholars and scientists, people of a scientific bent."

Peter turned to Egon, grinning. "No wonder the crystal flashed blue for you, man. But why didn't it flash for people like Dr Markov?"

"Not everyone is suitable to take up the power. Their spirits are not strong enough, their wills not so powerful. The Crystal only recognizes those worthy of holding the power," Billy informed them.

"We all made the crystal flash," Ray said curiously. "I know what Egon's blue means, but I made it flash white, Peter made it flash green, and Winston made it flash pink. Why?"

"You made it flash pink?" Billy asked the older man. "That's odd. Most Pinks are female, but I don't suppose that it's limited to that gender. None of the other colours are. Pinks are usually down-to-earth, practical, and somewhat protective of the people they care about.

"White means that the person is of a mystical personality, interested in the ways of magic. They don't study the supernatural so much from a scientific point of view as from an occult one.

"As for Greens," Billy sighed, "they're often loners, and extremely danger-prone, as Sam and Tommy would be happy to tell you. They have hard lives, and no one's sure if that's because of the Green Power, or if that produces it. Regardless, most Greens have fighter's spirits, and usually take the brunt of any attack."

Peter grimaced. That was certainly true. He couldn't remember how many times he had managed to be in the path of attack for any and all of the ghosts they trapped. As for a hard life, that was certainly the case. He'd grown up in a rough neighbourhood, and his con artist father had rarely been home. His life hadn't been easy, but he liked to think that he'd borne up under it well.

"Okay, so I'm a trouble magnet with a past," Peter joked uncomfortably. "Why did that Crystal zap me, and why do I feel like I've got a battery in my back?"

"You've been infused with Morphin energy," David piped up, startling everyone. "I can see it. I don't know how long it will last, but for a while, you're a sort of a conduit for the Morphin Power."

"Will that help against Angyr?" Egon asked, leaning forward and shoving his glasses up. The Rangers smiled, seeing how much this man was like Billy.

"It might," Billy replied slowly. "If you're determined to help, it could come in useful. Let's see. You use proton streams to contain and trap ghosts, correct?"

"Yes, the positively charged particles repel and hold the negatively charged energy that they're composed of," answered the scientist.

"I think maybe, just maybe, we could alter your packs to allow them to channel Morphin Power, which is also positively charged, into the proton streams. Since PKE is sort of negatively charged Morphin energy, the positive version should allow you to contain and even trap Angyr, who is similar in composition to many of the supernatural entities you trap."

Egon cocked his head at Billy. "How do you know all of this?" The young scientist blushed.

"I read your articles in the latest paranormal journals. I found the field of paranormal studies fascinating, ever since I became a Power Ranger."

"Hmm. I have a lab upstairs, if you'd like to help me alter the packs." Still talking, the two headed up the stairs, proton throwers in tow. Peter watched them go, shaking his head.

"They'll be up there a while," he sighed. "Anyone for a snack?" As it turned out, this was the wrong word to use. Slimer, hearing it, suddenly came barrelling through the nearest wall, tongue hanging out. Taking one look at Kimberly, he forgot all about food, though. Floating up to her at top speed, he threw his arms around her, covering her in green slime. Kimberly shrieked, ducking away.

"Slimer!" Ray, Peter, and Winston yelled in unison. "Sorry about that, Kim," the psychologist apologized, peeling the love-struck ghost off of the girl. "I think he's got a crush on you."

"Eww, gross," Kim responded, looking down at her slime-covered pink T-shirt. "Does this stuff wash out?"

"Oh, yeah," Peter grinned. "Trust me, I should know. I think I've got a shirt upstairs you can borrow. It's a little big, but it's clean. We'll put your shirt in the washer." He ran upstairs, and a few moments later, came down with the shirt. Kim caught it as he tossed it to her and promptly disappeared into the bathroom. Meanwhile, Ray and Winston attempted to keep Slimer from following her.

"Okay, I'm clean," Kim announced, coming out of the bathroom. Peter's shirt fit the petite girl like a tent, as expected, but it wasn't a real problem. She sat back down next to her boyfriend Skull, who chuckled.

"Guess he has good taste," Skull mused, slinging an arm around Kimberly's shoulders. She elbowed him.

"That was worse than that stuff from that rotten Ghost Galleon, the stuff that was stuck on your clothes!" she replied heatedly. "Now I know how Kat must have felt."

"Galleon?" Ray asked, instantly interested in a ghost story.

The Morphin Rangers launched into an explanation of one of the latest adventures, where they had met Divatox and Maligore. They focused on the Ghost Galleon which had taken them to the island, and occasionally Jason or Kim would put in part of their side of the story, of the events on Divatox's sub. The three Ghostbusters listened in fascination until Billy and Egon came down the stairs, each lugging two proton packs behind them.

"They're done," Egon announced. "We've modified the packs to incorporate Morphin energy with the proton streams. Hopefully, that will provide us enough power to contain and trap Angyr. According to Billy, the smaller creatures will simply explode on contact with the beams."

"Yeah, they weren't very tough in and of themselves," Zack mused.

"Now, all that remains is to infuse the Ghostbusters with Morphin Power," Billy informed them. "Peter, you already have yours, the green energy." Peter took his pack from Egon, and stopped dead as a gold medallion formed on the back.

"Guys, why is there a lizard on my pack?" he asked carefully, almost dreading the answer. Billy looked closer.

"That's a Basilisk, the spirit animal of Green Thunder Power. It means that your energy is of the Mind level. Thunder Greens are often less moody or quiet than the other two divisions of the colour. They cover their weaknesses with humour and sarcasm, rather than by being withdrawn."

"That's Peter, all right," Ray agreed.

"Now, I need the other three to come over to the Crystal," Billy instructed. Then he shot a concerned glance at Zack. "Zack, you're sure they're all Ninja personalities?"

Zack nodded. "Positive. They're all much more patient than Peter here." Peter stuck his tongue out at the younger man, but playfully. Ray, Winston, and Egon arranged themselves in front of the Crystal. Billy then stood on the other side, facing them.

"Place your hands on the Crystal," the young genius instructed. The three men did, and the Crystal flared with brilliant light that shimmered from pink to white to blue. "Egon, you are the Wolf, patient, wise, intelligent, diligent in your pursuit of knowledge and goals. Ray, you are the Falcon, noble, understanding. You soar above the obstacles in your path, and never desert those you guard. Winston, you are the Crane, agile and swift. You protect those weaker than you and care for your friends. The Power is a part of you now. Use it wisely and well."

As the three men opened their eyes, they also saw medallions of their animals appear on their packs. Silently, they strapped them on. Finally, Peter broke the silence. "So where do we go now?"

"Angyr will need a tremendous source of power to use the Crystals," Billy mused. "New York is located on a major ley line nexus, just as Angel Grove is. We just have to find the spot where the lines converge."

Sam grinned and held up a hand. A green arrow appeared, spinning in for a few seconds before settling down. He grinned. "Leave that to me. Let's go." Together they trooped out of the firehouse, leaving the Crystal behind, safe behind the cold iron in the walls.

Between Samoht's spell, David's sensitivity to energy and Skull's psychic hunches, they were able to follow the ley lines under the streets of New York. "Egon, did you know there was a ley line nexus under the firehouse?" Peter asked.

The physicist smiled wryly. "No, I didn't, Peter. That would, however, explain why we were drawn to it. Anywhere else, it would have taken a great deal more power to make the containment unit work. Since we are apparently more sensitive to this type of power than normal humans are, we were instinctively drawn to a place that would suit our needs."

"And I thought we picked it because Ray liked the fireman's pole," Peter grumbled good-naturedly.

Suddenly Skull stopped. "I have good news and bad news, people. The good news is, I think we've found the nexus."

Samoht and David were both nodding.

"What's the bad news?" Jason asked warily.

"There appears to be a police barricade around it."

"What!" everyone cried. Sure enough, there was a line of cars around the building that Skull indicated. It appeared to be an apartment building, of odd design, and one corner of the building's top looked a good deal newer than the rest. Peter frowned, sure he'd seen it before. Then, realization hit him like a bolt, and he groaned.

"It's Dana's apartment building," he moaned. "It figures."

"Dana?" Trini asked, looking at Ray. The occultist winced.

"She was kind of his girlfriend, for a while, but they drifted apart. She was involved in our first case. Her apartment in this building was being haunted, so she came to us. To make a long story short, she was possessed by a spirit called Zuul, and with the help of another spirit, brought back Gozer, an interplanar being with a love of destruction. We went to stop it, it turned into a thirty story marshmallow man, and we managed to seal off the dimension and send Gozer back to wherever it came from."

"Thirty story- marshmallow man?" Zack asked, incredulous. "Dude, you guys are the ones who should have the Zords."

"It makes sense that this building would be located on the nexus," Egon mused. "The nut who designed it was trying to make a gigantic altar that would allow him to summon Gozer and bring about the end of the world. It's only natural that he would locate it on the largest nearby source of power."

"Let's go see what's going on," Jason suggested. "First, though, I think we'd better morph. It protects our identities, if you don't see us transform, and I don't particularly want the police to know what we look like."

The others nodded, and while the Ghostbusters watched for onlookers, the six teens quickly transformed. Then the whole group headed off towards the police barricade.

"What seems to be the problem, officer?" Peter asked nonchalantly. The son of a con artist, Peter had a few verbal tricks of his own, and the rest of the Ghostbusters generally let him do the talking in these situations.

"Hey, you guys are fast!" the cop said, as soon as he realized who he was talking to. "We just sent somebody to call your office."

"Well, we had a report of something weird going down," Peter responded. "What exactly is meant by 'weird,' though?"

"Flashing lights, little chittering noises, maniacal laughter, and three workmen who were prepping the place for demolition nearly killed each other in a fight. Now they say that they just got mad at each other, and didn't know why."

The Morphin Rangers regarded each other seriously. "One of the Horror's abilities is to evoke the emotion for which it is named," Billy explained. "Likely it didn't want them around. It's waiting for us."

The policeman frowned as he saw the Morphin Rangers, and the way they were dressed. "Hey, who are you kids? On your way to a costume party?"

"It's okay, mister," Zack assured him. "We're superheroes." Calmly, he summoned his Power Axe into one hand then dismissed it. The cop blinked.

"If you say so. So there's a demon in there?"

"Yeah, a really nasty one," Jason replied. "We'd appreciate it if you'd keep everyone back until this is finished."

"You got it," the cop shrugged. Turning away, he began to relay instructions to the other officers at the scene.

"Well, we'd probably better go in there, huh?" Winston sighed, not sounding very enthusiastic.

Ray shrugged. "Maybe he'll be on the first floor this time, and we won't have to climb all those stairs."

"Most likely he's in the basement, if the place has one," Billy ventured.

The Ghostbusters shot each other relieved looks. Not only were they not looking forward to climbing all those steps, each thought it a good idea that Peter was not exposed to the top floor apartments again. Too many memories.

"Well, let's go," Peter cried. He headed into the building, and one by one, the rest followed him.

Slowly, they made their way down into the basement with the aid of the high-powered flashlights that Egon had insisted on bringing. "I've got a bad feeling about this," Winston whispered. No sooner had they all cleared the stairs than a hideous chittering noise caught their attention.

"Heads up!" Jason called, pulling out his Power Sword. "Here they come!" Tiny monsters swarmed out of every shadow, surging in a black tide towards them. The flashlights were quickly dropped to the ground, and the battle was joined.

The sounds of the chittering hordes mingled with the attack cries of the Morphin Rangers and their allies as they hacked, chopped, shot, and generally decimated the ranks of their opponents. Meanwhile, the Ghostbusters also managed to hold their own, blowing away the little creatures with a few well placed proton bolts.

"Yeehah!" Peter yelled, a wide grin crossing his face. "This is better than our last couple busts! No slime!" The other Ghostbusters just shook their heads and kept on blasting.

Suddenly, the room was silent. No more little creatures came at them. Even so, they continued to hold their weapons ready, intently scanning the edges of the basement.

**Very good.** Angyr's low chuckle rolled out of the darkness. **I am truly impressed. And now you have sealed the third Crystal away from me. No matter. When you are destroyed, it will be a simple matter to "convince" some unwary human to retrieve it for me.**

"We don't go down that easy!" Skull cried. The Rangers dropped into defensive stances, flanked by the four Ghostbusters. Angyr simply regarded them with undisguised amusement.

**You will fall, one by one,** the demon assured them. **First to go shall be the foolish Black Ranger, who dared to challenge me. I have tasted your essence, human, and with the Crystals and the power of Earth itself, I will drain you dry!**

Lifting a claw, Angyr suddenly began to glow with a black light. Zack suddenly cried out in agony, clutching at his chest and dropping to his knees. Immediately, David and Trini were by his side.

"It's draining his life-energy!" the White Ranger cried. "The demon's somehow connected to his spirit!"

"Must- have connected- when it zapped me earlier," panted Zack through his pain.

"David, can you stop it?" Trini asked fearfully. The boy shook his head.

"No, but maybe I can slow it down. If I can link to him psychically, I can help him beat it back. Unfortunately, it means I'm going to be out of this fight."

"Do it," Jason ordered curtly. "Bulk, Skull, cover them!" Drawing his sword, he threw himself at Angyr, who threw him back with a laugh. Meanwhile, David placed his hands on Zack's shoulders, allowing himself to be drawn into the other's mind.

"Come on, Zack, fight it!" he whispered.

The battle continued, but it soon became obvious to all concerned that the forces of Good were merely fighting a holding action. The Ghostbusters were reluctant to fire on Angyr for fear of injuring either Zack or one of the Morphin Rangers launching an attack on the demon. Meanwhile, the Rangers attacking it were not faring well at all.

"I can't hold him!" David cried. "Billy, Trini, you're telepaths! Give me a hand here!" The two immediately broke off the attack to help him defend Zack's life essence. Unfortunately, that only left two less Rangers to fight Angyr.

"New plan," Jason puffed, calling the Rangers and the Ghostbusters into a huddle. "I figure we've got one chance to beat this guy and save Zack, and that's to get it into one of those traps you guys use. Now, to give the four of you a chance for a clear shot, we need to have something take its attention. That'll be us."

"Why you?" protested Ray.

"It hates Power Rangers," Kimberly explained. "We're a living reminder of all the good in the universe, of everything that stands in opposition to it. Trust me, if it's given the chance to get us, it'll forget all about the four of you."

"So while you distract it, we surround it and open fire with the proton streams," reasoned Egon.

"And hope that the Morphin energy gives the streams enough kick to take it down," Winston added.

"Right," Jason agreed. "Let's do it." Breaking the huddle, the Ghostbusters melted back into the shadows of the basement. Angyr didn't notice this however, because the Rangers had immediately launched an attack on it, taking up all its attention. It knocked Jason away as he took a swipe at its head with his Power Sword, and immediately had to duck as Kimberly fired a barrage of arrows at it. Sam's fire spell was skilfully dodged, but Aisha managed to land a glancing blow.

While the Morphin Rangers kept Angyr's attention, the Ghostbusters had moved into position around it. With the ease of years working together, they powered up their proton packs in unison, aiming them at the dragon-shaped blot of darkness in the centre of the room. The demon, still lit by the discarded flashlights, made a perfect target.

"Rangers!" Peter cried, taking aim. "Get CLEAR!" The two teens obeyed instantly, throwing themselves out of reach of the demon. "Let's do it, guys," the psychologist called to his friends. "Fire!"

Four proton streams shot towards their target. This time, however, they were slightly different than they had been on previous busts. Where before the streams had been predominantly yellow, with a few blue streaks, each stream was now tinted with a different, individual hue. Peter's shone with a green light, while Egon's sparkled bright blue. The stream from Winston's thrower was touched with pink, and Ray's gave off a brilliant white glow. The four streams surrounded Angyr with a cage of light. He struggled, trying to break free, and Peter felt the stream wavering. "Somebody do something!" he called frantically. "We can't hold on here forever!"

Zack, watching the battle from where he knelt, managed to somehow summon enough strength to cry out to his friend. "Jason! On Egon's pack- the trap!" Jason didn't even bother to nod, simply reached up and removed the trap from the pack, throwing it out into the centre of the floor. Silently giving thanks that he'd seen ghosts busted on the news, he stomped down on the foot pedal.

With a burst of brilliant white light, the trap opened directly beneath the demon. With an agonizing cry, Angyr twisted and warped, and finally was sucked into the trap, screaming all the way. As the doors of the trap shut, the demon's connection to Zack was broken. The boy almost collapsed with the relief.

"Well, we've got him," Winston chuckled. "Now what do we do with him?"

"An excellent question, Winston," acknowledged Egon. "I seriously doubt the containment will be able to store a being like Angyr indefinitely." His words seemed to be accurate. Even now, the trap was rocking back and forth, as the creature inside attempted to escape.

"We can handle this," David grinned. "Right, guys?" The other Rangers nodded. Motioning the Ghostbusters back, the six teens made a circle around the trap. Joining hands, they closed their eyes.

"We call on the power of all of us combined," Jason called. "Destroy the evil within this trap!"

"White Ranger Power!" With those words, David began to glow with a bright white light.

"Green Ranger Power!" A brilliant green aura surrounded Sam.

"Purple Ranger Power!" Aisha radiated purple light. Although it was not as bright as the others, the power could be felt by those around her.

"Black Ranger Power!" Zack's black glow joined the others.

"Pink Ranger Power!" Kim also began to glow, this time in pink.

"Blue Ranger Power!" A blue glow enveloped Billy.

"Yellow Ranger Power!" cried Trini, a yellow glow flaring around her.

"Red Ranger Power!" No sooner had Jason's red glow joined those of his friends, a white circle of light began to flow between them, shining brighter and brighter until looking at it was unbearable. Then it began to shrink, converging on the trap in the centre of the circle. A hideous scream filled the air, and then silence. Exhausted, the Rangers released each other's hands and backed away.

Gingerly, Ray prodded at the trap. Gathering his courage, he leaned closer, and his jaw dropped. Looking up at his friends, he shrugged. "It's empty," was all he said.

Peter pretended to wipe his forehead in mock relief, and then everyone sagged. Finally, it was over.

A few days later, arrangements had been made for the Crystals to be sent somewhere safe. At first the Rangers had planned to send them back to the Power Chamber, but Zordon had pointed out that that would lead to them being claimed by the Council.

"The crystals were found on Earth and should remain here," he had told them. Fortunately Ray knew of somebody who could help.

Explanations had been made to Dr Markov, and it was finally time for the charity basketball game. As Zack jogged out onto the floor with his team-mates, he saw all of his friends waving at him from the stands- all of them. "Guess Zordon ruled this an 'acceptable use' of the teleportation system," he whispered to Peter. The psychologist whistled.

"That whole group is here to see you? And they're all Power Rangers?" he asked, as quietly as Zack. His friend nodded. "Am I losing it, or are three of your friends almost identical?"

"You're not losing it. David and Tommy, the guy with the long dark hair in red, are twins, and Sam... well he started out as a clone of Tommy, but we're not sure how they're related now."

Peter shook his head. "Now I see why you need a shrink. If I had to keep all this straight, I'd go nuts too."

Zack just shook his head, grinning. Then the referee blew the whistle, and there was no more time for talking.

The game was fast and furious, but in the end, the Lions beat out the rival team, the Tigers, by one point, thanks to a desperate three-point shot by Zack just before the buzzer. As the Lions were congratulating each other and being congratulated by the Tigers, the organizer of the event walked out onto the floor.

"I am pleased to announce that the winner of the first Charity Cup Basketball Competition is the Lions! Even better, though, thanks to the admissions, we have enough money to keep the Boys' and Girls' Club open!" That brought a chorus of loud cheers from everyone present.

The Rangers and Ghostbusters, who had sat together in the stands, signalled to their two friends on the floor that they would meet up outside the gym after the crowd had cleared. Peter and Zack signalled their acknowledgment and headed for the showers to clean up.

Afterwards, the scene was almost as chaotic as the Zeo Rangers and Turbo Rangers were introduced to the Ghostbusters, and vice-versa. Suddenly, Rocky's voice cut through the crowd. "Hey! As long as we're all hanging out together, let's go get some pizza!"

"Sure, Rocky, know a place that'll serve us all?" Justin shot back.

"I do," replied Ray. "There's a Pizza Hut nearby that has a room for parties at no extra cost."

As the group headed off, Ray leading the way, Peter and Zack found themselves at the back of the group. With a smile, Zack extended his hand to the older man.

"Been nice working with you, Dr Venkman."

The psychologist gripped the boy's hand tightly. "Hey, who says you're done? Drop in at the firehouse any time, Zack. You're always welcome. Now come on, let's go get some pizza. I lost my lunch to the Spud earlier today, and I'm starving!" Zack chuckled, shaking his head, and the two of them headed off with their friends. At that moment, Zack knew that no matter what else happened to him in New York, he would not be lonely again.

**The End**


	10. The Time of Change

Disclaimer: I do not own the Power Rangers, they belong to their respective copyright owner. This is a piece of fanfiction and no profit has been made or sought by its production.  
Timeline Note: Jamie, Katarina, Christina and Lillian discovered their rings in Ties that Bind parts 1 - 4. Jamie's discovery of the ring's power takes place before Emperors New Rage. Lillian, Christina and Katarina's awakenings take place after The More Things Change.

**Fallout**

2 October 1997

It was a time of celebration. Four new heroes had joined the fight against evil and the Power Rangers were stronger than ever. Through sheer luck the arrival of Nathan Oliver had led to new possibilities. And it had all started in space.

Chicago, Earth,  
A few days after the arrival of Nathan Oliver, 2300 Hrs

They were making love in the back of his stretched limousine and she was reaching her peak, dragging her fingers down the length of his bed, leaving a thin trail of marks in their wake. She was wonderful, the best hooker that he had ever found while curb crawling through the streets of Chicago. Long blond hair and legs that seemed to go on for miles, her soft Australian accent had been the thing that had encouraged her to pay her the extra; he usually got his jollies for less than ten dollars.

"Oh baby, you're the best," he panted.

She remained silent, her face fixed in an expression that showed that while she seemed to be enjoying herself, it was hardly the best experience of her life.

"Tell me you want it," he encouraged, his ego demanding some sort of response.

"Oh I want it," she told him, running her hand over his face. "I want everything you have big boy."

When had the glove appeared on her hand, he was certain it had not been there before. He could feel the cold metal studs as she drew them over his shoulder.

"I'll take it all," she told him as his body reach the height of ecstasy.

He grunted in satisfaction. She was the best prostitute he had ever had in his car. She was worth every cent he had paid for her services. She was - refusing to let go as she pulled his head into her chest.

"Relax honey," she whispered, "this won't take any longer than you did."

She purred as he started to scream. She enjoyed the sex, but it was the moment she got to take everything she wanted, that she lived for. As she drained his body's energy she started to fell more alive, it was a rush that would last for a few days before she would need to find a new victim. It was an annoyance, but the price of her continued survival.

"Say my name, Boy!" She told him, pulling back on his hair so she could look into his terrified eyes.

"Kaat!" he croaked with his dying breath.

"And don't you forget it," she told him as she tossed his limp body away, propelling it through the car door and into the street before picking herself up off the seat, reclaiming her clothes and shimmering away in a haze of pink.

The Moon,  
Months earlier.

The winnebago of Lord Zedd and Rita Repulsa landed in front of the Lunar Palace, allowing its occupants to disembark. At Rita's direction, the Putty Patrollers started to shift their masters' belongings back into their home. The spiritual form of Lord Zedd looked on as his wife grew increasingly frustrated with Goldar and Rito's attempts to help.

"Shall I prepare a troop to attack the planet?" Goldar asked.

"No you numbskull!" Zedd screamed. "We've only just arrived. First we need to see the strength of the Rangers and their allies. We also need to know who our competition is. Once that is done, we can plot our next move."

Goldar grumbled and looked to Rita for confirmation. Without a body, Lord Zedd was not a threat to his underlings. And in Goldar's case, that meant that he would only obey if Rita agreed.

"Perhaps you two should practice your combat manoeuvres," Finster recommended, eager to get them out of his way so he could get his workshop set up.

Soon Goldar and Rito were busy as they practiced with their swords. They had unpacked some target drones which the two hench-mutants could imagine were Rangers.

Rita nodded in satisfaction and began setting up her Repulsascope so that she could scan the planet below. ~Now let's see what we can see,~ she thought evilly. Her eyes widened in disbelief as she caught sight of something unexpected heading towards the Earth. "What is that?"

Although the cause of Rita's outburst had come from space, she would soon discover that it had originated from the Earth. Some time before their arrival, around the time that Zedd had lost his body, several beams of energy had shot into the heavens, where they had looped around the solar system before being drawn back to the planet.

As Rita watched, the beam of energy continued on its strange course, circling the Earth like a comet many times. It's orbit decayed as it headed back down to the planet.

As the beam circled, the almost sentient energy searched, seeking the one that could contain it safely. It had already found the right person, now it was just a case of finding her again.

She had red hair, was petite and when she had touched the ring, the same day she had claimed the blade that was a part of her alien heritage, the energy bolt had been unleashed. She resonated on the same frequency as the energy she had unconsciously expelled, the same energy that had bound her to her sword.

The energy bolt was in reality a part of the Zeo Crystal. Not the Zeo Crystal that currently provided the power wielded by the Zeo Rangers of Earth. This was a different Zeo Crystal, a crystal that had been brought to its new home by Nathan Oliver. When Nathan had fought the being that had ruined his world, he had used a mixture of power sources and technologies taken from former Power Rangers, some of which didn't even exist in his new world. When he had gained control of his powers, he had unknowingly dispersed the individual powers and create his own powers by force of will. He had no longer needed the individual powers that he had carried in his Power Box and it seemed the laws of nature had agreed by removing them from his presence. Unfortunately despite being alien to his new world, those items were too powerful to disappear and too dangerous to be left alone.

The Zeo Crystal was one such object. It had been fractured when Nathan had gained control of his powers, breaking into four parts that operated on a different frequency to their native counterparts - for it seemed that the process of crossing over had adapted his powers so they would not interfere with those of the local heroes. And now the first of those fragments was trying to find its rightful avatar.

The day that Jamie Oliver had purchased her sword, she had also received a small ring. Until now that ring had remained untouched and ignored, the power that had resided within had been expelled when she had touched it. As the energy descended to the planet though the ring started to react, drawing it wearer's attention for the first time.

The spectacle was not lost on Rita Repulsa, who watched the power of the Zeo Crystal circle the planet many times through her Repulsascope. As she continued to look, she saw it land on the far side of the planet and she adjusted her Repulsascope to get a better view. While she didn't know its exact nature, it was familiar enough for her to take notice.

After much research she was able to see where it was heading. She growled, angered that it had something to do with the wretched girl who had ruined her marriage. Figuring she had no time to waste she took action.

"GOLDAR! RITO GET IN HERE!" Rita bellowed.

Goldar came in, grateful the fighting session with Rito was over. Rito was no challenge to him anymore and he needed a more worthy adversary at the moment, or a more deserving task to focus his attention on. He hoped Rita could provide one or the other.

"Yes, my queen?" Goldar detested referring to Rita by that title. But since she was the most powerful person in the palace, she had to be given the respect due to her title as Empress of Evil if nothing else. Personally Goldar thought Rita deserved no respect, but until she was deposed in some manner, Goldar could not act on what he felt.

"What's up sis? The ceiling?" Rito asked.

"NO YOU NUMBSKULL!" Rita shrieked before going over to the two mutants to give them their instructions. "Now listen and listen good. Something just fell to Earth, something powerful. I want you both to get down there and get it!"

"But sis. Won't the big giant head try to get it first?" Rito asked.

"WHICH IS WHY I'M TELLING YOU TO GO NOW!" Rita shrieked. "Both of you go and don't come back without that power, or at least the brat who has who holds it, if you can't break the bond."

"Uhhhh. Sure thing sis. Don't forget to say hi to Ed for me," Rito said before teleporting out.

Goldar rolled his eyes back and he teleported out too.

Rita however got the last word. "HIS NAME IS ZEDD! ZEDD!"

Then she called in Finster to help adjust the scope so she could better see what was going on.

"Do not worry my queen," Finster said as he tightened the adjuster.

"Just hurry all right? We may be able to have a weapon in our possession that will spell the end of those Power Rangers."

Finster nodded and continued to work as fast as he could to get the Repulsascope cleared again.

It was a warm day and Jamie Zedden had decided to find a quiet place to practice. Since she had come into possession of the Sword of Lightning, her father had been training her to use the blade to its full potential. It was not just a matter of swordsmanship, with the sword's unique properties and its ability to control lightning, her father had taught her that she was controlling multiple forms of attack.

Today she was on her own, using the trees as her opponents, learning to move in the undergrowth without losing her balance.

The arrival of a flash of gold fire broke the girl's concentration and her eyes widened as moments later the tree she had been using for practice was reduced to ashes.

"Goldar, your timing really sucks!" she grumbled as she turned to face the two villains.

Goldar didn't care what Jamie thought. Rita had given him a task and he was determined to complete it. "You have something Rita wants, girl. Turn it over and we'll leave you unharmed."

Jamie snorted. Jason and Tommy had told her enough about Goldar to know that the armoured warrior would not turn down a chance to even the score from their previous encounter. And with Rito there she was certain that the two warriors would attack her on principle.

"Since when have you hidden behind threats?" Jamie asked, recalling the last encounter she had had with Goldar.

"I don't threaten. I promise!" Goldar said as he gestured to the Putties that had he ordered to circle around her. At his command, they attacked.

"Bring it on!"

"You are making a mistake girl!" Goldar growled as he watched her tear into his soldiers. This was not the same girl he had faced before. Her movements were sharper, her blows more precise. He was starting to realise that Jamie Zedden had grown into her Zarakin heritage. And as she cleaved two Putties in half, he knew that she would provide him with a challenge.

He was vaguely aware that Rito vanished, only to return with a flock of Tenga Warriors. Jamie however seemed unconcerned when the feathered soldiers joined the battle. A bolt of lightning reduced their most of their number to a pile of feathers.

"So, how about a rematch monkey boy?" she asked, slicing a Tenga through the midsection.

"Yes!" Goldar growled, and the battle was on.

For a time it seemed that they were fighting the same battle they had fought before. Goldar started with a ringing down slice, but Jamie blocked him with ease, landing a kick for good measure. It was soon obvious that Jamie had improved and that her sword had become a part of her technique. Cuts, parries, thrusts, and slices formed a glittering web of steel as Goldar was forced to exert himself.

Jamie and her father had spent time discussing her previous battle with Goldar. Larry had taught her everything he knew about the alien's technique to help her understand the ways in which magic, the human body and a weapon could be used together. So when Goldar lost his patience and fired a large golden energy beam at her, she was ready. She dodged the blast and returned one of her own, which hit directly in his chest, knocking him back at least two yards.

"You next bone head?" Jamie asked looking directly at Rito. At some point she had started to glow purple.

The ever present grin on Rito's face seemed to grow larger. An amazing feat considering he had no skin. He drew his own sword and charged. Just like Goldar it appeared that Rito had underestimated her. Although it was perfectly possible that Rito was too scatterbrained to take her seriously.

Eventually though, around the third lightning bolt threatened to calcify his body, Rito had enough. "Hey, time to make like Napoleon and Bone Apart!"

Goldar quickly followed leaving a victorious and slightly confused Jamie studying her hands.

"Well that was interesting," Jamie said as she noticed the glow had spread to her sword. "Maybe I should talk to Zordon about this."

"And then Goldar left and I was stuck with this - glow," Jamie concluded.

By the time she had arrived in the Power Chamber, Zordon had been aware of the recent turn of events, even though he had not witnessed the battle personally. Confronted with the strange circumstances of her arrival, he had chosen to contact a few more people to hear the tale before she could start her explanation.

Larry Zedden had been his first call. Zordon knew better than to keep a concerned parent from their child, especially when that parent had once served as Lord Zedd's body. Jason and Tommy as the leaders of the Rangers had been called, along with Billy and Adam.

"Alpha, conduct a scan of Jamie's body," Zordon instructed.

At first he too had thought that Jamie was glowing. However after a few minutes he had realised that the glow was not coming from her, but rather her pocket.

"Ow!" she complained suddenly as the scanner passed over the source of the glow. "That's the second time that's happened."

"Jamie?"

"Just before Goldar and Rito showed up, I felt something burning in my pocket. Hey, that's right! I remember now." She reached in and pulled out a small ring with a purple stone. "I got this the day I brought the sword, but never thought anymore about it. Then today I found it in my drawer and decided to take it with me. And just before Goldar appeared, it started burning."

Alpha turned the scanner to a higher setting and ran it across the ring, hoping that he could at least solve one mystery. On the Viewing Screen an image appeared, first of the ring and then of a large crystal shard. A series of numbers followed as the scanner recorded the frequency and strength of the energy waves emitted by the stone in the centre of the ring.

Billy frowned, knowing that the numbers were familiar to him. He had seen a similar set of numbers before, and if the nagging feeling in the back of his mind was anything to go by, it was recent.

"Zordon, that's... impossible," Billy whispered.

The young genius was very familiar with the energy waves that Alpha was detecting. He had worked for months to find a way to to fully integrate the Zeo Crystal into the Power Chamber's systems.

"The Zeo Crystal," Zordon confirmed.

The reaction from the other occupants ranged from shock to outright denial.

"How can there be another Zeo power?" Billy asked, he had researched the possibility at length only to conclude that it was impossible. "We found all the components of the Zeo powers: the Zeo Crystal, the Super Zeo Gems and the Golden Power Staff. There was nothing left to find."

"And yet this is a part of the Zeo Crystal," Zordon told him as Alpha made a few adjustments before scanning the ring again. This time the fragment was shown in its true, uncompressed form. With a few more adjustments, the image of the Zeo Crystal they were familiar with appeared behind the fragment. "This fragment would fit... here." Sure enough when turned in the correct way, the piece of crystal merged with the Zeo Crystal.

"A second Zeo Crystal," Billy realised. "It's been divided differently and refracts energy waves in a different pattern, hence the colour."

"Indeed Billy," Zordon said. "I believe that this Zeo Crystal is one of the artefacts that Nathan carried with him to this universe. When he merged his powers to become the Brachio Ranger, he expelled the Zeo Crystal, breaking its structure in the process."

On the screen the Zeo Crystal broke into four parts.

"So somehow Nathan's Zeo Crystal broke into four pieces and ended up in a ring?" Tommy asked. "How?"

"The other objects in the Power Box," Billy said. "When the Zeo Crystal broke, the energy must have caused the other components to melt and somehow formed into rings."

"And then somehow one of those rings ended up with the sword," Jamie guessed. "So why has it only started to glow now?"

"Safety." That was the first time Larry Zedden had spoken since hearing the story. "When the Rangers started to use the Zeo Crystal, they built machinery to help them control it. This crystal didn't have the benefit of the machinery, it had to be drawn on directly and needed time for your body to adjust."

The White Morphin Master nodded. "Too much power in one go would have been fatal, even with your ability to siphon energy. So it's been waiting for your body to reach a point where you can survive... it's been merging with you."

"And now it's decided that I've had enough time to adjusted and decided to power itself up?"

"Indeed. The ring is now fully charged and ready for use. When called upon it will infuse your body with the power of Zeo."

"In the guise of a Purple Ranger," Jamie guessed.

Jason placed his hand on her shoulder and gave her a small smile. "You don't need to morph Jamie. Nobody will force you to be a Ranger."

"Jason is correct," Zordon agreed. "The Zeo power has merged with your natural energy and cannot be removed without destroying you. However these powers are only a tool that you need never use."

"How about it Jamie, will you join us?" Tommy asked. "We can help you should Rita make another play for the crystal."

"I don't think it really matters at this time," the Billy said. He had been studying the energy readings. "It doesn't look like the powers are ready to activate yet. They're still adjusting to Jamie's body."

"When the time comes you will be able to decide how you use your powers," Zordon decreed. "In the meantime you are still a valued ally to the Rangers and can call upon the others in times of trouble."

"Ai-yi-yi-yi-yi!"

The Rangers looked at Alpha, wondering what had caused the sudden exclamation.

"Zordon, I've detected the energy from the other three fragments of the Zeo Crystal."

That caught their attention. While Zordon had mentioned that the second Zeo Crystal had broken into four parts, they had been distracted by Jamie's situation.

"Alpha, monitor those energy waves and try to locate the other fragments," Zordon instructed. Of course Alpha was already in the process of doing so.

"We need to search the other artefacts Nathan brought with him as well," Billy said.

That was true, while the Power Box had drained the components used to make it, they still had the potential to be dangerous. More dangerous because if Jamie was an indication then the objects were capable of bonding directly with humans, making the possibility that they would fall into the wrong hands all the more real.

London, England,  
A week earlier

Another morning, the start of another day. And as usual for London, it was pouring with rain. Katarina Petronov was late for class, mainly because the bus had failed to turn up. An hour later three buses had come along and she had finally been able to make her way to the academy.

The first session had ended by the time she arrived, and after an apology to her teacher and an assurance that it would not happen again even if she had to walk there, she had decided to take a walk with her closest friend Christina Collins, enjoying the brief dry spell.

Katarina and Christina had known each other for a long time. They had attended the same dance school in Angel Grove and during monster attacks, they had frequently taken cover in the same monster shelter.

"I still don't know how you do it Katya," Christina sighed shaking her head. They had held this conversation many times and her friend had yet to give her a straight answer. "You keep the same schedule as you did back home, you manage to go out to the dance clubs and you still have time to work a small job."

Katarina laughed, her violet eyes twinkling. "Well, for one thing, you still spend more time in the practice room than any three students I know. You need to relax, enjoy life a bit. We're in England, Chris, enjoy it."

"But what about the rest of it? The kickboxing and dancing and all that?" Christina asked still amazed by Katarina's interests and where she gets the energy for them.

"I told you, kickboxing doesn't take up much more time than dancing," Katarina answered. "I admit I'm on the go a lot, but it's really a lot of fun."

"Hmmm, maybe," Christina said deep in thought. "But I don't want to run myself ragged trying to keep everything straight."

"You didn't have any problem in Angel Grove. I'm not asking you to go out of your way to meet new people, but you should take the time to see what London has to offer. It's not all work, work, work, you know. Besides, if you cut back on the practicing a little you'd still be top of the class."

"I suppose," Christina said.

"Yeah, that's the spirit," Katarina said patting her friend on the back.

Both girls were suddenly aware that they had strayed further than they had originally intended. There was a strange hum coming from nearby, which made them want to head back as quickly as possible.

"Katya, did you hear that? What is that sound?" Christina asked.

Before Katarina could answer she felt something burning in her pocket. She reached inside and pulled out a small ring with a silver stone. She looked over and saw that Christina had found a similar ring in her pocket, albeit one with a white stone. They looked at each other, surprised when they started to glow.

As the memories started to surface of how they had discovered the rings months earlier just before a confrontation with Finster, a portal opened, depositing a squad of Cogs.

"Uh oh!"

Power Chamber

The alarms had sounded, lighting the instruments on half a dozen of the computer consoles. Alpha had shuffled to find the source of the alert, but had first needed to decipher which of the scans had recorded a find.

"Ai-yi-yi-yi-yi! The system is overloaded Zordon, the computer has tracked down two fragments of the second Zeo Crystal to the same location. In London!"

"Narrow the search pattern and transfer the results to the Viewing Screen."

It had taken weeks of searching to lock onto the energy signatures. All the while as the Rangers fought Lord Zedd and then the Turbo powers changed hands, the search had continued. Obviously the energy of the first fragment had travelled faster than the remaining parts. Still with two more fragments recharged, the need to recover the remaining rings was greater than ever.

While Zordon summoned a few of the Rangers to help, Alpha had been narrowing the search to pinpoint the fragments. With Zordon's surveillance network damaged my Minion's attacks many moths before, it was still necessary to reposition the satellites to guarantee results.

"That's Christina!" Billy realised when the image appeared on the screen.

"And Katarina," Tommy added, recognising Rocky's 'sometimes' girlfriend.

"They must have found the rings before they left Angel Grove," Adam commented.

"Looks like we're not the only ones to notice," Jason warned, noticing the Cog Portal.

"Alpha, contact the other Zeo Rangers immediately."

Even though the Turbo Rangers were now the protectors of Earth, Zordon felt that the more experienced team would be needed for this mission. In Angel Grove he could retrieve the Turbo Rangers if they were in trouble. However in England there was no such guarantee.

"Quickly, grab those humans before the Rangers spot us!", Klank ordered.

Four of his Cogs moved to obey. They marched over to where the girls were standing and grabbed them by the arms.

"What do you think you're doing?" Christina asked.

"King Mondo has decided that the two of you will provide the power for his new super weapon," Klank told them.

"I don't think they're going to like that." Klank turned, recognising the voice of Red Zeo. The other Zeo Rangers had their weapons drawn, a sign that this was one fight they were not taking lightly. "So why don't you let them go and get back to the Moon?"

"This does not concern you, Ranger," Klank bellowed.

"Oh I think it does concern us," Yellow Zeo replied, levelling her Zeo Pistol. "If you think we're going to let you kidnap somebody you have another thing coming."

"Kidnap? I say this world and its inhabitants are the property of King Mondo. And if he wants them, he'll get them. Cogs ATTACK!"

The Cogs advanced on Rangers, who responded by throwing themselves into battle. The Cogs clearly hoped to win through their superior numbers, a strategy that had failed time and time again. In a very short time the Rangers had decimated the Cogs, their Zeo Pistols making short work of the machines.

Klank was not about to lose his prize and seized the two females. "That's enough Rangers. We can do this the easy way, or the hard way. Either way they're coming with me."

"I'm not going anywhere with you," Katarina warned. She elbowed the machine, hard. So hard that she had expected her elbow to break from the impact. Instead there was a flash of silver and Klank was thrown sever feet away.

"The powers are starting to manifest," Green Zeo realised.

When Jamie had been confronted by Goldar, her powers were still adjusting to her body. It seemed Christina and Katarina had held their powers the same length of time and were at the point where they could channel some of the power through their limbs.

"Do not presume to strike me young one," Klank said, drawing out his broadsword. "I will not stand for it."

As the robotic retainer made to strike the insolent human, he found his path blocked by the other female. Together the two friends attacked the machine, easily avoiding his increasingly clumsy blows. The fight lasted for a while until Klank got impatient and let his anger cloud his judgement. His strikes soon became more aggressive as he tried to end the impromptu duel.

"This isn't over humans," he warned before teleporting away, leaving a very confused pair of girls looking to the Power Rangers for answers.

"If you'd like to come with us, we can help you," Pink Zeo told them.

"You told us they wouldn't come after us again," Christina pointed out.

"We didn't know about the rings at the time," Green Zeo explained. "Come with us, we have somebody who can tell you what this is all about."

"Please Katya?" Blue Zeo asked, catching the girl's attention.

Katarina remembered back to her time at Angel Grove and the discussions that had taken place about the identity of the Power Rangers. She remembered one of the suggestions and the laughter that had followed. But she also knew that voice, and if her suspicions were right then the joke was on all those people who had laughed.

Finally, they both agreed.

Christina held the white gemmed ring in her hand. She could feel the hum of it's power, and just couldn't believe that that power had bonded with her.

"Kind of overwhelming isn't it?"

Christina smiled as Billy joined her. While they had never gotten together romantically, what with Billy and Trini dating, they had become good friends.

"Being chosen, or holding the power for the first time?" she asked him.

He smiled wryly. "Both. The first few days as you become used to the energy flowing through your body is amazing. You grow used to it eventually, but for a short time it's the best feeling in the world. Second best," he amended with a slightly blush.

Fortunately Christina did not push that issue.

It had been a shock when Katarina and Christina had arrived in the Power Chamber. Their surprise had doubled as Zordon had explained about their new powers and what it meant for them. Then had come the introduction of the Power Rangers and the realisation that some of their friends had been putting their lives on the line for years.

After all that when Zordon had asked if they wished to become a part of their alliance, both girls had agreed.

"So this is why you kept leaving?" Katarina asked.

Rocky nodded. "I wanted to tell you, but the rules..."

"I understand," she smiled. "And now I guess I have to start sneaking out too."

Rocky laughed and started to tell her about some of the worst times Zordon had chosen to summon him. As he continued, Katarina felt herself relax. ~Perhaps this could work after all.~

The news over the last week had been filled with strange sightings. Across the world people had been attacked, somehow drained of their life and then left for others to find. But this was not some new terror that had decided to plague the Earth; they had been there a while. For the past few months they had operated on a rota-system, allowing each of their number to replenish their needs without drawing attention to their activities. Those attempts at secrecy had been undermined though when one of their numbers had declared that he would no longer follow the routine.

"Your stupidity might have led to our detection," argued the sandy haired man as a bead of perspiration ran down his chest, mixing with the blood oozing from one of his larger cuts and causing him to hiss when it stung.

A smell of copper permeated the air adding to the blood lust of both combatants as with a cry of rage, the larger fighter closed the distance between them. Their swords clashed again, the stronger fighter clearly the more experienced combatant as he landed another heavy slap to other swordsman's hip. Both men wanted to end the battle, wanted to go and heal their wounds, but the prize was too great for them to stand down. They understood that they were minor almost insignificant characters in the grand scheme of things, but to be the strongest, to become the leader of the mismatched group allowed the winner to hold a small sense of superiority over the others.

They were an odd group of warriors, brought together by their loathing for the Power Rangers of Earth. Each had a personal vendetta that could be best served by destroying the famed protectors of the planet and then installing their own vision of paradise. Once they had been pawns of Minion, crafted from the clay tapped from one of the Mistress Repugna's mines, which had been mixed with other chemicals and then refined to create a new form of Super Putty. The material had been shaped and given the appearance of the enemy, in this case the Power Rangers.

But Minion had not been satisfied for his creations to just look like the Power Rangers. He hadn't wanted evil replicas, he had desired truly evil Rangers. He had accomplished his goal easily enough; given the almost unlimited number of universes, it seemed obvious that there was at least one where the Power Rangers were evil. Minion had found the souls of those evil Rangers in the depths of the Dark Dimension and had infused them into his creations.

The resulting Rangers were truly evil, in some cases twisted creatures. While all had crossed the line that separated good and evil, some had only slipped a little from the path while others had walked so far into the darkness they could never return to the light.

Minion had called them the Nega Rangers and expected them to act as imitations of the Rangers they resembled. With his disappearance they had been weakened and for a long time they had barely existed. Then Nathan Oliver had appeared and had unknowingly provided them with the means to survive. When the Brachio Ranger had gained control of his wayward powers, many of the objects he had been using to fuel his Power Box had been destroyed. Some however had survived, such as the Zeo Crystal from his native universe. One such object had been all that was needed for the Nega Rangers to live once more.

Unfortunately in spite of recent developments, they were still only an imitation of life. The material used to sculpt their bodies could not channel energy in the same way as real flesh and blood, and the power that had restored them had only lasted for a short time. Without a suitable source of magical energy they would erode. Faced with the option of disintegrating or stealing the life energy they needed to survive, they selfishly chose the latter.

They had spread around the world, using their minor shape-shifting talents to fit in, sometimes replacing ordinary humans to secure themselves a place. They had agreed to keep a low profile until they had found a way to stop the deterioration of their bodies. Having been discovered though they had gathered at the place where the villain Minion had once staged his operations.

Some in-fighting was bound to occur in any group, but it seemed that most of the Nega Rangers were incapable of getting along. It was mostly Minion's fault since the villain had added to the paranoia in each of the Nega Rangers to prevent them from uniting against him. Without a strong leader to guide them, they had been reduced to scavenging for the magical energy in an attempt to create new powers and stop the inevitable decline of their new bodies, which was why it was so important to be the strongest, to dominate the others and have the choice picks of whatever they could find. As with all animals the strongest got to feed first, to take the best portions of the meal before allowing the others to share. To be in charge meant survival, something that drove both men as they continued to battle.

"I don't like sneaking around, okay?" came the angry reply. "Besides, who are you to tell me what to do? Wimp!" the stronger gladiator growled, his blade swinging through the air, its weight forcing his arms downward. "Pathetic," he snorted, punching the other man's face and then sweeping the legs from under him.

"No," the first man returned, nodding to someone outside of the big man's range. "Just proving that brains are always better than brawn."

A click could be heard and the larger warrior turned just in time to see a yellow-clad female warrior activate the electronic stun gun. He dropped his sword as the current streamed through his body, causing his muscles to contract and relax uncontrollably. Had he had his powers he might have overcome the shock, but since he was as drained as the rest of the little island's occupants, he didn't have a chance. He recovered quickly and found himself looking up at the points of two swords wielded by his opponent.

"Do you yield?" came the question.

Reluctantly he nodded, promising himself that sooner or later he would pay the little geek back.

"Good, because we have work to do." The bespectacled man who could have passed for a close rather sickly relative of Billy Cranston said. "The Rangers remain ignorant of our existence despite your best attempts to announce our presence to the world." For a second he stumbled before he gathered his strength sufficiently to hold himself together.

Until now the Nega Rangers had decided to lay low while they searched for a way to recreate the powers their groups had once possessed. That had led to the discovery that they could leach the life force from humans and twist it to power their armour. Much as Tommy had constantly needed to recharge his powers from another source when Rita had severed his link to the Morphin Grid, so they needed to draw power from whatever they could find. Unfortunately even the most potent human could only power them for a few minutes.

"I'll get you for this you pencil-necked geek."

"Despite your attempts to divert our attention from the obvious, it remains clear that our bodies are starting to decay. Even magically enhanced materials can only last so long before starting to break down. It's only the energy we hold that allows us to endure, and YOU, just forced me to expend more than I wanted to. If you're not careful, we will be needing somebody to take your place.

For all your posturing, we are nothing without Minion to guide us, mere shadows compared to those that have come before, and shadows have no place inhabiting living bodies. You fight me over petty leadership? Fine, you can be leader, the moment that you think of a way to keep us alive. Well?"

"Who are you to around accusations?" the recently defeated combatant who appeared similar to Jason Lee Scott demanded. "You're not Minion, Biilly. You just look like him, as he looked before he... changed."

"Enough! Why do you boys insist on fighting when you can barely stop yourself from falling apart?" a voice asked. It seemed that Kaat had returned from her latest fling with some millionaire. "By the way, I got them."

She opened a box to reveal a dozen scrolls.

Jaason snorted derisively. "That's it? You only got a box of paper?"

"Just remember who has the power around here, big boy." Kaat remarked. Her recent recharge was evident as she knocked the arrogant bully away. "These scrolls are the result of years of research by one of Earths most renowned explorers. They detail the myths, legends and known locations of some of the most powerful artefacts dumped on this world. Imagine what we could do with that power."

Al read through one of the scrolls critically. "Though I am certain these objects possess many desirable qualities, if it had been a matter of finding suitable transformation devices, we would have acquired them by now."

It was true. The Nega Rangers had morphers, but their links to the Power had been through Minion and had been severed when he was destroyed, although for some reason they had turned to dust yet. Even if the rings allowed such transformations to take place, without a stable link they were no more use than the magical trinkets they had been stealing from museums to sustain themselves.

Hearing that she had wasted the old man for nothing, Kaat sulked. It looked as if they would need to continue the search elsewhere.

"On the other hand," he said suddenly, as his keen mind allowed him to translate some of the writings on scrolls, "this information might hold the answer to all our problems..."

Five miles from Angel Grove,  
Less than seven hours ago

There were good times and bad times for new powers to manifest themselves. The middle of a drive down the highway was not a good time in Lillian O'Neil's opinion. Unlike Christina, Jamie and Katarina, she had tied the ring she had discovered on the bluff that marked the outskirts of Angel Grove, on a piece of string around her neck. So when the building powers had activated in response to the other fragments, the sudden burning in her chest had caused her to almost lose control.

She shook her head as she searched for the source of the discomfort and pulled out the ring. Her eyes narrowed, wondering why it had suddenly grown so hot. As a Chemistry student she knew about reactive metals, but she was certain that while odd, the ring was not dangerous.

Somewhere near Earth

"Another contact, Captain," Porto noted.

Since those pesky Rangers had smashed her fleet, the Pirate Queen Divatox had been unable to use the mass invasion she had originally planned. Instead she had decided to increase the bounty she had placed for the destruction of the Rangers until a better plan presented itself.

And since she was a pirate, at least a part of Divatox's plan called for the discovery of some hidden treasure. Porto had been monitoring the planet for unusual energy signatures, and it appeared that he had finally found something worthwhile.

"A human with something that holds the power of the Zeo Crystal," she mused. "Perfect! Elgar, Rygog, get me that girl!"

The Power Chamber

"It's the final fragment," Rocky exclaimed as a small alarm sounded.

Even before Alpha had a chance to make adjustments, the scanners had zeroed in on the energy spike.

"Lil?" Tommy asked.

"It makes sense," Billy told him. "We met Jamie, Christina, Katarina all around the same time. She was in Angel Grove at the time so there was every chance she'd find the final fragment."

On the monitor they noticed the large number of motorbikes heading in her direction.

"Ai-yi-yi! Piranhatrons!"

"Alpha summon Fred and the others," Zordon instructed. While the Turbo Rangers had not been involved with the search for the fragments of the second Zeo Crystal, they were responsible for keeping Divatox at bay. Indeed it was a job they had excelled at.

"Not good," Lillian grumbled as she saw the motorbikes approaching and took note of their strange appearance.

She climbed back onto her bike, ignoring the black glow from her ring, which was slowly growing to cover Lillian and her bike too. No sooner had she climbed onto it than it changed, developing some sort of black armour around the handlebars. "Very cool," she chuckled to herself. No doubt it had weapons on it, too. "Let's roll."

Instinct seemed to take over as Lillian twisted the throttle. The bike roared to life as she was thrown into battle against the alien fish. At some point five more warriors joined the fight, driving their own strange vehicles, but Lillian was too caught up in her own battle to realise.

But as absorbed in the fight as she had become, she could not ignore the feeling of belonging that she felt when three new arrivals appeared. As she spared them a glance, Lillian realised that she knew all of them.

Jamie was like a pitbull as she threw herself into combat. Her knee connected with one footsoldier's groin and was followed by a kick to the head. The Piranhatron's head bounced off her knee and he collapsed to the ground. Jamie ducked just in time to avoid two more throwaways when they attacked. A quick elbow and a fourth joined them.

Christina wasn't much of a fighter, but she was able to the techniques Jamie and Lillian had shown her to triumph. Meanwhile Katarina was making full use of her kickboxing background to take down one opponent after another.

And when the four girls met, ready to handle any stray warriors that the Turbo Rangers had not put down, they could feel the moment when their powers unlocked and they were transformed.

"Zeo Black Power!" Lillian called. "Power of the Shadows!"

Her body was surrounded by ribbons of shadow that merged together to form a dark cocoon. When the shell opened the metamorphosis was completed and in the place of Lillian O'Neil was a black ranger. Matte and gloss black added a level of depth to the costume and made her look even more imposing. The Helmet showed no obvious visor or symbol of power. At the centre of her chest was a small black crystal representing her link to the second Zeo Crystal. She held out her hand and a staff appeared.

"Zeo Purple Power!" Jamie called. "Power of the Blade!"

The Sword of Lightning appeared in Jamie's hand and she gripped it in both hands. Lightning struck the tip of the sword and sent waves of energy flowing up her arms. When the energy reached her feet she exploded into a burst of purple light. Her opponents were forced to shield their eyes as she stepped from the column of light ready for action.

Zeo Purple wore a costume very similar to Zeo Black's. Except that hers was purple in colour. The crystal in her chest was also mounted in the pummel of her sword.

"Zeo Silver!" Katarina called. "Power of the Flame!"

She disappeared as a ball of fire struck the place where she had previously been. It could have been a natural phenomenon, but none of the Rangers could remember a natural fire burning silver. The flames dimmed as the molten silver became the armour of Katarina Petronov, Silver Zeo Ranger. Katarina's costume was simply a silver version of Lillian and Jamie's.

"Zeo White Power!" Christina called. "Power of the Mind!"

Without ceremony she was transformed into the white version of Lillian's armour. There were no fancy effects during her transformation. She simply morphed.

"Now," Purple Zeo asked as she regarded the footsoldiers, "who wants to play?"

The Piranhatrons clearly decided that they did not want to fight, as they promptly teleported away.

Divatox, Rita, Mondo and Zedd were not happy. They had sought to gain an advantage from the appearance of the second Zeo Crystal and had failed. Even as he watched the four villains ranting he couldn't help but smirk at their incompetence. His plans were superior and did not rely on the acquisition of the Zeo Crystal. All they required was the right timing and an opportunity to strike.

As he watched the camera feed from the Power Chamber, showing the four rings transform into their true form as the new Zeo Rangers were formally welcomed into the Power Ranger family. Nathan Oliver had provided him and his associates with the opportunity to strike. And there was no time like the present.

2 October 1997

"So the four parts of the second Zeo Crystal have been found," Tommy said, finishing the story.

"Correct Tommy. Never before has a planet had so many protectors. And while Jamie, Lillian, Katarina and Christina will not be active Rangers, their willingness to help in times of need will prove a great asset."

So everything had ended well. The Turbo Rangers were the protectors of Earth, but as backup they now had the benefit of almost twenty Rangers. Yes the planet was protected and unlock the situation a few months earlier, that protection was now spread around the planet, ready to help in times of need.

There would be challenges ahead, Zordon had foreseen that a time of great conflict would soon approach. But as long as there were those willing to take up the fight, the Power would protect them all.

**End**

Disclaimer: The Power Rangers are the property of Saban Entertainment and I lay no claim to them. Jeffrey Kincaid, Lord Crucible, and all other characters relating to them are the property of John Chubb. This is a COE retelling of the Night Rangers' story. The events in this chapter follow on from the ending of The Emperor's New Rage.

**Dead of Night**

It was all over. The plan had reached its conclusion, the deception had worked perfectly and a strong force in the army of Good had been wiped out. Not just it's heroes, but it's supporters. A vast army dedicated to the defeat of evil, destroyed and disgraced by one of their own. But when the mission was reviewed and the original objectives were considered fully, there was only one conclusion.

"You failed."

Savrod's words were harsh as he watched the former Night Ranger for a reaction. He saw the momentary anger flash through the young man's eyes followed by acceptance. All things considered the boy had done better than he had thought possible, a sign that he had chosen correctly. It would be very easy to explain his failure away as circumstances beyond his control, but Savrod knew the role he had in mind for Mark Kinega demanded absolute dedication. There was no room for doubt.

"I was betrayed," Kinega said after some thought. "I should have realised there was a possibility."

"Yes, the betrayer ended up being betrayed," Savrod agreed. "You declared yourself victorious before checking, a common failure. Make sure it doesn't happen too often."

He was being disrespectful and he knew it. But just as a sergeant could treat an officer as just another soldier during training, so Savrod could treat Kinega as an underling until the young man assumed his rightful place.

"I retrieved these," Kinega said, revealing the three damaged morphers he had collected after the battle.

Savrod studied them. They were damaged and would never be useable again for their real purpose. However for the ceremony he had planned, they would prove sufficient. Just as long as Kinega's morpher was still operational.

"Very well, the ceremony will require an alternative sacrifice, but nothing too complicated. In the meantime you should try honing your skills."

Hours earlier

"Something's wrong," Ishalla said to herself. She could feel the sudden anxiety among the spirits that granted her powers of a Night Ranger, but could not understand the nature of the warning. "Why would Mark want to meet here anyway?"

The message had been cryptic and short. Even for their leader it had been very short. Mark had been gone for weeks, investigating rumours of some new evil that had arisen. When he had made contact his message had given the impression that he was nervous. They had wondered during the journey just how bad things could be.

"The beacon is here just like he said, maybe he had to run an errand."

It was possible. How right she had been. If the others had been as quick to identify the danger as she had been to realise that it existed, the Night Rangers might have survived.

But they did not survive the encounter. The Night Rangers had been exterminated in a single strike. Three dead, one a traitor and the last... while he lived a part of him had not survived the battle.

It had started with a message, a call for help from Mark Kinega, leader of the Night Rangers. They had followed his signal, not questioning him when he had told them to leave his morpher at their headquarters. Their Zords were equipped for space travel and quickly navigated their way to where he was supposed to meet them.

But Mark had not been there when they had arrived. Defiance was nowhere to be seen. And so they waited for hours in the darkness, not realising the trap that had already snapped shut.

The Acexta Order could trace its origins to a time before the Night Rangers, when mortals had channelled the powers of darkness against the forces of evil without the protection of the Morphin Grid. To this day the Acexta were among the fiercest warriors in the galaxy. It was only because they concentrated on the evil that lurked in the darkness that they didn't involve themselves in other battles.

Master Elija had been a leader of the Order for a short time. He had been the one to name Kinega as the next Red Night Ranger. As such his connection to the so-called Spirits of the Night, the evil forces that the Acexta had trapped and enslaved, had not diminished fully. It was that connection that warned him that something was wrong.

When Defiance had appeared over the planet Elija had sensed a growing anticipation from the trapped spirits. He had yelled out a warning to his fellow Order members as wave after wave of armoured soldier had appeared within their cities. And leading the battle was a man he had entrusted with an awesome responsibility. Kinega had betrayed them.

As the Acexta were dying, as the forces of the darkest evil rampaged through their temples, the other Night Rangers were growing concerned. Their attempts to radio Mark had been jammed, leading them to wonder if their leader had been discovered.

"Anything Krolos?" Jeff asked. In Mark's absence he had command of the team.

"Nothing," the Kerovian answered. "If Defiance was here it didn't leave under its own power. The beacon Mark set is still broadcasting though."

"Send the deactivation code," Kincaid ordered after a moment's thought. "It would be just like Mark to leave a message there for us."

Ishalla had always been very perceptive. Since her connection to the Morphin Grid and then the Acexta, her senses had expanded. At this moment her instincts were screaming at her. And as a sudden cry reached her through the silence of space, she realised what it was.

"This is wrong. We shouldn't be here. We need to be..."

Before she could finish her Bat Zord was blown to pieces.

"Ishalla!" Jeff cried.

"She's gone Jeff," Krolos told him. "You can't help her now."

"Everyone scatter don't let any one get you," Jeff ordered.

Somehow he knew it was already too late. The deactivation of the beacon had closed triggered the hidden weapons, and Ishalla had paid the price.

A warping of space alerted them to the arrival of the Defiance. Then a massive ship opened fire as soon as it arrived, taking out the hidden weapons before they could claim another life. Mark was late, but his fellow Rangers felt a sense of relief that he had arrived.

Then relief turned to panic as the weapons shifted to aim directly at the Zords. Jeff managed to move his Zord, but Krolos and Anna were not so lucky. They were gone in a matter of seconds and Jeff's own Wolf Zord took a shot in the stabilizer, sending him out of control. He endeavoured to regain a measure of control and ordered the Zord's computer to ram into the attacking ship.

"If I'm going down I'm taking you bastards with me!" he growled, convinced that some alien force had taken control of the Defiance and that Mark was either captured or dead.

The Zord was almost blown away when Defiance opened fire again. Jeff felt a tingle throughout his body as he was teleported away. Seconds later Defiance opened fire again and the Wolf Zord ceased to exist.

Jeff found himself on the bridge of Defiance and finding it empty, assumed that the teleport command had been activated by Hardrive after the computer had regained control.

"Did you get any of the others out Hardrive?"

"They're dead Jim," Hardrive told him, the sadness evident in his voice.

"Who did this?"

"Fredo," was the answer.

Jeff had been through too much to try to understand the computer's television references.

"Hardrive tell me, what the hell happened? Where's Mark?" he demanded.

"Fredo!" Hardrive answered again. This time the computer activated ship's viewer. On the screen stood Mark Kinega in some sort of armour. For a moment it resembled his Night Ranger attire, but quickly changed to a sinister suit of crimson metal.

The film played, showing Mark as he made his way through the Temple of the Acexta, killing those that stood in his way. It showed him discard the morpher he had collected from the Night Ranger's headquarters before absorbing the trapped spirits of the Acexta.

Hardrive had been confused, but bound to obey Mark as long as he was leader of the Night Rangers. He had ordered Hardrive to shut down the emergency teleporters and the machine had been forced to comply. When he had fired on the other Rangers though Hardrive had tried to miss. It was not until Mark had declared that the Night Rangers were history that the computer had been freed from his control.

Since Mark no longer considered himself a Night Ranger, Hardrive was able to teleport him off the ship. At the same time the computer teleported Jeff on board. But it took longer to gain complete control over Defiance.

Jeff was unable to believe what he saw. Their leader had betrayed them. Murdered their team. They trusted Mark and he betrayed them. He saw Mark outside of Defiance on the main viewer as he hovered above the Zord.

"Hardrive what are you doing? I gave you no teleport commands." He tried to regain entry into Defiance, but Hardrive would not allow it. "Hardrive, open the door!" he ordered. "OPEN THE DOOR!"

"Fredo!" Hardrive bellowed, using its command over the communication's system to boost the volume. "You're nothing to me now Fredo. You're not a brother. You're not a friend. I don't wanna know where you go. I don't wanna know what you do. When you come to visit momma, I expect to know a day in advance so I won't be there." That said Hardrive brought Defiance's weapons to bear on Mark.

Mark didn't want a fight, his instructions had been to destroy his former allies as swiftly as possible - for Savrod had been well aware that until Kinega committed the ultimate betrayal of the light, there was still a chance his friends could reach him. By destroying three Night Rangers in such an impersonal and underhanded manner, Kinega had abandoned even the twisted honour of a Night Ranger. With a gesture he reached out, using his position as Red Night Ranger to retrieve his fallen teammate's morphers. Savrod had insisted that those devices were essential to the ritual to come.

And so he had teleported, leaving Jeff and Hardrive to wonder what had happened to their friend and leader. But frst there was the matter of surviving the assault force that Savrod had deployed to clean up the area.

Evil is a concept, an idea. It is very difficult to kill or control an idea once it it is unleashed. Especially when the idea is as old if not older than the universe itself. Before the beginning evil had existed, witnessing the transition of void to existence and then back to void. It had witnessed the birth of the second universe where it's influence was felt by the first life forms. It was the image upon which the concept of evil was based, it's struggle with its ancient enemies the inspiration for the Light God and Chaos Bringer of early myths.

And then had come the day when the universe was driven to the point of extinction. At that moment, a moment of non-existence that had threatened to spread to all reality, the first evil, the creature that lurked within the darkness upon which the later demons tried to model themselves, had sensed freedom. It was not enough to break free completely, but it allowed him to once again influence the creatures that were drawn to the darkness, drawing them together to a single location. And there the dark creatures mixed and merged, driven by an unknown urge to be one. And while the effects of the Sword of Ragnorok were reversed less than a second later, the unified darkness remained.

Unaware of its surroundings, the combined darkness consumed an entire universe, creating a new Dark Dimension where the most terrible evil could lurk. And that evil gained a will and that will found others that shared its desires and chose them to act as its agents. It searched the place of its conception, seeking the worst of the worst, those who deserved to champion its cause and from the many, selected the few.

Time and space meant nothing as like a black hole it drew them into its midst after they had been displaced from the Dark Dimension by Minion's foolish action. Naarkh, the first of the High Lords of Evil after the legendary Darke, Trannis the Eternal Emperor, Darkstorm, a petty warlord with ideas above his station, and Grobelar, his most loyal of servants; Golan, one of his generals and his three lieutenants Hera, Viralina and Minerva. All were drawn into the darkness, their memories examined as the evil tried to find its own identity. Soon they were joined by other servants of evil.

They were the Dark Spirits, the darkest and most evil being the universe could offer. They were the accumulated evil of the ages from every evil creature that had existed. They were everything that was evil or belonged in one of the many parts of Hell. And their twisted hunger grew larger by the second.

"We are the darkness, we are the night. We are Poneros, we are Oligar, we are Haz'tur, we are Javius, we are Hysteria, we are Nore, we are Gorg, we are Mu and we are Ramon. We are Naarkh, we are Trannis, we are Darkstorm, we are Grobelar, we are Hera, we are Viralina, we are Minerva and we are Dagsyxx.

We are all that has come before and much that has still to come. We are the spectre in the dark, the war, the death, the famine, the pestilence. We are the Apocalypse and the Armageddon, and the void that waits beyond.

We are the Spirits of Darkness and you... will be our vessel!"

The four abandoned morphers glowed as the demons spoke. These spirits were just as old and powerful as those that powered the Night Rangers, those that the Avatars of the Night were required to overcome to draw upon their true powers. But these spirits would not settle for good Rangers who happened to be slightly dark, they sought to corrupt and create a creature of darkness. The morphers melted, their energies merging together into a single talisman.

The young man before them looked up, touching the newly forged amulet. Night Rangers were powered by the trapped power of darkness. The final step required to become a Night Ranger was to look within the Mirror of Night and defeat the evil they saw, the representation of the demon that powered them. The first time Kinega had faced such evil he had conquered it and emerged a Night Ranger. This time he didn't even fight the darkness, allowing it to sweep through his soul and wash away any hint of purity. His body erupted in black flames, burning away all traces of Mark Kinega's good character, leaving behind a new soldier of darkness. His appearance shifted as he embraced the darkness completely. His new armour formed, tarnished by the darkness he now served.

"And with your power, I, Crucible will be unstoppable!"

Laughter filled the dimension. The new servant of evil had claimed his position. Now it was just a matter of time before the Morphin Masters and those who supported them fell to the power of the greatest fear: a Night Ranger gone bad.

**End**

Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers or any other show. All characters belong to the registered copyright owner.  
Author's Note: This chapter might appear a little confusing and the question might arise why am I writing about these character who have never appeared in this series before in a way that hopefully makes it clear their story is at an end? The answer is that while Oscar and company have not appeared in this version of COE, they were an important part of the original storyline and had a whole series dedicated to their battles against Minion. Unfortunately that series never reached completion as doesn't fit with the current version of COE. However there was a story set to take place at the end of the Minion of Darkness set during the point where the Rangers unleashed the Great Power and the Universe was reborn where these characters appeared, so this is closing off the left over links to that part of the series (the actual story will be posted in the Offshots since it occurs out of the mainstream reality).

**Loose Ends**

Castle Twilight  
Reality Node:

Long ago an enlightened man who had had a little too much of his favourite beverage, told that the universe as many had come to accept it was just one universe out of an infinite number of possible universes. Where timelines, dimensions and universes combined, the Multiverse would be formed. He declared as he fell off of his bar stool and stared up the dress of some attractive barmaid, that the universe they knew was just a part of a much larger multiverse.

The man had continued as his friends had poured him another drink, to explain that the many universes were joined together by a number of key worlds and that the importance of the universe in the grander scheme of things could be determined by how many of those key worlds could be found within. Of course he had ranted to his friends that the world with all the importance features should be considered the Prime Reality, which impressed them despite the fact he then vomited in his neighbour's hat.

He told them that in his opinion their universe was not a part of the Prime Reality, something that led to a brawl and the man being barred from the tavern for the rest of his life. However as unpopular as his words were, they were truthful. His universe was unimportant and thanks to the recent happenings in another place, no longer existed.

Castle Twilight stood upon the main continent of the planet Twilight at the centre of reality. If the Multiverse was shaped like the hub of a very poorly shaped wheel, then it was at the centre where the wheel turned. It was the origin point of the explosion that had caused the formation of the Multiverse, a place of neutrality, untouched by the battle between good and evil.

Twilight was a peaceful world in a peaceful universe where instead of warring, the many factions representing good and evil had remained peaceful. Over time the populace had united for the purpose of maintaining balance within the Multiverse. Rarely were they required to act beyond the scope of their realm and when they were it was usually a nudge to offset some minor imbalance.

And then Minion had used the Sword of Ragnarok and the Multiverse had been destroyed. One universe after another had ceased to existed until only Minion's universe remained. Then that too was absorbed by the void, which turned inward towards the multiversal hub, only to halt when the final act of the heroes healed the damage and reversed the process.

But a rogue element had involved itself and had sort to remake the Multiverse based on a different design, one which lacked a concept of balance and therefore threatened the existence of the Multiverse. At that point they had no choice but to act.

And act they did, choosing avatars from newly forming universes that had yet to mature and would never reach their full potential once the wave of destruction hit them. Eight beings were chosen and trained within the grounds of Castle Twilight to use the elemental powers of the Multiverse.

Though small in number, and though they had lacked experience and had been thrown into a situation far outside of their comfort zone, the eight chosen warriors had triumphed and existence had reformed just how it was supposed to. Unfortunately sacrifices had to be made for such an occurrence and the young heroes who had given their all to prevent the corruption of a world not their own, had lost more than any hero could be asked to lose.

Not only had their universes been destroyed by the void created by Minion and the Sword of Ragnarok, the powers they had used to stop the corrupt genius who had taken advantage of the situation to rewrite existence in his image had caused untold damage to their minds, bodies and souls.

In truth they should have been destroyed. The desperate plan that had led to their rescue and empowerment had called for their complete sacrifice to end the battle. But it had not happened exactly as planned and they had survived. The problem had then been what to do with them?

Some have favoured destroying them outright, tossing them aside like the meaningless creatures they were. Others had advocated keeping them in case of future need, using them as puppets wherever intervention was called for. And then there had been a group who had deemed them worthy of joining the other Lords and Ladies of Twilight in their castle, forever nestled between the second after destruction of the first universe and the second before the creation of the Multiverse.

Ultimately a decision was made and only the person who made it would ever claim it was a good idea. Since the eight heroes were from a place that no longer existed, they would be sent to the universe where Minion had triggered the cataclysm which had led to their recruitment. To that end the Lords of Twilight used the reality bending powers of their sacred God Stone to insert the humans into the desired timeline.

It had taken many months to build the new identities. The first few times the characters had been deemed too perfect. Despite their lack of special powers and inability to ever hold such powers, they had stood out too much. After that they had tried separating them, but some force continuously drew them back together.

In the end the alterations had been made and the humans had been sent to the Earth where Minion had been created. Whether they would survive was unknown, a matter outside of the control of the Lords and Ladies of Twilight, but if they were destined to do so, they would find a way.

Merlow was a small community that had been popular during the seventies and eighties for parents wanting to raise their children in a safe environment. Crime was not uncommon, but the police force was well funded and efficient. Education and healthcare had been granted a boost due to the influx of high-tech industries led to with a large number of teenagers had a variety of clubs and cliques. Of course there were the school jocks that were worshipped by the school as heroes and the nerd groups that the more academic minded students formed.

Then there was the a group that seemed to circle around Oscar Barrett and his friends. In truth the friends were united by a common attachment to Oscar's mother, a foster carer and child minder who had looked after the friends as well as her own son for years. Together they formed a team of four good friends, not troublemakers, just friends who enjoyed each other's company. Oscar was the natural leader, not because of his strength or looks, simply because he knew how to keep the group together and given them a focus.

Having known most of the people in their year group, Oscar's closest friends were Scott Baker, Lee Jones, and Helen Croft. Oscar and Lee were the closest. They had been friends since they were toddlers and had practically grown up together. Lee had had a hard life; his mother had died giving birth and his father had turned to drink. For most of his life Lee had been abused and used Oscar's house as a refuge when time got too bad. As a result he had become an unofficial brother to Oscar and was one of the many people who referred to Dana Barrett as 'Mom'. Despite all he had been through Lee was a loyal friend that Oscar could count on and the two shared a tight bond. Lee was also captain of the school's Football team and when he wasn't with Oscar he could normally be found with the other Jocks.

Helen had joined them shortly after starting school. She was the peacekeeper and enforcer of the group. Even Lee backed down rather than make her angry. Despite the outward appearance she had a big heart and was always there for her friends. At one point she had tried dating Oscar, but after a while it was decided they were soul mates and nothing more. Of course they had been eleven at the time.

Scott was the pretty rich boy of the group and he knew it. His ego was constantly growing from the attention he received. Despite the superficial appearance though Scott was one of the most thoughtful and loyal friends Oscar had ever had. He was also a fitness freak and kept himself in top form through athletics and had a room full of trophies. Unfortunately the abundance of trophies did not make up for the fact his rich parents were constantly away. Like Lee, Scott was almost always with Oscar at his house and had formed a close bond with Oscar's mother.

"Why don't we do something tonight?" Lee asked as they drank.

"I can't," Oscar replied sullenly. "My mom's taken in a new foster kid and I'm supposed to be there to meet him."

"Another one?" Lee asked in surprised. Ms Barrett was well known as the local Good Samaritan. In fact there were rumours she had once tried to adopt an entire orphanage. Lee's comment brought snickers from Helen and Scott. Soon all four were laughing at the image of Mrs Barrett trying to right the world.

Scott chuckled and turned back to watching the two teens practicing whatever martial art they had decided upon for that day. Bruce Chen and Clyde Simpson were unlikely friends. While they were similar in attitude, their interests were very different. Bruce was best described as a geek, something he was proud to proclaim. He was a member of the science and technology clubs and was one of the school's top chess players. Clyde preferred music and art; if his ability to wheedle his way out of trouble was an indication, then he did more at Drama Club than adjust the lights as he claimed. Both boys shared an interest in the martial arts, more so than Oscar, Lee, Scott and Helen, who had only taken a basic course at Mrs Barrett's insistence.

It appeared that today they were fighting using a mixture of styles, Bruce's Kung-Fu against Clyde's Capoeira. It wasn't much of a match though and if he hadn't seen them trade a few blows early on, Scott might have believed that they were not sparring at all.

A loud bang followed by a groan from Oscar caused Scott to look towards the door. He had to fight his own urge to groan when he saw Shane and his gang enter. Most communities had their bad elements, Shane and his companions were Merlow's problem. They had been barred from the cafe many times in the past and were usually looking for trouble. Shane used his position on the Football team to keep himself out of serious trouble. The school principal liked the idea of his school winning more than he cared about providing a safe environment for his students.

Instead of making their way to the counter, Shane and his friends walked onto the mats. It seemed the bullies had 'requested' Bruce's help with a homework assignment and the other boy had turned him down. Shane was not known to take rejection lightly, Cassandra Long had made sure that everybody understood that point. Nobody in their right mind turned Shane down unless they were ready to fight or had an escape route.

"Hey, we don't want any trouble," Clyde said.

"Well I do!" Shane shouted. "Your little boyfriend there cost me an A on my last test."

"I told you, I would help you learn the material but I would not take the test for you," Bruce responded. Neither he nor Clyde had backed down.

Oscar shot a glance at Lee and Scott who both nodded and walked with him to where the confrontation was taking place. At the same time he glanced over at Angelina, the owner of the establishment. It was a well-known fact that if she wanted somebody to leave she would make him or her. By force if necessary.

"Oh look, little Barrett and his big bad friends have come to help," Shane sneered.

"Hey Bruce, just wanted to thank you for the tutoring," Oscar smiled, ignoring Shane totally. "Would you two like a drink?"

"Hey!" Shane shouted before Bruce or Clyde could reply. "We're busy here, so get lost!"

"Well?" Oscar asked. So far Shane had reacted as expected. Now if Bruce accepted Oscar knew things would be all right.

"Yes, thank you," Bruce said as he and Clyde made their way over to where Helen had already ordered some more drinks.

"On the house," Angelina whispered as she went back to the bar.

"I'm not done with you Barrett," Shane said angrily.

Oscar had not expected this. He and Shane had an interesting history and while the bully liked to talk big, he usually avoided an outright confrontation. So he was caught off guard when Shane spun him and tried to punch him. Somehow he missed and overbalanced, knocking the table as he did so.

"I'll get you Barrett," Shane swore as he picked himself up. He had lost face, but that was enough to make him dangerous. As much as Oscar hated to admit it, sooner or later the two would come to blows again and he would end up doing something he would hate himself for.

"Thanks," Bruce said as Oscar sat down.

"Not a problem," Scott responded. "You two could have taken them, but this way I didn't risk getting blood on my knuckles."

"Yeah, I can see you wouldn't want to ruin your looks," Cassandra said as she joined the group, giving Clyde and Bruce a disapproving look. It seemed that if she wasn't around they would land themselves in trouble. "If you did people might start to think you're human."

Everybody laughed at the comment. It was a fact the girls like Scott and even better known that Scott knew that they liked him. "Forget the rest, Scott's the best," he said trying to keep a straight face.

The seven friends sat together and talked for a couple of hours. Occasionally Angelina would bring them something to eat, but generally they had fun.

Just then Oscar noticed the time. "Oh man, I've got to leave. Mom will kill me if I'm late."

"Good luck with your brother," Helen called as he left before she returned to talking with Cassandra. They were comparing notes on one of the Swimming team's rising stars.

"This is your last chance," his social worker lectured as he stepped out of the car. "If you can't make it with the Barretts, you'll probably be in state care until you're eighteen."

Displaced Dan, that's what the kids in the last family he had stayed with had called him, gave her a small nod, not really caring. He was an unwanted child with no other family. In short, Daniel Nelson was a problem child. Exactly what he had been through in his young life was unclear, although social workers suspected he had been abused. Whatever the cause he seemed unable to connect with the families that had offered him a home.

"We had to work very hard to find a place for you," she continued, but Daniel ad stopped listening.

In fact his instincts were screaming at him to step back in the car and return to the orphanage. At least there he knew what to expect. No, starting this latest attempt to find him a home as a challenge, was not the wisest choice. Daniel had been in foster care since he was four years old and had lost all track of his mother. He'd been taken from her because she left him home alone while she plied her wares on the streets of Atlanta, then locked him in a bathroom while she entertained the tricks she brought home. Daniel didn't even know who his father was, and he doubted that his mother did either, even if he could ask her. Somehow she had ended up in across the country and had asked for his return. That had lasted just a few days before she had moved on, but Daniel had been left behind, moving from one orphanage to another within the state.

Because his mother was still alive, Daniel had not been considered eligible for adoption until he was ten or so, and by then it seemed that no one was interested in a young boy who was at the age where his curiosity, and capacity for trouble were at their peak, while his ability to use common sense, his inclination to bond with a new family, were at their ebb. So Daniel had been placed in several different foster homes throughout the state and had done his time in the Methodist Children's Home, but both Daniel and those responsible for his care had come to the point where they simply didn't consider the possibility of his ever having a permanent family. Daniel's self esteem was at an all time low, and he certainly was not up for any challenges.

It was a few weeks earlier when he'd been called to the Administrator's office. When he entered there were Mr Dalzell the administrator, Mrs Flewelling his social worker, and a Mr Rowling, a social worker that Daniel did not know.

"We have a placement for you," Mr Dalzell began after the introductions, "and it sounds like a really good one if you're interested. But I'll shut up and let the social workers tell you about it."

"Tell me Daniel, what do you know about Merlow?" Mr Rowling asked.

Daniel thought about the question. He knew that the town was somewhere in the northern part of the state, but other than that he drew a complete blank. Merlow was not especially important for trade, didn't have any important industries and rarely appeared on the news. It was just another town, another place to be sent. Yet another grey area in a dull world.

"Perhaps you should tell Daniel more about the placement so he can decide for himself," Mr Dalzell suggested when he noticed how disinterested Daniel appeared.

Danny shot the administrator an evil stare, his eyes boring into the man's head. He was surprised when Dalzell seemed to look scared. Everybody knew Danny hated the name Daniel and most were sensible enough to call him Danny. Normally the administrator would have known better, but the appearance of Rowling in his office given him a new opportunity to find the boy a how and in his enthusiasm, he had simply forgotten.

"I appologise for that Danny, I won't do it again," he promised and was pleased at the nod and slight smile he received in return.

"Anyway," Rowling continued. "A local citizen in Merlow is willing to take you for a six month period. She has already got one son called Oscar and is looking for somebody to keep him company. At the same time you will be able to enjoy a family life. Consider it a learning experience."

So there it was. Danny had been selected to baby-sit for a kid who was unable to make his own friends. Danny had been less than enthusiastic, but his views on the matter were ignored.

"Danny!" His attention was drawn back to the present. "Remember what I said," Rowling said. "If you behave and do what Ms Barrett tells you there is a small chance you will be able to become part of her family."

Danny was hardly listening as he began to unpack his bags. He had had so many bad experiences in foster homes that he had decided this latest trip would turn out just as bad.

"Danny, this is Ms Dana Barrett," Mr Rowling explained as a woman in her late thirties emerged from the house to meet them. "Ms Barrett, may I introduce Danny."

"Nice to meet you Danny," Ms Barrett said extending her hand. "I'm sorry Oscar is not here at the moment, but he had to run an errand for me."

Mr Rowling left quickly after reminding Danny to behave and telling Ms Barrett to contact him if there were any problems. After he had gone Ms Barrett led Danny into the house.

"Don't let Rowling intimidate you," she said as she placed his cases down in the hall. "The guy can be a real pain if you let him get to you." She went on to tell Danny about herself and Oscar whilst preparing him a small snack.

"Thanks Ms Barrett," Danny said.

"Call me Dana, you're going to be here for a while," Dana replied.

"Thanks Ms... I mean Dana," Danny said.

They talked for a while about Danny and his life, then Dana told him about her family. As he had assumed she was not married, but did maintain a close relationship with Oscar's father who lived in New York. She told him they rarely visited since Oscar's 'uncles' were a bit eccentric especially his Uncle Lewis. They continued talking for a while about Merlow with Dana filling him in on the various meeting places and the high school.

They spoke for a while longer before he was told to take a look around the town. "There's a bike in the yard you can use." And with that, Danny was turned loose to explore the sights that were Merlow.

Oscar Barrett was in no rush to return home and discover his mother's 'latest project'. He knew that her idea of fostering was intended to give him some company, but he knew it was really just to satisfy his mother's overactive conscience. He had once heard his grandmother recounting how his mother had once had a room full of stray cats whilst advertising for their owners to come forward. Now Oscar was on his way home to meet his new foster brother. He just hoped Daniel was worth his mother's efforts.

"Hey Barrett!" Oscar swore silently as he recognised the voice behind him. Instead of stopping he started to walk faster, choosing the path that would lead him home. The sound of running echoed as his nemesis started to follow. Oscar picked up the speed, determined to get away without a fight. As he rounded the corner his hopes of doing so were dashed.

"I said 'Hey Barrett!'" Shane shouted as his friends moved in to surround Oscar. They had known where he would go and had taken the opportunity to cut him off. "Why you running Barrett?" Shane asked as he grabbed the smaller boy around the neck. "Did your mummy tell you to come home?"

Oscar looked at the five boys who surrounded him. These guys were tough and intent on hurting him. Shane was the leader, the typical thug who the others followed like brainless sheep. Chris, Brad, Josh and Matt were tough in their own way, but without Shane they wouldn't have the guts to try anything.

"Look Shane, I don't want any trouble," Oscar said, hoping he could talk his way out of it.

"Well that's a shame because I am," Shane sneered. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't hit you."

"I'll give you two," Oscar replied, clutching at straws. "First you'd have to live with what you'd done."

"Ha!" Shane laughed. "And the second reason?"

"Your fly's undone."

It was an old trick that even the most stupid kid would not fall for. Oscar had been hoping Shane would laugh long enough for him to run, but when Shane actually looked Oscar took his chance and ran.

"Get him!" Shane shouted.

Oscar ran as fast as he could, hoping to lose the bullies on his way back to the cafe. But luck was not on his side; the bullies were older and faster and he soon found himself on the receiving end of a punch to the stomach.

"Oi! Leave him alone," a voice called from behind them. The five bullies turned to see a blond haired kid setting his bike down and walking towards them. Ignoring Shane and his cronies he helped Oscar back to his feet.

Nothing was supposed to happen when Nelson and Barrett met. The elemental powers they had been gifted during the crisis had been stripped away during their time in limbo. The link they had once shared, caused by the influence of their powers on each other should have remained dormant. However when they touched, they recognised each other on a different level. It was a bond of camaraderie between survivors, a friendship that had survived a war.

And with the link between them restored, there was a good chance that a similar link between them and Cassandra, Helen, Lee, Scott, Clyde and Bruce would return. Not that it mattered without their powers, but it did cause the Lords and Ladies of Twilight to wonder just how their carefully laid plans had gone even a little awry.

"You've got a choice," Danny told them, suddenly feeling very confident. For some reason he no longer believed that this placement had to end in disaster. "Let us go..."

"Or we'll go through you," Oscar finished. Likewise he felt more confident. Just having another person there had changed the odds. He would rather it had been Lee or even Scott, but any help was welcome. He just wished that he could remember his ally's name, he was certain they had met before.

Shane laughed and threw a punch at Daniel, but Daniel had somehow moved to one side before the fist reached him and grabbed the bully's wrist. He held the arm, feeling all the momentum drain from Shane before letting go and allowing Shane to collapse on his face.

"Run," Oscar said.

Both boys ran off, neither aware of who the other was and missing the shocked look on the bullies' faces. They had just seen two fifteen-year-old run off so fast their movements were a blur. As Danny picked up his bike and pedalled off Oscar ran towards his home.

"You alright?" Oscar asked when they finally stopped running.

"Yeah, who'd have thought I'd be attacked on my first day in Merlow," Danny replied. "I hope my foster brother is better than those guys."

Oscar half heard what the other boy had said and looked at him. He realised for the first time he had never seen this boy before and he had always made it his business to know everybody. "Foster brother?"

"Yeah, I'm meant to be staying with Ms Barrett and her son, but I haven't even met him yet. I think he might be avoiding me."

They walked on in silence.

"Well, here you are," Oscar said as he dropped Daniel at the Barrett house. "Hope things go well with your brother, I think you'll like him."

The door opened and Dana was waiting for them. "Where have you two been?" she asked.

"Sorry Mom," Oscar said.

"Well I am glad you two have met at least," Dana said, ignoring the look Oscar gave her.

"Mom?" Danny asked quietly.

"Well, yeah, um that's what I call her because, she's my mom," Oscar managed.

"You mean you two haven't met?" Dana asked. She smiled as she saw the recognition dawn on Danny's face. "Danny, this is Oscar. Oscar meet Danny your new brother."

"Maybe that should be brothers," Oscar corrected as he noticed Helen, Scott and Lee making their way towards them.

~Maybe this place won't be so bad after all,~ Danny thought as introductions were made and the extended Barrett family made their way inside.

The matter had been sorted. The insertion of the eight chosen heroes into a new life was complete. History had been altered and the universe had adapted, the town of Merlow had suddenly appeared and the maps had changed to accept it. The left over pieces had found a home, even if it was not the same as the place they had known before. They were together, they had friends and they were with family. And that was enough.

With the last obstacle removed, the doorway between the Multiverse and the dimensional hub where Twilight resided was starting to close. There was nothing to do regarding Oscar and Daniel's minor use of their power. It seemed that once gifted even the combined wills of the Lords and Ladies of Twilight could not remove such powers. They would have to be satisfied with the knowledge that for the most part those abilities were blocked.

Time was moving forward, as time was inclined to do. Events were in motion on Earth and in other parts of the cosmos that would test the heroes of that world. But those within Castle Twilight would never involve themselves in such a conflict. They were after all above the notions of good and evil, and forever neutral in protecting the balance.

**End** Disclaimer: I do not own the Power Rangers, they belong to their respective copyright owner. This is a piece of fanfiction and no profit has been made or sought by its production.

**If At First...**

Earth

It was a quiet day in Angel Grove. The birds were singing, the trees were swaying in the breeze. And nothing seemed to disturb the feeling of peace and tranquillity. Not even the high pitched shriek that originated from Divatox's Subcraft.

"ELGAR!" the pirate bellowed for the third time, finally gaining her idiot nephew's attention. "What is that - thing - doing here?" she demanded.

"Gee I don't know Auntie D... standing?" Elgar replied dumbly.

Divatox growled and was rewarded by the look of fear that suddenly appeared on Elgar's face. When she had woken to find something standing in the corner of her bed chamber she had instinctively blamed her nephew. For all she knew it was still his fault, but if the idiot didn't recall putting it there... well she would just have to punish him anyway.

"Captain Divatox, whatever's the matter?" Porto asked as he hurried into the room, followed by a school of Piranhatrons. Rygog was close behind, having taken an alternative route in search of intruders.

"Elgar let this thing onto the ship," she replied.

"Oh dear. I told him to wait outside your cabin Captain," Porto said, hoping there was some way he could convince her to direct her aggression at Elgar. "This is Cocky Roach, the latest bounty seeker to accept your terms.. He's waiting for permission to go to Earth."

Divatox laughed. "You expect me to send this - what is he anyway?"

"A Carfardian from the planet Carfar," Porto answered, checking the details on his clipboard.

"Oh, that explains the smell," she said, wrinkling her nose.

Carfar was one of the galaxy's dumping grounds. Tonnes of organic waste were dumped onto the surface ever second to the care of the native population. Naturally the planet stank of rotting vegetation and other less pleasant things.

"With respect Captain, what do you have to lose?" Porto asked.

Divatox nodded before turning her anger on Elgar again. Regardless of whom was at fault, her nephew was the most expendable member of the crew. Indeed, even her footsoldiers had more value than he did.

"Do it," she said. "Oh and Porto, you better have this ship scrubbed from top to bottom or I'll be sticking you outside the airlock with Elgar here."

Porto sighed. It seemed there was no pleasing some people. He did take a moment to study Cocky Roach again. Compared to some of the others who had tried to claim the reward Divatox had offered for the destruction of the Power Rangers, he was a pretty unimpressive specimen. Eight-foot long with six legs, a powerful tail and sharp jaws. The bug's big yellow eyes stuck out as it thought of the wonderful world filled with filth for him and his children to consume.

"Come forth little brothers," the alien said. "It's time to feast."

The Juice Bar

Ernie prided himself on the success of his business. He had made a success of turning the Juice Bar into a profitable place for the kids of Angel Grove to meet and relax. He had provided leisure facilities in the form of a gym after the bowling alley had failed to attract the large number of teenagers he was aiming for. Of course the pool tables and arcade games helped and the duke box was essential in making the atmosphere as friendly as possible.

Today Ernie and the rest of his staff were preparing for a meeting with the enemy or as Ernie knew them, the Angel Grove Health and Safety Department. Not that Ernie really viewed them as the enemy. He knew that the city's officials worked extremely hard and tried their best to help businesses to meet the regulations. It was however a matter of pride for Ernie that his business had never had any problems during an inspection.

"Yuck," Emily St John, everybody's favourite waitress exclaimed as she moved one of the large sacks from the corner of the cupboard. "Ernie, what's with all the cockroa..."

Her question was interrupted by a loud scream from one of the customers. She looked up in time to see twenty human sized bugs walking through the door followed by an army of smaller bugs.

"I want the Power Rangers," the largest bug stated. "And if we don't get them, my children will eat all of you."

"Everybody out the back!" Ernie called.

The patrons were quick to obey, they had been through enough safety drills as part of Ernie's attempt to ensure the safety of his staff and customers.

"Ernie, we're clear," Emily called before ducking out the door.

Ernie was right behind, inadvertently squishing a few of the cockroaches as he went.

"The day of an inspection and I have to have a bug problem," he moaned as he ran across the parking lot as quickly as his portly form could manage.

Power Chamber

The invasion of the Youth Center had not gone unnoticed. Alpha had detected the large number of alien bugs before they reached the door of the building and was summoning the Turbo Rangers just as Ernie was ushering the last of his patrons out of the door. The five young heroes had been watching events on the Viewing Screen, waiting for the opportunity to attack.

"Computer confirms that it is Cocky Roach," Alpha reported.

"I feared that was the case," Zordon rumbled. "It would seem that he has managed to escape the Carfardian penal system."

"Anybody been saving for that giant can of bug spray?" Tasha asked.

"Is this guy a real alien?" Fred wanted to know.

It was difficult with all the threats a Power Ranger faced to remember that while some of the monsters that opposed them were constructs built either from magic or metal parts, some were living creatures.

"Yes Fred, he is. Cocky Roach is a citizen of the planet Carfar, although he is considered a criminal by many of his race."

"Cocky Roach was responsible for the destruction of the Astro Farm in the CITV System," Alpha informed them.

"He is also suspected of multiple murders," Zordon continued. "You must be extra vigilant when facing him."

"What about the small bugs?"

"Cocky Roach like all cockroaches emits a pheromone to attract others of his kind," Zordon said. "It is likely that he recruited this swarm before leaving his homeworld. He and his army will attempt to capture you in his roach motel. He has split his forces in and arranged for some of them to attack the other monster shelters."

"He wants to split us," Franklin said simply. "We're outnumbered and Divatox is trying to divide and conquer."

"We can't allow that to happen," Fred said. "We'll split up and draw them together. If we're lucky he'll stop. If not..."

"We squash that bug," Rosa said, clapping her hands together as she did so.

"Good luck Rangers. May the Power protect you."

"Shift into Turbo!" in a shower of assorted sparks, the Turbo Rangers teleported into action.

Angel Grove Youth Center

The Turbo Rangers appeared in customary style, Red, Green and Pink Ranger immediately striking out with their bladed weapons. Pink Turbo picked her moment and then unleashed a volley from her Auto Blaster. Meanwhile Red and Green Turbo used whatever they could find to fight with.

"Regroup!" Red Turbo called when he realised their plan wasn't working. "Auto Blasters together!"

Drawing their side arms the Ranger concentrated their fire on a single roach. It exploded covering the Rangers with burnt roach innards. Their assault served only to anger the other bugs that charged with newfound aggression. Seven against three was better than eight against three, but Fred started to how Justin and Tasha were coping when there were only two of them.

A few minutes of fighting and the Rangers once again regrouped. Hand to hand combat was difficult when an opponent had more hands. Rosa had managed to eliminated a second bug before the real attack started. From the ceiling hundreds of cockroaches fell, pinning the Rangers to the ground. The six larger bugs surrounded them, spraying mucus from their mouths that glued the Turbo Rangers to the ground.

"What is this stuff?" Fred asked.

"It's some type of toxic goo," Franklin replied.

In fact the spray was a highly toxic mixture of the enzymes, bacteria and viruses that allowed cockroaches to consume just about anything.

"Zordon, I need a Gem Coin Blaster."

The silver handgun designed by Billy for times when the Rangers needed multiple types of ammunition appeared in Green Turbo's hand, loaded with a Fire Cartridge. Pulling the trigger he manage to melt the goo slightly and take out a third roach. With a swift movement the gun was grabbed and swallowed leaving the Rangers still trapped. In an instant they were teleported to the Roach Motel.

Angel Grove High School

Although not a monster shelter, the school held enough humans to attract the attention of the cockroach army. Since large concentrations of humans meant food and waste, it was a guaranteed feast for the alien bugs. Led by six of the fully grown bugs, they were the most fearless of Cocky Roach's companions.

"Hey bugs!" Yellow Turbo stood at the far end of the hallway, holding a fire hose at the ready. "Eat water!"

The jet of water had little effect on the larger roaches, but the torrent succeeded in dislodging the little roaches that had climbed the walls and lockers, and were swarming towards the other teens.

One of the adult roaches made an odd clicking sound, which the translator in their helmets took to mean: "Is that all?"

"Everybody out of the water!" Blue Turbo cried. While his teammate had been dousing the invaders, he had been making sure that the innocent students were herded away from danger.

"Turbo Star Chargers!" The electrified knuckle dusters appeared on her hands and she touched them to the now soaked floor, sending a surge of electrical energy over the wet surface and into the surprised bugs.

Unfortunately the alien cockroaches were able to survive the shock treatment. While many of the smaller bugs had been incinerated, the larger insects had only been mildly stunned. And once they managed to shake off the effects of the electrical burst, they advanced on the two Rangers. The three adults bugs had made quick work of the Blue Turbo, swallowing his weapons before teleporting him to the prison dimension where the Roach Motel was located.

"Ah, the Yellow Turbo Ranger," Cocky Roach said as it appeared. The remaining roaches from across Angel Grove had regrouped to face the one who had managed to kill so many of their brethren. "I have no fear of you." Then the roaches advanced.

Power Chamber,

"Ai-yi-yi, the Rangers are in trouble."

"Calm yourself Alpha," Zordon said, emerging from his tube.

After he had regained his freedom, Zordon had not been confined to his tube. However he found that the personal dimension where he had once been trapped allowed him to access the Power Chamber's systems easier than if he did so outside of the tube. He imagined that was because the functionality of the Power Chamber had been based around Alpha and himself.

"The Turbo Rangers have not been defeated. I believe they are planning something."

"Turbo Swords!" Red Turbo called. "I hope this works."

"It should," Blue Turbo told him.

Around them lay the remains of their captors, destroyed the moment Blue Turbo had arrived and opened fire.

"So you decided since we'd been captured to come and rescue us," Franklin said as he took his place next to Justin.

"Tasha's gonna to kill you," Pink Turbo muttered as she took her place.

"We can watch Justin get told off later," Fred promised. "For now let's get out of this place."

The slime on the floor had proven extremely sticky and had slowed their progress. Add to that the fact the Roach Motel seemed to be an endless maze of roach filled corridors and they were clearly in trouble.

"Turbo Rangers, charge!"

The four Rangers sped forward, using the enhanced speed offered by their Turbo powers to carry them over the sticky mucus, their swords and blasters cutting them a clear path. Eventually they found their way to the exit and using their Turbo Swords, tore through the seedy building towards the lobby, where Tasha was proving just how capable a fighter she had become as she battled her way in.

"Hey Auntie D, those Rangers are about to get away!" Elgar warned.

"Oh no they're not," she growled in response. "First rule of the Roach Motel: you can check out anytime, but you can never leave. Fire the torpedoes!"

"Fred we have incoming!" Green Turbo warned as he spotted the torpedoes Divatox had fired. Obviously the Pirate Queen was not prepared to let the Rangers survive yet another confrontation. If the torpedoes struck the Roach Motel with the Rangers still inside, it was clear they would not survive.

"Let's get moving guys, Full speed!" Red Turbo ordered. Diviatox had never tried a stunt like this before, until now the Rangers had faced a familiar pattern of foot-soldiers, mercenary and finally enlarged mercenary. Never had Divatox decided to launch a full barrage against them.

The other Rangers didn't need to be told twice. Together the five heroes raced towards the exit, joining hands to enhance each other's speed as they ran. Before them was a shimmering portal back to the real world. They had to reach it before the torpedoes collided or else all was lost. It didn't take a genius to see that their hopes of getting there were already lost.

"Faster guys!" Red Turbo urged. "Justin, can we teleport?"

"Not yet," the Blue Turbo Ranger responded. "We need to pass the threshold before Zordon can lock on."

"What about line-of-sight?" Green Turbo Offered, sparing a glance over his shoulder. The torpedoes were getting closer, it didn't seem that even the super speed of the Power of Turbo could out pace the weapons while inside the Roach Motel.

"Try it!" Red Turbo ordered.

The torpedoes changed course, having been programmed to strike the Roach Motel at the point where the Rangers planned to escape. Its alteration allowed them a few extra seconds as they telported forward again and again, accelerating each time they reappeared. Their destination grew closer and closer, but so did the torpedo.

"It's going to get there at the same time we do!" Yellow Turbo realised.

"We've no choice guys," Red Turbo answered. "We have to get through. Full speed!"

For the next few seconds the Turbo Rangers became a moving pattern of sparks, constantly teleporting to narrow the distance between themselves and their destination. They could see the world beyond the doorway and the first torpedo as it hurtled toward them. It was clear that even if they managed to break through, there was no way they could out race the projectile. The best they could do was try and shield themselves from it.

"Tire Shield!" Red Turbo called, taking the lead position. If they were going to meet a torpedo head on then he want them to have a fighting chance.

"Turbo Thunder Cannon!" Green Turbo cried, pulling forth the heavy weapon.

"Turbo Wind Fire!" Pink Ranger yelled, bringing her large bow weapon into firing position.

"Turbo Star Chargers, Booster Mode!" Yellow Turbo commanded, thrusting her weapons forward and unleashing a short electrical burst to supercharge the Green and Pink Turbo Rangers' weapons.

"Fire!" Green and Pink Turbo ordered, unleashing a burst of fire towards the first torpedo.

They were lucky, the enhanced firepower ripped the weapon apart before it could collide with the entrance. Unfortunately it did very little for the second torpedo.

"Hurry!" Pink Turbo cried in desperation.

"Turbo Hand Blasters!" Blue Turbo cried, summoning his personal Turbo Weapons.

He fired, trying to strike the second torpedo, his efforts thwarted by the entrance distorting the energy weapon. Realising he was not going to succeed, Justin turned the weapons so they were pointed behind him and held the trigger. The resulting discharged pushed him and the other Rangers - for they had quickly figured out what he had in mind - forward at even greater speed, allowing them to reach the entrance just seconds before the torpedo arrived. As they broke free, they were pushed headlong into the full force of the explosion.

"The Power Rangers are toast!" Divatox crowed victoriously.

"Er Auntie D, I hate to tell you this..." Elgar started as he watched the Turbo Rangers emerge from the ball of flame. "But they're still there."

"Who'd have thought there was something harder to kill than those damn roaches?" Divatox muttered.

It was yet another failure. Expected? Yes of course, Divatox had come to expect nothing but failure from her useless minions. Still that made it no less annoying.

"Very well, bring in the next applicant," she sighed. Sooner or later she would get lucky. She just knew it. Sooner or later something had to change. She didn't know just how soon that change would come.

**End**

Disclaimer: I do not own the Power Rangers, they belong to their respective copyright owner. This is a piece of fanfiction and no profit has been made or sought by its production.

**Psychos Rising**

Somewhere in France

Just as most children asked to draw an Indian with a background, they would probably include a totem pole and wigwam, so when asked to draw a pyramid with a background they would draw in a camel. It was not until they were older that they would learn that pyramids were not limited to Egypt. They could be found in many places around the world.

"This is the place."

The Nega Rangers had been following the writings on the ancient scrolls, seeking one of the many pyramids that had been built in France. Unlike some of the Roman pyramids, such as the one found at Falicon, near Nice, the site they were searching for was older and distinctly alien in origin.

For the scrolls, as their leader Biilly had told them several times in the last few hours, contained the legacy of a lost civilisation, space explorers from a dead world who had arrived to colonise the planet Earth, a journey that had ended hundreds of years before the Ice Age.

The scrolls told how the explorers had landed, had found the planet unsuitable, but had lacked the means to leave again - for their landing it seemed had been out of desperation - and had chosen to make the best of their situation. They had used their vast space cruiser as the raw materials for their new colony. Unfortunately their science had been unable to protect them from all threats and their civilisation had been all but wiped from the face of the Earth, leaving only a few sites of interest and a log of their activities.

"I still don't know why you're looking for this place," the thick-headed thug who had recently been defeated for the leadership of the Nega Rangers stated. "We're wasting time."

"If you had indulged your curiosity by partaking in the pursuit of knowledge through the written word instead of complaining," he replied, "you would have observed that this lost civilisation possessed _everything_ we need. Most importantly, it holds the cure for our... condition."

The Nega Rangers were dying. Worse, they were rotting from the inside out as the magic that had been used to stabilise their bodies seeped away. They had found ways to preserve their lives, using the life energy of others to bolster themselves, but it was not enough. And as they continued to fade, they grew weaker.

Biilly pulled out what at first glance appeared to be a pair of sunglasses. In fact the stylish eyewear contained an elaborate array of sensors, cameras and readouts. He tapped the side of his visor twice, activating the alternative views he had designed to mimic the sensors within a Power Ranger's helmet. His glove, another device he had built to enhance his senses and connected via a thin cable, allowed him to see what he was feeling.

"There!" he crowed victoriously. He made it sound as if his sensors had detected something, when in reality the device had suffered a strange electronic glitch. "Some sort of background energy. What we are looking for is here."

"So what? You're not going to have us digging up old vases are you?"

Biilly sighed dramatically. "If you had read the scrolls instead of trying to convince the others of your fitness to lead them, you would have found that this pyramid was built to modify the magical properties of the underground springs. Those on the brink of death were brought here to heal and emerged healthy."

"If these springs were so powerful, why did the colonists die out?" Jaason demanded.

"There was an ice age. Even magical springs can freeze if the temperature drops enough." As she spoke, Monica was looking both her current leader and his predecessor over carefully. She was not a genius like Biilly, but she understood enough about such matters to make an educated guess. "As long as the equipment was left undamaged, it should work."

Biilly nodded. That was something he could not answer. How well the system had been designed to cope when the water froze was unclear. And given the damage that thawing water could cause, the chance was there that something had been damaged. Still that was only speculation unless they could find the entrance.

"The entrance is most likely beneath us somewhere," he commented as he continued to scan. "It will take time to find using a search pattern I devised."

"Then why not make our own?" Jaason asked. "Nega Blast!"

A ball of dark energy shot from Jaason's hands as he called forth what little of his magical energy remained. As the explosive energy connected with the ground, the other Nega Rangers were forced to shield there faces as the rock showered them with debris.

"Fool!" Biilly snapped, backhanding the exhausted Nega Ranger, putting a little power behind the blow. "Do you want Zordon to know what we are doing here? Do you want King Mondo or worse, Rita to find out about this place?"

They needed the technology within the pyramid and had no chance of fighting off the more powerful villains if they decided to claim it for themselves.

"It worked didn't it?" Jaason sneered in response.

True enough the crater that had formed where the Nega Blast had struck the ground, had revealed an entrance, albeit it not the one they had been looking for. Biilly spared him a look of contempt before descending into the newly revealed chamber, followed quickly by the others.

Inside there were few signs of the magnificent technology the scrolls had spoken of. There was however a pool of the dirtiest water they had ever seen, pouring into the circular stone pool from the mouths of four gargoyles. It was a feature that would have garnered the interest of many a millionaire, but given the limited lighting, only gave the chamber an oppressive feel

"Obviously the mechanism was damaged," Biilly observed, turning his nose up at the smell of sulphur. Then his eyes narrowed. "Or was it?"

Faster than many could perceive, he reached out to where he knew Adaam would be standing. A creature of habit, the little creep was always near the boots he was supposed to be licking. It was a terrible example of how somebody could turn out when a bad choice was made. In Adaam's case instead of learning to stand up for himself, finding friends and gaining confidence, he had turned into a cowardly, self-serving creature, always sucking up to the biggest bully.

His hand closed and he pulled Adaam forward roughly. With a sadistic grin that he knew the others would share, he tossed him into the pool.

"Biilly, what did I do?" Adaam asked. He lacked any ability to stand up for himself against the other Nega Rangers.

Then the waters exploded, consuming the Nega Ranger in a whirlpool of liquefied energy. Electricity crackled over the surface as the pool performed its given function, restoring the degeneration of body caused by the severing of his link to Minion. Seeing that he had not been destroyed by the process, the other Nega Rangers dived in; it was unthinkable for them to allow any of the others to gain the upper hand in their fight for dominance. The renewal that Adaam had embraced moments earlier rushed through them, repairing their damaged forms.

But there was more to it than a simple restoration. The process had been designed for an alien race and set up to bring those that entered the waters as close to the physical perfection that that race possessed as possible. Repairing their artificial bodies was not enough, the process transformed the magically enhanced materials, drawing forth flesh and bone to give them new and very real bodies along with all the strengths and weaknesses such bodies possessed.

"Nega Blast!" Jaason called, suddenly feeling the increased power that came from have a body capable of handling large amounts of magical energy and the limitless pool of energy within the water. Seeing his opportunity to do away with Biilly and resume his position as leader of the Nega Rangers, he directed the burning orb of destruction at his leader's back. This time he was confident that he would triumph.

"Nega Blast!" Unfortunately for Jaason, Biilly had expected such a move and had been prepared to unleash a blocking wave of his own. And since he had the same power running through him - and just a little extra strength of his own - he managed to deflect Jaason's attempted blast. Unfortunately he did not have the power to retaliate with a single shot, so instead he allowed Monica to deliver that shot, his strength still sufficient to keep her interest. For now.

As Jaason tumbled forward, a victim of Monica's strike, the deflected blast ripped into the ceiling, destroying the structure of the pyramid, caving it in on the revitalised Nega Rangers.

"Together!" Biilly commanded.

The combined energy of the Nega Rangers ripped through the falling rubble, lighting up the sky beyond. Many hours had passed since they had descended into the pyramid and it seemed night had fallen. In the darkness the light from their combined energy wave could be seen for miles.

"We need to leave. Now!" Seb urged. His perceptions were stronger than those of the others, especially when it came to danger.

In the distance they could hear a helicopter on its way to investigate the disturbance. There was little doubt that if Zordon had not been alerted to their activities by Jaason's earlier actions, he would be now.

"Not yet," Biilly told him defiantly as he looked down at the fallen Jaason. "I want to make my position very clear first."

He reached down and easily lifted the fallen Nega Ranger up by the throat. He held him there effortlessly until Jaason's eyes started to open. Then with a cruel smile he punched the former leader in the face repeated until the blood was flowing from his broken nose. Next he kicked him in the ribs, earning a satisfying cracking noise for his efforts.

"If you ever think of trying that again," he told the wounded man as he dropped him to the ground, "I will destroy you."

Jaason looked up defiantly, but it was clear that he was defeated. He refused to meet his leader's eyes, a sign in Biilly's mind that the former leader was truly broken.

"Biilly!" Monica warned.

The Rangers looked up as the helicopter finally arrived, landing not far from their position so that five people could emerge. Clearly they were some sort of military unit if their uniforms were any indication. It was odd that there were only five of them though, unless of course the explosion had been thought an accident of some sort.

As they approached, their guns drawn, the Nega Rangers made a point of raising their hands and drawing on a little of the background magic. They were slightly taken aback when the soldiers responded by transforming into what at first appearance could have been mistaken for Power Rangers.

"What exactly do we have here?" Biilly asked, half amused at their attempt and partly angered that they had the audacity to pretend to be Rangers.

"We are ze Musketeer Taskforce French Five," the one in red replied. "And ou might zu be?"

The five French heroes, the culmination of the French government's Taskforce Operation, stood proudly. They had been conditioned to believe that the world trusted its defence to France and had bravely sought out the forces of their enemies to meet those high expectations. For the first time they found themselves facing an enemy that had been born not just outside of their country, but in another dimension.

Biilly exchanged a look with his comrades and together they burst out laughing. He didn't know about the Taskforce Operation. He didn't care how many hours had gone into the development of the national heroes, probably because their existence was kept secret and their missions were restricted to incidents such as strange explosions in remote areas of the countryside.

"Where are my manners?" Biilly asked. "We are to be the new rulers of this planet. We are the legacy of Minion, the chosen destroyers of the Power Rangers. Our creator called us the Nega Rangers..."

"And we eat little French Five wannabe Ranger task forces for lunch," Kaat told them.

"Now, we'll show you what the Nega Rangers can do. Charge!"

What followed was a brutal and one-sided battle. The French Five were outnumbered and the Nega Rangers were not inclined to offer a fair fight. Even if the numbers have been even, the heroes would have been hard pressed to survive the encounter. As it happened, the Nega Rangers went to great lengths to ensure that they didn't live to tell the tale. Even without the ability to morph, it seemed they were powerful enough to scupper their opposition.

When they left, five bodies had been scattered around the remains of the helicopter, a gruesome scene that would later be used by the French government to explain the odd incident.

Zordon was concerned. Recently he had been sensing a strange echo within the Morphin Grid, a strange pattern of magical discharge that he had been unable to identify. Normally a small fluctuation, the disruption had recently registered as two large bursts of unrefined energy. To make matter worse, the signature of the energy waves had altered in a way that he could not understand. ~Almost as if it suddenly changed its entire DNA structure.~

He had been following the news in France about a helicopter crash. While that explained the explosion, it did not explain the disruption he had been detecting, nor the string of unconnected and unexplained deaths around the United States. Medical reports had been extremely confusing, seeming to indicate the victims had died of sudden and total failure of their bodies. The most recent site, a school in the northern part of Colorado, had seen over eighty victims in a single day.

However as concerned as he might have been, he did not have the time to investigate the odd occurrences. The Turbo Rangers were currently in battle against another of the mercenaries hoping to claim the reward Divatox had offered. His attention was needed to guide them. Not that they needed more guidance than their predecessors. The five young teens had taken to their new roles, with only the occasional need to call on the aid of the more experienced Rangers.

This was not such an occasion. Even now Zordon could see that the Rangers had the upper hand. Once the battle had escalated to a Zord battle, he had known the Rangers would win. But he was not about to abandon his responsibilities in favour of a mystery. And so he watched, and waited, and worried.

Markov Institute

Breaking into the facility had never been a problem for the Nega Rangers. With their reformed bodies it had been a matter of blasting anything that stood in their way. The trouble had been caused by some of their more outspoken members, those who had refused to see any logic in leaving the building intact once they were done.

Of course Biilly had had his reasons, and they had in his mind been extremely clever. With the institute still standing after they left with some meaningless research, the real reason for their visit would remain shrouded. It was after all important that Zordon did not stop them, and the theft of the three crystals the Rangers had saved from the forces of evil in New York, would have led him to believe that the Markov Institute had been attacked by somebody with knowledge of what the crystals did.

Kaat had been especially proud of herself as the Nega Rangers had worked their way inside the facility. Sex was her primary weapon and once again it had proven an infallible means of getting whatever they needed. And when she had met the few female security guards who were immune to her charms, she had used other means to remove them.

For the time it took them to find their way to the laboratory where the crystals were being studied, the actual time it took to expose themselves to the crystals to create a Grid connection - for while the Nega Rangers had drawn power from the Morphin Grid, their connection to the massive energy source had been through Minion - was negligible. Indeed with their new bodies it appeared that they had already been made linked to the Morphin Grid. Exposure to the crystals had merely enhance, isolated and stabilised the latent connections.

When they were done they had left the way they came, taking with them a piece of research on cold fusion, something sure to leave the institute placing the blame upon the nuclear power industry instead of looking for the real cause.

Xing was impressed. He had been watching the Nega Rangers for some time, since Minion had created them. It was he who had arranged for Kaat to find the scrolls, just as he had engineered the crystals turning up in New York. And he had done so for the same reason: because relying on a single plan was a very boring way to achieve his ultimate goal, especially when he was trapped in the background.

Everything the Nega Rangers had accomplished was their own doing. He might have provided them the information, but it was their choice how that information was used. Biilly had reacted just as expected, even with Jaason adding a little unpredictability to the mix. The scroll had provided them with the knowledge needed to rebuild their bodies, at a cost they had yet to realise. The crystals had given them a link to the Morphin Grid.

Now it was time for him to interfere again, this time by providing the means for the Nega Rangers to evolve, taking advantage of their new bodies, the freewill they had developed without Minion and their recent success with the Morphin Grid. Once again such an action did not require his direct intervention, just Biilly reading the additional information contained within the scrolls.

~With each step the war escalates and as it does so the Universe takes another step towards the inevitable.~

The Neji Glass, an ancient artefact rumoured to provide all that gazed within its depths a disturbing view. Demonic in origin, the mirror twisted the Morphin Grid in impossible ways, distorting the personalities of those who dared to look. With the correct spells it could be used to create twisted clones of those whose image was trapped within. However even without an incantation it could twist the totem animal of a Power Ranger, either corrupting their souls or breaking their powers.

It was similar to the Mirror of Night, a magical item in the possession of the Night Rangers used as the starting point for those who chose to walk the shaded path. Indeed the two mirrors had been constructed from the same materials. While the Mirror of Night could never be described as anything other than dark, the Neji Glass was decidedly evil.

And it was that evil that Biilly had sought as the final step in the rebirth of the Nega Rangers. As they stared into the enchanted object, they could feel the Power warping around them, changing them in ways they had not thought possible. Their newly acquired connections to the Morphin Grid were altered as each received a more personalised and fitting animal spirit.

"And now," Biilly said, "the time of the Nega Rangers has passed. Let there be an end!"

The armour of the Nega Rangers formed around them and then shattered as he announced their passing, exploding outwards.

"And let the new age begin!"

Their bodies crackled as the power of the Morphin Grid flowed around them. They were stronger, faster and scarier than ever. Their armour was now a part of them to be called on when needed, but they were more than just mere Rangers. They were the darkness the Rangers would learn to fear.

For this was the birth of the Psycho Rangers!"

**End**

Disclaimer: Saban owns the Power Rangers, Masked Rider, Beetleborgs, VR Troopers and probably a large number of other things as well. I am using their characters without permission and for no profit whatsoever. Ellen Brand owns Chelsea and Teddy Oliver and I thank her again for letting me use them occasionally. The Doctor, Master, TARDIS, UNIT and Validium are all creations of Terry Nation and appeared in the BBC series Doctor Who. North Valley comes from the series Super Human Samurai Cyber Squad. Queen of the Crown was the villain from Galaxy Rangers and is owned by Saban. Mandarin is owned by Marvel and Golobulus belongs to whoever created Action Force the Movie.  
Authors Note: Anything written like ~this~ is a thought, anything like -this- is a conversation Sam is eaves dropping on, [this] is a computer message and anything appearing like *this* is a mental telepathic message.

**The Journey Begins**

Kerova had once been a central part of Galactic society. Now the planet and its many colony worlds were under the authority of a strict dictatorship. The colony world of KO-35 was once again devoid of life, devastated as a warning to the other worlds in the system what fate awaited those that refused to bow down to the new regime. More than five centuries of hard work had been for nothing; a merciless attacker had in the space of a few months returned the small planet to it's original state. And while the Kerovian Senator had made speeches, begging the Galactic Council to mobilise a force to protect the colony, the Council had been too busy concentrating on an undefined threat from an unimportant planet in some backwater solar system.

The dockyards and space navy that had been the system's primary means of defence were gone. The ships had either been destroyed during the fighting or had limped away from the battle only to be pursued by a ruthless enemy. The Quantrons, Kerova's elite robotic army, had been subverted and integrated into the invaders' army.

Exactly how a system like Kerova could fall so easily was unknown. But soon after the invasion started the military had had problems with their ships. Weapons had refused to fire or had misidentified friendly vessels as enemy warships. Engines had suddenly activated or lost power leaving craft in vulnerable positions. Even the planetary defences had malfunctioned as the computers developed unexplainable errors. By the time it became clear that somebody had patched into their computers and was systematically rewriting their programming, it was too late; the bulk of Kerova's space fleet was wiped out in the space of a few days, leaving the citizens of the worlds below to fight for their freedom.

Once Kerova had fallen the colony planets started to surrender. Having seen the devastating force the invaders could muster and having only a small number of trained commanders, the colonists were too frightened to fight back. Except for KO-35.

KO-35 had only recently reached a level where it could be deemed as civilised. The terra-forming operation had taken more than five centuries to bring the world to a habitable level. It had marked the end of an experiment to turn the lifeless moons on the outer edge of the Kerovian system into habitable planets where farming and other sources of primary production could take place. When the inner worlds had experienced a population boom, the need for farming and factories had forced the government to consider the experiments.

Over time, valuable resources had been removed from KO-35 as large strip mines had been used to tunnel deep beneath the surface. A large collection of nuclear reactors had been built to melt the thick ice that lined the crust of the planet, creating water vapour that in turn would form the basis of an atmosphere. At the same time the melted ice had allowed the engineers to prepare the land for plants. The process had taken many decades and for most of that time, the conditions had been so severe that only a few dedicated scientists had remained on the surface; others had worked on a six monthly shift pattern, switching between the planet and the huge space station above.

When the atmosphere had been deemed satisfactory, large forested areas had been planted to help convert Carbon Dioxide to Oxygen. The machinery could assist the natural process, but for the new world to become self-sustaining nature needed to do most of the work. And when life had taken hold of the small planet, life was far from easy. Although liveable, the planet was still cooler than the animals they herded there were used to. Many species perished before the right balance was found. And as with all artificial habitats, it was far from perfect.

It had only been within the last century that the colonists had started to spend longer periods living on the planet. Housing and commerce areas had been built using temporary shelters. When the architects had learnt how to build more permanent structures to handle the extreme temperatures, the huts had been replaced with brick and metal complexes.

For a time things had gone well, not perfect but without major incident. The colony had been forced to open a nursery when several families young families, all of whom had agreed to help scientist understand how the environment would affect children, had arrived. Apart from a single incident where a young girl had been kidnapped whilst playing with her brother, there had been no open hostility towards the colony; the girl was later found unharmed and returned to her family. And once the Galactic Council had been petitioned often enough, the Kerovian Government had received permission to put a shield generator and planetary defence system into position.

It had been eleven years before that things had started to go wrong, although at the few had realised the raids on KO-35 had been a gradual testing of Kerova's defences. At the time the colonists and the other inhabitants of the system had been distracted by the assassination of one of their politicians. The man who had taken his place and had eventually been elected a member of the Council, had promised that changes would be made, but had failed to deliver.

Suddenly Kerova had been faced with a series of misfortunes, many of which had a direct impact on its colonies. There had been threats to KO-35's leaders to make them abandon the planet, a move that would have secured an invading army a suitable staging ground. Trade ships delivery supplies and collecting materials from KO-35 were raided as part of a targeted campaign to damage the Kerova system's economy. Replacement parts for worn out machinery were suddenly tied up in red tape as their representative failed to stop the Council from imposing harsh new laws; a later review would reveal that the representative had argued in favour of some of the most damaging amendments.

Then came the crushing blow not just for KO-35, but the entire Kerovian System. While KO-35 was not a big colony, it had reached the size where it could request for a team of Rangers to protect the colony. Since Kerova already had a Ranger team, the request was only expected to lead to the addition of maybe two new Rangers. For some reason the application had been turned down and Kerova's existing team of Rangers were restricted to protecting only the homeworld and not the colonies.

Although they could not be given a team of Rangers by the Morphin Council, an unknown benefactor had managed to find a way around the decision. So long as only those who were born on a colony planet were given the task of protecting it, they could create a team of Ranger-like warriors. A set of pseudo-morphers had been handed to the leaders of each colony.

The morphers lacked the standard connection to the Morphin Grid that was associated with most Ranger teams. Instead a blank golden coin similar to those used by Morphin Rangers was incorporated into a device, controlled by a complex electronic circuit, which imitated the functions of a morpher. Since the blank coin served only to collect energy and distribute it through the device, it did not fall under the control of the Morphin Masters. Indeed, the devices had been tuned to receive energy from the terra-forming equipment beneath the planet, although they were later adjusted to draw on the latent magic that existed throughout the Universe. In extreme cases the device could draw from a special generator fitted to most Kerovian vessels.

The energy was channelled from the coin into a set of capacitors where it could be stored and then released. A small pre-programmed microchip held the template for the powers as well as an additional set of commands to handle functions normally operated by voice command. Finally, a numeric control pad had been added to the outside of the morpher to allow easy operation. The unit had been placed on a strap intended to be worn around the wrist. They had been dubbed Astro Morphers.

On KO-35, the first set of powers had been handed out to six of the colony's children. In Earth years they would have been considered maybe seventeen, but by their own standards they were ready to take responsibility. The morphers had been designated red, black, blue, pink and yellow. They hadn't been able to call themselves Rangers, due to the Council's ruling, so they had chosen to call themselves Astro Defenders. A set of two second generation morphers had been created later. The green and silver devices had been a success, but the plans for a gold, purple and white morphers had never moved beyond the prototype stage when the Galactic Council had threatened to ban the use of such devices on colony planets.. Further development had been impossible due to a lack of resources and volunteers. The prototypes had been locked away and the few remaining blank coins had been used to create a set of auxiliary powers for the red, silver and pink morphers.

The same benefactor was also responsible for the clerical error, which led to a stellar class star ship designed by the legendary King Lexian being assigned to each colony. Each ship boasted computer-assisted defence system and upgraded drive system. On KO-35 the Astro Defenders had gratefully accepted the cruiser, which they had renamed as the Astro Megaship. By pure coincidence it had proven capable of interfacing with a stripped down space station on the very edge of the star system.

The ship the people of KO-35 had received had been one of the most advanced models and additional modifications, the Astro Megaship had proven itself a worthy command centre for the Defenders' smaller attack crafts.

Each Astro Defender had their own Battle Suit that through the use of Aquitian technology allowed only one Defender to use it. The brainwaves of the operator were encoded deep in the subroutines where only a super computer could find and remove them. The combination of Defender powers, powerful ships and the other defences amassed by the Kerovian, should have been enough to fight off the invading armies. But something had gone wrong.

The rules of engagement changed, and the Kerovians had been faced with a very different type of warfare. Instead of the small raids against a single planet, the new invaders launched random large scale attacks across the system, preventing the colonies from aiding their neighbours. The invaders had found the holes in the shields, the weaknesses in the defences and exploited every opportunity they had to find a breach. And once they had found a way to cut communications between the colonies, the planets were forced to fight an uncoordinated battle.

On KO-35, the Astro Defenders had fought back; nobody could have accused them of not trying. They had tried to take the invaders out before they could make land fall. During the months of combat, the seven Defenders had never given up hope, despite the lack of sleep and the lack of news from their neighbours. The colony's weapons had been placed under the control of the Astro Megaship, as had the shield generators. The technology had been upgraded constantly to keep up with the regular change of tactics; one day it had been random pot shots at the surface and the next it had been kamikaze assaults on suspected weaknesses. Through it all KO-35 had survived as the planets around it had fallen.

They had never discovered who had ordered the attacks or why for that matter. Their enemy had sent them constant demands for the unconditional surrender of the entire Kerovian System, but had never deemed it necessary to identify themselves. The foot-soldiers and attack vehicles had never been seen before and had not been identified through the Council's vast database. The few monsters that had been sent down were those used by any number of villains.

As the months of attacks had taken their toll, the people of KO-35 had rallied around the Astro Defenders. While they had been a peaceful colony, they had been willing to support their heroes. They had performed whatever tasks had needed to be done, which had not involved throwing themselves into battle. They had maintained and repaired the Battle Suits whenever they had taken a pounding. The repairs had been quick fixes, but they had lacked the time and tools to do more. They also ensured that the Defenders were treated following injury.

The Astro Megaship had seen better days. Its automatic repair systems had been capable of repairing some damage, but after a particularly heavy assault, some of its more advanced systems had been damaged. The power drain from constant combat had also overstressed the generators, which in turn had caused them to frequently overheat and fail.

KO-35's shield had also been in need of an overhaul. Months of use without the necessary reboot periods had diminished its effectiveness. Since such essential maintenance had meant deactivating the planet's most potent defence, they had refrained from doing so.

With so much to contend with and as the other colonies fell, allowing the invaders to concentrate more on the worlds that held out, it had only been a matter of time before the attackers had started to gain some ground.

KO-35's Green Defender had been the first to fall in battle. It had seemed like one of the normal suicide attacks that had put so much strain on the shield. The Battle Suits had been moved into positions over likely targets and used their extensive arsenal to pick off the fighters before they could hit the shield. On that day though things had not gone as planned. The ships had started their assault and the Defenders had moved into position ready to fight them off, but at the last minute the enemy had changed course, picking on one of the Battle Suits instead. The first few collisions had seemed random, but quickly it had become clear that they had been aiming for the thruster packs mounted on the back and the direction jets on the legs. Even as the Battle Suit had swung its heavy energy sword, one of the attacking ships had struck the metal humanoid's head.

The damage had been severe and the Green Defender was dead before she had had time to comprehend what had happened. The cockpit section had been crushed, a portion of it had been embedded in her back. Her powers had faded instantly in a final attempt to save her life; the coin had been reduced to dust, the template had been destroyed by the feedback and the circuitry burnt beyond recovery.

Like vultures the invaders had circled the Battle Suit before destroying it. The wreckage had been left in orbit where it could be seen by the other Defenders; a clear warning of the cost of losing.

In the next few months Blue, Black, Pink and Yellow Defenders had been slowly picked off. Each time they had attacked, the invaders had tried to separate the defenders. While not always successful, they had often accomplished their goal. Once a Battle Suit had been damaged, more enemy fire had been directed at the damaged Suit. The Defenders had tried new strategies and had even attempted repairs, but KO-35 had been totally blockaded and replacement parts had been hard to come by. If they had been hoping for aid from the other colonies they were going to be disappointed; KO-35 was the only planet that had not surrendered.

In the end though the invaders had grown tired of waiting for the colony to surrender. The strange computer problems that had affected the other planets had not hit KO-35 as hard, something maybe had assumed was due to the damage the Astro Megaship had sustained at the time, which had taken its systems off line. The enemy had sent one of their heaviest ships filled with explosives towards the generator plant in the hopes that the blast would cause some damage. In truth, regardless of Defenders' actions the shields had been doomed. It had been unfortunate that the Black and Blue Defenders had tried to stop the massive craft's descent just moments before it had exploded, they had been vaporised; the resulting explosion had turned the Pink Defender's Battle Suit into into a mass of molten debris.

In a state of grief, Yellow Defender had charged at the mother craft knowing it was a waste of effort. She had never stood a chance of reaching the vessel and her Battle Suit had been ripped to shreds. Her death had left two Astro Defenders to protect a unshielded planet from attack. Their Battle Suits had been destroyed, but Silver and Red Defender had activated an orbital jump to the surface, ready to give their lives to stop the invasion.

With only Andros and Zhane left to defend them, the people of KO-35 had taken an even more active role in the fight. It had been a welcome yet totally worthless gesture. Their morale had taken a severe blow when they had witnessed Quantrons, Kerovas robotic ground troops, leading the invading army into battle. The enemy had backed up their new grunts with tanks and cannons. The surface of the planet had been levelled in a matter of days and the best the two Defenders had been able to do was slow them down enough for evacuation to take place. They had hoped the people would be allowed to leave in peace. They had been wrong.

The first ship to leave the planet had barely departed from orbit, with the Astro Megaship as an escort, when the final attack had come. Large attack ships had blasted the planet, the escaping craft and the Defenders' own ship. In the first pass the Astro Megaship had taken a direct hit to the bridge. Both Astro Defenders had been caught in the blast and knocked unconscious as the severely damaged computer had tried to get them out of the combat zone. It didn't work and by the time the invaders had left orbit the Megaship had been transformed into a darkened piece of junk and KO-35 had been in the process of destroying itself.

The assault had been merciless. The cooling system for the reactors had been destroyed and in doing so had started a nuclear meltdown that threatened to rip the planet apart. When the explosion came, the planet had survived, barely, but everything on the world had been evaporated. Bodies, materials and even the simplest forms of life. Nothing had survived.

In orbit the Astro Megaship had continued to float. The attack had taken out the defences and the repair systems. All the extensive backups had been wrecked by a few lucky shots. Fortunately the ship's Aritifical Intelligence, DECA, had been created to operate from even the smallest portion of computer memory and after sealing the hull, transferring the bodies to the inoperative medical bay and reclaiming the now ownerless blue, black, yellow and pink morphers, she had entered a period of hibernation during which only the repair circuits had been allowed to operate.

Life support had been the first function to be restored. It had taken a few hours to give the medical bay enough power to keep its patients alive. It had taken longer for DECA to restore enough systems to start basic repairs. When the engines had finally been restored to absolute minimal operating capacity, the vessel had headed away from the blackened world in search of help.

Andros had awakened a few days after the ship had started its journey. Most of its systems were still offline and DECA had yet to restore voice command functions, so for the time being Andros was an unwilling passenger to whatever planet DECA was heading. He spent his time thinking about those he had failed and the teammates who had fallen in combat. He had been lucky to survive although he doubted he would ever be happy about that. He maintained a constant watch on Zhane, willing his friend to recover so he would not have to face life alone.

"KO-35 Naval Vessel Astro Megaship Log  
Acting Captain Andros, Red Astro Defender KO-35

I still cannot believe what has happened in the last year. KO-35 is gone. My comrades are gone. Karone is missing, I can only assume she died; we never found the remains of Purple Battle Suit. Zhane is... I hope he will recover but his condition is too serious to even demorph him.

DECA finally restored manual control and I set course back to Kerova to see what remains. KO-35 is gone, but I had hoped some of the other colonies would still be there. I was wrong. While KO-35 fought, the other colonies had already surrendered. They sat back and watched as my home was destroyed. The entire system has been claimed by the United Alliance of Evil.

I returned to the surface of KO-35 this morning to see if there was anything to salvage. There was nothing. The enemy forces destroyed almost everything and the explosion took care of the remains. I have been left nothing except heartache and a thirst for revenge. I swear by the Power that I will quench my thirst.

I am fortunate DECA retrieved some of the Astro Morphers before leaving. If they had fallen into the wrong hands, we would have had even more to worry about. With the Blue, Black, Yellow and Pink powers I have a part of my friends. Taeyina is gone forever; there was nothing left of the Green Morpher. If they one day find Karone's body, they might retrieve the Purple Morpher. I doubt the White Morpher will ever be repaired, but at least it is something. I hope that Zhane will recover, I would rather have him than his morpher. I have sealed the four morphers in the vault and I vow I will never use them again. They are the past. This is a new future."

"DECA, stop log," Andros ordered. Despite his attempt to follow the daily routine he had settled into since the age of five Andros could not concentrate. His mind kept drifting back to the final moments of the assault, to the high-pitched female laugh he had heard before the bridge had exploded. He would find her and have his revenge.

"DECA, replay the end."

[Andros, this is unwise] DECA advised.

"Do it anyway," Andros ordered.

The front screen was filled with a scene Andros would carry with him to his grave. The Blue and Black Battle Suits fighting desperately to stop the massive craft, the shockwave that killed the Pink Defender and Yellow Defender's brave yet foolish attack.

~None of them had to die,~ he thought as he watched.

When it reached Zhane and Andros' last stand, the screen went blank.

"DECA, what happened?" Andros asked. He had not been able to watch the film that far before and now DECA had deliberately ceased the playback.

[I am sorry Andros. My function is to ensure your continued survival. I believe a further playback at this time would be unwise.]

Andros fumed silently. Why would DECA not let him watch his failure? His thoughts were interrupted by the proximity alert.

[Andros, I have detected a life form on the surface of KO-11's moon. It reads as human.]

"I'm going down," Andros said. "Let's Rocket!"

A device similar to a calculator watch appeared on his left arm revealing a numeric pad. Keying in the activation code, he was transformed into the Red Astro Defender.

*Red Defender - Spiral Saber ready, Astro Blaster ready, Galaxy Glider standing by*

In the classic red beam of teleportation Andros left for the planet. He recognized the area immediately. It was another mining settlement used to extract tin. One of the stone supply huts to be exact. He wondered what could be there.

He approached cautiously and pulled away the stones. He gasped. What lay beneath might once have been a human male, but now it was burnt beyond recognition. It was struggling to breathe with a set of damaged lungs, having endured living there after his escape ship had crashed. Radiation sickness had taken its toll. Andros was not a medic, but he knew enough to realise this man would not live long.

The eyes opened and the face grimaced as it tried to smile.

"So some of you did survive. Many of us believed that you would. We never got a chance to thank you for what you did. Whatever happened, you did your best and that's all we could ask," it said. Andros couldn't think of the poor thing in front of him as human anymore. And minutes later when he returned to the ship, his Astro Blaster grasped firmly in his hand, he had another reason to hate. The person that destroyed his home would suffer, and soon.

[Hyper Rush ready, course set, awaiting orders] DECA reported.

"Let's go, DECA," Andros said. "There is nothing left for me here. Set course for..." He needed information and the best place to get that was the sort of place where he could take out some of his rage. "Onyx."

From the surface below the people of the captured Kerovian System would have seen the noble Astro Megaship turn and launch into an unknown future and a new frontier. They had surrendered while KO-35 had fought to the end. Andros wasn't going waste his time trying to free them. All he wanted was payback. For the Red Astro Defender of KO-35 the adventure was just beginning.

**End of Part**

Disclaimer: I do not own the Power Rangers. They belong to their respective copyright owners.

**Endings, Beginnings and Renewal**

Service, obedience and accountability. Those were the three pillars upon which Councillor Arum had mounted his electoral campaign. Those were the values he had held up as a shining example of what a politician should be. They were the beliefs that had won him his sixth term as a member of the Galactic Council, a nice job where the service of fine foods, wines and tradable commodities alongside the obedience of a thousand or so public servants and the accountability of a dozen budgetary funds were something he clung to with all the political tricks at his disposal. His influence was unquestioned since he had wormed his way onto every major committee and secured a veto for most of the important decisions.

In fact there were very few problems with his new job and he had a tendency to get his way on most matters, except for one. The threat posed by the planet Earth was something he had identified during his election campaign. He had tried countless times to pass measures granting the Council authority to involve itself in the planet's affairs, only to have his sensible emergency measures blocked by Zordon of Eltare.

Zordon of Eltare, how he hated that man. A being whose only reason for holding a seat on the Council was his role as a Morphin Master, a role he could only fulfil in spirit given his bodiless state. Perfect Zordon, so willing to risk his career and even his freedom for an insignificant world such as Earth, yet unwilling to see the importance of such an asset falling under the guidance of the Galactic Council. All-knowing Zordon and his ability to work around whatever laws the Galactic Council sought to impose. Zordon knew nothing about service, obedience and accountability it would seem.

In the end Zordon's ability to block legislation came down to the fact that he was the mentor of the Earth's Power Rangers, a team Arum had tried to have replaced over and over again, only to find the move blocked by Zordon, who maintained it was the Morphin Masters' role to select which Rangers defended which planet. And since Zordon was Morphin Master with responsibility for Earth and several nearby planets, he was the one who would make that choice.

And any attempt to replace Zordon with a more cooperative mentor was also doomed to failure. Since Earth was not a world directly under the Council's control, the Council was not allowed to create a new team of Rangers. At most they were allowed to replace existing Rangers with preferred candidates. However it required that the humans relinquished their powers. Something they refused to do without Zordon telling them to do so. And since Zordon's students were not compelled to follow the orders of any replacement the Council imposed, installing a new mentor would not help. Of course if Zordon ordered them to hand over their powers or told them to follow the orders of his successor, they would do so. Unfortunately Zordon refused to do so, believing it was his Rangers' choice, not his.

~There must be some way to convince him,~ Arum thought. ~So what if bribery doesn't work, there must be something he wants, needs... something he fears.~

Blackmail, such a dirty and common word, yet it was a method that promised him results. To find some sort of information on Zordon and use it as leverage to convince him to cooperate would guarantee the results he wanted and the Council needed. The problem, was that Zordon did not appear to have the sort of secrets that would ruin him if revealed. The White Morphin Master while having the weaknesses of any other mortal, did not have the dirty little vices that led to good blackmail material. And ten thousand years locked away in a dimensional rift didn't leave much opportunity to indulge the sins of the flesh.

"Zordon has his secrets, some of them darker than you can imagine," somebody said from behind him.

He spun around, knocking a pile of parchments to the floor and spilling ink across the table. His hand was reaching towards the personal attack alarm when his visitor held his hands up in a defensive manner.

"Easy there Arum, it's only I," Councillor Yatru, one of the few members of the Galactic Council to see the truth about Zordon. Yatru, a military advisor with a distinguished career, had been the one to point out the arrogant insubordination that Arum hated about the White Master.

Despite knowing on some level that Yatru was an extremely dangerous ally, the councillor did relax. The Council was filled with dangerous people, those who could use words and innuendo as effectively as a knife to damage somebody. That Yatru had managed to ascend the political hierarchy was a clear indication of how dangerous he could be. Still for the moment they were united by purpose, so he dismissed his instincts as a sign that he was being paranoid.

"You keep hinting that there is some great mystery, but all I can find are stories of what a hero he is," Arum snapped, gesturing to the piles of paperwork. "Not a single contradiction in the reports, not even a sign that they have been tampered with. How can Zordon have so many secrets when he isn't even attempting to cover them up?"

"Two men can keep a secret, Councillor Arum, so long as one of them is dead and the other knows how to hide the body. Zordon is very good at burying the secrets of his past. More so because nobody knows what secrets they should be looking for."

"You know something," Arum accused. "We agreed to help each other bring down Zordon and you're withholding information."

"The information is there for all to see Arum," Yatru replied. "I have hidden nothing."

"Then tell me," Arum insisted. He was growing desperate.

"How much would you pay to have some of your questions answered?" Yatru asked curiously. "What are you willing to do to gain your proof? For months now you have been seeking evidence through the official channels. Just how dirty are you prepared to get to uncover the truth?"

"I will do anything," Arum told him.

"If that is the case then perhaps I will tell you the real reason Zordon ended up trapped within a time warp."

The other councillor laughed. "I already know how he ended up there. He was double-crossed by Rita Repulsa."

"You are a fool Arum!" The friendly persona was gone, replaced by the vicious politician who had made his way into the upper chambers of the Galactic Council in an impossibly short space of time. He shoved a scroll into the other politician's hand. "These are Zordon's energy readings recorded from the battle of Ohm'rec Seven. And these, are the readings taken during his battle with Rita Repulsa."

The readings showed a definite drop in the space of a few months. It was possible that Zordon had been injured when he faced Rita, but the reports of that day mentioned that he appeared to be in good health. That left very few possibilities.

"Think Arum. What could cause a White Morphin Master to lose a great deal of his power in such a short time? Where have we seen this sort of symptom before?"

Yatru knew that Arum would consider two possibilities. However, with his intense distrust of Zordon, the councillor was bound to believe the least likely scenario.

"He did something that cost him his powers," Arum said at long last. "The great Zordon of Eltare committed some terrible act that stripped him of his powers."

"If that were the case," Yatru mused, "then it was only the loss of his freedom that saved him from exposure when his powers were fully lost."

"Yes, of course. It makes sense now. Zordon lost his status as a Morphin Master but hid the truth behind some final act of heroism. He used what remained of his powers against Rita and lost. Oh this is perfect."

"You will need to be careful though," Yatru warned. "You cannot accuse Zordon of committing some unknown crime. You need evidence."

"You know where it is," Arum realised. "You've known this whole time where the secrets are hidden. Show me!"

"Very well, Councillor Arum," Yatru said, flashing a smile. "If you seek the truth about Zordon of Eltare, I am more than willing to show you. Just remember, we go at your command."

A short time later the two men left Erlion for destinations unknown.

Earth

Now that he thought about it, Arum knew he should have realised sooner that any secret Zordon thought worth protecting would involve the wretched little planet he had flaunted so many rules to protect. It stood to reason that there was some selfish reason to protect a planet that should have been destroyed the moment Rita Repulsa had emerged.

Their trek had led them to a stone shrine in the middle of a forested area on the outskirts of a once great city. According to Yatru, the city had sunk just under ten thousand years ago, following some unknown disaster. The energy dome that had protected it from the harsh seas above the surface, now served to keep those same seas from crashing down and totally washing away what was left of the environment. The clearing was too perfect to have been caused by a natural event. Somebody had gone to great lengths to make it blend in to the surroundings, although up close it stood out like a sore thumb. And in at least one area it looked as if something had burnt the jungle away.

"Hard to believe that on a planet filled with life that it has taken more than ten thousand years for this jungle to recover from the terrible events that took occurred here," Yatru stated, indicating the small shrubs that had tried to grow only to whither and die. "Still most of it looks normal."

"What is this place?" Arum asked impatiently. He was a man of great importance, in his own mind. He had many great and wonderful promises to fulfil for the safety of the public and could not waste his time on some day trip to a planet he despised.

"The human legends call it Meropis, one of many lost civilisations. More importantly, it is the answer to your questions. You wanted information about the great Zordon of Eltare, to learn a few of his secrets. This one is not his greatest secret, but it is something he has left untold, even to his fellow Morphin Masters. He has never told another being about the battle that took place here or the price his soul paid for such a tainted victory."

Yatru was a true politician, a master of crafting his words in such a way that they conveyed the message those listening wanted to hear. In the councillor's case his words conveyed that Zordon had some terrible secret, some act he had a reason to hide from the public. He knew that the councillor, a person used to using such pieces of information would seek to expose what he now assumed to be a lie that would undermine Zordon's position as a great hero, granting the politician the upper hand in their continuous legal wrangling.

"When Rita Repulsa and her forces arrived on Earth, Zordon was already here, waiting. He had been here for a while despite having no idea where Rita would strike next and no genuine reason to believe she would choose this world."

"But you still haven't told me what he did here," Arum complained.

"He did something that would cripple and perhaps even break his connection to the Morphin Grid, an act that prevented him from drawing on his powers as a White Morphin Master when he needed them the most," Yatru answered. "Have you ever thought that Zordon was a little too accepting of his fate? Perhaps he viewed it as penance for whatever happened here."

He could see the wheels turning in the politician's head. He had offered an explanation of a weakened connection to the Morphin Grid and suggested Zordon had seen his imprisonment as a form of penance. It would not take a genius to assume that the damaged connection was the result of some terrible act that Zordon had since tried to cover up.

"This is wonderful," the councillor proclaimed. "Zordon of Eltare, a murderer... can you imagine the damage that would do to his reputation? Without the support of the people he would be forced to accept our rulings."

"Murder?" Yatru asked, his voice low. "Do you think Zordon could have committed such an act and retained any of his powers? Outright murder would have left him stripped of his connection to the Power and the backlash might even have killed him. And we both know that Zordon still has some access to the Morphin Grid. No Arum, Zordon didn't kill anybody, but there are other acts that could lead to the slow erosion of his connection to the Power. Acts that would have been noticed as his powers waned were it not for his entrapment."

He waited, allowing the pompous politician to reach the correct conclusion. When that failed, he decided to help him.

"Do not let it trouble you Arum, for I have already located the remnants of Zordon's activity. Behold!" He stepped aside, revealing the stone wall of an obviously artificial mound.

"A stone, is that it? Zordon's biggest secret is a stone?"

"And how many stones do you know that have a handle to open them?" he replied, watching as the feeble-minded bureaucrat tried to make sense of what he was being told. "Zordon built this bunker in preparation for Rita's arrival, but he never expected her to come here, so what was it really for?"

Yatru led the way inside, making a path through the dusty passages to a room that had no place in such a primitive environment. It was a cell. Admittedly a very advanced cell that used technology to keep its occupant in suspended animation, but a cell nonetheless. Already he could see Arum trying to piece together the mystery, well aware that the councillor's dislike for the White Morphin Master would only lead him to create a very negative and most unlikely scenario.

"How do we know it was Zordon who did this?" Arum asked, crafting his case by asking the question he knew many of Zordon's supporters within the Council would ask.

"We could start with the digital footage of Zordon entering the cell," Yatru told him. "But I think we can miss that and move onto the fact that it's his Power Coin that is powering the apparatus. I wonder what secret he feared so much that he was willing to sacrifice is power like that?"

Yes, he could see the moment that understanding dawned upon the poor fool. Zordon's power loss had come not as a result of a murderous act, but from the loss of his own Power Coin. As a Morphin Master he could have forged a new coin at any time, but its loss would have had to be reported. And without the coin to channel his powers, Zordon would have been left with only a partial connection to the Morphin Grid.

"When Zordon was imprisoned, the fate of his coin was never investigated," Yatru whispered. "Imagine the awkward questions that would arise should you return it to him now."

He watched as Arum reached forward and ran his hand over the surface of the coin. Such a small amount of pressure was all that it took to dislodge the coin from the delicate housing into which it had been set, destroying the seal that Zordon had created in a moment of inspired desperation. As the coin fell into Yatru's waiting hand, the chamber stated to shake.

The dry air stirred lightly, drawing tiny eddies in the red dust that had accumulated inside the cell over the centuries despite the vacuum shielding. The Power Coin had been removed, cutting the power to the stasis beam and releasing the state of unchanging stillness. A figure slowly rose into a sitting position, still under cover of darkness, since the lights had also been cut when the power had been interrupted. An aura of evil surrounded him, saturating the already scorched surface of the cell. A soft sound indicated, the drawing of a long held breath and then changing into a rasping laugh.

His eyelids slid up, exposing a pair of orbs that glinted in the darkness, lighting the chamber. Then the figure raised his hands, then clenched them experimentally, examining his body with great care. He twisted his forearms, turning his palms to face him, and flexed his fingers again, checking that he was intact. He moved his neck from side to side, indulging himself in the feeling of motion after so long.

Something had happened. Some great change had taken place outside of the cell. Some fool had disrupted the magical flows of his prison, changing the magic on a level that he could not yet understand. Such damage to the wards that surrounded him had shattered the bonds that kept him prisoner.

Stepping away from the slab of stone that had been his resting place for thousands of years, he silently placed his feet on the ground and stretched upwards, feeling raw power of the Morphin Grid as it flooded back into his ancient limbs. Yes, something had definitely changed. The Grid had a different feel to it than he remembered. How long had he been trapped and what was the cause of his sudden freedom?

He gasped suddenly as his body finally remembered that despite his origins, he was a living creature and still had some needs, and reminded him of that fact through the unfortunate medium of painful muscle spasms.

Fighting off the cramp, he took a few strides towards the previously locked door, observing that only some of the runes carved deeply into its surface had survived. His eyes flickered over the tablet, reading the designs that had been once etched with care, carved with the magic of a White Morphin Master. The meaning did not escape him for long.

There had been a sacrifice of power to maintain his prison, a constant drain upon Zordon's life force. How the White Morphin Master had survived more than a few days without the drain destroying him was something he would be sure to investigate. Twelve or more clusters of wards had been marked, sustaining themselves by drawing on the power of he who had crafted them. Linked to the caster of the primary runes it was clear that they were intended to sustain so long as his evil remained unchecked.

His lips peeled back into a caricature of a smile, revealing a row of sharp white teeth.

"Oh Zordon, too pure for your own good. You should have destroyed me instead of trying to redeem me. But then I wonder could my evil ever be destroyed, or only contained?" he mused, tracing where the wards had first failed. "After all, I am a force of nature that should never have been granted awareness. Can such a force be destroyed or must it be contained or vanquished?"

He clenched a fist, and drove it hard into the centre of the door. Granite chips skipped off and landed metres away as he drew back his fist and examined the knuckles.

The pale, bloodless skin over the knuckles had been burned deeply by contact with the remnants of the magic seal, a problem caused by the fragments of ground rock soaked in a well of purest Morphin energy lodged within the surface, and split open by the force of the blow. But the necrotic flesh crawled and flowed, stitching itself back over the damaged fist. In less than three seconds, the damage done to his hand was healed without leaving a scar. As though it had never been injured.

The damage he had caused was more obvious. While the stone was only dented, the overlapping spells that made up his prison, the very walls of his cell, were now visible. A smile of victory crossed his face. Zordon would regret leaving the focus of his spell where others could reach it, even if it had been beyond his reach.

With a cry of anger, another fist flashed out, faster than the first. And this time the flesh on his fist did not burn. This time it pierced the surface of the makeshift door, causing the deep magic contained within to fade as the stone crumbled.

And then he cried out, his voice carrying across the lifeless rock where he had been imprisoned. It was the cry of victory, a shout of defiance and a promise of retribution. Zordon would fall. Or failing that - for he could already sense that his greatest enemy was somewhat beyond his reach - those who carried on the legacy would kneel before him in Zordon's place.

"Let all before me tremble," he whispered, his voice carrying as if he had bellowed the words. "For I am FREE!"

"...FREE!"

Both heard the word as it echoed across the planetoid, but Yatru appeared wholly unconcerned. Indeed if the smile on his face was an indication, then he could be said to be enjoying himself immensely. He felt the rush of evil as the stone that served as a door cracked and crumbled, exposing the makeshift prison within.

"What is this?" Arum asked.

"This is Zordon's secret, something he was willing to suffer to keep others from discovering. Shortly before his battle with Rita Repulsa, Zordon was drawn to this world on the orders of the Council. His task was to investigate the sudden lack of communication from an observation post. What he found was villain named Mortor seeking to build an alliance with the ancient evil known as Octomus and a threat that could easily spread beyond the Earth.

Zordon and Mortor fought and though Zordon gained the upper hand, by the time he had the advantage he was almost exhausted and badly injured. And due to his nature, Mortor was already recovering. In desperation Zordon used the observation post as a prison, reversing the flow of the energy shield so that instead of keeping evil out, it kept it contained. And then he used his Power Coin to power the cell door and erect an area of stasis, weakening himself in the process. Had it not been for this action, Mortor's entrapment would have lasted but a few days and Zordon would never have succumbed to Rita's spell."

"He... but you said he had a dark secret," the councillor protested.

"I told you only the truth," Yatru stated. "Zordon kept this place a dark little secret, hidden from even his most trusted allies. He feared the likes of Master Vile stumbling upon this prison and using the occupant as a weapon. Or worse, Mortor being released and in turn finding ways to unleash Octomus. So Zordon remained trapped, all on his own for ten thousand years, just to keep another evil from wreaking havoc on the universe. And now the truth is known, his efforts were for nothing, and you Arum are no longer necessary."

"I - I don't understand."

"Oh it's been fun, leading you on, helping you in your quest to discredit Zordon just because he sees fit to do his duty and protect the planet Earth. And all those votes you helped me win for the opportunity to humiliate the Morphin Master. But I have new orders now and they required that this secret be revealed."

"You won't get away with this, I'll tell Zordon, warn him."

Yatru stood back as the stone turned to dust and Arum was pulled into the darkness.

"Amusing as always Arum, but as I told you: two can keep a secret if one of them is dead."

His fist slammed into the door one final time, and fuelled by his ever present fury, tore his cell open. He sensed the little creature beyond and with a small tug of his mind, dragged it inside. It would be the first meal he had had since his battle with Zordon. He threw his head back and rejoiced as he felt the destruction of his victim, the first of many.

His energy renewed, his powers returned to something more potent than before. Waves of dark energy rippled from his body, destroying everything around him. As the rocks that had formed his prison dissolved into dust, he clicked his fingers, transforming into a ball of black flame. He could sense that Zordon was nearby, but hidden from him in some way. No matter, he would just have to draw him out.

Yatru studied the coin in his hand. He had been totally ignored by the cell's former occupant. Not surprising since he was decidedly evil and the creature that had just escaped preferred to feed upon those of a lighter disposition. There were so many things that he could do with the great Zordon's Power Coin, so many ways to alter its workings. He had heard tales of how Rita and Zedd had used a Power Coin to almost rob a Pink Ranger of her life. Doing the same to Zordon would be amusing, but he wanted more than just Zordon's destruction. And he was aware that his master would not appreciate having to alter his plans.

Yatru was an illusion, an act which at some point he would need to abandon. If he destroyed Zordon, he would have the glory of the kill to his name, but nothing more. What he wanted was power. Zordon's power to be precise. After ten thousand years he predicted that Zordon's energy would be unbelievable. If he could find a way to take it for himself before the shock of being released killed the Morphin Master, he would be unstoppable, a force to be reckoned with within the ranks of evil.

He flipped the coin carefully, not allowing any of his evil magic to corrupt it. Such a plan would not work, he realised. But that didn't mean that when the time was right he wouldn't be able to claim Zordon's power for himself.

The Turbo Rangers were on their guard. Earlier in the day Zordon had detected an unexplainable surge in the Morphin Grid. Unexplainable because the surge had strengthened both the light and the darkness. And while he was unable to find the source of the disruption, he had noticed that he felt strangely complete for the first time in... he couldn't remember the last time he had felt like this. It was a welcome feeling, but disturbing too.

It was the end of October, a time when the Rangers were especially watchful given the day's significance on Earth. Not that Rita, Zedd or Mondo for that matter had ever made more of an effort to attack on that night then the rest of the year. But the teenaged defenders were well aware that the threats they faced were not limited to those they had faced in the past. Divatox had proven herself to be just as much of a nuisance as her predecessors and between them they managed to keep the Turbo Rangers occupied.

There were other dangers though. While it was unusual, there had been attacks by other villains attempting to snatch Earth out of the grasp of the major villains. Not to mention those villains that lived on the planet and viewed Halloween as a time when their chances of success were heightened by the shift in the planet's natural magic.

It was for that reason that the Turbo Rangers had arranged their evening activities so that if needed they could get away. Naturally where the Power Rangers were concerned there was no such thing as simply sitting around doing nothing when it was Halloween. And even if a movie and a pizza had been the favoured plan for the evening, once they had been asked to help organise Ernie's Halloween party, they had readily agreed.

Justin and Tasha were setting up the pumpkin lights, while Rosa and Franklin helped prepare a few of the party games. Fred meanwhile was helping Bulk as the larger guy set up the stage ready for the band to play. And Ernie, well Ernie was doing what he did best: serving his customers, watching the Power Rangers as they worked, and hoping that they would have a quiet night, while working on one of his latest concoctions.

Away from the Youth Center and Ernie's latest experiment with chocolate and pumpkin flavoured drinks, the younger children of Angel Grove were out, moving from house to house and demanding candy in return for not pulling some form of trickery. Each group was led by an older teenager who had volunteered in return for credits in their Social Studies course.

It was as one of those students was guiding a group of seven youngsters from house to house that she heard the soft sobbing from behind one of the nearby trees. While the younger children waited, she made her way over to investigate.

"Hey," she said softly as she approached the crying child who could not have been more than ten. "Are you okay, are you lost?"

The child sobbed and shook his head, mumbling something that she couldn't hear. When she asked him to repeat himself, he did so, but the little crying child vanished the instant that he raised his head and she caught a glimpse of his real appearance.

"I said no, but you are!"

Black smoke poured from the ground as the temperature soared. She could hear the children choking on the noxious fumes as she screamed and tried to back away. The smell of Sulphur permeated the air.

And then it was gone. The street lights seemed to pierce the darkness, but the sight it revealed was not at all pleasant. Around them the effects of the smoke were clear for all to see. The grass and flowers were dead. The tree where the boy had been waiting was limp and unhealthy. But it was the animals that made them feel sick. Insects, worms, small rodents that made their homes in and around the plant life. All lay dead on the charred ground.

The child laughed, red eyes glowing brighter as the younger children screamed. His body shifted as he fed upon their fear, growing taller and broader. And as he grew larger, so the children's fear increased, feeding him more energy with which to grow.

"Help!" she cried, taking a step back as she noticed the red veins that crisscrossed his too-pale-white face pulsed in time with his victims' screams.

Suddenly the wind picked up, not just a gentle gust, but forceful storm that shoved them from all directions, blowing the dead animals at them from all sides. After a great struggle, she managed to straighten up, only to realise that while she had been fighting the wind, she had been separated from her charges, who now had the man's full attention.

The man pushed his hand in the direction of the terrified children and they were lifted into the air. With a gesture he twirled them around, throwing them into each before growing tired of his little game and allowing them to drop onto the ruined ground. Seeing the children mistreated gave her the courage to take a stand.

"What are you?" she demanded.

"Something you could never understand," he replied, stepping closer.

As he did so, she saw his silver hair flicker like tiny flames atop his head. Whatever innocence his appearance might have held was gone. Even his clothes, which at first glance had appeared white, had a sickly sheen. He raised his hand and gave a small flicking movement, resulting in a pulse of telekinetic energy that smashed into the teen, lifting her into the air before promptly driving her into the ground a few feet away.

Even as she struggled to her feet, he was moving. Despite his size he was in front of her in an instant. He extended his arms, hands flat with the palms pointing toward the ground. Then as he moved his fingers, his crimson eyes glowed and she felt her body stiffen.

With a gesture he caused her to raise her hand and slap herself around the face. He repeated the movement, laughing with twisted delight as his puppet abused itself for his pleasure. He was about to turn his puppet against the younger children, when a whooshing sound and five columns of sparks heralded the arrival of the Turbo Rangers.

"Oh goody, new toys," he said mockingly, casually discarding the girl and turned his attention towards the morphed Rangers.

Since this was clearly not a human, and he was more than capable of defending himself, the Turbo Rangers did not hold back. They raced forward, leaping to attack from different directions, using their speed to their advantage.

Unfortunately their opponent was expecting their reaction and was also capable of countering them. Invisible hands trapped the Turbo Rangers before they could reach him. With a forceful gesture he caused Red Turbo to collide with Yellow Turbo, their Turbo Power Weapons inflicting all the damage they had intended to cause their opponent on each other. At the same time Blue Turbo and Pink Turbo crash head on as Green Turbo was slammed back to the ground with a loud thud.

For the next few minutes he played with them, humiliating them in front of those they were sworn to protect. He turned the Turbo Rangers against each other, forcing them to harm their friends. It was only after Blue Turbo had shot the others with his Turbo Hand Blasters that he was satisfied and allowed them to drop to the ground, but not before he had had Justin turn his weapons upon himself.

"Enough games!" he snapped, his eyes burning gleefully. He raised his right arm above his head, the fingers reaching up and to the right. With a cruel grin he lowered his arm, bringing it down and to the left until his fingers were pointing toward his left foot. The resulting energy wave exploded against their armour, sending them flying in all directions. Green Turbo crashed into the dying tree, reducing it to matchsticks. "Where is Zordon?"

"Where is Zordon?"

He knew that voice. He remembered the battle he had fought just before his final confrontation with Rita Repulsa. He remembered the power of Lord Mortor and his Zomboid army and how their battle had almost killed him. In the end it had only been through the use of an observation post he had been sent to investigate and the use of his own Power Coin that had allowed him to emerge victorious.

And now it seemed Mortor was back and that he wanted a rematch. The problem was that Zordon was not in a state where he could fight them. His body was long gone and unless they desired a battle on the Astral Plane, it would be a very one-sided affair.

Still, he could not leave the Turbo Rangers in danger. Mortor had the ability to phase himself so that most weapons were ineffective against him. And as the Turbo Rangers were discovering, he was more than capable of harming them.

"Ai-yi-yi, what do we do Zordon?" Alpha asked as the Turbo Rangers were struck repeatedly by dark energy.

"Teleport the Turbo Rangers back to the Power Chamber and then summon the other Rangers," he said.

There was an option, one he had considered ever since the Morphin Rangers had released the Great Power. Until now he had resisted the temptation, forcing himself to endure his difficult existence rather than risk the consequences of such a dangerous act. Now it appeared there was no choice, but he would still not make that decision until all options had been exhausted.

"Rangers! No!" Alpha cried, causing Zordon to look back at the Viewing Screen.

It appeared that Mortor had grown tired of playing and had instead unleashed a wave of destructive energy against the younger children and their guardian. As he would have expected, the Rangers' reaction had been to throw themselves in front of the innocent. But this time he suspected that even their powers would not protect them.

Mortor had grown tired of his game. Very tired. His long period of captivity had left him weakened. He needed Morphin energy to sustain himself, even the distorted energy that the five Rangers before him seemed to possess. First though his cruel nature demanded that he eliminate the young children and the other girl, leaving him free to torture the Rangers.

He unleashed a burst of black energy, the same energy that had killed all the plants and animals around him, towards his victims. It amused him when the Power Rangers leapt in front of the energy wave, attempting to save the lives of his victims. Not even Rangers could survive his dark magic.

The blast connected and that should have been it. But for some reason as the darkness evaporated, the Rangers were still standing and the children behind them appeared completely unharmed. Then the Red Ranger started to spark violently. They other Rangers' reactions were less violent, but it was clear that they had been hurt. The children were scared, but surprisingly still not showing any signs that his attack had succeeded.

And then they all disappeared in a burst of light.

"Ai-yi-yi, they're alive!" Alpha cried.

After the dark energy had connected, the little android had finally managed to get a teleport lock. The civilians had been teleported to the hospital while the Turbo Rangers had returned to the Power Chamber.

"Quickly Alpha, secure Fred and the others in the Medical Bay," Zordon ordered.

While they had survived, they were not unharmed. In fact how they had managed to escape with such relatively minor injuries was a mystery. One that was resolved moments later as Zordon watched the footage taken from Fred's helmet.

_Their opponent had clearly grown tired of playing with them. His demands that they take him to Zordon had been refused over and over again. So he had decided to teach them the price of defeating Lord Mortor, by destroying those they sought to protect._

_"Dark magic blast!"_

_He unleashed a burst of black energy, the same energy that had killed all the plants and animals around him, towards his victims. The Rangers had reacted on instinct, naturally seeking to place themselves between the deadly attack and Mortor's intended victims._

_"Tire Shield, Activate!" Red Turbo cried._

_The Tire Shield was a part of the Red Turbo Ranger's arsenal, a protective device capable of reducing damage by half. Of course in this case the attack had been so potent that even with the shield they would have died were it not for the extra protection of their uniforms. By the time the strike had ripped through them though, it had lost its effectiveness and the children were left intact._

_"Tire Shield, Power Down!" Red Turbo had called, sensing that something was not right._

_His visor display showed that despite the Tire Shield, his uniform had suffered severe damage and that at least a part of the energy blast had broken through his protection. It was not until the reactive properties of his uniform activated to keep the damage from inuring him too severely that Fred realised just how badly he had been hurt._

Zordon was proud of Fred, Justin, Tasha, Rosa and Franklin. Even though their encounter with Mortor had been brief, they had not backed down. And when they had had the difficult choice between allowing civilians to be injured or risking their own lives, they had bravely chosen the latter. Truly they were worthy of being Power Rangers. He made a mental note to look into giving their uniforms Metallic Armour, realising that the extra protection would have kept them safe from injury.

In the meantime he realised that the shock of the Rangers' actions had prevented Alpha from calling in the other Rangers. Realising his assistant would be busy for a while longer, he made the call himself.

After the Rangers had disappeared, Mortor had teleported away from the streets of Angel Grove and had travelled to the small town of Briarwood, once the domain of the Supreme Master, Octomus. Long ago when Mortor had come to Earth, Octomus was one of many demonic leaders squabbling for control of the planet. At the time he had fought Zordon, Mortor had been seeking an alliance with the Supreme Master, offering his services in return for Octomus's support against the Morphin Masters.

When he had been there the last time the area known as Briarwood had been wild and magical. Something had obviously happened that had robbed it of its natural beauty, but the residual magic had made it attractive to humans when they finally reached that part of the world. In fact he could still sense that the magical world had survived. It was smaller than it had been, but it had survived in what remained of the woods.

Perhaps there were other areas that had survived too. Areas of the world where magic was superior to human science, folded away beyond the eyes of mankind. He shrugged. Whether Octomus had survived or not, was not his concern. He was only interested in gaining revenge on the one who had defeated him.

Still, Briarwood could still serve a purpose. There was magic in this place, strong magic. Magic that he was already using to replenish his diminished strength. His encounter with the Power Rangers had shown that he was not as strong as he had once been. Before his imprisonment, his dark magic had been unblockable. Only Zordon had managed to withstand his assault and that had been due to the Morphin Master's incredible strength and pure heart.

Even so, he wanted Zordon to face him, not the Power Rangers. And while the Rangers were there, they were bound to try to stop him from getting to their master, something that while amusing for a short time, would grow annoying very quickly. Fortunately he was Lord Mortor and he like most of the evil lords of his time, had foot soldiers that would keep the Rangers busy.

"Arise!"

Magic users had their strengths and their weaknesses. Mortor had always found that his strength lay in using magic to control death. Usually that meant he used it to kill, but when needed to he could use it to animate the dead, resurrecting them to form a new Zomboid army.

And in Briarwood it seemed his powers were more potent than usual, perhaps due to the Ley Lines that ran through the area, but just as likely due to the blood that had been spilled during the reign of Octomus. His command was amplified by the natural magic of the planet, reanimating the remains of whatever dead creatures were within its range.

The army appeared before him, hideous and deformed mutations of the living creatures they had once been. His magic sustained them, granting them some level of thought. And then he sent them to Angel Grove, which had a larger population than Briarwood, knowing that dealing with the Zomboids would likely keep the Rangers occupied and would force Zordon into the open.

"And the next thing I remember is waking up in the Medical Bay," Fred told the others as he rubbed his arm.

The Turbo Rangers had healed from most of their injuries, but they would still have the bruises to show for their recent encounter.

"Who was that guy anyway?" Tasha grumbled. Her clothing had been torn due to the damage to her uniform, something that had upset her greatly. The children's shelter expected its residents to look after their belongings. While a monster attack was a good excuse, it would not get the clothing replaced.

"His name is Lord Mortor," Zordon told them. "He is an independent warlord who once chose Earth as his staging ground. Shortly before my battle with Rita, I encountered Mortor while he was negotiating with another villain. We fought. It was a long battle that I almost lost. It was mostly an act of desperation, but I managed to force him into an observation post, which I then sealed, using a stasis field from a healing chamber to force him to hibernate."

"But you beat him," Zack pointed out.

Zordon shook his head. He could not accept the events of that day as a victory. He had been late arriving and by the time he got there, Mortor had already destroyed the observation team. Eighteen lives had been lost and the Council had decided that their fate would never be revealed.

"By the time I faced he had already executed a team consisting of Rangers, Riders and other trained personnel had already fallen to his power," Zordon told him. "Many of them had not stood a chance once he unleashed his dark magic attack. It was only because of the nature of the White power, that I was able to withstand his assault."

"And you?" Aisha asked.

"I too was injured during the fighting. Were it not for luck, I would have lost my life within minutes of arriving. There was little I could do against his power. His evil was so great that it weakened me just to be in his presence." Zordon paused. "I later had time to reflect on the battle and realised that his power came from the destruction of life. Since the Morphin Grid is a living force of magic, he was capable of draining its power too. Given time he could have become unimaginably powerful."

It had not been easy to face him the first time, and almost impossible to do so the second time. Only by pushing himself to draw more and more power had he managed to overwhelm the dark creature and then imprison him.

"I should have ensured that Mortor remained sealed forever," Zordon admitted. "The seal that I used was too delicate to last. However before I could do so Rita arrived and following that battle I was no longer in a position to attempt to alter the seal. It was almost a decade before the first efforts to breach my dimensional prison found a way for me to communicate with them and longer still before King Lexian supplied Alpha to act as my hands. By that time there were other matters to contend with."

"And by the time you got around to it, you decided it was safer to leave it alone instead of risking releasing him by accident," Tommy guessed.

Indeed there had been times, countless times when Zordon had been tempted to find a permanent solution to the evil he had faced that day. And since such a solution would have returned his Power Coin, doing so could have led to his freedom. But each time he had clamped down on his selfish desires and endured in remembrance of his fallen comrades.

"Zordon, what about the Turbo Rangers?" Kimberly asked.

By now Alpha had completed his search for the villain and found nothing.

"Lord Mortor is a powerful being, although his aptitude in magic is limited to causing death and manipulating the dead," Zordon told her. "In order to use his abilities to the fullest, he requires a great deal of magical energy, which he steals from his defeated opponents. I believe that having been in stasis for ten thousand years, his energy levels were lower than they should have been and he was planning on using the Turbo Rangers to recharge."

If that was true then it was possible that the only thing that prevented Fred and the others from falling victim to his power, was the one-step-removed nature of the Turbo powers. Had the Rangers been reliant purely on Morphin energy, there was a chance they could have been destroyed.

"He wanted you," Franklin pointed out.

Zordon nodded. Lord Mortor had been defeated before his final showdown with Rita. There was no way for the villain to know what had happened during that battle. The question was how could he battle Mortor again when he wasn't in the same dimension?

The sounding of the alarm was a welcome distraction from the problem.

The Power Chamber shook as the lights flickered. The computer beeped as it recorded a dozen or more spikes of unknown nature rippling through the Ley Lines on which the Citadel had been built.

"Ay-yi-yi-yi-yi!" Alpha shouted. "What's going on, Zordon?"

The Rangers were shaken by a second and then a third tremor, and steadied themselves against consoles to keep from falling.

"_That_ was Lord Mortor," Zordon explained. "Alpha used the Viewing Screen to search for signs of an alien attack."

Alpha did as he was told and quickly found the Zomboids harassing the citizens of Angel Grove.

"Mortor has unleashed his Zomboid army upon the Earth," Zordon stated, noting that some of the blips were heading towards Mariner Bay. "If left unchecked they will absorb the life energy of those they encounter and use it to strengthen Mortor."

"We need to get out there guys," Tommy decided.

"Ai-yi-yi-yi-yi, the computer has picked up a message from Mortor."

On the Viewing Screen the hideous villain appeared, his body glowing red with barely suppressed rage. "Zordon, come and fight me, or I'll turn this planet into a grave yard! You have one hour Zordon, show up or this entire world will suffer the consequences. You have been warned."

"Don't worry Zordon," Zack said, "We'll handle him."

"No Zack," Zordon rumbled. He was the Morphin Master, the leader of the Power Rangers. He was the one who would have to face Mortor. He knew that the dark creature would not settle for substitutes. And that left only one option, something he had never seriously considered before. "Fred, Justin, Tasha, Rosa and Franklin are the Earth's first line of defence. They are the ones who must face Mortor if I am unable to do so."

He heard the loud protests and the Turbo Rangers responding just as loudly that they were not just a bunch of kids.

"They will remain at the Power Chamber until Mortor makes an appearance."

It was possible that his comment led the others to believe that he was trying to keep the Turbo Rangers safe from harm. In truth he needed them ready to face off against Mortor should the need arise.

"Jason, Kimberly, Zack, Trini, Samoht, Billy, David and Aisha will also remain here. I have a special task that requires the eight of you. Tommy will lead the rest of the Rangers into battle against Mortor's forces."

"Everyone remember your zombie movies?" Tommy asked.

The others grumbled before teleporting away, leaving Zack to ask the question.

"So what do you need?"

Everything was in place. Mortor had defeated the Turbo Rangers, just as Yatru had predicted and had then moved on to create his Zomboid army and threaten Zordon. Even though the Zeo Rangers and some of their allies were fighting back, the number of Zomboids continued to grow.

Yatru found himself impressed with the way the Rangers were fighting. Instead of engaging the Zomboids in hand-to-hand combat, they used fire and swords to strike the undead warriors. Jamie Zedden was proving particularly adept at blasting Zomboids with lightning from her sword before decapitating them.

Even so the battle would not be won until Mortor was defeated. And that was something that could not happen without Zordon's presence. So he decided to help things along a little.

For the citizens of Angel Grove the Halloween costumes were just a little too realistic. The monster sirens had sounded, but this was one of the few attacks where the monsters were actually hunting humans, instead of just preying on those they ran into. The Rangers were out in force, but were having trouble dealing with so many opponents.

While Tommy, Adam, Rocky, Tanya and Kat had headed in one direction, Trey had led Jamie, Lillian, Katarina and Christina in the other. Leaving Bulk and Skull to head off on their own and Nathan Oliver to seek out the Zomboids harassing innocents near the Youth Center.

It was only after the Rangers had taken out the fourth wave of Zomboids that Mortor deigned to make an appearance. Intent on drawing Zordon out of hiding, he decided to target one of his students. In this case he had chosen Kat, believing that the Pink Ranger was perhaps the weakest.

"Kat!" Justin cried.

During his time as a Power Ranger, he had grown to look at Kat and Tanya as older sisters. They had been his friends, his mentors and his family. So when he saw Mortor grab her, he wanted nothing than to teleport to Angel Grove and help her.

"Wait a minute," Fred told him, watching the Viewing Screen as the other Rangers came to their comrade's aid. "We need to get down there Zordon."

"May the Power protect you," Zordon said as the five Turbo Rangers teleported into battle.

"Zordon, why are we still here?" Kimberly asked.

"Many years ago when I fought Mortor, I was forced to make a sacrifice to contain his evil," Zordon told them. "I needed a means to power the containment cell and the only source available at that time, was my Power Coin."

"Wait, if you didn't have a Power Coin, how did you morph to defeat Rita?"

"I didn't," Zordon confessed. "When I faced Rita I was forced to resort to trickery. I fooled Rita into a contest, one that if she lost would force her to renounce her evil ways. I won the contest, but Rita attempted to double-cross me. That is how she ended up in the Dumpster. However, without my full powers I was unable to stop her spell and was thrown into another dimension."

It had been easy to accept his fate at the time. Rita and Mortor had been defeated and he had lived. Over thousands of years Zordon had come to accept his fate. But now his imprisonment was putting the Earth in danger. It was time to make the selfish choice.

Mortor was proving a difficult foe. Even against the combined might of ten Zeo Rangers, five Turbo Rangers and their allies, he was undaunted. The draining effect of his magic was making it increasingly difficult for the Rangers to continue fighting.

"Turbo Ram!" Red Turbo called.

"Zeo Power Blaster!" Red Zeo responded.

The Turbo Rangers fired first, forcing Mortor to jump to the right where the shot from the Zeo Power Blaster caught him. Unfortunately the villain was able to know the shot away and summoned more of his Zomboids to prevent the Rangers from ganging up on him.

"How can you fight me, Rangers?" Mortor asked as he knocked the Brachio Staff from the Brachio Ranger's grip.

"This isn't working," Silver Zeo admitted. Her Zeo Power Whip had been on target, but Mortor's ability to turn his body semi solid meant that the whip slipped through him.

"Tell me Rangers," Mortor said as he threw Blue Zeo into a parked car. "How do you expect to fight somebody who draws on the darkest depths of the Morphin Grid?"

"Easily!"

The villain looked up to where the Morphin Rangers were standing on a nearby building. In doing so he left himself open as Red Zeo, Purple Zeo and Red Turbo drove their swords through his guard.

"How do we fight a creature that draws from the darkest parts of the Morphin Grid?" White Ranger asked.

"We utilise a warrior who shines as a beacon of the light," Blue Ranger answered.

The eight Rangers had formed a circle, their hands clasped together in the centre.

"We call on the power of all ours combined," Red Ranger said. "Red Ranger Power!"

"Yellow Ranger Power!"

"Green Ranger Power!"

"Pink Ranger Power!"

"Blue Ranger Power!"

"Black Ranger Power!"

"Purple Ranger Power!"

"White Ranger Power!"

An orb of multicoloured energy had formed where their hands linked. As they withdrew their hands, the orb remained, shifting under the combined will of the only eight Rangers to ever truly master the Great Power of Phaedos. Once before they had used the Great Power to accomplish a miracle. This time it was not the fate of the universe at stake, just the life of one man.

"Zordon of Eltare," Red Ranger called, "your enemy awaits!"

The fabric between dimensions had been weakened when Minion had used the Sword of Ragnarok. With the Great Power at their disposal and a united purpose, the Rangers were able to rip open the weakened barrier between Zordon's time warp and the rest of the universe. Since he lacked a physical form, Zordon only needed a small hole for his spirit to slip through, which he soon did, he was finally free.

"Is this a joke?" Mortor asked. And for good reason.

While Zordon had been freed, he was lacking a physical form. Luckily the Great Power had done more than just allow the Morphin Master to break free. Guided by the Rangers and then Zordon himself, the magic had been used to conjure the White Morphin Master a new body, based upon his previous form and a sample of his DNA held within the Power Chamber's records. As the spell ended, Zordon felt a little guilty to know that the Great Power had once again been diminished by the Rangers calling on it. And since his body was now composed in part from the Great Power, there was a chance that it would not recharge as quickly.

"This is not a joke Mortor," Zordon said, hearing his real voice for the first time in ten thousand years.

It took a little effort for the Rangers to realise that Zordon was already morphed, his clothing transformed into that of a Morphin Warrior. His white robes were those Zack, Trini and Jason recalled seeing when Zordon had showed them a previous battle against Rita's forces. A medallion of the White Falcon rested under the fold fabric across his chest. In his hand he held a wooden staff that had a faint white glow.

"So you did find a way to return, after all," Mortor mused.

"He knew," Zack realised.

Discussion of how the villain had discovered Zordon's fate was cut short when the Zomboids renewed their attack, forcing the Rangers to divert their attention as Zordon and Mortor clashed. Ten thousand years had passed since their previous encounter and it was clear that while Mortor had an advantage, Zordon was able to hold his own.

Mortor carried an ebony mace, which he wielded with brutal force as Zordon blocked his blows. The dark depths of the Morphin Grid gave Mortor an incredible amount of raw power, while the power of the White Falcon allowed Zordon to dodge block and strike when the opportunity arose. Still it was clear that the half-powered Morphin Master was at a disadvantage.

It was clear that Mortor was winning. He was fighting at night on one of the days when the Earth's natural magic favoured evil against a Morphin Master who lacked a Power Coin. Zordon's odds were not looking good, even as his Rangers fought valiantly against the Zomboid horde; at some stage Mortor had used dead animals as the base material for his Zomboids, granting his warriors attributes of the animals upon which they were based.

As he watched Red Zeo decapitate a Zomboid dog before it could attack Pink Ranger, Yatru pulled out the Power Coin he had been holding since Mortor's release. It would have been easy to watch Zordon and his Rangers fall, but not nearly as satisfying as what his employer had planned, and no where near as rewarding as what he planned to do the moment his employer's plan was complete.

"Return to your owner!" he commanded, using a little magic to make the coin speed off in Zordon's direction.

That was all he could do. Anything further would have led to questions about why he was on Earth, a subject he did not wish the Rangers to discuss. If Zordon was as capable as he believed him to be, then he would know how to use the coin. If not, there was little he could do.

On the ground the Rangers were gaining the upper hand. The Zomboids had the advantage that there was more of them, but the Rangers had experience of fighting whole armies of foot-soldiers. In the circumstances they were not about to back down.

Zordon on the other hand was finding the battle increasingly difficult. Mortor was channelling his powers through his mace, turning every blow he delivered, regardless of whether Zordon managed to block it, a drain on the Morphin Master's strength. And it seemed that with each blow whatever strength Zordon lost, Mortor gained.

"This time you will not be so lucky," the villain assured as his mace landed on the wooden staff, splintering the weapon as it did so. The next blow caused Zordon to drop the remains of his weapon, leaving him open and vulnerable.

"Evil will never triumph, Mortor," Zordon replied, using the powers of his mind to pull a trash can into the path of Mortor's next blow. Just as Mortor had used his abilities to manipulate the Turbo Rangers earlier, so Zordon used his abilities to throw objects into the villain's path, slowing and frustrating the vile creature.

A whizzing noise caused both combatants to turn in time to see a small object streaking towards them. Mortor dismissed it as unimportant. Zordon however sensed that it was important, something that cost him as Mortor's mace struck a glancing blow against his right arm, cutting the Morphin Master down to the floor.

"And this is how it ends!" Mortor gloated as he raised his mace for a final blow. "Goodbye Zordon, give my regards to oblivion!"

The mace descended as Zordon's hand closed around the golden object. Power flowed from the coin into the wounded Morphin Master as his connection to the Grid was completely restored.

"No!"

At Zordon's words, Mortor froze, his body incapable of moving due to the raw power that enclosed him. Zordon had always been a powerful mage. His connection to the Morphin Grid had made his magic stronger since performing magic required the same amount of focus. After ten thousand years, Zordon's magic had increased and for the most part had remained untouched. As a Morphin Warrior he had been relying upon his mage abilities to fight. With his Grid connection fully restored though he was able to combine his White Master powers with his magic, giving him the edge.

"White Falcon!"

Zordon's robes flared with white energy as he used his restored power to their fullest. A new staff appeared in his hand, ready to finish his opponent.

"No, this won't end like it did before!" Mortor promised, charging forward.

Zordon twirled his staff, blocking the mace each time that Mortor attempted to breach his defences. As they fought, the staff glowed brighter and brighter as Zordon channelled his power into the weapon. Then with a decisive strike, he drove the end of the staff into Mortor's chest, jerking the staff upwards as he did so to wrench the mace from Mortor's hand.

"It's over Mortor," Zordon told him.

"No, I might be disarmed but I am far from defeated. Zomboids!"

"If you're about to order them to attack, I wouldn't bother," Purple Zeo said, causing Mortor to look around and take in the entire battlefield.

His Zomboids had been defeated and the Rangers were unharmed. He found himself facing the combined might of a full team of Morphin Rangers, Zeo Rangers, Turbo Rangers and their allies. Faced with such odds he did the only thing he could and resorted to trickery.

"Perhaps I have been a little hasty, Zordon," he said, vanishing the battle armour he had worn during their combat. "I will surrender to you custody if you will guarantee that I will be treated fairly." When Zordon nodded, he held his hand out for the Morphin Master to shake. Zordon did so and Mortor seized the opportunity, along with Zordon's staff. "Now we shall see who will win."

Zordon just looked disappointed as he easily blocked the weapon he had spent years mastering. Grabbing the end of the staff, he delivered a sharp kick to Mortor's chest, throwing the villain over to where the Zeo Rangers were waiting.

"You should have kept your word," Red Zeo told him as the others circled him. "Power of the Zeo Crystal, purify this poor soul. Deliver him from evil!"

Just as it had done several times before, the Zeo Crystal glowed brightly, eradicating the evil around it. Mortor cried out in agony, screaming as the darkness within was erased. Mortor was by his own admission a creature of darkness and knew that if the Zeo Crystal succeeded in purging the evil within his soul, he would cease to exist. He decided that retreat was his best option and teleported away, leaving only the dead ground upon which he had stood.

The Rangers stood a moment longer before teleporting away. There was a great deal to discuss.

After Mortor's defeat, the rest of Halloween had passed peacefully. There had been a celebration at the Power Chamber in recognition of Zordon's release. Messages of congratulations had been received from far and wide. It had actually been a surprise the next day when Jason and Tommy had arrived at the Power Chamber to find Zordon back in his tube.

A quick explanation had followed that while it appeared that nothing had changed, Zordon was now capable of leaving the tube whenever he desired to do so. Instead of being his prison, it made it easier for the White Morphin Master to monitor the Earth and his Rangers.

"I wish to thank you, Rangers," Zordon had said. "Without your brave actions I would not have been able to break free from Rita's trap."

That evening Zordon had stepped outside of the Power Chamber and walked through the streets of Angel Grove, visiting some of the sights he had come to admire and mingling with the people he had sworn long ago to protect. This Halloween, he decided as he tucked into a strawberry sundae, was worth the havoc.

"I did as you commanded," Sutra told the shadowy figure. "Zordon is free of his time warp and has no reason to suspect your involvement."

"And Mortor has been humiliated, eliminating any competition he might have offered you," the voice replied. "You realise that evil such as Mortor can never really be destroyed. It might take him a while, but he will return to his original strength."

"Of course, but by that time, you will be all powerful," Sutra answered, suddenly dropping to his knees. "Tell me what you wish and it shall be carried out, I have not failed you yet, oh great one. I did what you asked with Mortor, just as I obtained..."

"Speak no more!" the voice bellowed angrily. "You will never speak of our past business. Not to me, and not to anyone else."

"Yes, oh great one," Sutra grovelled. "I will not make that mistake again."

The presence faded, leaving Sutra with his thoughts. He was playing a dangerous game. But when he made his move and reaped the rewards, it would all be worth it. And then he would find a way to destroy the indestructible being that he served and rule in his place. So much had been set in place with Zordon and Mortor. It was now just a matter of time. He couldn't wait to see the results.

**End**

Disclaimer: The Power Rangers are the property of Saban Entertainment and I lay no claim to them.

**Legend of the Phantom Ranger**

A Previous Universe,  
The End of Time

It was all over. The universe had reached a terminal age and had been drawing inward for a long time. Time was perhaps the one force that could claim all beings and matter, regardless of their size, shape or power. The stars had been extinguished, leaving only a few worlds floating in the darkness. The war between Good and Evil was over, which side won was unclear, but there were no forces left to continue the war. If however the result was based on the last to perish: Evil had been conquered.

And in the void one being remained. He was unbelievably old. He had existed before the Guardians and the Morphin Masters, before the conceptual forces of Good, Evil, Order and Chaos had emerged. He was older than the Universe itself, possibly older that whatever had come before. His body had weathered the passage of time, his unique nature granting him some protection. It had not been enough though and like all things his body was breaking down due to old age.

He was the Phantom Ranger, a physical manifestation of the power contained within the magnificent Power Ruby; the Power Ruby drew its power from all those that fought against evil from the past, the present and those that had the potential to arise in the future. To be fair, since many of those willing to fight the good fight were gone, he was the sum of all those that had ever stood against the darkness. He was complete, his memory banks holding the sum of their knowledge and fighting spirit. He was also obsolete since without an enemy to fight he was no longer needed. But he had one last task to perform, a task he had performed on previous occasions. At least he thought he had; his final act had the unfortunate side effect of stripping away a great deal of his memories, leaving behind the drive and belief. It was not a perfect transition, but it was a sure way to make certain there would always be a Phantom Ranger and he would always be shielded from the passage of time.

What would happen this time? Would he remain the same or would his purpose change as it had before? He didn't know. He was driven only by an instinctive understanding of what had to happen next. The first time he had been a thief, this time a mere construct, next time? He hoped it would be something worthy of the power he had been granted.

His ship hovered before the abyss as the gapping black void inhaled what was left of space. His vessel had seen better days and were it not for his powers, would have failed long ago. Still it had served its final purpose and had carried him to his final destination. This was the moment he would meet his end, the moment that the spirits that powered him would return to where they belonged and his current existence would end.

"The time has come," he announced as he completely powered down his vessel's engines, allowing the craft to drift toward the abyss. As it did so he opened the canopy and stood. He took a final look around, before reaching to the Power Ruby embedded within his chest. With a quick twist the ruby was removed. He spared it a glance, wishing that he knew what would happen to it when he was gone. Then he threw it as hard as he could into the void.

The effect wasn't immediate, but in the space of a few minute its - for the act of removing and discarding the Power Ruby had returned the construct to its original state as a robotic body - systems started to close down. The signs of old age that the Power Ruby had kept at bay rapidly took their toll and soon the robot had collapsed back into its seat, becoming inert as the ship passed the event horizon and was consumed by the darkness.

Nowhere,  
The Dawn of Time.

There was nothing, an endless void lacking matter, energy, life or even darkness. It was just empty. An then in the void two objects drifted towards each other. The first was shaped like an and was incredibly large, despite its size being dwarfed by the void that surrounded it. The second object was small, a tiny ruby that had appeared within the emptiness and despite the lack of light, it shone.

And then there was light. The egg cracked and an new universe was born. The ruby was lost, swept along by the explosion, a part of the new existence. What it would be this time, how it would appear and how it would be used was unknown. But it was the essence Phantom Ranger and it would continue its journey from the beginning of existence to the end, just as it had done before. And along its way the Power Ruby would find its way to become involved in the inevitable war between Good and Evil as it had done before.

Tesseron,  
Three thousand years ago.

The ship was wrecked, the majority of his family had been slaughtered or taken for sale as slaves, and his cargo had been stolen. He knew where the blame lay: the symbol of the Dianthe Pirates had been clearly displayed by the boarding party. And so he had been left alone and helpless. Well, not quite helpless. How the pirates had managed to miss the ruby in his pocket was beyond him, but it had been that ruby that had inspired him to fight back and survive when it had been his turn to die. It had been the ruby that had given him the strength to overcome his executioners and destroy their vessel.

And as he stared into the fire, mourning all that he had lost, a new desire rose within him; he wanted revenge on those that had caused him pain. He wanted revenge for everything they had done to him and others in his situation. He vowed to those that he had lost to fight the pirates wherever they went until their evil was vanquished forever. And as he spoke, the ruby glowed brightly accepting his words and its new purpose.

A flash of purple light erupted from the ruby, filling him with new strength. Instinctively he closed his eyes and allowed the energy to flow. His battered purple survival suit was repaired and modified. It was streamlined for easier movement with extra bulk to protect vulnerable places. The new material - for he was reluctant to call it metal - refracted the light that hit it, hiding itself from view, but when he moved he noticed that there was some reflection.

~It's like I'm a ghost,~ he thought as he studied his seemingly translucent form. ~No, a phantom.~

The strange effect vanished and he was able to see his reflection clearly in the mangle remains of his ship.

"I'm a Ranger," he whispered in awe. "A phantom Ranger."

He placed the ruby into the slot where his suit's battery had been. It glowed for a moment before returning to normal and he nodded in satisfaction as the power seemed to become a part of him.

"I'm the Phantom Ranger!"

A few light years away the captain of the Dianthe vessel that had cost him so much, suddenly felt very afraid.

Sol System,  
Present day.

_"I swear from this moment that I shall devote my life to the destruction of piracy, greed, cruelty, and injustice, in all their forms until the day another takes my place!"_

He remembered the day he had spoken those words. It had been the day his life had changed forever and he had given up his place in the mortal world to become the Phantom Ranger. He had had a different name back then. He had been a man without direction wandering from planet to planet in search of work and adventure. He had been on a trip to a jungle world known as Bangallia when he had come upon a crashed space ship.

How long the ship had been there was unclear, but the jungle had already started to recover from the fires that had accompanied the crashing vessel. From the scorch marks on the side of the craft it was clear that it had not been a simple case of pilot error.

He approached cautiously, finding his way to the charred section where the cockpit should have been. there he had been surprised to find that not only was the pilot still there, he was alive. Barely alive. He had later learnt that the ship's systems had served as a makeshift cryogenic unit, maintaining the occupant's life functions until help arrived. It had been a wasted effort though since a closer inspection revealed that the unit was almost exhausted and that the pilot was too badly injured to survive long enough once removed from the device for even the most skilled surgeon to save him.

"But I already knew that."

He had been surprised when the injured pilot had spoken. He had thought him to be unconscious.

"The proximity sensors alerted me when you approached," the figure chuckled. "And no, I cannot read your mind."

"We need to find a way to keep this thing running until I can get you some real help," he had said, but the injured man had shaken his head.

"There is no time. My ship kept me alive longer than it should have. Just long enough to complete my final task. I am- Korel Darsan, of the planet Sadrath. I am also known as the Phantom Ranger. And it is to you I offer this legacy."

He had frowned. "What to you mean?"

Korel had not answered, he had simply concentrated. In a flash of black, the pilot's armour was gone and in its place had sat a young, handsome man. His hair was a brilliant white, and his eyes were a truly unearthly shade of green. In one hand he held a spherical ruby, which had been in the chest plate of his armour.

"This is the Power Ruby, one of the oldest and most powerful objects ever known. For generations it has controlled the transformations of the Phantom Ranger. I am not the first Phatnom Ranger although many believe that I am. I was granted the power by my the previous Phantom Ranger, just as he received it from his predecessor. It is a potent weapon, but there are some things it cannot overcome. I got sloppy in a recent battle and- " his wry chuckle suddenly became a cough, "I paid the price for it. Now I ask you to take the Power Ruby and to use its power to continue the Phantom Ranger's mission, or at least to to protect the power until the day comes to pass it on to someone you deem worthy."

"I don't know anything about being a Ranger," he had protested. Korel smiled, a little rivulet of blood trickling from his mouth.

"The Ruby will tell you what to do. It's all instinct.. When the time comes, you will know."

He had wanted to refuse, but he had not been the sort to deny a dying man his last request. With a sigh he had nodded. "I'll do it. I'll take your place."

"Very well. From this day forward your life will change. You will still wander, but now it shall be with purpose."

His hand had closed around the stone and the world had started to spin. Somewhere amongst the lights and sounds, he had heard himself speak the oath, confirming himself as the new Phantom Ranger. And he had known that he would never go back.

Knowledge had swept through his mind, the disjointed history of the Phantom Ranger and his origins. He understood that the Phantom Ranger he portrayed was different to the one that had stood firmly against the tide of darkness in the previous existence. Whereas that Phantom Ranger had been able to elude death, the possibility of being destroyed was something he would need to keep in mind. However despite his mortality, the Dianthe believed that he was still the being they had first encountered three-thousand years ago. The feared him in part because he had continued as their greatest leaders and warriors had fallen. And now it fell to the new Phantom Ranger to continue the mission of his predecessors and bring an end to the Dianthe menace.

The Dianthe Clan had evolved in the space of three-thousand years. The pirates had diversified into all sorts of crimes. Drugs, vice, political favours... there were few crimes they had not committed. Murder, extortion and bribery were just a few of the underhanded methods they employed to accomplish their goals. The slave trade and weapon sales had made them rich enough to bank roll an army to conquer a few planets for their criminal activities.

But wherever the Dianthe Clan showed up, the Phantom Ranger was never far behind. He had made himself a nuisance, breaking up many of the Dianthe's more profitable operations. Since the clan had grown he had found himself chasing down one of their leaders while ignoring some of the others. And while he had been aware of Divatox's activities on Earth, he had also seen the reports suggesting the Power Rangers there were more than she could handle.

Still, recent events had drawn his attention back to the planet. Divatox's constant defeats were damaging the Dianthe Clan's reputation and other members were starting to involve themselves. The opportunity to ruin the plans of so many members of the Dianthe Clan appealed to him. And so he set course for Earth ready to lend his aid and put an end to the Dianthe threat once and for all.

**End**Disclaimer: The Power Rangers are the property of Saban Entertainment and I lay no claim to them. Jeffrey Kincaid, Lord Crucible, and all other characters relating to them are the property of John Chubb. This is a COE retelling of the Night Rangers' story, which began in The Forgotten Night. The events in this chapter follow on from the ending of The Emperor's New Rage.

**The Night Raider**

Inquirius

They didn't like him. He couldn't blame them since he didn't like himself very much either. They were light and pure, and kind to all the animals, while he was ... not. On a part of the planet where nearly everybody wore a distinctively coloured garment of some sort - for even those who wore black had found a way to distinguish the glossy shine of their clothes from the dull matte of ordinary apparel. His drab grey cloak, which lacked any indication that he had attempted to make them draw attention from those around him, had the effect of causing him to stand out. His clothes were dark and dreary in a place filled with colour a cheer. Naturally it made those nearby uncomfortable.

That he wore a weapon and had made no effort to conceal it drew more attention. For this was Inquirius, a planet dedicated to learning and education, where information, questions and answers were the foundation on which the society prospered. And he had arrived at the Illumina, a vast complex that had been handed over to the Morphine Masters and those associated with them as a place of tranquil enlightenment. It was also one of the best places to gather information in the Universe.

Morphin Masters and their students communed in intellectual and spiritual discussions. Few carried weapons within the halls and those who did had the decency to hide them from view. Weapons suggested a tendency toward violence and those prone to violence were not welcome.

Naturally Jeff Kincaid stood out like a sore thumb. For a start Jeff was not a Morphin Master, his kind were never promoted to that sort of level, few managed to achieve an official rank above that of Power Ranger. And while the Illumina was open to all those who sought enlightenment, Rangers were normally to busy protecting the worlds they had been assigned to defend, to visit. But it was his tainted aura that drew the attention of those around him. There was an undefined darkness about him that unsettled the more pious visitors.

It wasn't Jeff's fault. By nature he was a good person, a man of honour and extremely brave - for he had faced the things that lurked in the darkness and emerged stronger from the experience. However life had taken its toll on the young man, leaving a dark stain on his soul that shaded the inner light from those around him. Experience had turned him cold and cynical, less likely to believe that if he followed the rules he would be protected when he could make his own rules and protect himself.

The problem was that for all their rhetoric about not judging others and giving everybody a fair chance to show the true nature, the majority of the great and the good were prone to judge by first impressions. Those who knew of the organisation he belonged to readily believed the rumours and whispered half-truths instead of taking the time to find out the truth. He was a pariah because those that he sought to protect preferred to think of him as a part of the problem, not the solution. They just couldn't understand that while the Universe wanted heroes that were upstanding characters, they needed people like Jeff even more.

He walked quickly and purposefully through the building, ignoring those around him. He was aware that he was breaking protocol by not stopping to acknowledge the various Morphin Masters or pay his respect to some of the more senior figures that had crossed his path. He simply didn't care for the pomp and ceremony; to him it just got in the way of him doing his job.

It was a level of arrogance that caused others to comment. That he had been allowed entry to the Illumina when he lacked the most basic of manners and was clearly armed was surprising to those who watched his progress. The few who knew what he was just shook their heads and carried on with what they were doing. To those ignorant of his status, his behaviour was suspicious. As he made his way unhindered through to areas where others were stopped and turned away, suspicion turned to anger and jealousy. With each step he took the unease those around him felt intensified. Some wanted to stop him but none dared. The Illumina allowed his progress and they were not brave enough to challenge its judgement.

Finally he reached his destination, the Grand Library, a place filled with the collected reports and knowledge from countless worlds. The room was filled with ornate tables and benches with thick green leather cushions. The bookcases rose from floor to ceiling, providing a source of knowledge beyond what was stored in the vast computer archive. Around the room were passageways leading off to where the experts on various subjects were willing to educate those in need and vendors were ready to supply information that was more difficult to acquire for the right price. He studied the doorways and having located the one he was after, set off to reach his goal, only to find his way blocked.

"This is a private library," the person in front of him stated. Others nearby were nodding although Jeff noted the Illumina's own staff did not want to get involved.

Jeff shrugged and stepped around the man, intent on carrying on his way without violence. Unfortunately it seemed that such a casual dismissal of the other's challenge was treated as an insult.

"State your business!" the man, which Jeff noticed wore the insignia of a Red Morphin Master demanded.

"My business is my own and since I am here, you can assume I have a right to be here. Now stand aside and stop wasting my time."

Jeff could sense the tension in the air. Had he been anywhere else he suspected he would have been under attack. Of course violence was strictly forbidden in the Illumina, so harsh words and poor attempts to appear intimidating were the best they could manage. I have an appointment with the Xenotome."

There was a gasp from the room. The Xenotome was a huge book containing all the knowledge within the Illumina and a few things besides. It was so valuable that few were granted the privilege of reading it; in the wrong hands the book could prove a dangerous weapon.

"Why?"

Jeff spared him an amused look. "Because I asked nicely and the Keeper agreed."

That response did not put those around him at ease. Given his dark appearance many were prepared to assume the worst.

"The Xenotome is only for the eyes of those worthy of looking within its pages," another Red Master cried angrily. "Not for the likes of you!"

Jeff shook his head at how judgemental they sounded. He had learnt the hard way that there was a difference between dark and evil that could not be determined by superficial things like appearance. It seemed that these Morphin Masters had not yet reached that level of understanding. The calls for him to leave intensified. Some looked to be on the brink of breaking the rules and attacking. Had he been a normal Ranger, Kincaid would have backed down to avoid the need for violence. But he was a Night Ranger and knew that rules were there for guidance, not blind obedience.

Instead he lowered his hood, allowing those present to get a good look at him. His face was hard, his eyes cold as they moved over the crowd. A scar ran the length of his face, a wound he had yet to heal. It gave him a very sinister appearance.

"I didn't ask your permission, Morphin Master," he replied tersely. He had little respect for Morphin Council and even less for those that judged him without knowing his story. "The Xenotome is available to any Ranger who requests to see it, so long as the Keeper agrees to that request."

That was true. Originally the Xenotome had been available to all, but given the likelihood that some would abuse its knowledge, only those associated with the Morphin Masters were granted permission and even then they needed to be at least a Ranger.

"Only with the consent of their Morphin Master," a studious Yellow pointed out.

He spared her a brief nod before answering: "I don't have a Morphin Master."

Whispers filled the room. They believed him a rogue, perhaps a disgraced Ranger that had been stripped of his power, who had somehow managed to bypass their security. Jeff did little to put them at ease, although he showed no outward signs of aggression. The Red Master it seemed had had enough. Unable to think beyond his limited understanding of black and white, he decided Jeff Kincaid was a threat and attacked.

"Next?" Jeff asked when moments later the body of the young Morphin Master landed on the floor. Out of respect for the rules, Jeff had left the other warrior alive, although the broken bones would remind him of his failure, if the broken sword he had attempted to draw didn't serve as a permanent reminder.

The assembled Morphin Masters took offence at one of their own being brutalised by a traitor despite the fact he was only defending himself. Weapons were drawn and combat stances assumed as they prepared to make him pay for his crimes.

"ENOUGH!"

The chamber suddenly fell silent, the power of the older White Morphin Master calming the anger that seemed to ripple through the chamber.

"This is a place of peace and learning. Fighting is not permitted here under any circumstances."

He gestured and the fallen Red Master was healed although his sword remained shattered.

"I expected better of you," he continued. "If you want to fight go back to your Ranger teams where you will be welcomed on the front line, do so, because you are not suited to the life of a Morphin Master."

"He is an intruder!" someone accused, pointing at Kincaid.

"He has done nothing wrong," was the response. "He was attacked, abused and denied his rights, rights that are afforded every disciple of the Power. It is not the place of those in this room to grant or deny his request. You should be grateful that he didn't decide to take your actions personally. We cannot afford the loss of so many Morphin Masters."

"You're welcome," Jeff muttered.

"And you!" the old master growled, turning his attention to the younger man. "Don't think for a moment that you can appear innocent in all this. You are well aware of how others react to you and why, yet you did nothing to calm the situation. If anything, you tried to provoke them."

Jeff laughed. It seemed no matter how innocent he was they would always try to blame him in the end.

"I didn't provoke him," he answered. "He attacked me and I allowed him to crawl away."

"What part of 'do not escalate a battle unless forced to do so' do you not understand?" the White Master demanded, allowing his aura to flare.

"The part that applied to me, White Master," Jeff replied, loosening the restraints on his own powers, relishing the sudden nervousness of those around him. "You know as well as anyone that the rules are only there for guidance and are open to interpretation. I don't have the benefit of your great brotherhood of Morphine Masters, I'm alone. So you'll excuse me if I take every threat seriously and react accordingly."

His arguments surprised those around him. Few dared to show such insubordination. They also detected the sorrow in his voice when he spoke of being alone.

"So the rumours were true?" the White Master asked quietly, not reacting to Jeff's power. The power of the Night was to be respected, but not necessarily feared. "I had heard reports of what had happened, but nobody could be certain. The Council did not see the need for observers on Daos. It made confirming the facts of the matter... difficult." There was a pause before the White Master continued: "I am sorry for your loss and share your grief for the events that transpired. But never allow yourself to believe that you are alone; you are as much a part of this brotherhood as any Ranger and we will stand at your side."

"And then condemn me after for doing what must be done," Jeff accused.

The older man sighed. "I do not agree with your methods. I doubt many others would even accept that you are performing the duty handed to you by fate, except perhaps Zordon. But that is the way it has always been and you know that and you continue regardless. That tells me more about you than your powers ever could."

"You know what I intend to do?" Jeff asked, worried that the Morphin Master might attempt to stop him; a true Power Ranger did not seek revenge.

"Your duty," was the reply. "You might think of it as revenge, but ask yourself this: would you still seek to destroy him if he had betrayed somebody else?" He looked off to one side. "The Keeper of the Xenotome awaits you, Night Ranger. Do not let me prevent you from learning what you need and then leaving."

Jeff nodded his thanks before heading towards the door he had identified earlier. Beyond the door was a room that reminded Jeff of one of the churches he had been forced to attend on Earth, complete with pews, alter and a font.

"Do not let the appearance disturb you Jeff Kincaid," a female voice warned. "Just like your powers, this room shifts according to the subconscious of the visitor and over the millennia it has developed a sense of humour."

While she spoke, Jeff tried to identify her location. His past had made him paranoid and recent events had made it worse. Something about the setting made him uneasy and given that he was used to making others uncomfortable, he didn't like the feeling at all.

"This room is built on a foundation of knowledge and wisdom, not ignorance and fear."

Jeff spun around and finally caught a glimpse of the Keeper of the Xenotome.

"The uncontrolled benefits you reap from your powers will not aid you here," she warned, not the least bit affected by his aura, "but they will not hinder you either."

She walked over to a bookshelf that Jeff had failed to notice before and removed the smallest book. When she placed it on the altar it expanded into a massive book.

"You sought the Xenotome, Jeff Kincaid, and the Xenotome granted your request." She paused, allowing him to scrutinise her appearance.

She was much younger than he had first believed and from her shape and what little he could see of her face, quite beautiful. She wore a long white gown with a veil that covered her lower face as well as her hair. On her left shoulder she wore the insignia of a White Morphin Master and the broach on her right side indicated that she was a native Inquirian.

"Huh?" He suddenly processed what she had said.

"Does it not stand to reason that a book as powerful as the Xentome would gain some level of sentience?" she asked, falling back into her native habit of asking questions. "Does it not make sense that the Book of the Unknown should use that sentience to determine whether or not those that ask should be allowed to read its pages? Would it surprise you to learn that the Xenotome has recorded the names of those that would seek its knowledge and when they would be permitted to do so?"

"No, just a little surprised," he admitted.

"Do you think that this is any more surprising than some of the things you have seen? Is it not possible that before you leave you will learn something even more surprising, perhaps even disturbing?"

"You're right," he told her after thinking about it. Was a thinking book that much of a surprise in a Universe filled with demons and Power Rangers?

"The book revealed many things to me before you arrived," she told him. "The Xentome told of the loss of your team and allies, although it did not predict the events that would lead to their demise. While the Book of the Unknown contains many predictions, none referred directly to the Night Rangers."

Jeff nodded. He was relieved that was the case although he noticed she had not ruled out the existence of any predictions involving the Night Rangers.

"Ask your questions and if the answers are known they shall be shared," she told him.

"Why did he do it?"

"The Book of the Unknown does not hold the reason for your comrade's treachery. It only states that he was not acting under the influence of an outside force and committed the act of his own free will." She read the next line and then continued. "The evidence does not rule out the possibility that somebody had convinced him to turn, only that he made the decision."

"Were there any other survivors?"

"Kinega made certain that all those on Daos were destroyed; the other Night Rangers did not escape him. I'm sorry."

"Where is he now?" Kincaid demanded.

"I cannot tell you," she answered. "Mark Kinega no longer exists."

"Somebody got there first?" he asked.

"No," she told him. "Those that persuaded Mark Kinega to betray you sought a new leader, a being capable of acting as a vessel for some of the oldest, powerful and most evil creatures in existence. They chose Kinega because as a Night Ranger he had already developed a bond with the darkness within himself. When he accepted the offer and provided the necessary sacrifice, Mark Kinega was replaced by a new creature: Crucible."

"So there is no way to redeem him?" Jeff asked, hoping the answer was no. As far as he was concern Mark had made his choice and nothing he did would ever redeem him.

"Mark Kinega is gone, perhaps forever," she answered. "As long as Crucible exists there is no chance to redeem Mark Kinega. And only death will release Crucible's grasp."

"What should I do?"

"The Xenotome cannot tell you that. It does however tell of a way to slow Crucible's rise to power. If you choose to do so you will face great danger and find that it will be a costly decision, but the sacrifices will be worth it. The Night Fighters will arise again one day to aid a new generation of Night Rangers led by the one who escaped Kinega's treachery."

"Me?" Jeff scoffed. "I'm a Blue Ranger and a reluctant one at that. What do I know about leading the Night Rangers?"

"You will learn all that you need to learn, but first there is the time heal," she answered.

"What do I do? Where do I go? I want to go and stop him, but if he's as powerful as you said..."

"Calm yourself Jeff Kincaid," Dimitria instructed. "The book tells of Crucible's rising, but it is not an immediate concern. The actions you take now will delay him and set in motion the events that will lead to his downfall. Listen carefully Night Ranger, hear what must be done and know that I am sorry that the task falls to you."

The end had come for the people of Zyaibreeah. The battle had been surprisingly short but then there were very few who thought of it as a battle; most would come to regard it as a mass slaughter. The people had fought hard and their Rangers had tried their hardest to protect their world from overwhelming odds. However they had been outmanned, outgunned and unable to call for help from neighbouring worlds. The odds had definitely been against them.

They had fought hard and despite the fact they were guaranteed to lose, they had fought on bravely. In the end though the valiant efforts were for nought, their enemy was just too well-trained, too vicious and too numerous for the Rangers to prevail. As the hours had passed the continued bombardments and simultaneous attacks around the planet had left the Rangers stretched to their limits.

And once the enemy commander had shown himself, the Rangers had been unable to rally any sort of counter offence. While his troops had overwhelmed them, he was in every way their superior. He had spared them no quarter and expected no mercy in return. He had played with them for a short time, honing his skills it seemed while his forces mercilessly hunted the rest of the population. But once it was clear that there were only a few stragglers to find, he had decided it was time to end the game.

As they stood against him, some with more difficulty than others, a chill ran through them. His powers felt strange to them. They felt the familiar flow of magic and yet there was something sickeningly different at the same time. And the smile he wore was cold and slightly feral. Everything about him suggested that he could and would destroy them with very little effort on his part.

"Congratulations Power Rangers," a man said, appearing at the side of the warrior. "You've fought well, a shining example to Ranger teams across the Universe. Nobody could deny that you are brave, loyal and dedicated. Your skills in the ways of the Power are unquestionable. Had you been facing a different opponent you might have been allowed to live. Unfortunately for you, Crucible's task requires him to destroy all life on this pathetic little world."

He paused, allowing the Rangers to accept their fate.

"Crucible would like to extend his thanks for your services; you have proven excellent teaching tools. Your efforts have allowed Crucible to come to terms with his new powers and hone his skills. Sadly for you, you no longer present a challenge for him and as such, you are no longer useful. You are here so Crucible can master the last skill he needs: destroying the enemy."

"Why are you doing this?" the Red Zyaibreeahn Ranger asked, "You said he's learnt all he can, what would he gain by killing us?"

"While killing you would have very little benefit, it will allow Crucible to demonstrate that he has moved beyond the old ways of thinking. In the past he might have spared a defeated opponent. As Crucible he cannot afford such moments of noble weakness.

You see, Crucible used to be a Power Ranger, like yourselves. Well not quite like you, he was a Night Ranger, the scourge of evildoers everywhere; he was shown how unappreciated his skills were to those he served and granted a new existence as Crucible.

Unfortunately he failed his first attempt to prove himself, but I'm sure he will catch up with the last Night Ranger sooner or later. In the meantime destroying your team will be the final step needed to solidify his new identity."

As he spoke, Crucible extended his right hand toward the White Ranger. He closed his fist and the Ranger collapsed, screaming as the twisted powers of the Night Ranger was unleashed. Fuelled by the power of some of the oldest and most potent villains to ever exist, Crucible's powers were beyond those of a Night Ranger. His ability to destroy with a gesture was a sign of his power.

"As you can see Red Ranger," the man continued as he watched the White Rangers tear at his own body to stop the torment, "death is not the worst thing that can happen to you today."

The White Ranger glowed brightly as the soul destroying magic fed on his powers. Then with a final scream he burst into white flames and disappeared.

"Out of gratitude for your services, I promise Crucible will grant the rest of you a swift death."

"Hey!" one of the Rangers dared to call, moving forward to attack. He never had a chance to rethink his actions as a sword was driven into his heart.

The man looked from the fallen Ranger to the creature known as Crucible and nodded approvingly.

"Make no mistake Rangers; you will die here today, one way or another. Accept your destinies and I promise this will be over painlessly. Fight and even though you will die screaming, it will still be quick."

The Blue Ranger attacked, throwing his spear at the so far unbeatable warrior, hoping to catch him off-guard. Crucible caught it easily, examining it briefly before crushing the enchanted wood and tossing it aside.

"Against a lesser warrior your tactic might have been successful... perhaps you're so tired that you've forgotten that you face an opponent who has already defeated you countless times."

~No,~ he thought as he noticed the expression on the Ranger's face despite his helmet, ~more likely you still haven't come to terms with the danger you face.~

Having changed his mind, Crucible levitated the remains of the weapon and propelled the pieces back at their source. The Ranger was lifted from his feet by the multiple projectiles as they ripped into his chest and threw him backward.

"No!" the Pink Ranger screamed as he collapsed. "How could you?"

Their foe didn't react although his handler appeared amused by her outrage. "Crucible is evil beyond your ability to comprehend. I warned you that resisting would not delay the inevitable, just make it a more painful experience. Your friend chose to attack and Crucible responded as he would to any opposition: he crushed it. However since you seem to have some fight left in you, I withdraw my offer. It will not be painless now, but you have my word, this won't take long."

Taking that as permission, Crucible was running towards the Rangers before they could react. He summoned a sword and slashed at his opponents as he passed them. Four strokes of the blade, and two Rangers collapsed in pools of their own blood. Their special suits were of no use against the blade that had been forged from the darkest magic.

He abandoned the sword against the next two, decapitating the first with a chop of his hand before breaking the second's neck with her bare hands. That left only the Green Ranger, whom he had saved for last. The two warriors stood face to face, eyes meeting as the Ranger discarded her shattered helmet. There had always been a special form of relationship between them; perhaps it was the darkness that lurked within the Green Ranger powers that caused Crucible to give the hero a more personal fight to the death. It was evident that the Green Ranger knew she would die; only her pride forced her to ready herself for final combat.

"Well this has been fun," Crucible's companion commented. The Green Ranger had lasted longer than he had expected although it was clear Crucible had been playing with her as they exchanged increasingly violent blows. "But now it is time to end it. Farewell, Green Ranger."

Now was the time for Crucible to prove himself. The last time he had been asked to destroy a team of Rangers he had allowed one to escape. This was his opportunity to prove that he had learnt from the experience and accepted that his days as a Night Ranger were over. He didn't disappoint and with the death of the Green Ranger, Mark Kinega's transformation into Crucible was made permanent.

Daos

Dimitria had provided him with the clues he needed, but it was Jeff that had put the pieces together and realised what needed to be done. It was amusing to him that had he been on Earth he would have been having another miserable Halloween waiting for little kids to call and then arguing with his mother when he handed them candy. Not that whatever he was about to do would be considered pleasurable, but given a choice, he didn't want to be back in his old life.

It had been a while since he had last set foot in the headquarters of the Acexta Order on Daos. Kinega had taken him there to undergo the final trials needed to become a Night Ranger. It was on Daos that he had been shown the Pit of Night, the source of a Night Fighter's power and the Mirror of Night through which that power was channelled to create Night Rangers. Then it had been a place filled with people, life and purpose. Now the Acexta Order was gone, part of the dowry that Mark had paid to consummate his new position and the planet was ruined.

But Jeff had not returned to the planet for sightseeing. He had returned to prevent Crucible using the Acexta Order's power against the Universe. He had come to make sure that the Pit of Night and the creatures trapped within could not be used to provide Mark, Crucible, whatever he was calling himself, with any further help, just as the Keeper had suggested.

Luckily the Mirror of Night was still in its proper place within the temple. Kinega's forces had ransacked the planet and taken everything of value, but they hadn't dared to touch the mirror, knowing that to do so would risk being dragged screaming into the Pit of Night and consumed by the spirits that lurked within. Jeff on the other hand had no such fear.

"No!"

Since his transformation, Crucible had been mostly silent, accepting the advice of those around him and doing as he was told. While it was accepted that one day he would be their leader, for now he was being trained in how to use the gifts he had been granted by the creature that had taken him as their vessel. He had endured pain and punishment without complaint, so his sudden cry of anguish shocked those around him.

"What is it?" Savrod asked, concerned.

"The Mirror of Night," Crucible answered. "Kincaid... Kincaid has the mirror. He's planning to so something to seal its power. He plans to break my link."

When a Night Ranger looked into the Mirror of Night, they were shown a reflection of themselves merged with one of the Pit of Night's resident creatures. It was a symbiotic relationship where the Ranger drew on the creature's powers and the hostile spirit was allowed a semblance of freedom. The Night Ranger was transported into the Pit of Night where he would fight that creature for dominance over their bond. If the Night Ranger survived the encounter he became bonded to the creature he had defeated and through that bond, the ability to draw on the power contained within the Pit of Night. Even though Kinega had renounced his position as a Night Ranger, Crucible had inherited the bond, even though he drew his power from a new source.

Savrod managed to school his features to hide his concern. He wasn't worried about Kincaid's plan harming Crucible. If the Night Ranger wanted to sever the link to the Mirror of Night he was welcome to try. Most likely the attempt would end in the destruction of the Night Ranger. And should he succeed, the loss of that final link would only lead to Crucible drawing more heavily from his new power source.

Still if Kincaid was on Daos, it seemed a good time to eliminate the nuisance. And there was always the chance that Kincaid intended to use the bond against Crucible rather than breaking it. That would be an unwelcome turn of events.

"We'll depart immediately," he assured his leader. "Kincaid's pitiful attempt to defeat you will only lead to his destruction."

Crucible nodded in response and once again Savrod had to hide his disappointment. Crucible was powerful and a formidable warrior, but he had yet to show any ability to command others. And since that what Savrod had been seeking when he had approached the Night Ranger, it made him wonder whether he had made the wrong choice.

No, he had made the correct choice; it was just a case of ensuring that Crucible was given the opportunity to grow into his new role. Perhaps Kincaid would provide the desired result.

"Spirits of the Night, hear me!" Kincaid's voice echoed through the darkness of the Pit of Night.

He knew that his actions were reckless. Night Rangers were not supposed to re-enter the Pit of Night once they had completed their trial. Yet Kincaid had broken that rule and once again stood on the other side of the barrier between the Pit of Night and Daos. He was unmorphed, yet confident enough to draw the attention of the creatures that occupied the dark place. Most chose to ignore him, but those that sensed the opportunity his presence gave them turned to face him.

"I offer you a wager," Kincaid continued, "a simple challenge. If you succeed then you will be released from this place. If you fail then every creature within this place will be bound to the Night Rangers, forever, the Mirror of Night will be sealed and you will never be able to move beyond the barrier."

"And what challenge do you propose, Night Ranger?" one of the creatures asked.

Kincaid smirked. "I offer you the same challenge that every Night Fighter gives when they offer this place, nothing more and nothing less. Except I offer this challenge to all that reside within the Pit of Night. For fifteen minutes the barrier between this place and the planet where the Mirror of Night resides will be open. Should any one of you step beyond the barrier in that time, every creature within the Pit of Night will be released. All you have to do is pass me and nothing will stand in your way."

He drew a metal cylinder that resembled a small torch. He flicked the activation switch and a blade of light emerged from the end. He pushed the button above the switch, locking the switch in place.

"Just one little Night Fighter and maybe a few weapons," he promised. "I won't even morph."

And that was the challenge. It was a deal the spirits trapped within the Pit of Night couldn't ignore. They wanted their freedom and despite the danger Kincaid posed, they knew it was their only chance. But the Pit of Night was much larger than many believed, more of a dimension than a physical space, and while there was a huge collection of dark creatures close to the barrier, the stronger spirits were much further away, skulking in the darkest depths.

He could sense the moment that the creatures chose to attack. He smirked as he tightened his grip on his Night Saber, hoping that he had not been overconfident. As the swarm of hideous beasts pounced he allowed himself to let the Power guide him, whispering a solemn promise:

"None may pass."

The battle that followed would only last for fifteen minutes, but in that time Jeff Kincaid showed why the Night Fighters had been feared by evildoers long before the rise of the Night Rangers. At first the grunts charged forward one at a time and were easily cut down by his glowing blade; their claws slid off his long black coat. Then the numbers started to increase as wave after wave crashed against the one-man barricade. Two, then four, then twelve... the numbers were relentless, constantly increasing as Kincaid moved with incredible speed and skill, a smile gracing his face as he abandoned himself to the Power. He kicked, dodged, hacked and punched the aggressors back. He was unmovable and the light from his Night Saber seemed to grow brighter with each of the attackers he destroyed.

But he was also hurt. His body ached from the many cuts and scratches he received as the onslaught continued. Although his clothing had been designed to offer some protection, but it was only able to resist damage, not stop it altogether. He was being pressed back by the weight of numbers, but somehow he found the strength to remain on his feet. Never before had he moved so fast, his body a blur in the darkness, the flash of his blade the only clue to where he had been. The grunts were too numerous now to count and they were growing more powerful with each wave.

"Spirits of the Night Fighters, lend me your power!" he called, summoning strength from those creatures that had been conquered by those that had entered the Pit of Night before him. Their power belonged to the Night Fighters and since Kincaid was the last of his kind, that meant they were his to command. Of course that number increased with every attacker he managed to cut down.

A burst of light shot from his hands, incinerating all that stood in its path. With a single attack he had brought himself precious seconds. Yet even now he knew it would not be long before he was overwhelmed again. The stampede of dark creatures appeared endless. He was about to be overcome when a blue barrier surrounded him.

"Fifteen minutes," he told them as the creatures pounded angrily on the barrier. "You've had your chance and you failed. Now your powers belong to the Night Fighters."

As he was speaking he moved toward the barrier that would take him back to his previous position outside the Pit of Night. He was hurt, badly. The wounds he had received were bleeding and some were likely infected. As the adrenalin faded he could feel that something was wrong with his left leg. It hung at a strange angle below the knee and from the difficulty he had breathing, he knew there was a chance his ribs had been broken too. He turned to leave, only to find his way blocked. Jeff groaned; it looked like he wouldn't get away after all.

"Hello Jeff, fancy meeting you here."

Dimitria ran her hands over the Xenotome. Currently she was studying the Book of Daos, a history of the Night Fighters, Night Rangers and all things associated with them. It listed their enemies, their powers and theories about how the Night Ranger powers were capable of evolving as the roster changed. The book was self-updating with new facts added by the clerics on Daos. It was saddening to know that thanks to Crucible, very little would be added in the future.

She read and reread the prophecy before her. It told of the fall of the Night Rangers and their eventual rebirth. It spoke of the return of the Night Fighters, the coming of the One and the transformation the Night Rangers would undergo. It was a prophecy that appeared in several texts and seemed to relate to a number of groups.

"The Kincaid," she whispered, studying the drawing upon the page. A man was shown dressed in a long black coat and armed with a sword, stood atop a pile of defeated foes. And underneath she saw the words that had become a part of the prophecy surrounding the 'Coming of The One'.

"None may pass," she read.

The next page showed a clash between two armies. She was confused how that could happen. Jeff Kincaid was one man on his own. Where would he get an army?

"Did you think I would let you get away with this?" Crucible asked, before backhanding the injured Night Ranger. "You should have crawled under a rock and stayed there, Kincaid. I might have let you survive a little longer."

Jeff was aware that he was in a bad situation. Not only was Crucible standing in front of him at full strength while he could barely stand, the villain had brought a squadron of featureless soldiers with him. Given the angry mob of creatures behind him and he couldn't see a way out. Or could he?

"It's over Jeff," Crucible told him. "Last time you were lucky to escape. This time you don't have a Zord to protect you."

Jeff ignored Crucible, trying to decide if the ridiculous plan that had suddenly formed in his mind had a chance of succeeding. He knew it was a risk, since both groups would want nothing more than to rip him apart. The question was whether the deal he had struck with the spirits held within the Pit of Night was as binding as he hoped. In the end he decided he had nothing to lose, a decision that made him laugh.

"Something you find funny Jeff?" Crucible asked, as his grip tightened.

"I was just wondering how you plan to leave here," Jeff admitted.

"The same way you intended," Crucible replied.

"Ah but that's the problem," Jeff continued, ignoring the burning pain in his chest. He didn't know if it was Crucible's doing or his previous injuries and was not in a position to care. "When you became Crucible you gave up being a Night Ranger and everything that entailed. As far as the Pit of Night is concerned you never succeeded in the trial; your little soldiers there certainly didn't win the right to leave. You can't leave the Pit of Night until you do so."

"Well once I've disposed of you I'll make short work of whatever creature I have to face," Crucible replied, not concerned about his companions.

"Good plan," Jeff agreed. "Only problem: I don't think they are willing to wait."

As he finished talking there was a low growl and for the first time Crucible noticed that they were surrounded. His followers shifted nervously, a few drawing their weapons. Then with a snarl, the spirits pounced, tearing into the soldiers. Crucible snarled in response as one of them dared to attack him. He threw Jeff to the side, allowing the Night Ranger to make a hasty retreat to the far side of the Mirror where he almost collapsed.

"Harrdrive?" he queried, hoping the Defiant had not been destroyed.

"You rang?" the computer asked in a particularly drawn out and slightly creepy tone.

"Get me out of here," he ordered.

He could feel the poisons his body had absorbed during his battle seeping through his body. It would take a while to heal his wounds, assuming he was still conscious enough to make it to a healing bed. In hindsight he realised he should have hired an assistant, even if it was only to carry his broken body away after he won.

"By your command," Harddrive responded.

Seconds later Jeff Kincaid disappeared leaving Crucible and his forces at the mercy of the Pit of Night.

It was a slightly battered Crucible that finally emerged from the Mirror of Night. The fight had lasted longer than he had expected. Those accompanying him were gone; Crucible had willingly let them fight the creatures, knowing they would be destroyed. It had offered him the time to draw upon his new powers in order to pass through the barrier and escape. As he had done so he knew that Kincaid had won the day. The Pit of Night and the creatures that lurked were now bound to Kincaid's powers. Still he had a feeling that one way or another they could be useful in the future.

"Set up a guard station around this world Savrod," he ordered once he was back on board his ship. "Daos will be of use to us in the future."

Savrod nodded and gave the necessary orders. He didn't see the importance of the planet, but he did understand that for Crucible to rise to the level Savrod expected, the new villain needed an empire. Daos was as good a place to start as any.

"And then... find me Kincaid."

Savrod sighed. It would seem that Crucible was not going to rest until the Night Ranger was dealt with. Not completely a bad thing, loose ends were never a good thing, but if Crucible became too obsessive about hunting down Kincaid, he would likely overlook the other things he needed to do, such as conquering the Universe. For the time being there was very little that Savrod could do. He had recruited Crucible to be a leader and even though his priorities were different, Crucible was indeed acting like a leader. Given time, he hoped that Crucible would at least listen to his suggestions. Tracking down Kincaid would not take very long; he was just worried about what his leader's next obsession would be.

"As you wish," he said with a slight incline of his head. Behind him the crew were already carrying out their leader's instructions. "It will not take long; the information you provided suggests there are only a few places he would go."

Crucible nodded and turned to once again look at the planet below. He knew Kincaid better than those around him. In some ways there was a connection between them that had started when he had recruited Kincaid to serve as a Night Ranger. Somehow he knew where his former comrade would go.

"Set course for Earth," he ordered. "We'll find Kincaid there."

In the end he realised that his intuition was not due to any sort of link with Kincaid. It was because he knew Jeff was injured. And without the Night Ranger to issue instructions, the ship would follow the programming built into its computer system, programming that Mark Kinega had written.

Once Jeff had returned to the Defiant, the ship had departed from Daos at maximum speed. With the pilot unconscious, Harddrive had followed his programming and made a few short jumps to throw off any pursuing craft. Then the computer had directed the vessel to as many obscure planets as possible, making certain that the ship was seen by those who made a profit from selling such information. Then it had jumped again to a completely random destination where it had stopped to assess its options.

Harddrive had been programmed to handle a number of scenarios including the possibility that all the Night Rangers were incapacitated. Its processor quickly assessed the most likely source of aid, given that most Morphin Masters would likely refuse assistance to a Night Ranger, despite their oaths to aid all of those opposed to the Dark side of the Morphin Grid. The Council was more likely to throw Jeff in prison for war crimes than heal him. In the end it seemed that there was only one place where help could be guaranteed: Earth.

Unaware that Crucible had already drawn the same conclusion, the ship sped off, carrying Jeff Kincaid back to his home once more.

Dimitria skimmed through the last few sections of the Book of Daos and then closed the Xenotome. The book did not tell her what would happen between Kincaid and Crucible, only that their conflict would continue and would be one of the most personal battles in history. It was uncertain how their skirmish would influence the battle between Good and Evil, although she suspected that Crucible would be occupied chasing Kincaid for a while and would not become a major player for some time. When he did though she knew that the Universe would be in trouble.

There was nothing she could do though. She was the Keeper of the Xenotome, charged with allowing others to access its knowledge while protecting it from those who would seek to abuse that knowledge. She could only share the information when it was requested, not when she thought it needed to be. It was an obligation she took seriously, but sometimes, when she was forced to watch events take their course, it was a heavy burden to carry.

End of Part


	11. Transitions

Disclaimer: I do not own the Power Rangers. They belong to the respective copyright owners. This is a fan work and no profit is being made from it.

**Escape Velocity**

"Welcome Ladies and Gentlemen to the most heavily anticipated race in the history of Velocistar. Today's special Death Strike Gauntlet will see Visceron step out of his comfort zone in the speed races to take part in the special winner takes everything challenge. Can our brave champion hope to survive the gauntlet that has claimed so many other racers or will next months Baribaria Cup commence without a defending champion?"

The commentator clicked off the mike and watched the numbers soar as punters both on-planet and off-world placed their bets. The smart credits were of course made against Visceron. There had never been an instance where the challenger had survived the gauntlet, let alone won it. And for Visceron to have been entered into the Gauntlet meant that the racing star had upset somebody very important. In that case it seemed even less likely that they would recover any remains following whatever nasty accident he was involved in.

"And the competitors are line up ready to race. We have a full house today, seems everybody wants the opportunity to put Visceron in his place. All your favourite Death Strike teams are ready to race into action. And the anticipation is building with experts predicting an absolute certainty that Visceron will not finish the race. The question now is: how far will he get and which of our competitors will be the one to end his career?"

The race wasn't fair by any means. For one thing Visceron would be racing his standard vehicle while his opponents had spent years modifying and arming their cars for the rigours of gauntlet competition. Then there was the fact that while he had to beat every other racer to win, they only had to beat him.

"And the flag is raised ready to begin this epic confrontations. The anticipation is growing, who will win this race? And there's the flag. We're off!"

The monitor before him showed the cars surge forward and then the majority swerved either to the left or the right in a blatant attempt to catch Visceron early on. It seemed the champion driver at least had the sense to predict such an attempt and had jammed his brakes on the moment the race had started, before directing his vehicle to avoid the massive pile up.

"Spectacular thinking on the part of Visceron to avoid a thirty, no forty car pile up that would have surely ended his chances in this competition. He swerves around the carnage and is in last place as the lead drivers reach the end of the first straight."

What followed was a fast paced race as Visceron tried to catch and overtake the race leaders without giving them the opportunity to take him out of the competition.

"Oh my word, when did Visceron have a chance to arm his vehicle? Is Visceron even allowed to arm his vehicle?"

The other competitors were armed and dangerous, but there had never been an instance where the challenger had been allowed to even the odds.

"Visceron is fighting back. I don't think any of our officials expected this. And wait, he's coming up to last corner now. Spectacular move, he just shot under the racing line of his opponent and into first place. The finish line is in sight. This could be the first time a challenger has ever escaped the Death Strike Gauntlet. He slides the tail just a little, straightens up and he's over the finishing line. Visceron has won and you can bet that there will be more on this story to come."

Visceron was an Inquirian, a race known for their endless pursuit of knowledge and boundless curiosity. While some chose to seek their knowledge within the ancient texts of bygone eras, Visceron chose to seek out knowledge through experience. To aid him he had been upgraded with advanced recording and archiving equipment as well as technology to improve his sight and hearing.

Unfortunately Visceron was also a risk taker, willing to place himself in danger to solve whatever mystery had caught his attention. Ultimately that curiosity had drawn him to Velocistar, a racing planet rumoured to be owned by the Dianthe Clan. He had heard the rumours of the illegal betting, race fixing and other crimes that plagued the planet, but had been intrigued to find out the truth for himself.

To that end he had set himself up as a racer and had competed in many of Velocistar's competitions. He had been crowned champion six seasons in a row and had used his fame and new found wealth to find his way into the inner workings of Velocistar's criminal underworld. His investigation had taken him to places where he should not have gone, but he had survived and had gathered a great amount of evidence against a number of corrupt officials within the Galactic Council. But his most recent discovery had put all his previous accomplishments to shame. He had discovered how the funds the were being siphoned off were intended to be used.

He had not believed what he had seen at the time. And that was why he had still been there when security personnel had responded to the alarm he had triggered. Unable to kill him outright - for it transpired that Visceron had managed to download the entire Dianthe Database into his expanded memory, and had set it to transmit the contents should he be killed in any of the traditional ways - the Dianthe's representative had found it amusing to put him in the Death Strike Gauntlet a perfectly legal race with an extremely high death toll. Unfortunately because the death would be as the result of his agreement to participate, albeit unwillingly given, the safety measures he had taken would not trigger.

On the other hand he was relieved to find that the stewards had not checked his car before the race and had missed the preparations he had made should he need to escape in a hurry. And now in the confusion that followed him winning the race, he switched his vehicle to space mode and soared into the sky.

Escaping Velocistar was all well and good, but it now he needed to warn somebody about his discovery. The question was who could he trust when The Galactic Council had been infiltrated by dark forces at its highest levels, the Intergalactic Police Force had enemy agents working within, and even the Masked Rider Corps had been infiltrated if what he had heard was true?

Visceron had only one choice: Zordon. The White Morphin Master would listen to him and know how to use the evidence he provided. Maybe Zordon could warn the Council of what was about to come although he doubted even then that they would act in time to stop the poison that threatened to bring them down from the inside... years in his line of work had turned Visceron paranoid and he was constantly thinking up new conspiracy theories.

As he set the coordinates he spotted the first signs that his captors had found him and were giving chase.

He finished downloading the message into his ship's communications device, Visceron continued to wonder just how things had gotten so bad without somebody noticing. The forces of darkness were gathering in secret, well away from those that drew attention to themselves like Rita Repulsa and Divatox. They had infiltrated the organisations responsible for stopping them and in doing so had effectively crippled the light side. Upon review he realised that he had the needed to expose the corruption of some of the most respected organisations in the galaxy. Unfortunately that discovery was bound to cost him his life.

But knowing that he would not survive only encouraged him to push more and more data into the limited transmitter. Just because he was going to die did not mean that he couldn't warn Zordon or anybody else who would listen. The broadcast would be imprecise, but it would a chance to make sure that other were warned. Then they would have the means to defeat the threat before it grew too strong.

He only had to fly a little further, to keep the enemy at bay a little longer and then the message could be sent. But it seemed his pursuers had predicted his path accurately as demonstrated when a large vessel appeared right in his path. Suspecting that his end had come, he prepared himself for the inevitable, pulled the wheel sharply to the left and pushed his vehicle into high gear. With a squeal of breaking gears, the shuttle car lurched into high speed flight and disappeared.

Earth

As October moved slowly into November, the year continued to pass for the Power Rangers of Earth. For some now enjoying the freedom of life outside of school, the days seemed to fly by. For other less fortunate members of the elite group, Double English on a Thursday morning was proving to be an exceptionally dull affair. To be precise the five youths that made up the Turbo Rangers were sat listening to another lecture about poetry and grammatical rules. Only Justin seemed to enjoy the lesson although the others were at least more attentive than their fellow students, some of who had fallen asleep.

Was it wrong to hope for a monster attack to break up the tedium of the morning? Tasha knew the answer was yes and secretly hoped she would be forced to endure the rest of the lesson, but a part of her craved the excitement that came from saving the world. And if it would get Justin away from Kristen Parker, so much the better.

If the Turbo Rangers had been the sort to look around, like some of their fellow students, they might have noticed the odd periscope that appeared from the fish tank at the back of the class. Unfortunately for them, Kat and Tanya had taken it upon themselves to lecture them on the importance of keeping up their grades and paying absolute attention in class, so the intruder went unnoticed.

"Rygog, stop messing around with that thing, you won't see anything new!"

Divatox was bored. Since the defeat of Cocky Roach she had sent a few Bounty Hunters to Earth, but for the most part she had seemingly given up on her plans for the planet. In reality her forces had been carrying out raids and thefts around the world to gather the needed parts for her new scheme. It was nice to return to the pirate lifestyle of stealing that she so enjoyed, but the effect was ruined because in order to prevent the Power Rangers from guessing her plan she had been unable to boast about her crooked gains.

And when all the materials had been gathered, she had been forced to sit back and wait, something that didn't suit her personality in the slightest. It made her very unhappy and that in turn made the atmosphere on board her vessel extremely tense. So tense in fact that even Elgar was aware of it and chose not to pester his aunt.

In the engine room, Porto took some comfort that for the time being he was safe from her anger. In all honesty he was more concerned about what would happen if Rygog, Elgar or any one of the many foot-soldiers who had been unfortunate to cross her path should find him. Unfortunately as he stared down at the report in front of him he knew he would not be able to hide any longer. At least he had something to distract her with.

"Porto!" Divatox shrieked at the top of her lungs. "Porto, get in here, right now!"

Porto sighed. It seemed that no matter how hard he tried, sooner or later she would remember his existence and summon him. Dusting himself off he made his way to the bridge, hoping that this time she would at least let him answer.

"Well?" she demanded the moment he entered, fixing him with an icy stare. "Have you accomplished anything or have you just been hiding out down in the engine room again?"

"I'm sorry Divatox, I was making progress but the overnight ratings arrived," he explained. Noticing her confused and irritated look, he elaborated: "for the races on Velocistar."

"Oh?" she responded. As Queen of the Dianthe she enjoyed telling her underlings how she was responsible for the success of all her clan's little ventures. But she rarely had the opportunity to involve herself directly. "How did we do?"

Porto looked nervous, hoping that he could disguise the bad new without her noticing until he had gone. "Last night saw the highest ratings of all time," he reported. "Our agents managed to draw in almost five times their previous takings and interest in our operations have never been higher."

"Excellent news Porto," Divatox smiled. "With a result like that even my mother should be pleased."

"Yes," Porto agreed. "The only downside is that Visceron escaped and was last seen heading towards Earth."

"WHAT?" she screamed. "Why didn't you tell me that first you dunderhead. We need to stop that little sneak before he has a chance to talk to Zordon."

"We'll need to find some new drivers too," Porto reminded her, "Visceron managed to injure most of them while escaping."

"When I get my hands on that spy I'm gonna..." she trailed off as an idea hit her. "Porto, start advertising the next race: a Death Strike Gauntlet with all new competitors. Then order our scouts to go out there and find me some new racers. If Visceron turns up here we'll just deal with him and Zordon's little pests."

"At once," Porto agreed.

"And Porto," she called, "I haven't forgotten about that task I set you. I want it done, quickly!"

Porto paled and then hurried off, leaving Divatox to smile dreamily as she envisioned herself ruling over the other villains as the one who finally put the Power Rangers in their place.

**End**

Disclaimer: I do not own the Power Rangers, they belong to their legal copyright owners. This is a fan work and no profit is being made from it.  
Author's note: Astronoma and Andromeda were two misspellings that appeared in the Fox Kids UK adverts for Power Rangers in Space.

**Taking Control**

He marched into the office, seemingly unconcerned by the various security guards that Maxell had summoned. Behind him walked five females and Maxell quickly realised that with the exception of their hair, four of them looked very much alike. The fifth however did not wear the same sort of clothing as the others and lacked the look of determination as she was guided by two robotic looking soldiers. Maxell had to admit that it was an impressive sight.

"You are Maxell," the man said as he stood in front of the desk. Despite the desk being on a raised platform where he could stare down at his visitors, Maxell could not fight the feeling that he was the one being looked down upon. "You are the elected Chairman of the Alliance of Evil and as such responsible for calling changes in membership and arranging meetings?"

Maxell bristled at the question. Although that was exactly his role, he prided himself on being more than a secretary, which if he were to guess would be a generous interpretation of the question. As the elected leader of the Alliance of Evil he had wealth, authority and the protection of the dozen or so major factions that battled for political superiority within the organisation. He was in charge of the administration and paperwork, a role that even some villains would argue took the definition of evil to a whole new level. He could with a stroke of his ever present pen grant or block the plans of any of the Alliance's members, bound as they were to follow the laws laid down by the council. Only the Machine Empire had ever managed to defy the Alliance's will as determined by Maxell - for no matter how much power they fed into the spells that governed the Alliance, machines were simply immune to magic. Just that morning Maxell had approved the membership of four new factions and their requests to invade selected planets. He had also blocked one ambitious warlord from conquering a star system that Master Vile had paid for decades before. How dare some unknown wannabe walk into his domain and insult him? Especially when the insult had been so worded that he considered himself stupid for even finding it insulting.

"I am," he confirmed, trying to sound important and imposing, but failing. There was something about this rather ordinary looking man that made Maxell nervous. "Did you wish to apply for membership? The waiting list is rather long for full membership, and new members are required to understand that there is a hierarchy to be respected."

The man - for despite the feeling of power he did seem to be human - laughed, shifting his form as he did so into a tall elf-like figure.

"No Maxell, I am not here to join the Alliance of Evil. I am here to disband it."

He gave a quick nod to the females behind him and four of them leapt into action. A combination of magical attacks and honed combat skills quickly took down even the most powerful of Maxell's security guards. The fifth female seemed to struggle, her face scrunched up in a grimace as she watched those he assumed were her sisters, rapidly slaughter the guards.

Maxell was panicking, his forces had been selected from the best unassigned henchmen that money could buy. They had been given armour crafted by some of the finest armourers in the galaxy and enchanted by some of the Alliance's most devious wizards. And despite that, they didn't stand a chance. He briefly saw a glimmer of hope as one of his hidden guards, too small for most people to take notice of, drew a dagger and swiped at the mysterious elf, only for the blow to be blocked as a green figure appeared and decapitated the would-be assassin.

"Ah Ecliptor," the elf said in a tone that could have been approving, but was most likely mocking, "always on time."

The fight was over, the four females had resumed their previous positions after stepping over what was left of the bodies of their opponents. The fifth female had stopped fighting against her guards, her head tilted in defeat.

"My sword is yours to command," the mighty warrior replied and for the first time Maxell recognised him as Ecliptor, one of the Alliance's much sought after warriors.

"And you my dear consort," the elf continued, not deeming to address Ecliptor further as he turned his full attention to the defiant female. "Still so spirited after all these years, still determined that you will not accept your destiny as my queen. Still human enough to feel sympathy for those that in another life would be your enemy." He leaned close, his features changing momentarily into something far less friendly looking. "I am growing tired of this game my dear. You have no hope of rescue; those who might have known or cared that you existed are dead, along with your world. You will never escape and one way or another, you will accept your destiny."

She didn't speak, but glared back at him defiantly. The stare down did not last long; he looked away first, returning his features to a more friendly appearance. Despite his words he would not destroy her and she knew it. In a way, she had beaten him.

"The Alliance of Evil has served its time," he announced, turning to stare at Maxell. "As of now it will be reformed into the United Alliance of Evil. And the role of elected chairman shall be replaced by myself as the Grand Monarch of Evil."

Maxell wanted to protest. He wanted to shout and threaten all kinds of retribution for the sheer arrogance of this Grand Monarch of Evil. However it seemed that the intruder's words held enough magic within them to collapse all the spells that had been erected at the formation of the old Alliance. The protections that kept him safe in his office dissipated, making him aware of just how vulnerable he really was.

"You have served this organisation well, Maxell," the Grand Monarch mused, "but you also tried to resist my will. You are a traitor to the United Alliance of Evil by retroactive decree. Andromeda, deal with him."

"Of course Dark Spectre," one of the females responded. She had pink hair, so far the only thing that set her apart from the others.

Andromeda raised her staff and a ball of flame shot from the tip, engulfing Maxell. The searing flames consumed his flesh. His screams could be heard throughout the building as the magical flames did their work. When the flames finally faded, Maxell had been reduced to a charred corpse. With a second wave of her staff, Maxell's body was transported to the entrance of the headquarters where it would serve as a potent symbol of the new regime's power.

"Very good," Dark Spectre praised his servant.

Andromeda was only a clone, a magical copy of his soon-to-be queen. Like her sisters, she had been created to lead his armies into battle and was completely loyal to his teachings. Astronoma, Astronema and Artemis each had their own strengths, but Andromeda had been a student of Dark Spectre's finest sorcerers and her powers could reach into the depths of the Morphin Grid.

"Thank you, Dark Spectre," she replied, eyeing her master with a hungry look.

Andromeda, Astronema, Astronoma and Artemis had all been created according to Dark Spectre's will. They embodied all the things he wanted his queen to be. Among those traits he had given each of them an overwhelming desire to be his queen and to serve in his name. It made the four servants highly competitive and more than a little jealous of his intended bride.

"Now, send word to all those servants of evil that the first meeting of the United Alliance of Evil will take place in thirty days and that their attendance is compulsory." Over time Dark Spectre had grown accustomed to completely ignoring the looks of desire on his creations' faces.

"At once Dark Spectre," the four females responded.

"Ecliptor, escort my bride to her new quarters and ensure that she is secure," he ordered.

Ecliptor bowed his head and turned to the captive female. "Come along, Princess," he said, gesturing for the two foot-soldiers to lead the way.

As Ecliptor left, Dark Spectre to make his way to the raised platform where Maxell had once held office. With a wave of his hand the table was gone, replaced with a throne that spoke of his power. There would be those who tried to oppose him, others who would seek to learn the secrets of his power, but in the days to come they would learn obedience. For just as he had secured an operative deep within the hierarchy of the Galactic Council, so he would now control the Alliance with an iron fist. And then the Universe would be his.

**End**

Disclaimer: The Power Rangers are the property of Saban Entertainment and I lay no claim to them. This is the final part of Transitions and is included here because I couldn't fit it into any other chapter.

**More Questions than Answers**

Power Chamber, Earth

"The tests are complete Zordon," Alpha reported.

Zordon sighed. This was the moment when he would discover whether his instincts were correct. Nothing in his mind could come about without there being a price to pay. The computers had been working since events had freed him from his dimensional prison to confirm whether or not his fears were justified.

"Very well Alpha, transfer the data to the Viewing Screen," he instructed.

The monitor filled with line upon line of scientific data and carefully compiled numbers. The Rangers would have found it difficult to understand most parts of the complex report, and almost impossible to comprehend some of the more alien tests that the computer had undertaken. Maybe Trey would have understood the full implications since as Lord of Triforia he had had his share of such examinations. And Billy with his experiences on Aquitar had a chance of recognising what some of the readings represented. The others would not know and that was the way he wanted it.

"So it s true," he said softly. "I had hoped that this was not the case."

"Ai-yi-yi, I'm sorry Zordon."

Zordon smiled at the little robot. Alpha had been his companion for during his imprisonment and was extremely loyal. In fact Alpha had been with him before his confrontation with Rita, but had been damaged. In the years following the showdown, when there had been no way for Zordon to communicate with the rest of the universe, Alpha had been ignored and left to rust. It was only when Zordon had been able to reach out that Lexian had volunteered to rebuild Alpha. Over time Zordon had grown to consider Alpha a friend.

"Thank you Alpha," he replied. "Do not concern yourself."

"The Rangers will be so upset."

"That is why you will not tell them," he replied. Seeing that Alpha was about to protest he wondered if this was going to be the first time he had had to use Alpha's override command to ensure his silence. "Please Alpha, I ask you to keep this matter between us as a favour to me."

To his great relief Alpha agreed. The idea of using his ownership of Alpha to turn such a request into a command was something that disgusted him. Alpha had grown and developed into an individual with his own personality and perhaps after all the time he had spent within the presence of such high concentrations of magic, a soul. To reduce him back to the level of a mere machine would be an unthinkable and truly unforgivable act in Zordon's mind. While Alpha normally did as he was told, that was more to do with him being the Morphin Master's assistant than simple robotic slavery.

"Thank you, Alpha. Begin analysis of my Power Coin. Let us hope that we will find a solution there."

There was much to be done and sadly, less time to do it in. Zordon hoped that his research would prove invaluable to the Rangers in their future battles against the forces of evil. If the visions he had received recently were true, then they would need all the help they could get. And perhaps armed with what he now knew it was time to put a new master plan in place.

**End**

Disclaimer: I do not own the Power Rangers, they belong to their respective copyright owners.

**Deadline**

"We're ready, Dark Specter"

Across the universe there were many villains. Some were the lone leaders of their own organisations, while others were part of a much larger evil dynasty. Machines, tyrants, pirates, locusts and misguided fools, there was no question that evil sported a wide range different villains. And while some worked together, all were focussed on achieving their aims at the expense of anything that got in their way. And that level of selfishness meant that sometimes infighting was inevitable.

The Alliance of Evil had been a council of the most powerful villains. I was a place where disputes between different factions could be resolved before a minor disagreement turned into an all out war. Rules were in place to make sure that villains at focussed on the goal of destroying the forces of good before turning on each other. It was a place where the size of an empire was as important as the power they held.

But that had changed. Dark Specter had seen the flaws in the Alliance of Evil and had made it his first act to disband the organisation. For the first and greatest flaw of the Alliance of Evil was that membership was voluntary. Once a villain was granted membership, they could sever ties at any time. The Machine Empire had left eons ago and had no long been bound by the rules that applied to the likes of Master Vile. Infighting had become more common in recent decades and given a few more centuries and there was a chance that the Alliance would have fallen apart.

And so Dark Specter had stepped in, destroying the Alliance's administrator and appointing himself as Grand Monarch. His decree had actually stated that the Alliance of Evil had been absorbed into his own empire and reinvented as the United Alliance of Evil, which all members of the Alliance of Evil, past and present, were required to join. He had ordered one of his underlings to send a message advising his new subjects of the change, but had decided a personal appearance would be a better idea.

Astronama, Andromeda, Astronoma and Andromeda had worked together to build a communication platform capable of transmitting Dark Specter's image to all points of his new empire. It had been set up in such a way that for magic users he would appear as a magical projection and for the machines, he would appear as an electronic data stream. It was intended to show that that he could use their methods and not limited like some of those he wished to address.

"Excellent my dear," Dark Specter replied. "Begin the spell."

And with that the members of the newly formed United Alliance of Evil received the message.

"VILLAINS OF THE UNIVERSE, I AM YOUR NEW GRAND MONARCH. THE ALLIANCE OF EVIL HAS BEEN DISBANDED, REPLACED BY A NEW, STRONGER ORGANISATION THAT YOU NOW A PART OF. THE DAYS OF INFIGHTING AND EMPIRES DECLARING INDEPENDENCE ARE OVER. YOU HAVE A CHOICE: EITHER YOU ARE A PART OF THE UNITED ALLIANCE OF EVIL, OR YOU WILL BE ERADICATED AND FORGOTTEN.

IN THIRTY DAYS THERE WILL BE A MEETING, THE FIRST MEETING OF OUR NEW ORGANISATION. USE THE TIME BETWEEN NOW AND THEN TO DECIDE WHAT YOU WILL OFFER THE UNITED ALLIANCE OF EVIL. THOSE THAT DO NOT ATTEND WILL BE DECLARED TRAITORS, HUNTED DOWN AND BURNED."

As he spoke, Dark Specter demonstrated his shape shifting abilities, each form growing increasingly monstrous as his tone turned more and more threatening. When he was finished he had no doubt that those that had heard him would obey his command.

**End of Part**

Disclaimer: I do not own the Power Rangers, they belong to their respective copyright holders. The concept of the Rescue Vehicles and several other ideas are taken from Tomika Rescue Force.

**Nancy Cooper's Rough Ride**

If there had been one effect of Rita Repulsa's release and the subsequent attacks on Earth from various villains that rarely got a mention in the press, it was the effective ending of space exploration. With numerous villains based on the Moon and orbits close to the Earth, the risk of sending up a new shuttle was deemed too great. And so NASADA, the United States' Space Agency, having combined the workings of NASA with several other agencies, had pushed their budget towards developing new and better methods of launching and landing shuttles within the Earth's atmosphere. The theory was that when it was safe to venture to space once more, they would have the shuttles ready to do so.

Nancy Cooper would never claim that she was an astronaut, despite having flown higher than many humans ever managed. Nancy was a test pilot for NASADA's Space Vehicle Development Program. Practically fearless within the confines of a cockpit, Nancy had achieved more flight hours than any other test pilot and had earned the right to be the first to test the new shuttle design in a special flight from NASADA's Headquarters in Angel Grove to the recently constructed Flight Innovation Centre at Mariner Bay, near to Washington DC. Although only a short distance, the trip had been plotted to allow for an orbital manoeuvre that would see her circle the planet three times before landing, pushing the shuttle's retro rocket system with a series of complex turns.

The take-off had gone without a hitch. The shuttle had launched exactly as expected and had performed just as the computer simulations had suggested. The first orbital loop had been performed easily within the time that the flight directors had wanted and the second loop had been locked into the computer. The shuttle responded well to the controls as Nancy made a few small adjustments to allow for a slight drift problem the engineers would need to investigate later. She looked forward to spending more time in the cockpit in the months that followed, pushing the expensive craft through its paces.

It was during the transition from the second loop to the final rotation that something went wrong. Whether it was an unexpected weather front or some object that Air Traffic Control had failed to warn out of the area - although how such an object could be high enough to fall into the shuttle's path was unknown - the shuttle collided with an unknown object. In the collision part of the left wing and stabiliser structure was damaged and the mission suddenly changed from routine to deadly.

Nancy struggled to regain control as the shuttle pitched and rolled uncontrollably. It appeared that the entire rear section of the left wing had been vaporised one of the wings had been damaged by the impact and that a majority of the shuttle's electronics had been rendered inoperable by electrical feedback. It was only through hours of simulated scenarios that she was able to calmly restore the shuttle to level flight, using the right wing to compensate for the deficiencies of the left wing. But with the electrical systems knocked out it was impossible to lower the landing gear, raising the question of how on Earth she could hope to land? And given the shuttle's experimental fuel cells, a crash landing was out of the question.

High above Mariner Bay there was a scientific impossibility. Dark storm clouds had been gathered there for months and had done nothing. There had been no change in the size or composition of the cloud and despite how dark the cloud appeared, no sign of rain. Had the meteorologists been able to see inside the stubborn mass, they would not have believed their eyes. For the cloud was in reality a dimensional vapour created as a side effect of the magic that kept Skull Cavern floating over the place where Queen Bansheera had once ruled. In her time it had been a magical focus that she had used to spread her demonic power over the Earth. Five thousand years later and it served as the home of her servants.

It had been many months since the opening of a tomb had released a group of demons upon the Earth. And since that time, the threat those demons posed had yet to fully appear. True in the early days there had been a series of monster attacks, but following the encounter with Lord Zedd and the loss of one of their teammates, the Lightspeed Rangers had been on alert, but rarely in action. They had trained daily, learning to working together and alongside Lightspeed's newest operative: Garth Nelson, an escaped government experiment who had been granted refuge in return for his assistance against the demons. But after months of silence the questions were starting to be asked about whether there was even a need for Lightspeed; the US Military was keen to scrap Operation Lightspeed and turn the technology to a more practical use.

If however the humans thought that the threat posed by the demons had passed, they were mistaken. For many months the Rangers of Mariner Bay had been fighting to protect their world from the minions of Queen Bansheera, not realising that Bansheera's most powerful and dedicated followers were still in the process of being released. The mighty Diabolico along with Loki and Vypra were personal servants of the queen. Along with her son Impus and Jinxer, they were her most faithful courtiers.

And now after months, they had finally broken free from their stasis and were less-than-pleased with the scene that greeted them.

"What has happened here?" Diabolico demanded. "Why can I not feel the great power of Queen Bansheera?"

"It's the humans, Diabolico," Loki moaned. "They've destroyed everything we left behind and allowed the power to fade. They've taken the palace, our lands, everything, and turned it into their world."

"Then we will take it back starting with this city of Mariner Bay." He paused and looked at Vypra. "Are you certain this is where the palace stood?"

The winged female nodded. "Yes Diabolico. This is where Queen Bansheera had her palace. That whole city would be her throne room."

"Then we will start by purging the humans from this place and rebuilding the palace ready for when Queen Bansheera returns."

This was how it should have been done from the start. But for some reason Diabolico and his companions had not been the first to awaken following their release. Others had tried to take on the task and had failed miserably. It had taken much longer for Diabolico and the others to fully recover, a sign of how drained their powers had become thanks to the humans.

"This place used to fill us with power," Diabolico grumbled. "Now it barely sustains Impus."

Indeed most of the latent magic around them had been channelled towards Queen Bansheera's son. It was not enough for him to truly feed upon; he would not grow more powerful until the source of their power was fully restored.

"These humans appear quire adept at destroying themselves," Vypra mused as she stared off into the distance. With a wave of her hand she conjured the image of a badly damaged space shuttle thundering toward Mariner Bay.

"Perhaps we should help them along," Diabolico mused before pulling a card from somewhere and handing it to Jinxer. "Make me a monster that will turn that shuttle into a disaster; something that will blow Mariner Bay off the planet."

"Tornado winds, blow from the East, transform this card into a monstrous beast!" Jinxer intoned, waving his arms around as Diabolico explained his plans to make any rescue an impossible task.

Lightspeed Aquabase

The shuttle was in trouble and the Lightspeed Rangers had been placed on high alert. While not the type of emergency they really wanted, they agreed that a crash on that scale would be a disaster for the city. They were already running through possible rescue scenarios, using the many non-Zord machines that Ms Fairweather and her had designed. For the authorities had decided that Lightspeed's Zords were only to be used where there were clear signs of demon involvement and not for everyday rescues. Unless clearly stated as a Lightspeed Rescue, the Rangers were acting unofficially and the use of Zords was absolutely forbidden.

Fortunately Ms Fairweather had found a way around that instruction by simply designating her creations as Rescue Vehicles. Smaller than the standard Zords, the Rescue Vehicles had the ability to combine and extend their capabilities. It was a system that Captain Mitchell was already considering sharing with rescue organisations around the world. Providing of course they could find a way to ensure that all the tools utilised by the Rescue Vehicles could not be used as weapons.

"Kelsey, Dana and Chad will control the three Elevator Rescues," Carter said. "Joel will provide air surveillance and I'll be standing by for fire control."

The others nodded and stood ready to move off to their stations. They had a little time to prepare, providing the pilot could keep the shuttle under control. If they were very lucky they would be able to dictate the landing ground.

Before they could do so an alarm sounded.

"Sorry people, things just got more complicated," Captain Mitchell told them. "Looks like demon activity down town; the shuttle is now second priority. Move out!"

With that the Lightspeed Rangers raced to the Lightspeed Rover and began the process of leaving the Lightspeed Aquabase and heading toward Mariner Bay.

Nancy pulled the flaps to full deployment, using her knowledge of the shuttle's heat shielding to position the vehicle in such a way that it could burn off a little speed. All the while she hoped that whatever had damaged the wings and had not shattered the heat resistant tiles on the main fuselage. One crack and the shuttle was in danger of burning up before it slowed.

Mariner Bay

From the moment the Rescue Rover emerged from the Mariner Bay end of the tunnel, it was clear that they were in for a difficult time. A full force hurricane had appeared from nowhere and threatened to sweep the city aside. As they had been instructed the Rangers knew that the lives of civilians took priority over property damage, and after locating the most secure places, the Rangers set about guiding the citizens to safety.

The unnaturalness of the storm became more and more evident as the winds seemed to change direction in an instant and actively work to prevent the Rangers from completing their mission. Kelsey found herself blown off her feet and would have crashed into a wooden shack had she not fired a safety line from her side arm. After that the Rangers made certain they had a strong anchor should they need it and a safety line rigged to fire at a moment's notice.

Only when the immediate area was clear did the Rangers have the opportunity to see the damage the storm had caused. The waterside area was a wreck and the Mariner Bay Docks now housed more than a few sunken wrecks. Overturned cars, uprooted street lights and broken street furniture were the obvious signs of damage. The smashed shop fronts and partially demolished buildings showed how much damage had been caused by the storm, which for some reason had suddenly calmed.

Laughter filled the air as the clouds seemed to shift to reveal a demonic face.

"What's that?" Red Lightspeed asked as he and the others regrouped.

"I am Diabolico," he replied.

"What do you want from us?" Red Lightspeed pressed.

"Your people have destroyed the kingdom of Queen Bansheera. I have come to destroy all that you have done to our kingdom and restore Queen Bansheera to her rightful place. And we will start by destroying this city and rebuilding Queen Bansheera's palace."

"Wait!" Red Lightspeed begged as Diabolico vanished, replaced by a water funnel that swept into the city. "Come on guys, we have to stop him!"

The Rangers chased after the monster, using the helmets to send a constant stream of data back to the Lightspeed Aquabase where Captain Mitchell and his crew could analyse it properly.

"Rangers, there is something inside the storm," Captain Mitchell reported. "Use your weapons to draw it out."

"Rescue Blasters!" the five Rangers called. "Fire!"

They aimed for different points on the tornado and were rewarded when one shot connected with something, causing the tornado to vanish and something to drop to the ground. His name was Whirlin, a demon that drew his abilities from the air around him and resembled a large bat.

"Don't you realise you can't stop me?" Whirlin asked as he prepared to launch another attack.

"Save your breath," Red Lightspeed countered. "My friends and I will stop you. That's a promise."

"Well if you're going to bring friends into this, meet some of mine," Whirling retorted as he summoned a horde of Batlings.

"He's got a lot of friends," Blue Lightspeed commented.

"Yeah, but we have each other," Red Lightspeed countered.

"Batlings, attack!" Whirlin ordered.

"Rescue Blasters, Baton Mode!" Red Lightspeed ordered as he led the charge.

Months of training had made the Rangers extremely efficient at fighting large numbers of lower powered opponents. Using their batons and blasters to strike down their enemies, Green and Yellow Lightspeed used their rescue lines to their advantage.

Eventually as Pink Lighspeed cleared away two dozen Batlings with her Rescue Blaster, the Red Lightspeed Ranger found himself facing Whirlin. The confrontation was brief and the monster won, send the Red Lightspeed Ranger flying. While he assured his friends that he was okay, Whirlin took the opportunity to strike down all five of his opponents with a wind blast.

"Rescue Blasters!" Red Lightspeed ordered and the team fired in unison, damaging the monster.

_"Mayday, mayday, mayday! This is the shuttle. Have encountered severe damage and unable to land safely. Request emergency assistance!"_

"Ah just what I was waiting for," Whirlin told them as he heard the message broadcast over their communicators. The shuttle was broadcasting on all frequencies, overriding local radio in the hope of getting a response. Whirling reverted to his tornado form and shot off in the direction of the stricken shuttle.

"We have to stop him before he causes any more damage!" Blue Lightspeed urged.

"Rescue Bird Command: Deploy!" Red Lightspeed ordered.

The Rescue Bird was a multifunctional tool that was too large for the Rangers to carry into battle and tool expensive and delicate to be left in the Rescue Rover. So instead Ms Fairweather had found a way to make the construct fly to the Rangers' position.

"Separate!" Red Lightspeed continued, causing the Rescue Bird to divide into its five component parts. Normally the Rangers would use their individual tools to assist during a rescue, but this time Carter had something else in mind. "Unilaser Mode!"

The Rangers clipped the five pieces together, using Red Lightspeed's gun handle to form a firing mechanism. With the other Rangers bracing him, Red Lightspeed took aim at the tornado monster and fired. The shot was accurate and Whirlin fell to the ground in chunks of blackened monster parts. The question was whether they had managed to stop him in time.

"Rangers, the shuttle is still intact, but the storm has caused further damage. At this point the controlled landing you planned would not work," Captain Mitchell told them.

"Oh no, what do we do now?"

"Under the circumstances I am declaring this a Lightspeed Rescue and authorising the use of the Rescue Zords," Captain Mitchell continued, "if there is a way to use them safely."

The Rescue Zords had been added to the Rangers arsenal following their encounter with Lord Zedd. However in order to use them for any sort of rescue the Rangers were required to first prove that the emergency had been caused by the demons they were supposed to fight. When Whirlin had attacked the shuttle he had given the Rangers a much better chance of rescuing the shuttle and its brave pilot.

"I can use Aero Rescue Two to help regain control," Green Lightspeed offered.

"Computers show you would not be able to control the shuttle enough to make a safe touchdown," Mitchell replied. "I'm sorry Joel, but if we try that we'd risk crashing a Zord and the shuttle into the city."

"I have an idea," Yellow Lightspeed offered, "but if I tell you, you'd think I'm crazy."

"It's your call Carter," Captain Mitchell said.

"Kelsey, call the shots," Red Lightspeed instructed.

Yellow Lightspeed nodded and gripped her wrist to access the command pad hidden under the gauntlet. "Rescue Zords, Deploy!"

The shuttle rolled to the right as Nancy struggled to maintain control. The storm had not caused extensive damage, but it had disrupted all of the careful flying that Nancy had used to stabilise the shuttle. And now with less speed and the ground growing closer by the second, she was not sure she could regain control. And even if she could there was still the question of landing. He hand twitched towards the final option, a control that would sent the shuttle hurtling out to sea, dumping its fuel crystals as it did so to prevent a huge explosion. They would have to be recovered but would not post an immediate threat. There was no way that she would survive the manoeuvre, but Mariner Bay would be safe.

It wasn't self-preservation that stopped her from pulling the lever. While she had a strong desire to survive the mission, it was the realisation that having lost so much speed and with the ground approaching so fast, there was no guarantee that the emergency option would get her far enough away for the ship to crash safely. So instead she continued as before, using the working side of the shuttle to try and compensate for the damaged side that threatened to cause the shuttle to crash any second.

While Nancy struggled to maintain what little control she had, the Rail Rescues had been dispatched, carrying the Rescue Zords into the heart of Mariner Bay. The large train had been created by Ms Fairweather as the swiftest means of carrying most of the Rangers' mecha into the danger zone, regardless of whether they were the large Rescue Zords or the smaller Rescue Vehicles.

"Joel, get up there and stabilise the shuttle!" Yellow Lightspeed ordered.

Green Lightspeed nodded and rushed to obey.

"Carter, Chad, I need you two to set up for fire control in case this goes wrong," she ordered, allowing the two Rangers to depart before turning her attention to Pink Lightspeed. "Dana, I need this highway cleared. Use the back of your Zord and anything else you need, but I want it free of obstruction."

Pink Lightspeed nodded and soon the various parked and abandoned vehicles were pulled inside Med Rescue Five. Where there were drivers in the vehicles, Dana arranged for them to be stored safely in the upper section of the Zord's massive cargo bay, while empty vehicles were crushed in below.

"Road is clear," Pink Lightspeed reported after a while, just as Green Lightspeed confirmed that he had managed to attach the grappling devices to the shuttle and was now in control, albeit only in control of a shuttle that was still heading toward the ground.

"Okay guys, this is what we do," Yellow Lightspeed announced. "I'm going to drive along the highway and Joel is going to land the shuttle on top of me. It's just like with the Elevator Rescues, but you're going to reverse thrust to slow me down."

"Are you kidding?" Nancy asked over the radio; Joel had established communication with the shuttle earlier and had left the frequency open so that she would know what to do. "This is crazy!"

"Crazy is my middle name," Yellow Lightspeed responded.

There was a long pause before the pilot reluctantly agreed that this was her only chance and put her life in the Yellow Lightspeed Ranger's hands.

What followed was a demonstration of why Joel Rawlings was so highly regarded for his piloting skills. Using the massive thrusters of Aero Rescu Two, he managed to position the shuttle directly onto the roof of the Yellow Ranger's Zord. He quickly detached the magnetic clamps from the shuttle and used them to connect to his teammate's Zord. He then reversed thrust, slowing the Zord just before it ran out of highway. In the end it was a very close, but successful rescue.

As Fire Rescue One was helping to move the shuttle from the top of the Yellow Lightspeed Ranger's Zord onto the ground where a mass of rescue personnel and technicians waited to access the stricken craft, Jinxer appeared on top of a tower. He threw a card into the monster's remains and then started chanting.

"Demon of wind, demon of bats, pull yourself together and defeat those brats! Rise Whirlin', rise and destroy!"

The spell had power and soon the demolished remains of Whirlin transformed into bats and started to reform at an even bigger size.

"Guys, we've got trouble," Joel warned as the now giant Whirlin blasted whole buildings out of his path as he stalked towards the Rangers.

"Carter, it's time to step things up a little!" Chad said.

"Right!" the Red Lightspeed Ranger agreed. "Request Lightspeed Rescue Megazord formation!"

"Lightspeed Megazord formation approved," they heard Captain Mitchell reply. As he finished speaking a board on the side of their cockpits lit up.

The Megazord formed quickly, with Aero Rescue lowering into place to form the head.

"Wind spin!" Whirlin cried, pulling his arms in to provide extra speed as he started to rotate.

The Megazord was bombarded with debris and whatever Whirlin could snatch up in his tornado, but stood firm. It raised its arms so both fits were pointing at the monster.

"Our turn now," Red Lightspeed told him. "Lightspeed Ladder Arms: Power Thrust!"

The machine's fists shot forward on the end of the elongated arms, battering the monster with a flurry of lefts and rights. Then using the extended hands to grip Whirlin, the Megazord tossed him across the city. But despite being down it soon became clear that Whirlin was not out.

"Lightspeed Megazord Sabre!" Red Lightspeed ordered.

As the sword formed, special fuel tanks in the Megazord's feet dumped flammable liquid ovr the street, which was instantly ignited by the thrusters on the Megazord's back and directed to the tip of the sword. After drawing a circle of flame in the sky, the Megazord swiped its sword, sending the fire straight at its enemy in a final cut. Whirlin was no more and the city was saved.

Nancy Cooper casually jogged down a sidewalk. It was good to be back in he home town, six months leave to give her a chance to adjust to her ordeal. She had decided to spend the day enjoying the outdoors with her dog, Dorsie.

"Come on Dorsie, you're doing great," she encouraged as the dog ran to keep up.

She paused to tie her shoe, letting go of the leash for a moment. She hadn't expected Dorsie to run off, especially not into moving traffic. She definitely didn't expect it to just sit in the middle of the traffic like a scared rabbit.

With a growing sense of panic, Nancy started to dash into the road, only to be held back by another pedestrian. A crowd was gathering, waiting for the little dog to be rescued or killed by the heavy traffic. And then the moment they all feared as a car headed straight for the terrified dog, the driver unable to swerve in time without causing a major accident.

Something yellow leaped over a parked car and raced into the street. The person snatched up Dorsie and peeled off just as the car screeched to a halt where the dog had been.

"Here you go," the yellow clad girl said as she handed over the nervous but otherwise intact dog.

"Thank you," Nancy said. "You must be crazy to do that."

"Crazy is my middle name," came the reply.

Nancy looked up sharply. She remembered the Ranger that had been responsible for her rescue and the words she had spoken. She also realised that the crowd of interested pedestrians had thinned to be replaced by a bunch of men in black suits.

"Crazy is a good thing in my job," Kelsey told her. "And if you're interested, we'd like to talk to you about your job too..."

"Nancy Cooper," Nancy said holding out her hand.

"I'm Kelsey," Kelsey replied, taking the offered hand. "I think this is going to be the start of an interesting friendship."

Back at the Lightspeed Aquabase, Captain Mitchell reviewed the file one more time before stamping it. It seemed they had found a replacement sixth team member. Once Nancy was properly trained, Lightspeed would be back to full strength.

After the shuttle had landed, Lightspeed's technicians had made a full copy of its flight systems in the hope of uncovering what had happened. The results had caused Lightspeed to call a conference of scientists, super heroes and of course the Power Rangers.

It seemed that Nancy had not collided with an unknown physical object as first believed. Energy readings recorded by the shuttle had indicated it was mostly energy and that the damaged parts of the shuttle had not been knocked off due to the impact, but had vanished into the strange mass. It had not taken much work to realise that they were dealing with some form of portal. An air exclusion zone had been put into effect while scientists search for a way to close the portal or at least limit the damage it caused. However more portals had been observed across the world and while they were not dangerous, they had caused enough concern to shift efforts to detecting and them. So far however none had proven as dangerous as the portal Nancy according to scientists, that portal had closed and was relatively harmless.

The Rangers of Angel Grove had been unable to provide any useful information. It seemed that the portals had not been created by magic or machine technology. Most were inactive and posed little threat. However without knowing more the Rangers could not rule out the possibility of another invasion. And not knowing made the portals far more dangerous.

**End**

Disclaimer: I do not own the Power Rangers. They belong to their respective copyright owners.

**The Messenger of Fire**

A message had been sent and ignored. The assorted villains across the Universe had heard the decree of the Grand Monarch and had decided it was just another upstart trying to get ahead of his peers with empty threats and boastful language. The Royal House of Gadgetry had laughed at the demand that they join the newly formed United Alliance of Evil although some of the smaller houses within the Machine Empire were prepared to do so; Mondo's control over the Machine Empire came as a result of a power struggle between himself and rival machine kings. It was only through luck that his rivals had not seized control during the fiasco on Earth.

Master Vile had also sent back a replying, challenging the Grand Monarch to prove his power in a confrontation. Master Vile saw the opportunity to improve his own standing in the Alliance. He had heard rumours that something had happened to Maxell, but refused to believe that the man had been destroyed. He was after all protected by the power of the Alliance's membership.

Finally there had been the response of the pirate clans with the Dianthe providing the most vocal response. They had not only refused the summons, they had openly declared that they would leave the Alliance if the so-called Grand Monarch was allowed to remain.

Three factions, all bitter enemies, united against a single threat. But that was the problem: they didn't even consider the Grand Monarch to be a threat. They saw him as an upstart and a bad joke, a problem that they could deal with in their usual manner.

When word reached Dark Specter of their responses, he decided to prove his power. He dispatched the Messenger of Fire, a creature of living flame that he breathed from the mouth of one of his many forms. Hotter than the most powerful of Mondo's forges, the flaming warrior destroyed one of the Royal House of Gadgetry's key Space Bases, disrupting supplies and communication across Mondo's empire. It was a move that cost Mondo severely, weakening his control over the Machine Empire. A later reassessment would show that member of the United Alliance of Evil was the only way to prevent his rivals or worse, Prince Gasket from making a bid for outright control.

Master Vile suffered a similar loss. His spawn worlds were essential for creating the servants he used to maintain control of his empire. They worlds were organic and the Messenger of Fire had no problems setting it ablaze. When it was done the living planet was charcoal. Being the pragmatist he was, Master Vile decided that he would attend the meeting of the United Alliance of Evil if only to learn more about the Grand Monarch and find a way to claim the villain's powers for his own.

Perhaps the greatest loss was suffered by the pirates. While the Dianthe Clan's fleet was smelted by the attack, the other clans did not benefit. The Messenger of Fire made the Grand Monarch's stance on further resistance obvious. If the pirates did not join the United Alliance of Evil willingly, he would wipe them out. For Divatox the answer the answer was very simple. She would meet the Grand Monarch, charm him with her feminine wiles and marry him. The Dianthe Clan would become even more powerful with her as Queen of Evil.

And finally the Messenger returned to its creator, explaining all that it had done in his name. Dark Specter was pleased and granted it a place at his side. In future it would serve as his voice in the remote reaches of the Universe.

**End**

Disclaimer: I do not own the Power Rangers, they belong to whomever currently owns the copyright. This is a fan work and no profit is being made from it. Jeff Kincaid, Mark Kinega, Savrod, Crucible and the concept of the Night Rangers are based on the works of John Chubb.  
Author's Note: This is the next a story in the Conquest of Evil series. Please see the author's note at the end of the story.

**Thanksgiving Night**

The Defiant was the primary transport of the Night Rangers. It was a very old ship. It was much older than many of the vessels found within the Galaxy Council, IGPF, Rider Corps or even Alliance of Evil fleets. Attempts to replace the vessel with an upgraded model had been blocked at every level. The Galactic Council did not want the Night Rangers or any of their allies to have access to modern technology, fearing how that technology would be used against them should the Night Rangers turn to the dark side. Officially the Defiant was registered as a Raider-class vessel, designed for speed to deploy a low number of specialist troops and then disappear. For the most part, given that there were normally only twelve Night Rangers, the ship seemed adequate to its task.

But times had changed and the Night Rangers' enemies had developed their own space vessels that had vastly outclassed the Defiant's meagre defences. Even its speed was of little use when it could be picked of by a single shot. And so the Night Rangers and their allies had upgraded their ship, a move that the Council could not prevent despite their objections. An overhaul of the engines, weapons and shielding had moved the ship beyond the specifications of Raider-class vessels, transforming it into a Xantium-class ship. At some point the Defiant had spent months in a private dry dock at the KO-35, but nobody had ever revealed what upgrades had been installed during that time.

Originally the Defiant had been constructed from the same alloy used for generations of Battlestar-class vessels and later to construct Zords. The metal's strength was greatly enhanced by the Morphin Grid, but only functioned as a strong skin. On a planet that level of protection was adequate, but in space the possibility of a breach in its metal skin left the entire crew vulnerable. Many suspected that the Night Rangers had installed a more advanced form of armour and perhaps additional shielding.

Perhaps the Defiant's most notable feature was its computer systems. Individual computers had been installed to operate independently of each other, allowing greater processing speeds. The individual systems were controlled by the Defiant's main computer: Hard Drive. Hard Drive was more advanced than most ship computers. At the core his systems were electronic, but featured a prototype synthetic neural interface, made up of organic cells linked to a soft-sided circuit module. The design allowed Hard Drive to function more as an electronic brain than as a simple computer. His programming was advanced enough that where there were no commands to determine his actions, he was able to develop his own subroutines. A very advanced computer indeed, but still a machine that was slaved to its programming when the software existed - for despite the ability to rewrite his programming, he was bound to follow existing commands where they existed and his commands could be overridden by those planted within one of the other computers.

When Jeff Kincaid had escaped from Daos, Crucible had used his knowledge of the Defiant's programming to predict where the ship would go. However before he had been transformed in Crucible, Mark Kinega had encouraged Hard Drives's quirky personality components and this combined with the nature of its systems had allowed Hard Drive to become creative.

In short, while Crucible was confident that the ship's computers would follow a set of predefined orders and Hard Drive's situational awareness would be overridden, he had dismissed the possibility that Hard Drive would adapt. Hard Drive knew at the moment the computers indicated Earth as the next stopping point that Crucible would guess their destination. And while Hard Drive was prevented from breaking the subroutines that Mark Kinega had designed, forcing it to obey the decision reached by the other computer, it could exert limited control over other systems.

That was why in spite of its speed, the Defiant had not yet reached Earth. Hard Drive could not change the destination, but his scheduling software had issued a command to the Navigation Computer to switch to test mode. Hard Drive had then set up a programmed course with Earth as the final destination, but which required the ship to make an undefined number of test runs before it got there. The result was that the Navigation Computer continually changed course to adapt to the new tests hard Drive would ask it to perform, keeping the Defiant from reaching the Earth. And so the computer had programmed the most indirect route possible, jumping from one side of the galaxy to the other using marked space lanes and taking advantage of the fact that Earth was not on any of the official trade routes. And as it continued its seemingly random flight, allowing the flight computer to get locked into a cycle for a short time, Hard Drive monitored the movements of the enemy.

Eventually though there was no choice but to set course for Earth. A check of Jeff Kincaid's health showed that the Night Ranger was not healing from the wounds he had suffered in his last battle. It seemed that the Night Rangers powers could do many things in battle, but healing was a problem. Hard Drive determined that the wounds would likely need the help of a Morphin Master to heal. The computer had delayed as long as possible, but the health of its operator took priority over the need to survive.

"Perhaps today is a good day to die," Hard Drive stated as the navigation systems were switched back to real time, reconnecting them to the system that was sending alert after alert that protocol was not being followed and the course to Earth was plotted.

As the vessel took off at maximum speed to make up for lost time, Hard Drive calculated the most likely point where it would be ambushed and engaged its weaponry, ready for a battle. Without an operator, the Defiant's defences were extremely limited. Without an active Ranger its armour was not at full strength and the computers though accurate took much longer to aim then they did when fired manually. Many systems could only be activated by voice command or tactile interface, limiting Hard Drive's control over key systems.

It detected the first enemy craft as it approached Mars. It seemed a small fleet had been waiting there for some time. Fortunately they were not the sort of villains that invaded worlds directly, otherwise Earth would have already been conquered.

Normally in such a battle, a vessel under computer control would have been at a severe disadvantage. But Hard Drive had been around the Night Rangers for too long and had picked up a great deal of their unorthodox methods. It isolated a small section of memory and allocated it a small amount of processing time and disk capacity. It then uploaded a program to the new system and set it running before isolating the system from all other parts of the computer. Surprisingly the system was very simple. It identified a scenario and selected a matching scenario from the ship's memory core, much the same way that Hard Drive's processor could associate a quote from a television show or movie with a conversation.

"Hard Drive, shields up!"

Hard Drive was aware that despite the voice sounding exactly like Mark Kinega, it was actually a computer generated recording from a previous battle. A red light on one of the many consoles indicated that the voice identification software had been declared faulty and that until further notice all voice commands would be accepted as long as Hard Drive determined them to be authentic.

And with that the Defiant launched into the most unusual battle ever fought with its systems and defences under the control of a voice recorder. Yet it worked surprisingly well, mostly because the enemy had not expected the Defiant to put up a fight and did not have a plan of attack other than destroying the vessel with its shields down.

"Lock on target and fire!"

This time it was the voice of a Night Ranger who had died over fifty years earlier. Still Hard Drive obeyed and the ship continued to fight its way to Earth, returning fire as needed.

It was Thanksgiving and the Power Chamber was quiet. Divatox, Rita and Mondo had not attacked and the Rangers were enjoying the holidays with their loved ones. Tommy however had felt the need to teleport to the Power Chamber. He had a feeling he would be needed.

"Tommy," Zordon greeted. The White Morphin Master was in his tube, the best place for him to interact with the Power Chamber's systems. "Is there a problem? Alpha and I have not detected any signs of attack."

Tommy sighed. "No Zordon, there isn't really a problem. I just had a feeling that something was wrong. Not Rita or Mondo, or even Divatox. Just... wrong."

Zordon nodded sagely. When the Rangers morphed for the first time, the Power enhanced any latent gifts they possessed. Tommy was not as psychically sensitive as Billy or Rocky. His mental awareness certainly didn't match Christina or Jamie, however being placed under numerous spells throughout his Ranger career meant that Tommy was aware of when things were not right.

"Alpha, conduct a distance scan of the Solar System and report any unusual activity."

Alpha obeyed, setting the sensors to collect as much data as possible and feed it into the Power Chamber's systems. Even though Zordon's sensors lacked detail, they information the fed into the system was too much for the computer to interpret. That was where Alpha's search routines and Zordon's gifts came into play.

"Ai-yi-yi-yi-yi!" Alpha cried.

Zordon was quick to pick up on what the robot had spotted. His response was less panicked, but urgent.

"Alpha, prepare a Level Six shut down of the Power Chamber. Disconnect all outside communications and block any of Billy's feeds." He paused and looked at Tommy. "I am sorry Tommy, if I had my way you would not be involved in this, but since you are here I must ask for your word you will never reveal to the other Rangers anything that happens between now and the time Alpha releases the lockdown."

"Of course, I promise. But Zordon, what's happening?"

"Alpha, replay the message you received so Tommy might hear it."

"Attention Power Chamber, this is Night Ranger vessel Defiant. Is anyone receiving? Roger me. Wilco me. Anything. Hello. Hello. Earth? Repeat this is Night Ranger vessel Defiant calling the Power Chamber is anyone receiving?"

"Alpha, confirm that the message is genuine," Zordon instructed.

Alpha didn't need to study the data that the computer was scrolling in front of him. There was only one ship with a computer that sounded so unprofessional.

"It's the Defiant," he confirmed. Then he studied the data stream being sent from one of the ships more reliable systems. "The ship is under computer control, the only Ranger on board is injured."

"Defiant, this is Zordon. You have permission to land. Please transmit the status of your crew." In a blur of light Zordon emerged from his tube. "Alpha, as soon as the Defiant has landed, teleport the injured Ranger to the Medical Bay. Tommy and I will meet him there."

Alpha nodded and Zordon left, followed by Tommy.

"Zordon, what is a Night Ranger and why did you ask me to make that promise?"

"Long ago the Morphin Masters discovered that there some evils they could not fight in the traditional way. The Morphin Masters were bound by rules and morals that forced them to keep to a strict code of behaviour. For a long time it was not a problem; many villains preferred to act in the way you are used to, fighting dirty but open conflicts against the light. But there were some that did not fight in the light. They hid in the shadows, corrupting the souls of those they encountered. Their attacks were far more personal albeit on a smaller scale. However, they proved just as dangerous if not more so. A new kind of Ranger was needed to fight this evil, but the Morphin Masters could not bring themselves to corrupt their organisation."

They reached the door to the Medical Bay and Zordon placed his hand on the scanner. The locks started to click and Tommy realised this was not the normal place where the Rangers were treated for injury.

"The answer came from another world. A new team of warriors was created. While they drew their powers from the Light Side of the Morphin Grid, they used them in ways that the Morphin Masters would never approve of. They totally disregarded the rule to never escalate a battle, deeming that the evil they faced was too dangerous to be confronted with anything less than maximum force. Over time it became clear that they were drawing from the area of the Morphin Grid where Light, Dark and Shadow overlapped, a place where their powers could be abused without losing their connection to the Morphin Grid. It was only their own morals that prevented them from using their powers for evil.

The Morphin Masters did not like the idea. Some even formed an organisation dedicated to destroying them, but that has since faded into obscurity. In the end it was decided that the only way the Morphin Masters could limit the damage they had the potential to cause, was to accept them as Rangers."

"The Night Rangers," Tommy guessed.

"Correct. The Morphin Masters tried to force the Night Ranger conform to their beliefs. The Night Rangers told them what they thought of that idea and created their own support structure from parts of the population that felt the Morphin Masters could not protect them from such threats. The Night Rangers did agree to certain restrictions though. Their numbers are limited to a maximum of twelve; the average size of a Ranger team is eight, but the Night Rangers argued that they were a small team carrying out missions across the Universe. They also agreed not to engage in the ongoing war between Good and Evil. They agreed because they felt that should they do so their enemies would also join the conflict. Finally it was agreed that the Night Rangers would hide their identities even from other Rangers. That is why I asked for your promise. Nobody may disclose the existence of the Night Rangers to those that are not aware of their existence, except if the Night Ranger is fulfilling his duty."

The lock finally finished opening and Zordon pushed the door. Then he stopped.

"I must warn you Tommy that the Night Rangers are not like other teams. They have the capacity to drew great power from the Morphin Grid, especially at night, but their powers come at a price. The Night Rangers are broken souls, good people that have been damaged by the cruelties of life. Many lack the family that other Rangers enjoy and can seem bitter and hostile. Though they freely cross the line between light and dark, they struggle constantly not to cross the line between Good and Evil."

"What would happen if they did?" Tommy asked.

"They would become a real monster. Fortunately few Night Rangers have ever fallen so far that they cannot be redeemed."

"Until now." Tommy and Zordon turned to regard the young man sitting on the bed. He looked ill, his body showing the signs of a recent battle and wounds that looked to be infected.

"Jeffrey, it is good to see you again," Zordon said as he crossed the room and laid a hand on the stranger's should. Almost immediately the wounds didn't look quite so bad. "What has happened to your teammates?"

"You mean you haven't heard?" Jeffrey snorted. "I thought it would have been all over the Morphin Master grapevine by now. The big bad Night Rangers and their allies destroyed by their own leader."

"Mark turned on you?" Zordon asked, his voice wavering.

Zordon had known Mark very well. He had mentored the Red Night Ranger and encouraged him to recruit his new team. It seemed that something had gone wrong.

"That's putting it lightly," Jeffrey growled. "He lured us into a trap. He didn't even have the courage to fight us face to face. He destroyed our Zords, killed the others and decided to eliminate the only support we ever had. He destroyed everything the Night Rangers stood for and then made sure we could never rebuild."

"How did you get away?" Tommy asked.

"Who are you?" Jeffrey demanded.

"This is Tommy Oliver, the current Red Zeo Ranger," Zordon answered. "Tommy, this is Jeffrey Kincaid, the Blue Night Ranger."

"It's Jeff!" he snapped, "and he can't know about me. Or have you forgotten the rules?"

"Tommy was here when Defiant arrived and has sworn that he will not reveal your existence to the rest of his team," Zordon answered. "I am willing to allow him to keep his knowledge on that basis."

Jeff nodded, although he still looked as if he wanted to protest. In the end he just sighed, his face seeming to relax as Zordon continued healing his wounds.

"I didn't escape, I got lucky," he said. "Mark forgot that Defiant's computer is loyal to the Night Rangers. When he betrayed us the computer decided he was no longer a Night Ranger and turned on him. Hard Drive rescued me and we've been running ever since."

"And Mark is after you?" Zordon asked.

"He's calling himself Crucible now," Jeff replied.

Zordon suddenly looked much older. "Then he is beyond redemption," he sighed. He noticed that Tommy was about to speak and quickly explained. "There was a recent attack on another Ranger team by a warrior calling himself Crucible. I had heard about the powers he possessed but did not know that Mark had defected. Crucible didn't just kill them, he slaughtered them."

"He doesn't even recognise Mark Kinega as a part of himself," Jeff added. "It's like Mark ceased to exist when Crucible appeared. We know Mark took steps before he betrayed us, little things to make it easier to destroy us. But once he turned into Crucible all traces of him were gone."

"Perhaps he did," Zordon said sadly.

Unlike most Rangers, the Night Rangers could not be turned evil by the use of spells. They were protected by the nature of their powers. Unfortunately that meant that when they did turn it was their own choice and they usually fell so far that they could never find their way back.

"Mark will seek to control the Mirror of Night," Zordon said after some thought.

"Already tried," Jeff answered. "I bound the spirits before he could gain the mirror, but I couldn't protect Daos. It probably belongs to him now."

"The loss of Daos is disturbing, however as long as he is unable to tap the powers of the Night Rangers, Crucible will never reach his full potential. Unfortunately that means he will seek out the one that is preventing him from doing so."

"Me," Jeff agreed. "I barely got out of the mirror alive. It won't take long for him to find me, assuming he doesn't know I'm here."

"I agree," Zordon said. "For now there is little you can do to overcome Crucible. However, the longer you can keep him from unlocking the Spirits of the Night, the more chance there is of finding a way."

"So what do you suggest I do? Run, hide?"

"Recover," Zordon told him. "The Night Rangers are needed as much now as they were when they were first created. I believe the Night Rangers will rise again."

"Dimitria said the same thing," Jeff told him. "That was before she sent me to Daos."

"Then we must assume it is the truth," Zordon concluded as he finished healing the Ranger.

Jeff nodded his thanks and then seemed to realise something. "Aren't you supposed to be stuck in a time warp?"

Tommy and Zordon laughed and started to fill the Night Ranger in on their recent history.

Kincaid was nearby, Crucible could sense him. Though the powers of the Night Rangers were beyond his reach, he had known that Hard Drive would travel to Earth. It had taken longer than expected and Crucible suspected that the computer had somehow managed to extend the flight time.

~I underestimated Hard Drive before and Jeff got away. Now it seems he has found a way to break my programming. When I defeat Jeff and claim his morpher, I will purge the Defiant's computer and turn that ship into scrap.~

A polite cough drew his attention. He squashed the annoyance at being disturbed. Savrod had been the man to awaken him from the illusion that had been his life as Mark Kinega. Savrod had shown him the way to get what he wanted, what he deserved. It had cost him his friends and allies, but sacrifices had to be made to get what he desired. He was grateful for all that Savrod had done, which meant he was willing to control his temper.

"I've received word from the ships we stations on one of the moons of Mars," Savrod said. "The Defiant passed through them a short time ago. Literally through them mind, there was very little left."

"And the one who delivered this report?"

"Will be paying for his comrades' failure for the rest of his very short life."

Crucible nodded. It was right that the underling paid the price of failure, but he wanted him begging for death long before he was allowed to die.

"So Kincaid is on Earth then," he guessed.

"By now it is likely he has found his way to the Power Chamber and having his wounds healed," Savrod agreed. "Perhaps we could locate his family and flush him out."

"No," Crucible said, shaking his head.

"Why not? You can't have that much respect for your former teammate, can you?"

"Of course not," Crucible replied. "You don't know Kincaid as well as you claim. He hates his family with a passion; if we kidnap them he will probably wait until the dealing expires and then go to make sure they are dead."

"He would kill them?" Savrod asked.

"No," Crucible replied. "But the doesn't mean he would lift a hand to save them. You're thinking as if Kincaid was an ordinary Ranger; he's a Night Ranger or have you forgotten?" He paused, considering the possibilities. "Access the computer files on known associates of Jeff Kincaid. He might not be willing to help his family, but I bet he would go out of his way to help a friend he respects."

It was true. The Night Rangers were a lot darker than normal Power Rangers. They didn't respond in the same way as other Rangers would respond. When confronted with a situation their concern was dealing with the threat rather than protecting the innocent. At most kidnapping one of their supposed loved ones would make them angry, which in turn would make them more difficult to battle.

"I already have that shoot fighting school under surveillance," Savrod told him. He wanted to make it clear that there were very few things about Crucible's former life that he did not know.

"Bruce Greene would be a good start," Crucible agreed.

"I'll order some Guardsmen to detain him," Savrod offered.

"I hope you are not suggesting using Greene as a hostage," Crucible said. "Because that would be a very foolish thing to do. Kincaid is a Night Ranger, not a hero. You show him a hostage and he would likely shoot the hostage just to take away any leverage you might have held. And then he would go on a rampage to find those responsible."

Now it was Savrod's turn to think. Crucible wanted him to keep watch on Greene, but didn't want him taken as a hostage. He doubted Crucible planned to mount an attack to draw Kincaid out, it was more likely such an attack would draw the attention of Earth's native heroes. So what was he up to?

"Kincaid's first call would be to Zordon," Crucible said softly. "He'll need healing and seeking out Zordon is hardcoded into the Defiant's protocols."

Just how had Hard Drive managed to delay their arrival on Earth for so long? Crucible was convinced that had Kincaid showed up when they expected him he would never have gotten passed the forces waiting for him. But he had not appeared and time had passed, and the lookout assigned to watch for the Defiant had failed to warn the rest of their unit. As a result the Defiant had made it to Earth. Deciding that he would discover the answer when Kincaid and Defiant were in his possession, at which point he would personally decrypt every byte of Hard Drive's memory to discover the answer, Crucible returned to the matter at hand.

"Can you imagine what it would be like for a Night Ranger to spend all his time around a White Morphin Master and an Alpha Unit? Even if he was introduced to the native Rangers he would have little in common and his... personality would likely drive them away. No Savrod, sooner or later Jeff Kincaid will seek some form of interaction and the only person that comes close to what he needs on this miserable planet would be Bruce Greene."

"And when he seeks out his friend, we'll grab him," Savrod concluded.

Crucible nodded. There was no guarantee that the plan would succeed, but short of assaulting Zordon's Power Chamber, it was their best option. And for some reason Crucible could no longer remember the exact location of the Power Chamber.

Three days passed and Kincaid recovered. Zordon had healed most of the damage his body had sustained while binding the creatures within the Mirror of Night to himself, but his body needed time to flush the impurities from his blood. During that time he had seen plenty of activity within the Power Chamber, after Zordon had unsealed it. It seemed that all of the Rangers enemies were suddenly eager to launch their attacks against the planet. So far he had seen Rangers from multiple teams arriving before being sent off to deal with different problems. Something was happening, but he wasn't sure what. Not that it really mattered since as a Night Ranger he was not allowed to interfere in domestic issues.

A few of the Rangers had approached him. For the most part they had regretted it soon after. The Pink and Yellow Rangers had been drawn by the pain they sensed. It was natural that as the nurturers and fixers they would try to heal him. But he was too dark for them to be around for long and he sensed that despite the hurt on their faces, they had been relieved when he had pushed them away. Not that the reactions of the Yellow and Pink Turbo Rangers had not been amusing; Tasha Young had had to be restrained by her teammates after their encounter.

Then there had been Adam Park, the Green Zeo Ranger and Justin Stewart, the Blue Turbo Ranger. They had seemed curious rather than concerned and while Adam at least was aware of his annoyance, Justin had treated him as a mystery to be unravelled and had pointedly ignored any hints of his aggravation. Worse still it appeared that no matter how hard he tried, Kincaid could not help but open up a little when Justin was around, the kid's genuine enthusiasm was annoyingly contagious.

In the end it had taken all of his willpower not to agree to go with the group to the Angel Grove Youth Center. The place was built for happy teenagers who only had to worry about life's minor problems, it was not the sort of place that would welcome Kincaid.

Savrod was frustrated. Crucible's training had been proceeding well and the new villain was on his way to becoming the sort of leader that Savrod and his organisation desired. Before long Crucible would assert his authority, putting Savrod in his place and making his claim as leader clear. At that point Savrod knew would be rejoicing that the long wait was over. But it seemed for all the potential Crucible displayed, there were still areas where he was lacking.

The war between good and evil had been fought since time began, maybe earlier. The war would likely continue for a long time to come and then when evil emerged victorious there would be the power struggle to determine which faction claimed the ultimate prize. In that context a leader would have to show much more patience that Crucible possessed. The young warrior was learning, but it only took the mention of Jeff Kincaid for him to forget all that he had learnt.

~The sooner that Night Ranger is eliminated, the better,~ Savrod thought. ~From a command perspective he is bad for military discipline.~

He had considered allowing the Night Ranger to keep running, hiding and occasionally until Crucible was ready to ascend to his rightful place, but the preoccupation with Jeff Kincaid was proving a distraction.

"Perhaps a more direct approach is necessary, Crucible," he said as he approached the villain-in-training.

"And what would you suggest?" Crucible asked. "You know monster attacks won't work. Do we even have monsters?"

"All members of your empire are willing, living beings," Savrod replied. "I'm certain even the humblest Guardsman has committed acts that would make him a monster. But no, we do not favour the throwaway creations used by some organisations. I've heard a few out your followers do have the ability to create avatars from clay... or other materials. When our forces go into battle the face they wear is a reflection of their souls. I know some have found a way to use that to transmute their entire bodies, personally I prefer the last face my enemy sees to be my own."

"Then how can we draw him out?" Crucible demanded.

"Ah, I understand now. When I said that I meant offering him a challenge that would appeal on a more personal level," Savrod advised, gesturing with his fingers. "Kincaid will not react to any old monster attack, but if the monster happened to be you..."

"He would charge in to stop me," Crucible concluded.

It was likely true that Kincaid hated Crucible enough to attack him if given the opportunity. And even if that were not the case the recent loss of his teammates would make the Night Ranger determined not to lose anybody else to Crucible power.

"Or just as likely he would run to draw you away from the planet," Savrod countered. "And given the treats Mark Kinega left behind, I think we'll have some say in where he goes."

Crucible nodded. He much preferred the idea of fighting Kincaid to the death - Kincaid's death of course - but failing that just drawing him out of hiding would suffice.

"It would also prove an effective way of demonstrating your power Crucible.. Your enemies need to know how powerful you are, as do your competitors. Fight or flee, Kincaid has found refuge on Earth. The people of this world should be punished for acting against you."

Every word was calculated, every suggestion measured to turn Crucible into the warrior, the leader that Savrod was aiming for. He wanted Crucible to continue his pursuit of Kincaid, but this was an opportunity to sever any remaining ties that Crucible had with the planet Earth. The planet had a power all of its own and Savrod was already scheming how that power could be used to extend Crucible's influence.

"We have enough drop ships to start a small invasion," he stated. "We couldn't hold the planet, but we can send a message that to defy you is to invite death."

"Do it!"

"Of course Crucible," Savrod agreed. "And the force watching Greene?"

Crucible pondered for a moment before smiling coldly. "Tell them they have new instructions..." He paused to consider the coming confrontation. "Greene has the potential to become a vital part of our army, perhaps as a combat instructor. But first he'll need to appreciate how much better life can be on our side or at least how harsh it could be without us. As for Kincaid, the time has come for Jeff to join the others, but his demise will be at my hand and not merely by my command."

The Turbo Rangers had been enjoying a long weekend when their communicators had sounded. They teleported to the Power Chamber and after exchanging greetings with a very sceptical Jeff Kincaid, had discovered the reason Zordon had summoned them.

"Zordon, you can't do this!" Jeff protested. "Crucible destroyed a team of Night Rangers, these kids will be dead in a few minutes."

"Why?" Tasha demanded. "Because we're humans? Or perhaps because we're not five thousand years old like some Rangers? We've been protecting this planet for months, against Mondo, Rita and Divatox... or do those names not mean anything?"

"Actually they don't," Jeff told her calmly. "Rita, Divatox and Mondo are not the same as Crucible. They don't fight in the same way, they don't use the same powers... I'm not sure if Crucible is more powerful, but I suspect if I walked up to Rita and said 'boo', she'd run back to Gamma Vile. I doubt Crucible would do the same when confronted by the power of Turbo. And no, it's not because you're young and from Earth. I'm from Earth and I've only been doing this a little longer than you. It's because Crucible WILL kill you, then he will kill your friends and family and then he will likely destroy this world!"

"Fine then how do we fight him?"

"You can't, he'll destroy you," Jeff told them. "The best you could do is buy a few minutes and distract him. We could throw every Ranger on this planet, myself included, all your Morphin Masters, mentors and allies at him and it wouldn't make a difference. Defiant's sensors did some analysis of Crucible last time we met and came to the conclusion: we just can't harm him badly enough. Why do you think I haven't sought him out? It's not because I've forgiven him. I want to make sure that when we meet I have a chance to put a stop to him once and for all. Getting myself killed won't accomplish that and getting yourselves killed won't help me. The best we could do is frustrate him, ruin his scheme and perhaps irritate him enough that he decides to withdraw. We could combine the maximum firepower of every Zord in your arsenal and he might decide that he won't get anywhere and leave."

"So there's no way to stop him from doing... that?" Franklin asked, pointing to the screen where Crucible could be seen sending out wave after wave of destructive energy.

"Well we could stop him," Jeff stated. "The moment he detects Defiant lifting off he will stop whatever it is he is doing and follow."

"Indeed, Crucible's obsession with destroying the last Night Ranger would distract him from any other plan," Zordon agreed.

Which was fine except for the fact that Crucible's forces were actively scanning the planet ready to shoot down the Defiant when it appeared; it was lucky that since he had turned evil, Crucible experienced the same mental block when it came to the location of the Power Chamber as most other villains, despite the fact he had visited Zordon there on many occasions.

"Yeah but he's likely to leave his forces behind with orders to cause as much damage as possible," Jeff pointed out. "We'd have to make sure that can't happen."

"I have an idea," Franklin said after some thought.

What followed was an idea that Jeff would never consider original. The Turbo Rangers would attack and distract Crucible - Kincaid estimated they'd last less than a minute although the Turbo Rangers seemed far more confident - while every other Ranger on the planet sought to cause as much damage to the ships waiting for Kincaid as possible. Then Defiant would launch and lead Crucible away, the damaged pursuers prevented from catching the fully operational ship at least for a short time.

"Fine," Fred agreed. "We'll call in the reserves and then head out and keep him 'distracted', while you do whatever it is you're going to do."

Jeff frowned. These kids just weren't getting it.

"I don't think you understand, even if you're just distracting him, Crucible isn't going to hold back. I've been able to find out what he's been up to and it isn't pleasant. If you go there he will fight and he will not stop until he has defeated you or he's been driven off. And if he catches you long enough to hit you, it will probably be a fatal blow."

"Then it's a good thing we're fast," Justin offered.

"Besides, I think I know a way that you can do this and get a good lead on him for a while," Franklin offered.

"Zordon?"

The White Morphin Master checked one of the Power Chamber's many systems.

"The Defiant is fully recharged and Alpha has removed all of Mark Kinega's programming from the computers," he answered. "You should find that _all _systems are back online."

"You were going to do this anyway without help, weren't you?" Rosa challenged. "You were just going to fly Defiant and hope they couldn't catch you."

"That's still my preferred choice," Jeff answered.

"Then it's a shame you're just a Blue Ranger and it's the Red Rangers that are in charge," Fred told him.

Jeff looked surprised. He was used to Morphin Masters and Power Rangers - those that were aware - trying to pull rank on him on the grounds that he was a Night Ranger and technically beneath even the lowest recruits, but had never experienced someone pulling rank on the grounds of colour. Not exactly sure how to respond, given that Fred's claim to hold authority on the grounds of colour was undermined by the fact the Turbo Rangers were not truly recognised as Rangers away from Earth, but then the Night Rangers were not really recognised at all, he chose to ignore the matter and focus on Defiant. "Was I right?"

"Yes Jeffrey," Zordon replied. "Hard Drive shows no signs of tampering by Mark Kinega; the odd behaviour you have noted is consistent with all previous findings."

"In other words Hard Drive is just odd," Jeff concluded.

"Exactly. However, every other computer on the Defiant has had a new operating system installed that requires it to act within parameters set by Mark Kinega. Only those recognised as crew can override those functions or remove them. The Defiant's flight control system has been programmed to send out a location to the ship's commander every time the ship moved in case it was stolen. Since the system still recognises Mark Kinega as being in command, he retains overall control."

"Did you manage to copy the message?" Jeff demanded. He had suspected that Crucible would be able to use his status as Defiant's rightful captain to track the ship. That was why he had not left already despite his instinct to lead Crucible away.

"Yes. Alpha has also found a way to remove all of Mark Kinega's programming and any claim Crucible might have on the Defiant. But you as the last Night Ranger, must be the one to do it."

"Fine," Jeff growled. He hated being reminded that he was the last, the wounds were just a little too raw. Alpha hand him a datapad filled with instructions. Jeff read them and nodded. It seemed straight forward enough. "Hard Drive, change the logs to show that Mark Kinega, Red Night Ranger is dead along with all Night Rangers except Jeffrey Kincaid."

"Confirmed!"

"Hard Drive, add Crucible to list of known threats."

"Confirmed!"

"Hard Drive, recognise transfer of all Defiant command codes to new captain."

"Confirmed. And the million dollar question is, who is the new captain?"

Four names appeared on the datapad. Actually it was Jeff Kincaid's name that appeared four times.

"You can call a friend or ask the audience," Hard Drive added.

"Hard Drive, record the new captain of the Defiant as Hard Drive!"

He knew what the computer had done, the tricks it had pulled to keep him alive. He was aware that Hard Drive had at some point had to betray his own programming to preserve the last of the Night Rangers. For that reason he gave the computer sole control of the Defiant and hoped that it would remain at his side. He almost laughed at the faces the Turbo Rangers made as Hard Drive gave an acceptance speech. But it was not the time for humour. There was work to be done.

"Confirmed!"

"You guys sure you want to do this?" Jeff asked.

"We don't have much choice," Fred answered.

"The other Rangers have been gathered and Tommy has briefed them," Alpha advised.

Jeff sighed. There was no way he would be able to keep knowledge of the Night Rangers secret now. "Okay, let's get this done."

Fred nodded. "Shift into Turbo!"

There were many ways to get a Power Rangers attention. Sometimes it just involved teleporting into a populated area with an army of foot-soldiers. Crucible's mere arrival in the Little China District of Angel Grove had likely triggered every sensor Zordon had looking for him, but he wanted to make certain he had their attention. Gathering the dark energies as his tutors had shown him, Crucible pushed his hands outwards, using his anger and hatred of Jeff Kincaid to direct the energy. The power didn't explode, it rippled outwards, gradually expanding in a ring of destruction. As he sent a second pulse he tried to focus on the shape he desired, aware that the speed of the destructive power would not kill those it encountered on the first or even the third strike. It was a cumulative effect although to those watching from the outside it probably seemed instantaneous. He was chasing the poor citizen of Angel Grove with his twisted power and to Zordon it probably looked more like he was cutting them down where they stood.

He could almost imagine the satellite images as the ground blackened to his design, burning the symbol of the Night Rangers into the wounded ground of Angel Grove. He reduced the power of his waves, making it hot enough to scorch the earth, but not enough to fatally wound a human. He wanted the humans alive. He wanted them to suffer as he had suffered all those years that Mark Kinega had protected them.

A tickling sensation warned him when the first Power Rangers arrived. He was disappointed, but not surprised to find that Jeff Kincaid was not with them. These were the Turbo Rangers if he recalled correctly, Earth's youngest team of Power Rangers.

"Didn't your mother ever tell you not to play with fire?" Rosa asked.

Crucible scowled. He'd hoped for a better opening than that.

"I don't see any fire," he replied before extending his arm and making a flicking gesture at the Rosa.

Rosa cried out as her uniform was engulfed by flames. Around her the other Rangers tried to help their friend, but nothing they did seemed to extinguish the magical fire.

"Looks to me like you're the one playing with fire, Rosa," Crucible mocked.

"Stop it, now!" Fred snarled, drawing his side arm and deciding that maybe the way to help was to attack the fire at its source.

While Franklin and Tasha tried to douse the flames with water, Justin and Fred attacked. Blue Turbo fired his Hand Blasters while Red summoned the Lightning Sword. For his part Crucible just stood and allowed the blasts to strike him while the sword slid harmlessly off his armour.

"My turn," he told them. He gave them a mental push that sent both Rangers sprawling back across the ground. As they struggled to stand, he raised his arms and they were levitated into the air. "I wonder how far a Turbo Ranger can fall without being killed or seriously injured by the impact?" he mused. "Let's find out!"

He was distracted by a sharp pain in his side. He turned to find that Franklin and Tasha had realised they could not help Rosa until Crucible had been forced to release his fire spell. Tasha had jammed her Star Chargers into his side and had sent a jolt of Turbo energy into his armour; he had barely felt it. With a grunt he backhanded her, knocking the Ranger aside. He was so busy concentrating on her though that he almost failed to notice Franklin firing his Thunder Cannon. Almost. He batted the energy away with his hand, directing to where Blue and Red Turbo were still hovering.

"Enough!" he snarled, pushing the five Turbo Rangers into the ground with a mental shove that managed to break Franklin's collarbone in spite of his armour. "If this is all that Zordon will send against me, if he does not value this world enough to fight me, then I will burn this city, the legendary home of the Power Rangers, to the ground."

He wanted Kincaid. Kincaid knew that, Zordon knew that. He suspected even the Turbo Rangers were aware of it. But still they had sent him children. He was offended, angered that they had sought to fight him when it was clear that they were outmatched.

The fire was gone now, Rosa felt the pain but she had not been harmed. Blue and Red Turbo were shaken but intact and despite the broken bones they had suffered - for Tasha was certain that the blow Crucible had landed had cracked her jaw - Franklin and Tasha were back on their feet.

"Turbo Power Weapons!" Fred cried.

The five Rangers lifted their weapons and lined up. Red was on the right hand side, the green, yellow and pink with blue on the left hand side.

"Ready!" the others cried.

"Turbo Scramble Charge Attack!" Fred ordered, "Begin!"

And with that the five Turbo Rangers sped forward, using all the power they could draw from the mystical energy source known as the Speed Force through their Turbo Keys. This was an attack that used their speed to its fullest, an attack the other Rangers of Earth could not duplicate, although Gold Zeo Ranger's Gold Rush came close. Building up speed as they approached, they veered off sharply, covering as much ground as possible, each footfall helping to build a store of energy within their suits.

Again and again they flashed passed the bemused villain, occasionally reaching out to land a not so gentle tap with their fists before moving on. As they continued they grew faster and the distance they seemed to cover before returning to land another blow grew larger, yet the time it took them between strikes never varied. Their Turbo Power Weapons started to glow as they fed the stored power into them. And then at just the right moment, Red Turbo Rangers gave the command and the Turbo Rangers landed their first real blow.

Watching from the sidelines, a considerable distance from the battle, Savrod winced. He knew that the Turbo Rangers' strike had to hurt and he was impressed that Crucible was even standing after such a blow. Five fully energised Power Weapons wielded by five Turbo Rangers at near maximum velocity had struck Crucible simultaneously. The Wind Bow, Hand Blasters and Thunder Cannon had been passing shots as the three Rangers had kept up the momentum and sped away. Tasha had somehow reconfigured her Star Chargers into knuckle dusters and had landed a superb double-handed blow. Red Turbo's Lightning Sword attack delivered if Savrod recalled in a style used by the team Megazord had been especially impressive. But more impressive was that having delivered their blows they had discarded the Power Weapons, pulled their Turbo Blasters and prepared to strike again.

He had been expecting them to stop after the blow they had delivered. He believed that any other team of Rangers would have decided that such an all out attack would have been sufficient. Instead the Turbo Rangers had moved away ready to strike again, not willing to take Crucible's defeat for granted. Savrod was actually impressed.

Not that the Turbo Rangers stood a chance. Their attack had been powerful by most standards, but Crucible was a whole different level. Still as he observed the slight dents in Crucible's armour, which rapidly corrected themselves, he had to admit he was impressed.

"Strike two!" Red Turbo ordered.

With that the five Rangers charged in, Turbo Blasters firing. Even from a distances their shots connected with enough force to throw Crucible off balance. And because they were attacking from different directions, he had to adapt to the forces applied in different areas. As one targeted his knees, another would strike at his chest. There was no way to predict where the Turbo Rangers would aim and while their shots would not harm him, Crucible was growing annoyed that they were making him look bad.

"Final pass, then switch to Turbo Swords!" Red Turbo ordered.

The others acknowledged and the five ran off into the distance and then vanished from sight. For a moment Crucible wondered if he had won. Then he dismissed the idea only to reconsider when they did not reappear. Then his eyes widened as he understood their plan. He turned around just in time to cover his eyes. The Turbo Rangers had been running so fast that in the time he had spend wondering where they were, they had managed to run across the world to attack him from behind.

This time he had been staggered by the force of their attack. With each pass they drew more energy from their Turbo Keys, allowing them to run faster. And with their Turbo Blasters discarded, the next three passes allowed them to land a series of sword slaps to his armour.

By the fifth time they raced passed him with their swords, Crucible had had enough. He tried to fight the blurs as they went passed, successfully knocking Blue Turbo hard enough to break his concentration. His punch put the Blue Turbo Ranger into a spin and he crashed into the remains of a building. His next strike caused Red Turbo to stumble. It didn't put him down like Blue Turbo, but it slowed him so that he could not keep up with the other three. And when the came passed for their next attack, Crucible was ready for them.

"Goodbye Turbo Rangers!" he snarled before hurling a ball of blue energy at them.

The Rangers couldn't dodge, the energy beam was too broad to avoid. And at their speed they could not duck or find cover. Their own speed drove them into the full and deadly force of Crucible's attack. They appeared to shimmer and then turned into the tiny sparks of teleportation as they were whisked away to safety, leaving Crucible to turn his annoyance on Red Turbo.

"What did you do to them?" Red Turbo demanded.

There was a skid mark extending for over half a mile where he had been forced to brake. His boots were smoking from the friction and physically he was exhausted. Still he was in better shape the Justin, who had not moved since he hit the wall.

"I gave them a shove," Crucible replied, sounding as if he believed that answered Red Turbo's question completely.

"Where are they?" Red Turbo demanded, once again holding the Lightning Sword.

Crucible Shrugged. "Who knows? I hear Tibet is nice this time of year. The middle of the Dead Sea perhaps; maybe they got thrown into space. The thing is, Red Ranger, that I don't know where that energy pulse carried them, but if they survived they will have a real job trying to build up that much speed again in time to save you."

"Then you'll have to go through us first."

And at that moment a question that had been burning in the back of Crucible's mind was answered: where were the other Rangers? He had known that Kincaid would not make an appearance. The Night Ranger was too cowardly to fight his former friend. But Earth was known to have multiple teams and yet only the Turbo Rangers had emerged to confront him. But as he turned toward the voice and saw the gather Power Rangers waiting for him he instead wondered what had taken them so long and why was Kincaid not with them?

"And they're off!" Hard Drive reported.

"Then so are we," Jeff replied as he pressed the sequence of buttons that activated Defiant's flight systems.

It had been difficult finding a way to launch the Zord without the risk of allowing Crucible to find the Power Chamber. Many villains knew where the Power Chamber was located, some had been there, but very few could actually find it. Which was why while the Turbo Rangers had done such a good job of distracting Crucible at a high cost - for even Jeff was uncertain what had happened to the three Crucible had turned his last attack on - the other Rangers had shifted Defiant to a new launch position and had then taken the liberty some of ships in Crucible's fleet.

"Launch!" he ordered as Defiant's thrusters came to life.

"Set controls for outer space, now flying higher than ever before..." Hard Drive started.

Kincaid shook his head, he had no idea where the computer had picked up that song.

"All right, find Crucible and get ready," Kincaid ordered. They needed Crucible to know they were leaving so that he would follow.

"Crucible," Savrod repeated for the umpteenth time.

It seemed the Rangers of Earth had managed to outmanoeuvre their forces. While the Turbo Rangers had been fighting against Crucible, it seemed the rest of the Rangers had had other targets. The units Crucible had dispatched to cause as much death and destruction as possible, had been routed. The Power Rangers had appeared in force, fought a swift and decisive battle and then moved on, leaving the Guardsmen to the mercy of some very angry locals. The drop ships had been damaged and isolated to prevent escape and despite succeeding, even the attempt to snatch Bruce Greene had proven costly in terms of manpower.

He read another report and realised that this was not some lucky strike Jeff Kincaid had been spotted directing the action at two of the battle zones. The Night Ranger had joined forces with the planet's defenders in a direct breach of the Council's rules. And it seemed the the local Morphin Masters - for he was certain he had spotted the legendary Ninjor out there - appeared to approve.

"I'm here Savrod."

Crucible sounded annoyed, but given that a large number of Rangers had just teleported to his location, that was not surprising.

"We've been deceived," Savrod told him. "While you were fighting Turbo Rangers, Kincaid has been attacking our forces all over the planet. We're suffered an almost complete loss."

"Kincaid's not here," Crucible answered after some thought. "The others just arrived, but no Kincaid." There was a long pause. "Savrod, prepare for pursuit, he's planning to run."

"Are you sure?" Savrod asked.

"This whole battle has been a ploy to launch the Defiant," Crucible told him. "Check the energy web."

Aside from ferrying troops to cities around the globe to punish the planet for siding with Crucible's enemies, the drop ships had been acting as transmission nodes capable of broadcasting a net of destructive energy. The intention had been to activate the net the moment Defiant had appeared, damaging the ship and allowing Crucible to find Kincaid before the Night Ranger could escape.

"There's a hole in the network," Savrod confirmed. "I'll order our forces to target the hole."

"Don't bother," Crucible answered. "Just order them to track him."

It was already too late, but he was not going to give Kincaid another moment of triumph. He was certain that when they investigated later they would find that the net had been shut down to draw their attention while Jeff had another route open to him at a moment's notice.

"In the meantime I'm going to kill as many of these Earth Rangers as possible."

"Let's go!" Red Zeo ordered and the army of Rangers attacked.

One thing Crucible had never lacked was confidence. When Savrod had helped to strip away the remnants of Mark Kinega's personality, he had instilled him him the believe that there was no opponent he could not overcome. However confronted by the horde of charging Rangers, Crucible found that for the first time that he was questioning his chance of succeeding.

The Rangers attacked in a predictable manner. First they used their side arms before switching to personal weapons. Next they tried combining their weapons before shifting to their special attacks. The assault was creative and extremely powerful, but as he battered aside the Shadow Ribbons and fought off a jolt from Jamie's Sword of Lightning, Crucible knew that this was just another distraction.

"Brachio Staff!"

He ducked the assault from the Din Thunder Rangers while blocking a swinging blow from Gold Zeo's Golden Power Staff.

With a grunt he threw his arms up, pushing the Rangers far away and readied a blast. He stopped when he noticed that although they were back on their feet, they had not made an attempt to charge him again.

"Crucible, we've found him," Savrod reported. "He's six miles north of your location and heading towards you."

"So he finally decided to face me," Crucible concluded.

He couldn't hear a reply as he was deafened by the roar of the Defiant's engines as the huge craft came to rest above him.

"We're detecting Defiant's engine signature above your position. Kincaid could be on board."

"Thank you Savrod, I am aware of that," Crucible groused as he noticed that Defiant's weapons and those of the surrounding Rangers were locked on his location. "Any time you feel like ordering your crew to retrieve me - before the y open fire - would do," he added. He wasn't worried, but didn't envision the pain caused by the combined power of so many Rangers and a giant ship as an enjoyable experience.

"Fire!" he heard the Red Rangers cry.

He felt the familiar sensation of teleportation, ten full seconds after the first blast connected with his armour.

The clean up had taken longer than normal. There had been a great deal of damage to repair both in Angel Grove and the many cities where Crucible's forces had tried to land. The Guardsmen had not been easy to defeat and the Rangers had been forced to use some of the tactics they normal reserved for powerful monsters in order to defeat them. Lives had been lost, buildings and property had been damaged. And because Crucible and his forces were not the result of a spell, the damage they caused did not simply reverse after the battle. It had taken a great deal of work and a large number of failures to repair what damage they could and to offer comfort where possible.

But not everybody survives a monster attack. Rocky had once said that to Lita Kiino, a psychiatrist that helped the Rangers in times of stress. However the Rangers had never realised how true those words could be. The Turbo Rangers were recovering. Justin had sustained the worst injuries although Fred had not been that much better off. Both would be back in action before long. Of the other Rangers there had been a few injuries from the battles with Crucible's forces and Zack had taken a nasty head blow from Savrod, but they were alive.

As Adam sat down to a late Thanksgiving dinner with his parents he was thankful that despite how bad things had seemed, the Power Rangers had emerged relatively unscathed. At the DeSantos table, Rocky paused briefly before giving thanks for his family and friends. His older brother had checked in and his younger siblings had been safely within the Monster Shelter. He gave thanks for the Youth Center. And at the Kellman residence, the two boys better known as the Turbo Rangers were thankful that Fred's dad had allowed Justin to spend the night. Little Angel's Haven was okay, but Justin never really had any good friends there.

"So you're going to leave their memories intact?" Jeff asked incredulously.

The Night Rangers were the embarrassing secret of both the Morphin Masters and the Galactic Council. For a whole planet to be aware of their existence would be unacceptable to most. But worse still still one of the witnesses to Jeff Kincaid's actions had been the Lord of Triforia; there was an equal chance that Dex of Edenoi had also seen the battle that had taken place. Two powerful races were suddenly aware of a secret that the Council did not want exposed.

Zordon had already received his instructions, direct orders from the Council to swear his Rangers to secrecy and take steps to ensure that the people of Earth forgot about the Night Ranger. That was easier said than done. There was no way to wipe the memory of everybody on the planet without resorting to some very strange magic. One of the councillors had suggested adding something to the water supply, but Zordon had ignored the suggestion when he had learnt that it could cause fatalities.

"It is not my place to erase them," Zordon told him. "Too many people saw what happened. There were news reports from Angel Grove and around the world. If I attempted to cover up there would be clues left that would rapidly expose the truth. The Council has forgotten, again, that the Earth is not a part of their jurisdiction and that they have no right to demand the people forget something that happened to them."

"So what are you going to do?"

Jeff was not convinced Zordon would just allow things to remain as they were. There were too many unknowns in such free knowledge and Zordon was too responsible to allow such chaos.

"I instructed Alpha to make all the information that should be available about the Night Rangers available," Zordon answered.

"But that would mean people would have access to everything without ever searching. Oh!"

"Yes Jeffrey," Zordon agreed. "People will have full and unrestricted access to all the facts. And you know what happens when people have all the information with nothing hidden from them."

"They forget," Jeff concluded. "They grow bored because they don't have to search. The grow suspicious of all the information so easily available. THey start to question whether what they saw was real and then look for conspiracies to poke holes in the facts they've been given."

"Exactly," Zordon agreed. "Before long the humans will deem the Night Rangers as a myth and start looking elsewhere."

"And the Rangers, did you alter their memories?"

"They agreed to protect your secret," Zordon told him. "They promised before the Council demanded that I obtain their oath. The Council were displeased that instead of the formal promise they required the Rangers only gave an oath that was to the point. Where will you go from here?"

"Crucible will need time to track me down again," Kincaid said. "He's already left the system because he thinks I'm ahead of him. It should take a while before he catches up and discovers it's one of his own ships. I'll drift off in the other direction, wait a few months and then stick my head out in some backwater galaxy. By the time he hears where I am I'll be the other side of space. I'll keep doing it until I can find a way to defeat him. But otherwise I'll stay low and make sure I don't draw anybody else into this mess."

"Jeff..."

"Don't Zordon! Don't you dare try and comfort me. You know what happened, so do I. We both know there's something but we just can't say it. People died because of me today. Good people, bad people... people. I won't risk the lives of anybody else by getting involved with Crucible. He wants me, let him find me, but when he does there won't be anybody else around to get hurt."

With that the Night Ranger cut the communication and Defiant took off into space, leaving Zordon to hope that in his grief, Jeff Kincaid would not become a bigger monster than Crucible.

The Rangers had hurt him, but he had hurt them too. He had taken something precious and he would take more. Already he was aware that Bruce Greene was being dumped on an alien world, fully aware that Jeff Kincaid was to blame. If by some chance he survived, Crucible imagined the man would become bitter and twisted, willing to train Crucible's Guardsmen in return for a chance at revenge against Kincaid. And that in turn would hurt Kincaid.

As for those other Rangers... One day Crucible would return and would conquer the Earth. And when he did he would take revenge on every Ranger that had dared to fire upon him. And he would take special pride in putting an end to the Turbo Rangers. He paused and shook his head. Something was wrong there but he couldn't tell what. Then the sensation was gone and he was back to scheming his revenge.

"Crucible, there is a messenger here to see you," Savrod told him, strolling into the chamber as if he owned it. There was a good chance he did own it, Crucible had never thought to ask who paid for all the ships at his disposal.

"I'm not expecting a message," he said after some thought.

"I'm aware of that," Savrod told him. "I am responsible for sending most of your messages after all. This messenger demanded an audience and I would suggest you grant him one."

"Show him in then," Crucible sighed. The problem with being a leader was having to deal with other leaders.

"The Messenger of Fire," Savrod announced. His voice sounded odd. Was that awe? "Ambassador for the Grand Monarch of Evil, Dark Specter."

It was an impressive being, even Crucible had to admit that. Seven feet of billowing flame was bound to impress some. His mind briefly caught onto the memory of a story about a burning bush, but he ignored it.

"Crucible," the messenger greeted. His voice sounded like twigs crackling on a wood stove. There was an uncertainty, as if he had wanted to add something before his name. And Crucible realised in that moment that to the Messenger this was a very odd situation because unlike other, Crucible had not given himself a title. "I come with a message and an invitation. The message is as follows: you and your followers have been accepted into the ranks of the United Alliance of Evil. Congratulations on your achievement. Acceptance is mandatory. You are instructed to accept the enclosed invitation to attend the first meeting of the United Alliance of Evil and to swear allegiance to Dark Specter, the Grand Monarch of Evil."

"And if I say no?"

The fire seemed to grow brighter. "When others refused they were taught that my master could have them destroyed in flame."

"I'm not like the others," Crucible answered. "And I have no desire to follow or swear loyalty."

"The Grand Monarch does not share," the Messenger warned. "You are powerful, but you are untrained and not ready to challenge the Grand Monarch."

"I would try," Crucible warned.

"And you would fail, and you would be destroyed. But what then?" The Messenger seemed to drift off. "You are not important, but what you represent is something the Grand Monarch was not meant to be. That makes you important. But the Grand Monarch cannot have an equal."

"Perhaps a compromise then," Savrod suggested. "Crucible is still learning to become the leader his people need. Until then he is only the leader in name. I am the commander of his forces, himself included. I will agree to accept this membership and give the oath. When Crucible is ready to assume command though, he will not be bound by any such agreement."

"Dark Specter might have use for his services," the Messenger of Fire claimed.

"And those services would be performed," Savrod answered smoothly. "In return Crucible will be allowed to continue to train and to seek out the Night Ranger Jeff Kincaid."

"Yes, destroying the last Night Ranger would be of great service," the messenger agreed.

The flames grew brighter and then vanished, replaced by a green skinned alien with a tall head. "Agreed. Find your missing Ranger and destroy him. I shall summon you if I have need of your other skills." the Grand Monarch ordered before vanishing. "But for the first meeting, you will be there."

Crucible nodded wordlessly as the identity of the being he had been willing to fight sank in. He had felt Dark Specter's power up close and having felt the power of all those Rangers earlier, knew which was stronger. He would not stand against Dark Specter. At least not until Jeff Kincaid was destroyed and the power of the Mirror of Night was his once more. Perhaps one day Dark Specter would become a part of the mirror's power too.

"There was one more thing," Savrod told him. He looked pleased with himself. "I remember Mark Kinega mentioned something about a young lady... Leslie? I thought you might want to show her your appreciation for the way she treated Mark, especially since it helped Crucible to emerge."

Crucible grinned. "A fine idea Savrod, but we're behind schedule. Let the hunt begin."

**End**Disclaimer: I do not own the Power Rangers or any other shows. They and all other material used in this story belong to their respective copyright owners.

Author's Note: This story takes place a few weeks after the previous story.

**Epilogue - Dark Season**

Thirty days the messenger had granted them. Thirty days before a compulsory meeting of the United Alliance of Evil, which they had all been told that they had joined. Thirty days following which their acts as individual villains would likely end at the command of their new Grand Monarch. And while their territory would remain, their chances to extend their empires would be curtailed.

Just one month left in which to pay for the greatest prize in the Universe: Earth; a little over four weeks to overcome its defenders and secure the power that would guarantee their survival in the dirtier side of Alliance politics. And as they absorbed the meaning of the message, assorted villains representing the Machine Empire, the House of Vile, Xett and Repugna, the Dianthe Clan and a few that had been conducting their own wars without attracting as much attention, swore as they realised that half a day had already passed.

They had collectively ignored the first message, dismissing the woman that had delivered it as some insane witch without the power to back up her threats. That line of thinking had rapidly changed when the Messengers of Fire had started arriving. Their exact nature was unclear, but they had affected those that relied on pure technology and those that dabbled in magic alike. Fires had ravaged one of Master Vile's spawn worlds, incinerated a vast section of the Dianthe fleet and had turned one of King Mondo's space bases into a floating pool of molten metal, which had taken hours to cool despite being in space.

After that demonstration, the Messengers had restated the ultimatum, allowing the villains a slight grace period of the week that had passed between the first summons and their attack. Now there was not a single villain that didn't realise that their time was running out. When the United Alliance of Evil met, new rules would be established and any claims to the Earth would likely be dismissed; it was highly likely that the Grand Monarch would declare the planet as his, ending all the previous squabbles.

But there was hope. Capturing the planet before the meeting would give them a bargaining chip with which to demand a greater share of the prize - for even possessing control of the Earth would not be enough to overpower a villain with such powerful servants.

And so their efforts intensified, their plans reaching new and more ambitious heights in their desperate bid to claim the prize. Rita delved into the darkest arts at her disposal, Mondo and Gasket began construction of their most diabolical machines, Dregon shifted through his collection to find the most powerful Insectivores he possessed while Divatox had Porto, Rygog and Elgar searching for a warrior capable of defeating the Power Rangers while she called every vessel in the Dianthe fleet to her aid. And away from all the madness and rush, Master Vile smiled evilly as he concocted his own plan, one which would give him the means to meet the Grand Monarch as an equal and perhaps give him a chance to grab the Earth for himself.

So many villains, so much ambition and so little time. So much to lose, but so much more to gain. And in the middle of this race for power stood the little planet known as Earth. Looked down on by galactic society, feared for the violent nature of its people and the way they had managed to see off so many threats where more advanced and powerful worlds had fallen.

Forces of darkness competing for possession of a world with no regard for the people that lived there. And regardless of who won for the human race and especially the Power Rangers, this promised to be a Dark Season.

**End.**


End file.
